The Sleepless Ones (Guillermo Downes Thriller)

What a sad story! I wasn't sure when I started this book but was hooked and just had to keep reading. Guillermo Downes has a history which drives him but also makes him difficult character to warm. A lone!y farmhouse and 2 bodies begin a sequence of questions for which there are few answer until the dots eventually join up. A good read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

The keenly-anticipated follow up to The Drowning Ground, The Sleepless Ones is a far darker tale of murder and corruption that really starts to dig deep into the character of our Argentinian hero, Guillermo Downes. The parallels of Downes' own torrid past with his latest case involving child abduction (and worse) are cleverly woven together by Marrison, and we begin to see the roots of - and beneath - his cold exterior. Likewise, he has begun to fill out the character of Sergeant Graves, Downes' erstwhile sidekick and their own relationship has the potential for the foundation of many a novel.Marrison's simple, snappy writing style - modelled on his own literary heroes of Chandler et al - lends itself not only to the genre, but also to the thought processes of Downes himself; for me it works perfectly. The vulnerability of both Downes and Graves - both emotionally and physically, these are not two hard-nut cops - makes a nice change as well from the all-action hero so popular in fiction.Less of a whodunnit than his debut, and more of a why- or howdunnit, Marrison takes his readers on a journey to the very depths of what humans are capable of. No wonder he left the Cotswolds for the relative peace of Buenos Aires! I just hope Downes doesn't follow suit - this series has plenty of legs left yet.

Another excellent book by Marrison that has you hooked. I was slightly confused by the amount of different characters and how they all slotted into the story. Hope he writes more if these.

Dark thriller, great characterisations. Enjoyed it very much

Good storyline .

Have been waiting to read this - only just arrived and so far, even better than I'd expected. More later!

Loved it, the characters are great, love the plot. Just wish Judge Goddard had had such success in real life

Once again I am indebted to Goodreads for providing this book to read and review.This is the second book by James Marrison to feature DCI Guillermo Downes, and whilst there are some references to the previous book and his recently deceased sidekick it in no way spoilt my enjoy of this very good book, that I was new to this series.This is an excellent police procedural gripping from the first page with plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged, before a gripping final showdown, as our hero battles the floods to bring the case to a conclusion. The writing is descriptive and characterisations good.The case starts with our hero being called to the scene of a double murder, one a renowned though somewhat unscrupulous journalist, the second the homeowner a recently released from prison career criminal, who has been brutally tortured before death, Why? What did he know that his tormentors needed so badly?Apart from the floods this is also a topical story involving teenage boys abducted as playthings for wealthy, well to do men at parties from which some did not return. This involves the police investigating long lost historical cases to try and find the links to several previous suspicious deaths and bring the criminals to justice.A book that is well worth a read and I heartily recommend.