Book Review
Title: None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney (None Shall Sleep Book 1)
Genre: Historical, Crime, Thriller
Rating: 5 Stars
I believe it was last year I read the Killing Code by this author and while I didn’t love it, it was really interesting and something different in the World War 2 genre so I was excited to read these new entries. The opening of None Shall Sleep was gripping as we are introduced to Emma Lewis as she is being recruited into the Behavioural Science branch of the F.B.I. to interview teenage serial killers. Emma has been chosen because she was a survivor of a serial killer herself and understands the way they think and act. While she initially refuses, the idea of learning about these killers and preventing more deaths appeals to Emma and the security of knowing she won’t be alone also helps and she decides to take the job but she wants to go back to school afterwards. Her partner we haven’t met yet but we do know he is, US Marshal candidate Travis Bell. From the first sentence, None Shall Sleep is definitely seeming more gripping than The Killing Code and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Emma and Travis are getting along well as they understand what each other has been through since Travis’ father was killed by a serial killer when he was being arrested. Their first interview is with Clarence McMurtry and this goes really well as McMurtry is really talkative and Emma appeals to him on a personal level since they are from similar backgrounds and areas. However, Emma already has the sense that something isn’t right with this unit especially with another serial killer currently on the loose and Travis accidentally learns about this. It seems he is smart and keeps his DNA well away from everything and another serial killer named Simon is sending Special Agent Cooper letters. Cooper eventually informs Emma and Travis their next interview is with Simon Gutmunsson and Travis explodes as this is the man that killed his father and refuses to be a part of that interview but Emma goes ahead. The interview with Simon is a disaster as Simon knows about Emma and her past when she goes in and he toys with her despite filling out the questionnaire for her and he also hints at things happening with the current serial killer. Afterwards, Emma lays into Cooper and with Travis at her side they agree to look into the current killer through Simon but they have to be in the loop as much as possible in order to do their job properly and Cooper agrees to do his best but they aren’t supposed to have access to active cases.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, this book is giving me A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Hannibal vibes, because it has the crime solving elements of AGGTM but has the vibes and character set up as Hannibal and it’s working for me. With their permission to unofficially work on the open case while continuing with their official interviews, Emma decides it might be worth interviewing Simon’s twin sister since he obviously cares for her and during that meeting Travis has to confess that his father was the person who replaced her as Simon’s hostage. Since Kristin knows Simon best she claims their best weapon at getting information out of him is Emma since she is a challenge for him and also intelligent to engage with him. Simon also left them a few clues on his questionnaire and mentions to visit him again when the next victim is missing her hair. Emma and Travis know from the media and case files that this killer has a monthly cycle and a new month has started so they know another murder comes in soon and it turns out Simon was right. Emma wants to go back to the asylum to speak with Simon again because she has the sense that he has the information the F.B.I. need to stop this new killer but he won’t give it willingly and she’s going to use his interest in her to get the information much like Clarice did to Hannibal.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Emma knows that Simon is giving her information but he is giving it in riddles that she needs to solve. After thinking more about how the blood is important to the killer, Emma believes that he is testing their blood before killing them. When she passes the information on it turns out to be spot on and now she and Travis are more involved in this case than either of them planned to be. Emma’s second visit with Simon is a lot shorter but she gains a lot of information from him but it is overshadowed when another body turns up bringing the total to five. Travis and Emma decide they are going to go to the crime scene to see it first-hand and while Cooper is furious with them they will offer him a perspective he wouldn’t have otherwise but he knows neither of them are going to be the same afterwards. In the aftermath, both teens are affected by what they saw but it seems Emma is on to something. The following day it finally clicks that the killer is getting rid of his temporary sites meaning he has found a more permanent location to work from which isn’t good for the investigation.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, things are getting darker as the case takes its mental toll on everyone involved especially Emma given her history with these types of killers. Kristen ends up paying them a visit and accidentally reveals something that is vital, from the crime scene photos she puts together that the Butcher as he is being called literally bathes in the blood of his victims. This also explains why he hangs them so far from the ground and why he cuts their hair prior to killing them. It also comes to light that Simon has been writing to the Butcher and withheld that information from them which infuriates Emma but she knows she has to go back to see him one more time. In this visit she gets Simon to write a response to the Butcher but she now has the knowledge that she was the captive of a serial killer and two more, Simon and the Butcher, have expressed an interest in her which might not go well in the end.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the unit seems to be closing in on the Butcher as Emma convinces Simon to write a reply to the Butcher’s letter. Cooper sets up a sting to grab the Butcher when he checks the mailbox the university is redirecting the mail to but from there everything goes wrong. During the sting, the Butcher gets away and chased into the hospital by Cooper but he makes a fatal error by not asking the doctor who appears for identification. This “doctor” turns out to be the Butcher who murders Cooper before escaping the rest of the F.B.I. This obviously hit Emma and Travis hard and their unit is begin shut down, however, in the brief time they have been there they have made some solid connections. Betty explains their ID’s are valid until Monday instead of Sunday giving them an extra day to work with Cooper’s close friends in order to take the Butcher down for good. The F.B.I. decides to set up a trap at the asylum by using Kristen to get Simon’s cooperation but Emma sees the fact that Simon might use that chaos to escape which would be worse. However, Emma and Travis are tasked with escorting Kristen to the asylum and they decide to split up, Travis goes for Kristen while Emma heads straight to the asylum and speaks to Simon who helps her realise that he knows the Butcher personally but their time is running out now.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, finally seeing everything come together was amazing. The ending was outstanding, Marney really blew me away with both her character and plot development. While there wasn’t your classic reveal at the end, seeing Emma finally put all the puzzle pieces together really made up for it. The Hannibal vibes continued throughout the book and really came across as a less gory version of Silence of the Lambs which is one of my favourite series of all time. Highly recommended and a definite 5 stars.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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