Compulsively Readable Thrillers
Beach-friendly page-turners that make
even the longest day of summer speed by...
By Mark Athitakis
5 of 5
Are You Sleeping
By Kathleen Barber
336 pages;
Gallery Books
In Barber's brisk debut, Josie Buhrman is a New York bookseller
who's been working hard on her inner calm, shedding her birth name and her Midwestern
past—most especially her father's murder 13 years earlier. The crime
was so open-and-shut that it didn't even qualify as a cold case—a gothy
neighbor kid was spotted at the scene and got convicted. Now, a self-declared investigative reporter and podcast
host, Poppy Parnell, is looking into new evidence about the case—and millions
are listening. Josie is compelled to confront dark memories of her mother, who
joined a cult, and her twin sister, both of whom have already lied about the death
of Josie's father. Barber plays Josie's anxiety-soaked narration against Poppy's
somber podcast and snarky social media chatter, showing how complicated the
truth can be when people have different levels of investment in it. Dark. Moving.
Timely.
— Mark Athitakis
Published 08/04/2017