Sleep No More
Authors: Susan Crandall
Tags: #Sleepwalking, #Contemporary, #General, #Romance, #Suspense, #Fiction, #Psychiatrists
SUSAN CRANDALL'S
NOVELS
SEEING RED
"4 Stars! Crandall weaves a tight and suspenseful story that will have readers guessing until the last chapter. Poignant in places and nail-bitingly tense in others, this is one of those books readers will want to finish in one sitting."
--
Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
"Exciting romantic suspense... Readers will enjoy this tense thriller."
--
Midwest Book Review
"A fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing...
Seeing Red
will lead you down a fear path of horrific crimes that could happen anywhere."
--
TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
"Another fascinating story by the talented Susan Crandall...
Seeing Red
is a riveting tale that you won't want to put down... Highly recommended!"
"Compelling... well-written... The suspense was fast-paced and the romance was irresistible... The book was hard to put down... Most definitely an author to keep your eye out for."
PITCH BLACK
"Prepare to be thoroughly captivated by Crandall's
Pitch Black
world!... A superbly woven suspense that sucks you in and doesn't let go... Susan Crandall is a master storyteller whose characters never fail to touch your heart."
--K
AREN
R
OSE
,
New York Times
Bestselling Author
"[A] taut potboiler... nicely turned."
--
Publishers Weekly
"Keep the lights on bright for
Pitch Black
... takes the reader on a thrill ride into the soul of a small town, a very special woman, and the sheriff who wants her even more than he wants to solve a terrible murder."
--K
AREN
H
ARPER
,
New York Times
Bestselling Author
"4 Stars! Suspenseful... interesting and complicated characters."
--
Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
"Nail-biting suspense... a pulse-pounding ride... enticing... What sets this book apart from other great suspense novels is Ms. Crandall's skill in defining her characters... a great read."
A KISS IN WINTER
"Everything a contemporary romance reader wants in a book."
--
Midwest Book Review
"A very character-driven story,
A Kiss in Winter
is a tale of family expectations and disappointments."
--
Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
"Complex characters, intricate relationships, realistic conflicts, and a fine sense of place."
--
Booklist
"Great characters, a touching relationship, and exciting suspense."
--
Affaire de Coeur
"Brilliant characterization, edgy suspense... a tension-rich mystery."
--
ContemporaryRomanceWriters.com
ON BLUE FALLS POND
"A powerful psychological drama...
On Blue Falls Pond
is a strong glimpse at how individuals react to crisis differently, with some hiding or running away while others find solace to help them cope."
--
Midwest Book Review
"Readers who enjoy... fiction with a pronounced sense of place and families with strong ties will respond well to Crandall's... sensitive handling of the important issues of domestic violence, macular degeneration, and autism."
--
Booklist
"Full of complex characters... it's a well-written story of the struggles to accept what life hands out and to continue living."
--
Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
PROMISES TO KEEP
"An appealing heroine... [an] unexpected plot twist... engaging and entertaining."
"FOUR STARS!"
--
Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
"This is one book you will want to read repeatedly."
MAGNOLIA SKY
"Emotionally charged... An engrossing story."
--
BookPage
"A wonderful story that kept surprising me as I read. Real conflicts and deep emotions make the powerful story come to life."
--
Rendezvous
"Engaging... starring two scarred souls and a wonderful supporting cast... Fans will enjoy."
--
Midwest Book Review
THE ROAD HOME
"A terrific story... a book you will want to keep to read again and again."
"The characters... stay with you long after the last page is read."
BACK ROADS
"Accomplished and very satisfying... Add Crandall to your list of authors to watch."
"An amazingly assured debut novel... expertly drawn."
--
TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
"A definite all-nighter. Very highly recommended."
A
LSO BY
S
USAN
C
RANDALL
Seeing Red
Pitch Black
A Kiss in Winter
On Blue Falls Pond
Promises to Keep
Magnolia Sky
The Road Home
Back Roads
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright (c) 2010 by Susan Crandall
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Hachette Book Group
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Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
First eBook Edition: January 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-56400-7
Contents
For Allison, my daughter, my friend.
Once again I am indebted to others for the successful completion of this book. Thanks to Melissa Crandall for the hours of poolside brainstorming; it was a great summer. And to Karen White for both in-person and long-distance chats; you helped keep me on track. To my son Reid, a great writer himself, for pushing me in the right direction when I called when faced with various forks in the writing road. And of course, to WITTS (Alicia, Brenda, Garthia, Pam, Sherry, and Vicky), best critique group
ever
. I can't imagine writing a book without you all.
I thank Dr. Walter Beaver for his help and insight to Alzheimer's and dementia, and sleepwalking--as well as all of those other topics that popped up as we chatted.
No suspense would be complete without questions answered by the ever able crime scene writers group.
Mega-appreciation to my fabulous editor, Karen Kosztolnyik, for her keen insight and direction; and to those in the Grand Central family who lend their talents to making my dreams come true. Thanks to my agent, Annelise Robey, whose eyes lit up when I described this book idea to her over breakfast.
And most of all, thanks to my family: Bill, Reid, Allison, and Melissa, for their endless support and for listening to my shameless whining about something I truly do love to do.
ROLOGUE
T
he house where Abby Whitman's family lived wasn't like the plantation houses in the movies. There were no sweeping staircase and grand foyer. The house
did
have two sets of stairs. The second was at the back of the house--it had been for servants "back in the day," as Abby's daddy said. The foyer stairs was fancier, sure, but it was no Tara.
It was at the bottom of the foyer stairs that Abby's mother stopped her and held her by the shoulders.
Confused and disoriented, Abby tried to pull away. She didn't know why panic was squeezing the breath from her lungs. She shouldn't be afraid of Momma.
"Abby. Abby, stop," her mother's voice was quiet, but Abby heard something underneath; a dark whisper of fear.
Abby's eyes began to focus. Her mother was smiling, but her eyes looked scared. Momma was never scared.
Abby's stomach took a roller coaster plunge.
"You're sleepwalking again, sweetie," Momma said. "Let's get you back to bed."
That was when Abby saw the heavy front door standing open and understood why Momma was so upset. Abby had been outside in the dark. Outside where there were gators and snakes and a river to drown in. Outside where there was quicksand and woods to get lost in.
Every night when she went to bed, Abby promised herself she wouldn't sleepwalk. And then she prayed that God would fix her. Promises and prayers weren't doing any good. This was the second time in a week Abby had wandered in the night. The last time she'd woken up in the hayloft in the barn.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Great-Gran Girault was there waiting.
Abby had been hoping now that she was eleven she'd grown out of being scared of Gran Girault. But sure as the moon, she hadn't. Gran had to be a hundred; tall and thin with weathered skin sagging on her bones. Her white hair was always in a bun--even when she was in her nightgown.