MAY 2022 - AudioFile
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
Publishers Weekly
01/24/2022
In this gripping if flawed domestic thriller from British author Pinborough (Behind Her Eyes), Leeds solicitor Emma Averell sees her enviable existence start to implode days before she turns 40, the age at which her mother’s psychotic breakdown shattered their family. As Emma struggles with insomnia, her mind races with obsessive thoughts—what if she really is going off the rails like her mother? Increasingly exhausted, she bungles client conferences and snaps at her stay-at-home husband, Robert, and their two children. Emma loses it when an emergency call from her estranged older sister, Phoebe, tricks her into a situation that lands her in a murder investigation. She becomes convinced she’s being gaslighted by either Phoebe or Robert, who kicks her out of the house because of professed concern about the impact her deteriorating mental state is having on their kids. As she strives to figure out who’s trying to destroy her and why, the suspense becomes almost unbearable. Only a paranormal-tinged deus ex machina to tie up the unruly plot twists disappoints. Readers should be prepared for a page-turner that at times is too unsettling to be thoroughly enjoyable. Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Co. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
"Even a small dose of Insomnia… will likely give you a bad case of the jitters… It's a nimble suspense story, but it’s even more disturbing as an account of how a restless brain can weaken and lethally doubt itself." — Washington Post
“Pinborough specializes in steamy mysteries… cooked up in the outer reaches of her imagination… ’What could go wrong?’ a character asks cheerfully at the end. Maybe it’s the equivalent of the hand emerging from the grave at the end of the movie ‘Carrie’. Or maybe not.” — New York Times Book Review
“As [Emma] struggles with intergenerational trauma and balancing her work life with her family life, her situation spirals into a dangerous and daunting tale… Insomnia is a natural follow up to [Pinborough’s] bestselling thriller Behind Her Eyes.” — Entertainment Weekly
"When you look up the word 'gripping' in the dictionary, you see a few pages of Sarah Pinborough's Insomnia. I loved this book. I felt like I was on a treadmill hell-bent on making my heart race." — Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of You and Hidden Bodies
"Another mind-twisting, genre-bending rollercoaster from Queen of WTF Sarah Pinborough." — Ruth Ware
“Put this book on your radar: Sarah Pinborough’s Insomnia is the twistiest and most gripping thriller since Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train, an absolute must-read for suspense fans. The pages fly and the revelations deliver shock after shock. Don’t sleep on this one– it's Sarah Pinborough's best yet.” — Joe Hill
"If you loved Behind Her Eyes, prepare to be totally and utterly blown away by Insomnia. Sarah Pinborough is a twisted genius." — Lisa Jewell
“Creepy as all get out – a gaslighting masterclass.” — Ian Rankin on Insomnia
“Sarah Pinborough is the master of the unexpected and Insomnia does not disappoint. This terrifying thriller about a family under threat from within is a total page-turner." — Gilly Macmillan
"Absolutely brilliant, completely unputdownable and so satisfying – Pinborough just gets better and better" — Jenny Colgan
“A whip-smart, page turning triumph.” — Jane Shemilt, author of The Daughter on Insomnia
“Oh. My. Word. Sarah Pinborough is the queen of the impossible, and her latest heart-pounding thriller will have you up all night.” — Clare Mackintosh, author of Hostage on Insomnia
"The inimitable Sarah Pinborough reaches new heights of ingenuity in Insomnia, the definition of up-all-night reading" — Erin Kelly, Sunday Times bestselling author of He Said/She Said on Insomnia
“Another clever, original and highly addictive book from the brilliant Sarah Pinborough. Insomnia will keep you up all night. You won’t be able to sleep until you’ve read it. — Alice Feeney, author of Rock Paper Scissors
“What an absolute cracker of a thriller. Just when you think it’s safe to carry on reading WHAM! Pinborough throws in another hand grenade…. Thank you for freaking me out in such a beautiful way! So, so clever and I was changing my mind left right and centre, right to the end! Absolutely bloody brilliant.” — Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep on Insomnia
"Insomnia successfully combines domestic suspense with a psychological thriller.... Pinborough’s skill at showing characters at their best and worst is a mainstay of her some 20 novels." — Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Gripping… As she strives to figure out who’s trying to destroy her and why, the suspense becomes almost unbearable.” — Publishers Weekly on Insomnia
“Pinborough [is a] uniquely twisted genius… Emma has given a few women reason to dislike her, but there is a spooky factor involved here that leads her to think this is something that has been on the way for quite a while. A real mind-twister guaranteed to please.” — Booklist on Insomnia
“A book that’ll keep you guessing with quite the unreliable narrator... Pinborough ratchets up feelings of dread and a kind of claustrophobia… This is a page turner with an ending you probably won’t see coming.” — BookRiot.com
"Insomnia is filled with shocking twists and turns." — Novel Suspects
“Possibly my favorite of Pinborough’s yet, and that’s saying something. It’s an absolute rollercoaster of a ride: twist upon twist, expertly handled. I actually gasped out loud several times. So atmospheric and sexy… A triumph!" — Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author, on Dead to Her
"Insomnia is an 'unreliable narrator' thriller done right—Pinborough expertly draws readers into Emma’s increasingly terrifying world, where no one and nothing can be trusted.... One of the most downright entertaining thrillers I’ve read in ages." — Crime by the Book
“Big Little Lies meets Rebecca in Sarah Pinborough’s Dead to Her, a saucy novel about insecure second wives dragged down by secrets [and] jealousies… This may not be the most important novel you’ll read this year, but it’s definitely among the most delicious.” — Washington Post
“The prolifically ingenious Sarah Pinborough, whose Behind Her Eyes chronicled a deranged love triangle with a rationality-defying last-minute surprise, has produced another twisty book about tricky characters behaving badly… There are shades of Rebecca and Body Heat.” — New York Times Book Review on Dead to Her
“Illicit love affairs, [and] tension as stifling as the Georgia summer heat… With Dead to Her, Pinborough plants her flag as the master of seductively sinister suspense. This absorbing tale will satisfy and even surprise fans of Jennifer McMahon and Gillian Flynn.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Roils with passion, rancor, and greed wrapped in Southern politesse... Pinbrough’s intricately woven mystery will please fans of B.A. Paris and Paula Hawkins.” — Publishers Weekly on Dead to Her
“Within minutes of opening Dead to Her you will be unsettled, charmed, riled, empowered, and aroused. Pinborough at the height of her powers.” — Josh Malerman, bestselling author of Bird Box
"Dead to Her is set amid Savannah’s elite: a lusty, greedy, exclusive society of old money where secrets are buried deep. Sarah Pinborough is always ahead of her reader, expertly weaving her killer plot. Thrilling, sexy and utterly unputdownable." — Beverly Vincent, Co-Editor (with Stephen King) of Flight or Fright
“The plotting in Cross Her Heart is calm, cool and beautifully orchestrated—until, WHAM, you marvel at what Pinborough has just tossed in your lap. There are plenty of I-can’t-believe-she-just-did-that moments that will have you sitting straight up in your chair. What a terrific ride.” — Meg Gardiner, author of Unsub
“The amazing Sarah Pinborough has done it again with this brilliant, pacy story of lies and deceit.” — B.A. Paris on Cross Her Heart
“Swift and entertaining… When Pinborough unveils her first surprise about a third of the way in, it’s a good one… Cross Her Heart has a welcome sisterhood-is-powerful vibe; it’s a novel that defines women by their relationships with one another, even as their creator is ruthlessly shoving them into position for the next twist.” — New York Times Book Review
“As the narrative weaves among these three… characters, readers are pulled deeper into their connected webs of secrets and lies… Fans of Pinborough’s smash debut, Behind Her Eyes, won’t be disappointed… [This is] a fast-paced, twisty thriller... Devotees of B.A. Paris and Ruth Ware will be fascinated.” — Library Journal (starred review) on Cross Her Heart
“You should read Behind Her Eyes…It’s bloody brilliant.” — Stephen King
“Behind Her Eyes is a dark, electrifying page-turner with a corker of an ending. Sarah Pinborough is about to become your new obsession.” — Harlan Coben
“Behind Her Eyes is a cunning puzzle-box of a novel, a masterfully engineered thriller that brings to mind Hitchcock at his most uncanny, and Rendell at her most relentless. Lean and mean, dark and disturbing, this is the kind of novel that takes over your life. Sarah Pinborough slays.” — Joe Hill
“Pinborough writes like an absolute dream about an absolute nightmare. I loved it!’ — Richard Osman, author of The Man Who Died Twice
Ian Rankin on Insomnia
Creepy as all get out – a gaslighting masterclass.
Joe Hill
Put this book on your radar: Sarah Pinborough’s Insomnia is the twistiest and most gripping thriller since Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train, an absolute must-read for suspense fans. The pages fly and the revelations deliver shock after shock. Don’t sleep on this one– it's Sarah Pinborough's best yet.
Jane Shemilt
A whip-smart, page turning triumph.
Jenny Colgan
"Absolutely brilliant, completely unputdownable and so satisfying – Pinborough just gets better and better"
Entertainment Weekly
As [Emma] struggles with intergenerational trauma and balancing her work life with her family life, her situation spirals into a dangerous and daunting tale… Insomnia is a natural follow up to [Pinborough’s] bestselling thriller Behind Her Eyes.
Lisa Jewell
"If you loved Behind Her Eyes, prepare to be totally and utterly blown away by Insomnia. Sarah Pinborough is a twisted genius."
Gilly Macmillan
Sarah Pinborough is the master of the unexpected and Insomnia does not disappoint. This terrifying thriller about a family under threat from within is a total page-turner."
Ruth Ware
"Another mind-twisting, genre-bending rollercoaster from Queen of WTF Sarah Pinborough."
Washington Post
"Even a small dose of Insomnia… will likely give you a bad case of the jitters… It's a nimble suspense story, but it’s even more disturbing as an account of how a restless brain can weaken and lethally doubt itself."
New York Times Book Review on Insomnia
Pinborough specializes in steamy mysteries… cooked up in the outer reaches of her imagination… ’What could go wrong?’ a character asks cheerfully at the end. Maybe it’s the equivalent of the hand emerging from the grave at the end of the movie ‘Carrie’. Or maybe not.
Erin Kelly
"The inimitable Sarah Pinborough reaches new heights of ingenuity in Insomnia, the definition of up-all-night reading"
Clare Mackintosh
Oh. My. Word. Sarah Pinborough is the queen of the impossible, and her latest heart-pounding thriller will have you up all night.
Alice Feeney
Another clever, original and highly addictive book from the brilliant Sarah Pinborough. Insomnia will keep you up all night. You won’t be able to sleep until you’ve read it.
Joanna Cannon
What an absolute cracker of a thriller. Just when you think it’s safe to carry on reading WHAM! Pinborough throws in another hand grenade…. Thank you for freaking me out in such a beautiful way! So, so clever and I was changing my mind left right and centre, right to the end! Absolutely bloody brilliant.
Lucy Foley
Possibly my favorite of Pinborough’s yet, and that’s saying something. It’s an absolute rollercoaster of a ride: twist upon twist, expertly handled. I actually gasped out loud several times. So atmospheric and sexy… A triumph!"
Josh Malerman
Within minutes of opening Dead to Her you will be unsettled, charmed, riled, empowered, and aroused. Pinborough at the height of her powers.
New York Times Book Review on Dead to Her
The prolifically ingenious Sarah Pinborough, whose Behind Her Eyes chronicled a deranged love triangle with a rationality-defying last-minute surprise, has produced another twisty book about tricky characters behaving badly… There are shades of Rebecca and Body Heat.
Ian Rankin
Creepy as all get out – a gaslighting masterclass.”
Booklist (starred review)
Illicit love affairs, [and] tension as stifling as the Georgia summer heat… With Dead to Her, Pinborough plants her flag as the master of seductively sinister suspense. This absorbing tale will satisfy and even surprise fans of Jennifer McMahon and Gillian Flynn.
Washington Post
Big Little Lies meets Rebecca in Sarah Pinborough’s Dead to Her, a saucy novel about insecure second wives dragged down by secrets [and] jealousies… This may not be the most important novel you’ll read this year, but it’s definitely among the most delicious.
Beverly Vincent
"Dead to Her is set amid Savannah’s elite: a lusty, greedy, exclusive society of old money where secrets are buried deep. Sarah Pinborough is always ahead of her reader, expertly weaving her killer plot. Thrilling, sexy and utterly unputdownable."
Meg Gardiner
The plotting in Cross Her Heart is calm, cool and beautifully orchestrated—until, WHAM, you marvel at what Pinborough has just tossed in your lap. There are plenty of I-can’t-believe-she-just-did-that moments that will have you sitting straight up in your chair. What a terrific ride.
B.A. Paris on Cross Her Heart
The amazing Sarah Pinborough has done it again with this brilliant, pacy story of lies and deceit.
New York Times Book Review
Swift and entertaining… When Pinborough unveils her first surprise about a third of the way in, it’s a good one… Cross Her Heart has a welcome sisterhood-is-powerful vibe; it’s a novel that defines women by their relationships with one another, even as their creator is ruthlessly shoving them into position for the next twist.
Harlan Coben
Behind Her Eyes is a dark, electrifying page-turner with a corker of an ending. Sarah Pinborough is about to become your new obsession.
Stephen King
You should read Behind Her Eyes…It’s bloody brilliant.”
Booklist (starred review) on Behind Her Eyes
A masterpiece of suspense...A rare joy...Creates a sense of disorientation and dread that is highly satisfying. But it is with the plot, so tight and yet also intricate, that Pinborough shines. No detail or character is extraneous.
Booklist
[A] tension-driven page-turner… The anxiety builds relentlessly... Cross Her Heart is unapologetically feminist, driven by the strong relationships between women, for better or worse. This will be an easy sell for fans of all domestic suspense… especially fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott.
CrimeSquad.com
Cross Her Heart cements [Pinborough’s] reputation as a storyteller of immense power… As the plot unfolds, twists and shocks jump out unexpectedly, making this a page turning thriller difficult to put down… An addictive read. You’ll be hooked from the first chapter.
New York Times Book Review Dead to Her
The prolifically ingenious Sarah Pinborough, whose Behind Her Eyes chronicled a deranged love triangle with a rationality-defying last-minute surprise, has produced another twisty book about tricky characters behaving badly… There are shades of Rebecca and Body Heat.
B.A. Paris
The amazing Sarah Pinborough has done it again with this brilliant, pacy story of lies and deceit.
John Connolly
The strongest, most unsettling thriller of the year, with a final twist destined to provoke arguments for years to come. Read it now before someone spoils the ending for you.
The Times (London)
The past decade of crime fiction has been remarkable for the huge number of novels… featuring women... Some have been excellent, but most have been indistinguishable... Critics have spent much time searching for well-written, original examples. Sarah Pinborough passes the test. She… is adept at conjuring the unexpected.
New York Times Book Review on Behind Her Eyes
Pinborough shrewdly transforms a romantic suspense novel into an eerie thriller calculated to creep you out…Pinborough keeps us guessing about just who’s manipulating whom – until the ending reveals that we’ve been wholly complicit in this terrifying mind game.
Booklist
[A] tension-driven page-turner… The anxiety builds relentlessly... Cross Her Heart is unapologetically feminist, driven by the strong relationships between women, for better or worse. This will be an easy sell for fans of all domestic suspense… especially fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott.
Library Journal - Audio
09/01/2022
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
Library Journal
11/01/2021
Baldacci sends private investigator and ex-World War II veteran Aloysius Archer to Los Angeles—that is, Dream Town—for another dangerous case (one million copy first printing). Having crafted two Sam and Remi Fargo adventures with the late Cussler (Pirate and The Romanov Ransom), former California law enforcement officer Burcell takes the daring duo on another far-flung adventure in Clive Cussler's The Serpent's Eye (originally scheduled for Sept. 2021). In the New York Times best-selling Fisher's An Honest Lie, Rainy has been hiding out from her bad-news past atop a remote, fog-cloaked mountain but decides to risk a trip to Las Vegas with some friends, where one of them is trapped by a killer as bait to lure Rainy (10,000-copy hardcover and 200,000-copy paperback first printing). One Crimson Summer, thanks to mega-best-selling Graham, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent Amy Larson is sent a toy red horse—a sign that she and FBI agent Hunter Forrest didn't wipe out the Doomsday cult that's about to fight a bloody turf war in northern Florida with several South American cartels (75,000-copy first printing). In best-selling Secrets of Midwives author Hepworth's latest, Tully and Rachel have every reason to resent The Younger Wife who's coming on the scene; their father is still married to their mother, now in a care facility for dementia, but plans to divorce her—which leads to the spilling of numerous toxic secrets (250,000-copy first printing). In the latest from the New York Times best-selling Pinborough, has-it-all heroine Emma Averell is beginning to suffer from Insomnia, which she fears may presage a descent into the insanity that destroyed her own mother's life (75,000-copy first printing). In the best-selling, award-winning Reich's Once a Thief, Simon Riske must prove that the Ferrari he's restored and sold for nine figures is not a fake, which brings him in contact with Anna Bildt, whose Swiss banker father has been blown up by a car bomb (75,000-copy first printing). In Rollins's Kingdom of Bones, postponed from March and September 2021, humans have become dullards while flora and fauna are suddenly ascendant; perhaps evolutionary forces have spun out of control, but it could be some fiendish plan (250,000-copy first printing). Letty Davenport, the smart, stubborn daughter of Sandford standby Lucas Davenport, becomes The Investigator, sent by her U.S. senator boss to figure out who's profiting from the theft of Texas crude oil—and why.
MAY 2022 - AudioFile
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
