Elite assassin and spy-for-hire Michael North is the man you call when there's nothing left to lose. His tradecraft is unparalleled, he executes every mission with determination, skill and a certain amount of flair. There's just one problem: the bullet lodged in his brain. If it moves, he will die – and so will the mission. Now North's been sent to infiltrate a doomsday cult on a remote Scottish island which is also home to a spaceport about to send thousands of commercial satellites into space. Their leader is planning a terrorist attack on the mainland, and it's North's job to stop him. Together with teen hacker Fang – North must tackle the situation which is fast spinning out of control.
Spanning London, Washington and remotest Scotland, Sleep When You're Dead is an edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth action thriller for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci & Mick Herron.
I'm thrilled to be hosting the blog tour for Sleep When You're Dead today. Many thanks to Jude O'Reilly, Head of Zeus and Sophie Ransom from Ransom PR for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
The description for Sleep When You're Dead could have been written with me in mind; an elite assassin, a deadly cult and a multinational setting? Yes please! This is the third book in the Michael North series and despite not having read the previous novels, I didn't think twice about reading it. My only regret is waiting this long to discover this series, I loved everything about it and Jude O'Reilly is definitely going to become a must-read author for me. The balance between bringing new readers up to speed without frustrating returning fans is handled superbly and I soon become completely invested in both the current plot and the ongoing character arcs, which left me desperate for more and determined to read the earlier books.
The tense opening is an immediate attention-grabber; a brutal, shocking act of terrorism in London culminating in a terrifying, dangerous head-to-head would more often be the conclusion to an action thriller but this is just the beginning. One of the most interesting aspects of Michael North's character is the bullet lodged in his brain which could kill him if it moves. It has understandably coloured his outlook on life but he doesn't have a death wish. He wants to live a long life but if that isn't going to happen then he wants the time he has left to matter. Working within the Friends of Cyclops section of MI5 as a government agent gives him purpose but it also means he is disposable. Consequently, his boss, the utterly ruthless Hone, can ask him to do whatever he wishes, regardless of the risk because doing his duty is what gives North meaning. There's a fascinating hospital scene early on which cleverly introduces some of the most important people in his life and makes it clear who actually cares for him. This is a high-octane thriller but there's warmth here too; it never becomes sentimental but there's a sense of family which is really quite moving, particularly given the insights we are given into North's childhood.
It's his upbringing which ultimately leads to him agreeing to defy doctor's orders and to head to the fictional remote Hebridean island, Murdo where a charismatic cult leader is preparing a devastating attack. North is tasked with infiltrating the cult, whose beliefs are completely ridiculous and therefore totally believable. The extreme acts perpetrated by some of its followers make it clear that North is likely to be putting himself in danger but it's only when he heads to Scotland that it really becomes evident what jeopardy he faces – and it's not just the members of Narrow Yett who he needs to be wary of. North obviously has a tactical mind but is also driven by his emotions and a strict moral code which ensures he cannot turn his back when he witnesses aggressive behaviour. His journey to Murdo is certainly eventful and after the exciting opening, it's quickly evident that this is going to be a breathless rollercoaster ride which will test him – and the nerves of the readers – to the very limit.
North is ably supported by brilliant teenage hacker, Fangfang Yu and former cage-fighter, Padraig 'Plug' Donne, and these characters are so beautifully brought to life, I loved them both. Fang, in particular, has an intriguingly chilling storyline of her own, which I wish I could say is thankfully totally fictional but I fear may not be as unlikely as we'd like to believe. The multilayered storyline might be concerned with the deranged actions of one man but it's also a gripping exploration of how organised crime gangs and the merciless, shadowy world of national security both exploit the vulnerable or unwary. It's definitely not a comforting read, especially when naked ambition is thrown into the mix too.
As North reels from one violent encounter to another, my heart rate was scarcely given a chance to recover before the next dramatic confrontation but there's one scene which really is the stuff of nightmares and so well written as it's actually a quieter moment and yet the tension here is almost unbearable. The inevitable climax is excellent; nail-biting, horrifying and emotional, and there are yet still more revelations which means the next book in the series can't come soon enough.
Sleep When You're Dead is a complex, intelligent, compelling action thriller – I highly recommend it.
Sleep When You're Dead is published by Head of Zeus and can be purchased from bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones and Amazon but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
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About the Author
Jude O'Reilly is the author of Wife in the North, a top-three Sunday Times bestseller and BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week,A Year of Doing Good and the Michael North action-adventure thrillers. Jude is a former senior journalist with the Sunday Times and a former political producer with BBC 2's Newsnight and ITN's Channel 4 News. Her Michael North series has been praised by bestselling thriller writers around the globe. She currently lives in Durham with her family and a very noisy poodle.
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