What readers are saying about SLEEP, BABY, SLEEP |
Sleep, Baby, Sleep by MJ Hardy is a murder mystery loosely based on fact. Oakland County, Michigan in the 1970s was booming. The Detroit suburbs with great schools and little in the way of crime were a safe place to bring a family up. Then a local teen goes missing. When the body turns up, displayed grotesquely, terror is struck into the heart of the community. But this is just the beginning. As more children disappear, the Michigan State Police have their work cut out. Working with Dr. Charlie Taylor, a criminal psychologist, they go on the hunt for 'the babysitter', the name they give the killer because of the unusual circumstances of each abduction. As Dr. Taylor and Detective West come closer to discovering the killer's identity, they begin to uncover unexpected connections to the murders. In the meantime, Oakland County is under siege, waiting and hoping that another of their children will not be taken. This is a fictional account of a true crime in Oakland that remains unsolved.
Sleep, Baby, Sleep by MJ Hardy was a thrilling read. The addition at the beginning of the true facts of the real case was welcome as it provided enough of a backstory as a lead-in. The story itself is based on the real case but fictionalized and it was done very well. The plot is completely plausible and, because it is based on real events, it was written in an entirely believable way. The characters are excellent; the protagonists are real and relatable while the antagonists have been written with two sides to them - the realistic side the rest of the characters see and the chilling side that becomes evident in their connection to the crimes. This is compelling reading, a gripping tale that will have you on the edge of your seat, rooting for the police and the psychologist to solve it before any more children are abducted. It's a very involved story, not a light read but, I promise you, once you start reading, you are in it for the long haul. Great story, highly recommended for fans of crime fiction and true crime stories.
- Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
Sleep, Baby, Sleep by MJ Hardy was a thrilling read. The addition at the beginning of the true facts of the real case was welcome as it provided enough of a backstory as a lead-in. The story itself is based on the real case but fictionalized and it was done very well. The plot is completely plausible and, because it is based on real events, it was written in an entirely believable way. The characters are excellent; the protagonists are real and relatable while the antagonists have been written with two sides to them - the realistic side the rest of the characters see and the chilling side that becomes evident in their connection to the crimes. This is compelling reading, a gripping tale that will have you on the edge of your seat, rooting for the police and the psychologist to solve it before any more children are abducted. It's a very involved story, not a light read but, I promise you, once you start reading, you are in it for the long haul. Great story, highly recommended for fans of crime fiction and true crime stories.
- Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
THE MEMORIES FLOOD BACK
"M. J. did a great job capturing a time in the wealthy, quiet northern suburbs of Detroit, that were scary for every parent, middle school child and their communities. For those of us that lived there, our parents vigilance was never stronger. We came together as a community to fight this demon. He describes the area and the time very well. Our book group really appreciated his capture of this time in our history. Now if they could only find the killer." - JSG (5 out of 5 stars) WORTH THE INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY
"Sleep, Baby, Sleep has a plausible plot, with just enough of a backstory to avoid getting bogged down in minutia. The crime(s) are believable and based upon actual events. The main character enters early in the novel, and the main antagonist is revealed slowly throughout, with other antagonists revealed appropriately. Details of the crime are just enough to avoid being unnecessarily lurid. All of the characters are believable, and the main and supporting characters are people you can identify with. The main and supporting antagonists have realistic false personas they present to the public and non-antagonist characters, and chilling personalities that fit with the subject matter. The author adroitly achieved the balance of providing enough background information to illustrate locations, apparel, social status, and accepted prejudices of the time period without drowning the reader in pointless detail. I would imagine that people who grew up in Michigan during this time will find many points of nostalgia that they will personally identify with. Distance runners will recognize the catharsis the main character seeks through running. Altogether a well written novel from a freshman author." - Chris W. (5 out of 5 stars) |
NOT YOUR AVERAGE LULLABY
"I read the book with great interest. Although the premise of the novel is from the non-fictional accounts that gripped the Detroit area in the late 70's. The writing was a fictional depiction of stories that mimicked and elaborated on those accounts....kudos to the author. I also read with great interest, some of the "Selected Internet Sources Specifically Dedicated to These Crimes" listed at the end of the book. I highly recommend the Detroit Free Press articles by David Ashenfelter - June 2012, a excellent chronology time-line of the "non-fiction" as it pertains to the "fictional" accounts, give-or-take, the always fun to read (pardon the pun - brief) girl-on-girl tryst." - JBM, San Francisco (5 out of 5 stars) M. J. HARDY DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF CREATING A TIME CAPSULE OF THE PERIOD...
"Sleep, Baby, Sleep is a compelling fictional tale based on true events in a Michigan suburb in the late 70's. It is a dark and gripping story of a frightening time for residents of Oakland County. Author Matthew J Hardy does an excellent job of creating a time capsule of the period with detailed descriptions and specific locations well known to many of us native to Michigan. He also makes the reader anxiously root for the law enforcement community and specifically criminal psychologist, Dr Charlie Taylor, to solve the crime before other children are victimized. This is not light reading but is very absorbing as any good murder mystery should be. Once you start it you won't put it down." - MPC (5 out of 5 stars) I AM WAITING FOR M. J. HARDY'S NEXT BOOK - HE IS A NATURAL STORYTELLER!
- MLC (5 out of 5 stars) |