Oh what a creepy and unsettling book!
I loved this story!

I really felt a sense of unease while reading it and I was so eager to find out what was going to happen next. C.L. Taylor has once again delivered something amazing.

Totally engrossing psychological thriller - has you guessing to the very dramatic end:
This is the seventh novel by C L Taylor and rates amongst her best. The underlying theme is guilt which clings to survivors.
A car crash on the return journey from a team-building weekend leaves Anna, the main character, trapped in a world of guilt. Her predicament isn't eased by her sense of being stalked, probably by a relative of one of the victims, who holds Anna to blame for the fatal crash. A Court Case clears Anna of any blame and convicts the driver of a lorry who fell asleep at the wheel. But even after the court case Anna continues to sense that her life is in danger and finds her concerns are not taken seriously by her friends and family who firmly believe she is overreacting.
Anna, psychologically traumatised by the events of the car accident, decides to escape from the life and career she has built for herself in the marketing world in London. By chance a documentary on a remote Scottish island called Rum takes her fancy and she applies and gets a job in the island hotel. I say "the" because there only is one hotel on the island of Rum. But will she truly escape the stalker or will they follow her? Indeed is there a stalker? Anna thinks a move to Rum is the answer but.....
A delightful psychological mystery reminiscent in some ways of Ten Little Indians: there are only a limited number of tourists to choose from as the culprit. Even then I got it wrong!
Taylor deals with other psychological, relationship and social problems which are suffered by so many and are failed by our system in one way or another.
Matters come to a head when a storm hits Rum. That's not unusual for Rum, but the storm isolates the inhabitants of the Hotel from safety as they are cut off from the rest of the forty Rum inhabitants and face the holiday of a life-time with the prize survival. The story starts dramatically and builds to a tumultuous ending.
An absolutely gripping read (I read it in one session), which is best read at night with a gale blowing. Great characters and spooky. A relatively short novel with a flowing narrative and a limited number of characters all make for ease of reading. An excellent novel which deals head-on with many common psychological problems largely swept under the carpet.

Wow another amazing read from this author. When a car accident causes two work colleagues and another to be seriously injured Anna who was the driver blames herself. The trouble is someone else also blames her and wants to get her. After splitting up with boyfriend she moves away and starts an entirely different job on a remote island helping to run a hotel. She was hoping once there the feeling that someone was watching her would end but she was wrong. Messages telling her to sleep were being left for her to see and other disturbing things were happening. Which people could she trust that were staying at the hotel and who was threatening her. The book kpet me enthralled all the time and couldn't put it down. I love the twist to the story at the end and wouldn't have guessed the outcome at all. I would highly recommend this and the author's other book Fear that I also enjoyed.

Sleep is the 6th psychological thriller CL Taylor has written. It is a stand alone. And it is awesome.

Cally put on Instagram that this was on NetGalley and I got super excited and high tailed it on over there. Only to find it had already gone to wish. Gutted! So I wished. And I was extra happy that I got approved for it the next day! 😊 Wahoo!

Sleep is about Anna, a young woman who is involved in a fatal car accident involving her and three colleagues. Two of her colleagues died in the crash and one is now paralysed from the waste down. Anna miraculously escapes with 'minor' injuries compared to the others. But the psychological effects are impacting her really badly.

"No it doesn't hurt there. It hurts here, in here, inside my head."


She's feeling guilty and she can't sleep. When she does manage a couple of minutes, she wakes up screaming and thrashing.

After a receiving a couple of disturbing messages, she decides to split up with her boyfriend, Alex, and move to the Isle of Rum to get away from it all. Unbeknown to her, her stalker is closer than she thinks and she may not be safe all the way up on the Scottish Isles....

I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. The usual standard from CL Taylor. All her books have been great. The suspense and tension is so thrilling to read and it's one you can read all in one go - I didn't want to put it down!

We meet a small group of travellers at the hotel Anna has come to work at. They are all there for a hiking/walking holiday and all have their own little quirks. Melanie and Malcolm are there with their niece Katie. Joe, Trevor, Christine and Fiona are there solo. Each have their own secrets and reasons for being on Rum. Are one of these people Anna's tormentor?

CL Taylor sets the scene of the dark, mysterious, creepy hotel- cut off by a raging storm - well, and the story feels claustrophobic and frustrating. Anna feels so much guilt, which is the main reason she can't sleep. We explore the relationship between mental illness and sleep. We explore the different meaning sleep has to different people.

Although we know early on that someone is there and trying to harm Anna in some way, I didn't guess who it was until it was revealed, I guessed the reason and the motivation of the 'stalker', but I couldn't work out who it was.

As a character I really liked Anna. She felt the guilt that you would imagine she would, but you also knew it wasn't her fault and felt sympathy for what she was going through. Taking that leap and moving to a different country, was brave. Even if it could be seen as running away, I think she was more like trying to survive, and did what she had to do.

I really enjoyed this one, thanks you NetGalley and Avon for letting me have a copy to read and review! And thanks CL Taylor for writing such a thrilling book! 😊

(Also, love to see a character called Becca in there - it's a great name! 😊 )

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

If you’re reading this, then I’m dead!

What a way to throw you right off the cliff edge. I honestly couldn’t get enough of this book. I had my suspects, and every single one of them was wrong.

I love all CL Taylor’s books and this one hit the bullseye again. It’s faced paced and exciting. I can’t wait for the next title.

Keep up the sterling work. If you are a first time reader of this author, you don’t be disappointed

I am a big CL Taylor fan, but I found this book wasn't for me, I'm afraid. I found it hard to get into due to the large cast of characters and the many points of view, which seemed to keep me distanced from the story. I'm sure other people will love it, though, just not to my personal taste.

I'm a huge fan of C.L Taylor so I was so excited to read this. It did not disappoint one bit. The imagery of this book was phenomenal, I could envision the little island and the people. It's gripping, shocking and sooo addictive. I can tell why she called it Sleep, because you'll get none if you start this before bed! (Finished at 3am oops) 5*

C L Taylor’s books never disappoint. The setting for this one (mainly a hotel on the island of Rum) was intriguing and the characters and plot held my interest. It took a while to work out who was behind the murders and the eventual motive given was unusual. Well worth a read!

I was super excited to get a preview of C L Taylors new novel Sleep, after wishing for it.

This really is a dark, claustrophobic novel very much in the Agatha Christie genre.

Crippled with grief and shock after her involvement in a fatal Road Traffic Accident, Anna moves to the Scottish Island, Rum to work in a hotel. Seven strangers arrive for a walking holiday. All of them have secrets and one of them appears to want her dead.

This really is a who-done-it. The isolation of the strangers due to the extreme weather, and Anna’s lack of contact with the outside world adds the suffocating claustrophobia. I didn’t work out who the culprit was which is unusual for me, and the twist of the end left me feeling very uncomfortable.

Definitely recommend this.

Wowsers this was like a perfect game of Cluedo, who did it, where and with what? Imagine being trapped in a hotel cut off from the rest of the island in a storm and knowing one of the guests are trying to kill you,?? This is the position Anna finds herself in!!!! After a car accident where she was driving and two of her colleagues died and one left paralyzed for life after a team bonding weekend, she quits her job and takes another a job in a small hotel on an island off the Scottish Isles of Rum to get away from it all, has it followed her? Before she left someone had been leaving cryptic messages "Sleep", who and why? A relative of one of her colleagues who blames her?

With only 8 guests in the hotel and the Manager/Owner having passed away suddenly, its all left to Anna to run everything and keep everyone safe, but how can she when she doesn't feel safe herself, who is out to get her?

This was a gripping psychological thriller which I devoured in quick time, the twist shocked me to the core, not what I expected at all but I love when I'm not able to work it out.... Will be highly recommending this to my friends/family.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A rollercoaster ride of twists and turns that kept me enthralled all throughout this book.. Did not guess the ending which was great as I usually do. I very much look forward to her next book Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

''Sleep'" is a great twisty-turny read; a tale of pain, guilt and death its totally enjoyable and engrossing.


Anna is a likeable character, suffering from the guilt of driving the car which killed two of her colleagues, and seriously injured another. Despite the accident not being her fault, the guilt overwhelms her and she runs away from her life to begin a job on the remote Isle of Rum. This secluded setting echoes the isolation that Anna feels; enhanced further by the storm that rages, making the hotel cut-off completely from everyone else of the island. But what Anna and the guests don't know, is that Anna's stalker has followed her into this isolation. By the very nature of the setting, the book does feel a bit claustrophobic, that there is no escape from the events occurring; but I liked this and it certainly added to my enjoyment.

My head had sort of worked out who the murderer was, but until the end I wasn't really sure what their motivation was. But all of the characters are hiding secrets, which meant that I didn't really trust any of them to be fair. Cally Taylor weaves the plot with confidence, and I've said, takes you through the plot twists with a steady pace, so nothing in the story feels rushed or too slow. The different narrators in the book also helped to create the tension and the question of motivation going right up to the end of the story.


''Sleep'' is another cracking story from C. L. Taylor.

Sleep by C L Taylor is another great thriller which will have you turning the pages pretty damn quick !! Anna is involved in a car accident which leaves two of her work colleagues dead and a third fighting for life,unable to get over the trauma and suffering from insomnia she leaves her boyfriend Alex and goes to work in a hotel on the remote Isle of Rum in Scotland.All is well until a party of seven check in for a holiday and that is when things start to take a turn for the worst for Anna as she realises one of them is out for revenge for the crash she was involved in.But who is it and why are they out to hurt her when Anna was not to blame for the accident ? With a storm cutting the hotel off from the rest of the island the tension ramps up with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and plenty of red herrings thrown in to make you think just who is the killer ? Once again a great 5 star read from C L Taylor who seems to come up with great thrillers time and time again.I look forward to her next book with anticipation.

Sleep by C L Taylor tapped in to a well worn story line of apparent strangers cut off from the world and among them there's a murderer.
Anna, or Jonah as I prefer to think of her, attracts bad luck like wasps to a jam pot. She is involved in a car crash where as the driver, she escapes without serious injury but two passengers are killed and a third is severely injured. Anna's life falls apart on the news of the deaths, blaming herself even though a lorry driver was prosecuted over it. She cuts and runs to the island of Rum to start a new life in hospitality. This is where the main drama starts, starting with the death of her hotelier boss and then a storm of biblical ferocity which cuts the hotel off.
There are a few issues with the story. Would anyone continue in their role when their sole employer died? Who complained to the hospital over the passing of confidential information? Finally, the closing cliff hanger with the letter to Katie.......I felt it was an add-on that might work but didn't.

C.L Taylor is an absolutely brilliant writer who can create a claustrophobic and unsettling story that will make you second guess everything right up until the end. The characters were sympathetic and well written and i loved the twists and turns. I've read every book Cally has written and i've never been let down.

Anna is lucky to escape wth her life from a horrific car accident caused by an articulated lorry ploughing in to her vehicle. Her colleagues were not so lucky, two died and one was paralysed.
She cannot help but blame herself and is tortured by the event. To try and escape she decides to leave her old life behind and accepts a job on the remote island of Rum. She has received some odd notes and is disturbed by them, she’s convinced she’s being stalked.
Once on Rum events begin to spiral, it is far from the quiet escape she was anticipating. A walking group check in at the hotel where she is working, but is anyone really who they seem? Is someone targeting Anna and blaming her for past events? Has someone followed her to Rum?
The air of mystery kept me engaged, an easy and entertaining read.

Nail-biting, hugely entertaining and disturbing. Accusations and paranoia seep from every page. The remoteness of Rum (island off Scotland), the Agatha Christlie claustophobic setting (one of the walking group is a killer) makes this thrilling to read. Anna’s gulit over her colleagues deaths shadows her from London to Scotland. It’s a shadow which lengthens and deepens as the weather turns for the worst cutting the group and the hotel off from the rest of the world. It’s not just who the killer id which hangs over this story but their disturbing actions and motivation too. You may not sleep very well yourself if you read this in a hotel on a remote island!

Really thankful for my opportunity to read this book. I'm a huge fan of C.L. Taylor, so I was excited to get stuck in.
As always, this author weaves a perfect thriller, and this one is particularly spooky and dark.
I enjoyed the characters, and as always each POV character had a distinct voice.
A great read overall.

Another great book by this author. Kept me guessing right up to the end. I really enjoyed the different points of view between the chapters. A few niggling annoying things but generally a very good read. 3 stars

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. From start to finish it had me wanting more. Absolutely brilliant writing, brilliant storyline and great characters. I thought I knew who done it, but was wrong. The twists where brilliant. The best book I’ve read in a while. It’s one of those books that stays with you for a long time after you finish it. Definitely recommend 5stars