The Sleepwalker by Joseph Knox is the third novel involving Manchester Detective Aidan Waits. In the novel, Waits and his partner Sutty have been detailed to guard and attempt to locate the remains of a murder victim from a tight-lipped convicted murderer as he lays dying in a hospital ward. Over the years, Martin Wick, the convicted murderer, has had numerous attempts made upon his life while imprisoned and from the time of his arrest has denied murdering anyone, let alone the family he was accused of killing.

As the story moves forward, after an attack upon Wick, that also ends up causing serious injury to Sutty, Waits is assigned a new partner and as ordered by his boss and nemesis Superintendent Parrs, tasked with conducting a shadow investigation into what happened.

Knox has brought back previously introduced characters and continues to build upon their personalities. These characters include Naomi Black, Parrs and Zain Carver. Knox also introduces another realistic villain, as well as continues to show ordinary humans can be as vile and stomach-churning villains as any imagined, supernatural, comic book like villain.

Knox combines other plot threads that include departmental politics, the suicide of a young woman police officer who's remains have never been found and the question of whether or not Wick's actually murdered the family he was accused of killing. Along the way, Knox also tells a tale with results that do allow the reader to bond with the fictional characters.

To tell more would reveal spoilers.

Knox's novels are gritty and highly recommended. It is suggested the novels be read in order. Those who enjoy the novels of Adrian McKinty and Alan Parks should also enjoy the novels of Knox.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading. This is the third book in the Detective Aidan Waits series, The Sleepwalker by Joseph Knox. It is very dark and bleak and has episodes of extreme violence throughout.
Martin Wick is the Sleepwalker, he was imprisoned for the murder of a woman and her children, all murdered in their own home. He is now dying shackled to a hospital bed at St Mary’S Hospital, Manchester watched in turn by Aidan and Sutty, his partner. There are many twists and turns in this storyline and it isn't until the end that you see how the strands all come together.
Whether we will see Aidan in another story is another story, was he killed after Carver took a contract out on him, or will he live to fight another day?
Highly recommended.

Dark, gritty and addictive.
This really is a rollercoaster of a book and definitely one that you can't put down.
The third instalment of Aidan Watts story.
The characters in this tale were extremely well illustrated and believable. The story was compulsive and I don't think there was a part in it the story that I struggled to get through. The story is a series of events that are well composed and consequential.
Joseph Knox extremely skilled writer and obviously has found his genre that he excels in.

The Sleepwalker
Author : Joseph Knox
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Sleepwalker is the third book in the DC Aidan Waits series. Even though it is in a series, it can be read as a stand alone and you not be lost. It is so good that you may just be seeking out the others. I had not heard of this author before and when i saw the cover it drew me in. After reading the description i knew i had to read it. And boy it did not let me down. Thoes of you who like dark uk crime reads you really need to add this to your must read list.
DS Aidan Waits and his partner DI Peter Sutcliffe have a job to do: They have to babysit a serial killer (the Sleepwalker, Martin Wick, )who is slowly dying in a hospital hoping that he confesses the place where he hid the body of one of his victims.Wick has tried to take back his confession, claiming he could not remember what happened on the night a mother and her children were killed in their home. Then a black out happens. So what could possibly go wrong ?
This book is so well written and very well paced. From the time i turned the first page I was hooked. It is such a thrilling, dark , extraordinary read and it took me on one heck of a ride.
All of the characters are very well developed. But I especially loved the character of Aidan Waits. He is such a dark ,broken, complicated, yet compelling character. Aiden is also very different from your normal Detective .
If you love dark, edge of your seat British crime thrillers this is the book for you. If you would like to read this series you can find it on Amazon. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get ! This book went on sale July 11 2019.
Many thanks to Netgalley,the Publishers and Joseph Knox for my copy. This is my honest review !

The Sleepwalker is the third crime thriller in the DC Aidan Waits series, however, I feel that this is both Knox's most accomplished and most compulsive story to date. Each instalment can be read independently without issue but starting at the beginning is recommended. Troubled soul Detective Waits is relegated to guarding duties where he will need to provide protection to dying serial killer, Martin Wicks. However, in the hope that Wicks is about to open up about the location of his last victim Waits' partner Sutty is conducting an interview with him inside the hospital. But things go from bad to worse when they are ambushed by an unknown intruder who Waits chases from the area.

Scalpel-sharp and ever-observant Knox is a master of the form. What attracts me to his books, in particular, is they are just so original and well crafted and they each exude a rare dark sophistication that is lacking in most of the genre today. Gritty, gripping and perfectly plotted and paced, we learn more about protagonist Aidan, whose life is little more than hoping he can hold onto his job, alcoholism, drug abuse and an assortment of mental health issues. To top things off he has largely unresolved family problems and another police employee is blackmailing him. It's sad to say but he is reflective of many people currently.

I am sure that both long-time fans and those newly inducted will find much to enjoy throughout this thriller. Once you begin you are invested in the story and I found myself feverishly turning the pages. It concludes in a shocking and spectacular manner which I found most satisfying, and this is both an unforgettable novel and series. A fantastic addition to the Manchester Noir sub-genre. Absolutely captivating and terrific. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Doubleday for an ARC.

The Sleepwalker is the fourth book in the Detective Aiden Waits Series. I haven’t read the other books in the series but I still couldn’t resist grabbing this one from NetGalley mainly because of the glowing reviews that I read when the book first came out. In addition, the blurb did grab my attention.

The story begins with Detectives Aiden and Sutty guarding a hospitalized inmate. The inmate is serving time for mass murder and a lot of people want him dead both in and out of prison. Things turn haywire following an attack at the hospital which leaves bodies behind.

The author did a great job in providing some background information about the lead detective. I think I understand a little bit more about Aiden’s current motivation and the demons that he is fighting. However, I believe that the character development would have worked even better if I had read the previous books. There are references to past events that make me wonder why Aiden did the things he did. In this book, he is haunted by his past and present. He is fighting his own demons but he is still an astute detective which made the investigation quite enjoyable to read.

This book has quite a complex case. I couldn’t have predicted it and I like the fact that the author allowed me to follow Aiden and his team through the maze. We got lost a couple of times but finally found our way to the unsubs.

Utterly riveting, with quite a memorable plot-line and fast-pace, I think this will greatly appeal to fans of this genre. The book can be read as a standalone but I think the entire series sounds so promising. I am currently searching for the previous titles that I haven’t read.

Joseph Knox’s debut Sirens was one of the most hyped debut crime thrillers of 2017. Introducing his readers to his flawed and deeply corrupt detective Aidan Waits, it was gritty Manchester based tale of corruption and organised crime. Waits returned for a sequel in The Smiling Man, and now he returns once more in The Sleepwalker. In the previous Waits has been consigned to a nightshift patrol, his partner Peter “Sutty” Sutcliffe, an obnoxious and offensive older officer with a compulsion to rub his hands with alcohol gel. In this novel the two are guarding Martin Wick, a notorious child murderer, who lies in hospital at death’s door with cancer. But when someone kills the man by petrol bomb, Sutty is immolated also and has to be put into a drug induced coma.

With his long-time partner in intensive care, Waits is partnered with Naomi Black, a young and up and coming detective, and told to find out what’s going on. After the events of books 1 and 2, Wait’s is a byword within the force as an officer under a cloud of suspicion. He is ordered to investigate Wick’s killing by Superintendent Parrs, a deeply cynical and manipulative senior officer who uses Waits for off-the-books tasks. So it is that Waits and Black operate a shadow investigation, separate from the official murder inquiry.

Writers of crime thrillers that feature police characters often strive for realism in police procedure. Some such novels are good, but others suffer in my opinion for these efforts. The crime novels I’ve always enjoyed the most are those that manage to get around this and Knox has always done just that. In Sirens he had his character undercover; in The Sleepwalker he exploited Waits and Sutty’s exile to the night shift, Parrs’ use of them to pursue cases that others ignored; in The Sleepwalker he has Waits and Black explicitly tasked with running a shadow investigation. It is to the author’s credit that he crafts his plots with plausibility, and this makes for a fast moving and believable story, a pared down and gritty tale of noir.

The Sleepwalker is likely to be Wait’s third and final outing (I can’t say why for fear of spoilers) and is a brilliant novel, a fantastic end to a gripping and truly impressive trilogy. Joseph Knox is a novelist of real talent and I can’t wait to read what he writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers
Doubleday for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I'm confused. This book started out confusing and end confusing me even more.
It is interesting and a good read but I'm not sure if I liked it to be honest. Maybe I need to go back and read the other books with the main character in them even though this is supposed to be a stand alone book.

I really enjoyed this book. I adored the story line and loved the main characters. I read this book in one sitting and would highly recommend this book.

Just when you think Knox can’t top The Smiling Man, out comes The Sleepwalker. This is the kind of book you devour in one sitting, it has it all, a murderer on his deathbed, Aidan and Sully standing guard, a mysterious fire, estranged mother (and sister) and someone out to exact his revenge on Waits. A fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, right until the end, where it leaves you wanting more.

When I saw THE SLEEPWALKER on NetGalley I requested it right away and I started reading it as soon as it landed on my kindle. I have been waiting more than a year for a new Aidan Waits novel and I found myself engrossed from the first page.

DS Aidan Waits and his sarcastic partner DI Peter Sutcliffe have a very dull and monotonous job to do: they have to babysit a serial killer who is slowly dying hoping that he confesses the place where he hid the body of one of his victims. Obviously, things don’t go as expected and soon Aidan finds himself once again manipulated by his boss and hunting a killer. In the meantime, he is also partnered with a new detective against his wishes, he is blackmailed by a colleague, and one of the most powerful drug dealers of the city wants him dead… As you can see, THE SLEEPWALKER is far from boring!

I do love the character of Aidan Waits. He is so complex and well-developed and, in this third novel, he is darker and more troubled than ever, living a dangerous life that kept me on the edge of my seat for more than three hundred pages wondering if he would make it out alive this time. I wish there had been more of the engaging and witty exchanges between Aidan and his partner Sutty that kept me entertained in the previous novels, but the arrival of Aidan’s new partner is a nice change. Detective Naomi Black is bright, stubborn, and brave. Her relationship with Aidan is far from easy and they are often at odds on how to lead the investigation, but, no matter how many times Aidan tries to get rid of her, she never backs down and I really liked her.

The Manchester described by Joseph Knox is gloomy and dangerous, the perfect setting for a story of secrets, betrayal, and violence. There is a shocking and dramatic ending that I didn’t see coming and I had to read it twice to be sure I read correctly.

THE SLEEPWALKER can easily be read as a stand-alone (although I highly recommend you read Sirens and The Smiling Man because they are brilliant) and it’s compulsive, gritty, and carefully plotted. I am really addicted to this series and I am really hoping for book number 4!

Wow. Fans of the noir procedural should pick up this and any other Aidan Waits novels they can find. Waits is a troubled and troubling man- full of contradictions and often under suspicion by his colleagues and others. Set in Manchester as always, this installment sees Aiden more or less babysitting Martin Wick, a murderer who has never given up info the police and the family of his victims would like. Things go wrong, very wrong, and then this is off. Waits' partner Sutty ( not one of my favorites, btw) is seriously injured so he is paired with DC Naomi Black as they make a tour of the underworld of the city. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. These novels are hard to synopsize because they are complex- but that's what makes them so good.

Like a perfect pint of Guinness, THE SLEEPWALKER is pitch black, intoxicating, and leaves you always wanting more. Knox and his protagonist Waits don't just take you by the hand, but stick that hand right up your back and force you headlong into the most brilliant darkness. Just superb, in every sense.

Thanks you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sleepwalker is the story of dirty cops who are the good guys, and dirty cops who are the bad guys, everyone has something to hide, and no one is telling the truth as they manipulate people and facts to suit their own interests. The story is full of tough guy cop jargon, that made me wonder- Do people really talk this way? For example:
“...realizing what I’d just handed him. A bullet with Chief Superintendent Chase’s name on it. I shook my head and went for the door. ‘Stay right there,’ he hissed. ‘If you walk into this room forgetting my fucking rank again, I’ll have it branded into your eyeballs.’ He nodded back at the purse on the desk. ‘Do you know what we have here, Sergeant? Aside from the exact measurements of the Chief Superintendent’s coffin?’...

Ex bad cop Aiden is partnered with Naomi Black the departments rising star, to solve the murder of murderer that happened on Aidens watch. He’s frequently trying to ditch her, but for some inexplicable reason, she really likes him.

The pace of the story is uneven, it started off very exciting, and moved quickly when they are interviewing people and puzzling out what happened, but unfortunately, it drags to a halt when cops posture with each other, which is frequently and when back stories are explained, such as Aidens past childhood trauma.

In the end, This was a good crime thriller, but since I didn’t really feel for these characters, I’d rate it 2 stars.

A well written, dark and engrossing thriller that kept me hooked till the last page.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Unfortunately , despite numerous attempts, I'm unable to provide a review for this book as it wouldn't download onto my device. I sent the book at least twice but it still hasn't popped up on my Kindle. To that end I will be unable to provide any feedback on this title.

The Sleepwalker is the third book in the DC Aidan Waits series by Joseph Knox and like the previous two books it is a well crafted dark and ver addictive thriller.

Waits like all good detectives has some serious baggage and all his issues come to the fore as he tries to solve who killed a notorious child killer.

The author is fantastic at creating a dark and gritty and atmosphere and The Sleepwalker is an excellent read that is thoroughly recommended

Waits and Sutty are off the nightshift for now. Their new task is quite simple. A man convicted of murder who Sutty arrested some years ago is terminally ill. He is hidden in a room in the local hospital and under armed guard. The idea is that Sutty (and Waits) will keep an eye on him. Martin Wick - called the Sleepwalker because of the crime never disclosed where the body of the last person he killed was left. The hope is that before he dies he will reveal the information. While this duty is going on there are a series of blackouts. What could possible go wrong... If you haven't read the previous books in this series you may enjoy this more if you read them before this one.

Not for the first time Knox's intro in this book is extremely dark. Those of a nervous disposition may well be best avoiding this series. Those who like "dark" and "nasty" should find this to their liking! Certainly Aidan Waits's journey in this is very dark and tortuous. Sutty has a well deserved rest (!!) early on in this and Waits gets a new partner in the shape of Naomi Black. The question is why? Given that Wick made a full confession to his crime it seems strange that there is much to investigate really.

This is dark and bleakly humorous as I said before and Aidan is in trouble again. I really do find him one of my favourite troubled cops in the UK these days. His background - steadily revealed over the series so far - is very well worked. His role as a cop whose only use is being a scapegoat has been exploited previously but it still works well. The other characters are well written and the scene setting is very good. The writing makes for very easy reading and I finished this all too quickly.

Joseph Knox has very quickly become one of my favourite UK crime authors. He writes dark and nasty very well but there is a lightness of touch at times too. The pace here is excellent and the tension - particularly around the time that everything seems to be over - is extremely good. The strength of Waits's character when things look dire (frequently!) shows just how well this author writes. I'd happily hand out a 6th star for sheer enjoyment if I could - another one please.

The Sleepwalker, book three in the Aidan Watts series by Joseph Knox, is the very definition of a dark, gritty, nasty crime story. In a time when everyone is trying to out-grittty each other, Knox seems to do it almost effortlessly. Thus far, every book in the series is excellent, including this one.

The setting for this novel is Manchester, England, and, while you could sing about Here Comes the Sun in nearby Liverpool at one time, Knox’ Manchester is dark, gloomy, filled with abandoned buildings and squatters, drug addicts, corruption at every level, and all kinds of criminal activities. Aidan Watts is a police detective, but more along the lines of an anti-hero, a British Serpico who can’t count on any loyalty from anyone, a man who lives in despair and toys with suicidal tendencies, a man who is still tied in to drug dealers and who is only just on the edge of spinning completely out of control. He’s not close to anyone and can’t really trust anyone, not even his partners.

The story opens with Watts and his partner charged with 24 hour duty protecting a famed child killer who has been moved from prison to a public hospital for treatment, keeping him barely alive for a short time, hoping he might make a deathbed confession about the fate of the missing family member whose body was never found when he hacked the others to death. Not exactly the proudest duty but someone’s gotta do it.

The story continues in explosions of violence, of backstabbing, of betrayals, of things that don’t make sense. With everyone and everything arrested against him and no one - not one- that he can trust Watts tries desperately to find answers before everything collapses about him.

The writing is tightly drawn and there are lots of great descriptions. If you like gritty crime fiction, this one’s for you.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for this arc.

I requested this after seeing it come over my GR feed a couple of times. I did not realize that it was the 3rd in a series and read it as a stand alone. That will be corrected soon. WHAT a story! I like dark and twisted and a frenetic pace, but this one broke the speed of sound records for me. A very complex story line (with very complex characters, whose histories I need to catch up on). Definitely not a read for the squeamish.