Insomnia

Sarah Durham narrates a dark domestic thriller. It features an intense and unreliable narrator and a cast of complex and multifaceted characters rife with family secrets, paranoia, and lost sleep. The atmospheric story builds slowly, then speeds up in the days before Emma Averell's fortieth birthday, leaving listeners feeling that something darker is in play. Durham's exceptional narration gives listeners chills as she smoothly switches characters, evoking a sense of unease and uncertainty about the realities being presented. This compelling audiobook will leave listeners sated once the author delivers her final twist. M.R.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

September 1, 2022

Emma Averell has always worried that she'll become detached from reality when she turns 40 and hurt her family--just as her mother did. Her birthday is approaching, and Emma is having terrible insomnia and losing time during the day, two symptoms her mother also experienced before the incident that destroyed their family. Her marriage is going through a tough patch, a client is harassing her, and her estranged sister Phoebe is unexpectedly in town. The only bright spot in this dark time is her new friendship with Caroline, a nurse who found Emma's lost wallet and tracked her down to return it. But Emma still struggles under the weight of her fears that she's about to lose her mind forever. Pinborough (Behind Her Eyes) plays around with some fun ideas in this lightly supernatural thriller, even if the resolution doesn't quite stick the landing. Sarah Durham provides strong narration. VERDICT Fans of the author and supernatural thrillers will enjoy.--Stephanie Klose

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

For almost two decades British storyteller Sarah Pinborough has delighted readers across various genres with more than 20 thriller, fantasy, horror, and fairy tale novels for adults and teens. She roams fearlessly across genre borders, keeping readers on their toes. In recent years Pinborough’s star rose sharply thanks to her bestselling thriller Behind Her Eyes, which became a hit Netflix series. Domestic noir with something more. Now she again shows her masterful manipulation of readers’ emotions and expectations with Insomnia. Emma Averell is a successful lawyer whose showroom life begins to unravel in the days leading up to her 40th birthday. It starts with a sleepless night. Then another. The return of Emma’s estranged older sister, Phoebe, adds strain. Phoebe wants Emma to visit the mother that Emma’s husband and kids had been told died long ago. Childhood terrors return, and as the sleepless nights continue, troubles arise at her son’s school, her work, and at home. Is Emma going mad, or is someone out to get her? There’s a death, and the police get involved. Is Emma in danger, or is she the dangerous one? If only Emma could get some sleep. With Insomnia Pinborough lures readers into a mind-bending tale of a woman whose past and present violently collide. A stay-up-all-night read.  Reviewed by Craig Sisterson   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sarah Pinborough is a New York Times bestselling and Sunday Times Number one and Internationally bestselling author who is published in over 25 territories worldwide. Having published more than 25 novels across various genres, her recent books include Behind Her Eyes which will air on Netflix in January 2021, Cross Her Heart, in development for UK television, and 13 Minutes in development with Netflix. Sarah was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story and also the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and she has four times been short-listed for Best Novel. She is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC and is currently working on three TV projects and the film adaptation of her novel The Death House. Her novel, Dead to Her and is a dark and twisty, sexy tale of hidden secrets and revenge in high society Savannah and has been sold for TV in the US. Sarah lives in the historic town of Stony Stratford, the home of the Cock and Bull story, with her dog Ted. Visit Sarah Pinborough's website