ARC REVIEW: Sleep Tight – by Caroline Mitchell @Caroline_writes @bookouture

Title: Sleep Tight
(Detective Ruby Preston #2)
Author: Caroline Mitchell
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: April 20th 2017
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: April 8th 2017
Pages: 345

Ruby craned her head to one side. “You’re talking to the Queen of Fuck-ups. I’m sure it won’t come as any great shock to me.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I read the first Ruby Preston book last year and I admit it took me some time to warm up to the main character. But as soon as I saw the blurb of Sleep Tight and realized this sequel was going to be another serial killer thriller, I just had to give Ruby a second chance. And I’m glad I did, because whatever reservations I had about her character in book one have completely vanished by now. Her connections to the organized crime definitely add a whole different level to what is already an interesting plot! Sleep Tight had me hooked right from the start and it has been one hell of a ride. Twisted serial killer… Check. Lots and lots of plot twists… Check. Fast pace and well written prose… Check. Interesting characters… Check. Possible Jack The Ripper reference… Check. What’s more to ask? If you like fast-paced detective thrillers with an original touch, I can definitely recommend this series. Sleep Tight reads like a train and even though the identity of the killer has been revealed a bit early, this won’t stop you wanting to find out how the story ends. Intense until the very last page! I will definitely be waiting impatiently for the next Ruby Preston adventure.

WARNING: Possible spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read the first book of this series yet. I’ll keep the summary super short but it’s impossible to keep it completely spoiler-free…

A new killer seems to be on the loose in the streets of East London… Various murdered young women are being discovered, their bodies posed into a sickening recreation of fairytale stories. Detective Ruby Preston is determined to find out who is after these deaths, although things are becoming more and more complicated as her ‘dodgy’ lover Nathan Crosby seems to be involved. Ruby shouldn’t be working on the case, but very few people know about their relationship and she risks everything to find proof Nathan is being framed. She will have to find the real killer before her collegues find Nathan… But as more bodies start showing up, it will become more and more difficult to prove his innocence.

I’ve always been intrigued by serial killer thrillers and the one in Sleep Tight is without doubt a very twisted and disturbing creation. The fairytale/Jack The Ripper references are a nice touch as well and the ‘complicated’ situation of Ruby’s personal life mixed up in the murder investigation adds a whole other level to the plot. Unorthodox police work indeed! This thriller simply reads like a train and I enjoyed every single minute of it. There are some hints in the end that have made me VERY curious about the next book!