Sleep Tight (DCI Tom Douglas #3) by Rachel Abbott - Kindle Edition

(As with all my reviews, this post contains no spoilers)

Robert Brookes gives a whole new meaning to the term 'controlling'. Olivia Brookes met her husband at a very difficult time in her life and he seemed to be the knight in shining armor she needed at that time. The young single mother had had a couple of difficult years and then she was dealt another devastating blow with the loss of her parents.  She was totally overwhelmed and barely able to function so when Robert stepped in and took control she accepted his help without much resistance. Soon he was indispensable and eventually a romance developed between them. Now, years later, with three small children, Robert is even more oppressive and Olivia basically is watched 24/7.

After arriving home from a two-week business trip, Robert comes home to find Olivia and the children gone. He calls the police who come to investigate and alarm bells go off almost immediately. Tom Douglas, the chief inspector, remembers Olivia from the case he worked years previously when her parents had died. There's something not quite right but Tom can't put his finger on it.

What ensues is a painstakingly difficult investigation into the disappearance of this mother and her children but the police don't quite know if they're investigation a missing person's report or possibly even a murder at the hands of Robert Brookes. Inspector Douglas  must be careful not to tip his hand and make the situation even more dangerous, especially for the children.

My Thoughts:

At first I didn't realize this book was part of a series, Book 3 in fact, but I decided I would read it anyway.  Though there was some back-story with a few of the characters I wasn't privy to, I don't think it took too much away from the story. The book started off strong so it didn't take me long to get into the story. I felt that way through most of the book but a little more than half way I began to sense a redundancy, like the police were a step behind me in figuring things out when I thought they'd already done so. It wasn't real bad but enough to make me wish things would move on quicker.

As with any series there were a few sub-plots, one that involved a complicated relationship Inspector Douglas has with a woman he's been seeing and another incident that centers around his recently deceased brother.  I'm hoping these two story lines will be addressed further in the next book. This story was a bit dark, which doesn't bother me and there was a good amount of mystery. I do intend to continue on with the next installment, called STRANGER CHILD and I'm hoping my connection to the characters will continue to develop.

Since I'd never read anything by this author, I'm glad I now have some sort of reference to her and as I mentioned, I will give the next book a try. I can't say I loved this book but it was a good, fast read (under 300 pages) that held my attention so I'm glad I took the time to read it. The bottom line is it wasn't one of my favorites but certainly worth the time in reading.

SLEEP TIGHT (DCI Tom Douglas #3) Kindle Edition
Author: Rachel Abbott
Publisher: Black Dot Publishing
Sold By: Amazon Digital
Published:  February 24, 2014
Length: 284 pp
Source: Purchased thru Kindle Daily Deals