Sleep No More

Abby Whitman is a florist in Preston. Her shop and home are on the family property. She prefers a life of solitude and has somnambulism; she sleepwalks. As a child, she was sleepwalking when her family's home burned to the ground, leaving her sister badly scared. She and her family believe that the fire was caused by Abby knocking over a gas lamp in her sleep. Guilt ridden, Abby refuses to sleep in the same house as anyone else, fearing she will harm someone in her sleep. Dr. Jason Coble is her psychiatrist. Slowly, Jason gains Abby's trust. The sleep walking returns with the death of Abby's mother. Her father shows signs of Alzheimer's, and needs supervision. She begins to doubt her own sanity when she is involved in an auto accident and cannot remember the events leading up to the accident. The body of a high profile individual is found at the scene. Someone is stalking Abby. Jason lends support and help. Susan Crandall is a master at characterization. In her latest book, a psychological suspense/thriller, "Sleep No More", the heroine, Abby Whitman, is a multifaceted character. There are too many characters in this book for my taste; making it difficult to keep up with all of them. Amazingly, even secondary characters are well developed and have distinct personalities. The plot is filled with delightful twists and turns that kept me guessing and flows smoothly. The setting is exquisite. I read this book in one sitting, quite an accomplishment for a 400 page book. I look forward to reading more books by Susan Crandall.

Sleep No More by Susan Crandall is an intense thrill ride story. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. Abby Whitman has lived all her life with her sleep walking being a danger to others. Her burned and scarred sister is living proof on how dangerous it can be to be near Abby. Abby thought she had it all under control until recently. Abby awakens late one night on a darken road seemingly driving while asleep. She is shocked that someone may have died because of her. As the evidence seems to clear her she starts to receive mysterious threats to her life. Abby turns to local psychiatrist Dr. Jason Cable for his help. Dr. Jason Cable is intrigued by Abby. His initial contact is over her concerns for her elderly father but soon Jason realizes Abby needs his personal help for herself. Jason agrees to try to get to the cause of Abby's sleepwalking. As Jason spends more time with Abby he is drawn to the strong woman he has come to know. Abby is afraid of the feelings Jason invokes in her. She had herself convinced that she would always be alone because of her illness. Jason has her starting to believe that they may have a chance at a happy life. But someone is out to make sure Abby doesn't have any more happy moments. Sleep No More is Susan Crandalls best to date in my opinion. It covers the full range of human emotions. Abby's dealings with her father and sister are so true to life. Jason and Abby come together under unusual circumstances and learn to fight for a chance at happiness. I can't wait to read the next book from this author.

Abbey has some dark secrets. While sleeping one night when she was young, she started a fire that hurt her little sister. Unfortunately, her problem has resurfaced. When a young man is killed in a car accident, Abby can't help but wonder if she is to blame. She begins seeing a psychiatrist to try and make sense of all of her repressed issues. The results are electrifying! This is the first book of Susan's I have read and now I need to add her to my favorite authors list! If you like the synopsis, you will like the book.

Author Susan Crandall lived in Chicago and worked as a dental hygienist before pursuing her writing career. This title, Sleep No More, follows other titles: Pitch Black, Seeing Red, A Kiss in Winter, On Blue Falls Pond, Promises to Keep, Magnolia Sky, The Road Home, and Back Roads. She resides in Indiana with her husband and two children. As a young girl, Abby Whitman walked in her sleep, and one horrible night long ago, she started a fire that left her sister scarred and the family house in rubbles. Carrying this guilt throughout her life, she's vowed to never hurt anyone again, so she spends her life mostly alone. Except now she is sleepwalking again, and she may have been the one to have killed the prominent senator's son in a car accident while asleep. Even though the evidence seems to point away from her being the guilty party, Abby has doubts. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble offers his help any way he can--- As a friend. He finds himself drawn to Abby, not only romantically, but with the need to help her find peace. Soon, secrets begin to emerge in their small Southern town that threaten to shake the very foundation to each of their pasts. And someone is willing to do anything to keep those secrets from coming out. Susan Crandall has a deft way of understanding the very thing that makes us human. Whether it be our flaws, our loves, or just the way we view the world, you won't be closing one of her books thinking how unrealistic it was. Pulling out every insecurity, she takes you on a journey of heartbreak, love, and friendship, and leaves you with a greater appreciation for life. The hero and heroine were relatable, and the romance between them believable. The secondary characters added nicely to the story, and readers are able to get inside their heads from time to time. This book not only showed the fears surrounding sleepwalking, but Alzheimer's and phobias as well. The plot flowed smoothly, without any dead spots. In fact, Susan is so good at pacing a story that you won't know when to take a break and put it down. The setting was great, placing this book in a small Southern town, and was illustrated beautifully. A highly recommended read from a superb author! Kelly Moran, Author and Reviewer

In Sleep No More, Susan Crandall has crafted another suspenseful, intriguing romantic suspense epic. Imagine that you are a psychiatrist in a small South Carolina town, just escaped from a marriage to an alcoholic wife with a range of problems beyond your ability to control or cope with. Into your life comes an alluring woman who has innocently stepped into a nest of figurative vipers. The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt, and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again--with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts--and soon by mysterious threats. A young psychiatrist, Dr. Jason Coble, is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses in her mind. Through this terrifying journey, Jason's interest turns to passion, and he yearns to give her the love she craves. But first, Abby must trust him--and shed light on secrets that will rock this Southern town and reveal a danger that threatens them both. Sleep No More flows with rhythmic cadence, as the reader becomes immersed in the emotions of the Abby and Jason and the suspense of the fraud threatening to dispose of them before their love can ripen. This is a page-turner that demands your attention. Each of the twists and turns in the story, and the interconnections of the characters, draws you deeper into the story as it plays out on the original manor grounds, including family cemetery and lifeline of the river. Congratulations Susan on another masterpiece!