A very interesting read, although I wouldn’t call it a psychological thriller. Definitely had to read to the end to find out what happened though. Would recommend if you enjoy true life stories.

Blown away that this actualy happened. Brilliant book, and will be recommending it. Brilliantly written.

"To fascinate: to attract the strong attention of someone. Synonyms: engross, captivate, absorb, enchant, beguile, bewitch, enthrall, enrapture, entrance, hold, spellbound, transfix, mesmerise."

This book is fascinating it reads like fiction but is the real life story of the author, Carolyn Woods and her time with Mark Conway, just one of the many aliases of conman Mark Acklom.

You read most of the book thinking no way, how on earth did she believe him with these elaborate stories and constant let downs, what was wrong with her? ... but as she explains that's how this type of person operates and it's chilling to read how quickly her life was turned upside down and destroyed.

I don't read a lot of non fiction but this book initially interested me and kept me engrossed throughout.

It's a compelling read

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

Enjoyed this , a few times I was like no way did she believe that. But as Carolyn says you had to be there. It’s a good insight of how anyone can be conned , and on the scale it did! It also tells us of the relationships and how it effects everyone around you. Glad we got to hear what happened in the end with jail sentences, and how she’s managing to rebuild her life.

The title of this book is a bit misleading in as much as the 'psychopath' of the title never actually spends the night with the author. Forgive me for pointing that out, but it's one of the weird things he does (or rather doesn't do) in a very long list of extremely weird behaviours. She is in love with the 'idea' of the man rather than his reality.

This is the first-hand account of a woman who fell prey to a conman, a charmer, a pathological liar, who systematically fleeced her of her money (about £850k), her confidence and her self-respect. Carolyn Woods recounts how she met the man, fell under his influence, and basically lost all logic or reasoning ability. He wasn't SO clever - all her family and friends saw right through him - but she bought the whole crazy story hook, line and sinker.

None of us can say for sure that we wouldn't fall the same way. Most of us will think we're too smart to be used like that, but this guy is not so unusual. I've also read both of Mary Turner-Thomson's books about her bigamist/psychopath husband and what he did to her. Inevitably, I find myself playing 'compare and contrast' between the two women's books and, whilst I think this is better written, I was oddly more sympathetic to MTT's case.

I admire Carolyn Woods' tenacity in hunting down her abuser but at times it all feels rather futile. He's out of prison again now and probably conning a host of more gullible or greedy people (not suggesting she was greedy - far from it). To write a book like this, you need to be VERY honest, and I think Woods has been honest - but sadly to a degree which tends to make the reader sometimes rather less sympathetic. Her falling out with friends (the ones who were looking after her furniture seemed very badly treated) and family (her sister-in-law springs to mind) was unpleasant to read and reflected rather poorly on the 'it's not my fault, I'm the victim' author.

It's a quick read and one that's very relevant these days. I play Facebook Scrabble and read regularly of women around the world who've been conned out of their savings and more by romance scammers whom they've never even met. If people are so vulnerable to the invisible but romantic 'lovers', how much more vulnerable is a vain woman flattered by the attentions of a younger, glamorous man with a life full of lies?

I hope Carolyn Woods will make some money from this book. Being left with nothing - no money, no home, not a lot of self-respect - after going through such a trauma is horrible to even imagine. Most of all though, I hope she'll use the book to draw a line under the experience she had and move forward.

My thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for my copy.

Firstly to the publishers. Please change the cover. It looks alarmingly like a Fifty Shades type of book which it really isn't. In fact the sex scenes are the most queasy bit of the book. This is the true account of how a seemingly intelligent and successful woman fell victim to a professional conman, who then proceeded to fleece her of her life savings.
It is gripping without a doubt but not in a good way. The writer keeps insisting on her intelligence, but allows herself to be duped by the most laughable lies - he is a tax exile, no a M16 agent, no he has the largest collection of Picassos in the world, His role as a troubleshooting spy called in for international missions means that they can never spend a night together. Or it could be that he has a wife and kids somewhere else.
The latter part of the book trails off as the appalling figure that is Mark Conway drops out of sight, only for the tension to dribble away as he is tried and sentenced. What doesn't really help is that Carolyn Woods comes across as increasingly self obsessed and a little bit irritating, e.g her comments on the experience of applying for Jobseekers' Allowance and the unhelpfulness of the police. It would also seem that it is her own materialism that makes her such an easy dupe. Conway is such an appalling person - crude, racist, sexist and utterly objectionable- and others can see through him quite easily.
The book is also quite poorly written in places and full of cliches and would have benefitted from some heavy editing .
Not withstanding all of this, it is still entirely readable.

Incredible true story, Carolyn fell in love, yet he took her for a ride and left her destitute. Showing how this can happen to anyone, this was a real eye opener. So well written

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is a very interesting read, yes, a first instinct is to judge and ask, how could a mature woman be so stupid? We are all human, Carolyn was flattered by the attention from this handsome, smartly dressed, interesting man, whose life seemed so busy and exciting.
Unfortunately Mark Acklom, is not a gentleman, he is a smooth talking psychopath who is highly skilled with many years experience as a pathological liar and conman.
Carolyn’s entire life unravelled piece by piece, everything she had worked for, her financial security and her 2 daughters, gone.
The book also covers the slow police investigation and outcome.
Carolyn’s life was in bits, she had no home, no money, no job, she was an emotional mess, depressed, but she proved to this despicable man that she had more courage and determination than he bargained for.
Thankfully she also had the love and support of her 2 daughters, which is a greater type of richness.

After a divorce Carolyn thought that she had found a new charmed life. Little did she know that Mark was a professional conman who blinded her with elaborate stories about immense wealth and a secret job with MI6. Her family were worried but she was blinded by love. A brave tale telling everyone how gullible she was. I absolutely loved it.

I absolutely loved this book. It read like a novel but was amazing and quite terrifying that’s it’s a true story.
I did at times think, how could she be taken in like this.. but we are all possibly vulnerable to such a psychopath.

Such a compelling and addictive read. So interesting. Very brave and resilient of the author too as this is an exposing narrative. I didn't think the book needed the literary quotes at the start of the chapters - I didn't think they added anything especially as the author's love of books or classics isn't really explored. However, that's such a small point. I found it hard to stop reading and it was so interesting to find out what happened after he was caught too. The documentary is worth a look also. I hope the author makes a good amount of money back with this book!

My first impression of this book I was unsure... my opinion then changed as I started reading the first few chapters, to not understanding how so early on anyone could fall soo deeply and quickly. From his actions, to his language I couldn't see the appeal, when reading I was puzzled why, when it seemed like you could hear the alarm bells ringing, that gut instinct wasn't followed at the beginning (I realize easy to say you wouldn't, when you don't know for certain).

It's told as it went from the day they met, ending some chapters on what Carolyn can now see looking back. The fight to get through the other side and to search for some light at the end of the tunnel. By the end of the book my thoughts were quite different. It was good to see Carolyn found the strength to search all avenues to keep this case going and not be ignored, it must've been draining with everything she'd endured. To share this personal story to highlight what he'd done, must have been very difficult.
Whilst reading this book I'd watched the Sky News documentary and quite honestly was shocked how many people that had been conned by this man, I've no doubt many more than highlighted there. A definite should read.

I admit it… I am obsessed by psychopaths. I love reading books with narcissistic, psychopathic characters and the more ruthless the better, however this is in the fictional books I read. Reading about psychopaths in a true crime, non-fiction account is absolutely TERRIFYING.

Sleeping with a Psychopath by Carolyn Woods is the true story of her life when she met the charismatic, wealthy and handsome Mark Conway and within a matter of weeks Carolyn, a divorcee living in a quiet village, happy with her single life and her friends, finds herself falling head over heels with a stranger and slowly being alienated from everyone and becoming completely dependant both emotionally and financially on Mark.

Now I think I am a reasonably intelligent person, a good judge of character and a shrewd person when it comes to business and from listening to Carolyn’s book, so did she. So how did this loving, outgoing, independent women get hoodwinked into giving him her life savings and becoming a shadow of her former self?

It’s so easy to say “I wouldn’t do that” or “couldn’t she see what was happening” but I was able to understand why Carolyn did allow herself to be dragged down this murky path. Simply put, she fell head over heels in love with a professional conman. A man who had spent most of his life honing his craft, learning how to read people and press the right buttons to get exactly what he wanted and to make his victims fall for his lies.

I listened to this sad and scary tale over the space of a couple of days and my heart goes out to Carolyn and all of the other victims of Mark Acklom and hope that they find the love and happiness they truly deserve.

This book was reminiscent in a way of the Dirty John story, but stood out in the sheer duplicity of the man. A love affair gone wrong in this case is something readers won’t be able to tear themselves away from!

A fantastic but shocking true story. Carolyns account is honest and open and I really really felt so sorry for her. It was also an eye opener on the workings of the police and the justice system.
Definitely one to read.

I hate not finishing books but I could not get through this. The writing style was not for me and I was over half way through and found it annoying and boring, I came across and immature and although it’s non-fiction I felt like i was reading YA or fan fiction written by a teen. It was as though the author was trying to say I’m really cautious, strong and independent and this person was manipulative, dreamy and smart, yet it wasn’t written that way I didn’t get the feeling from either of them and felt no connection to the main.

This was a heart rending book to read. Having read THE BIGAMIST by Mary Turner Thomson I found so many similarities that it was unnerving.
Why is it hard to see that women can be duped like this. I felt for Carolyn all the way and I hope that royalties from her book give her back a portion, however small, helps recover some of her losses. The love of her daughters has helped her so much.
Anyone who read this book I would highly suggest that they go and read The Bigamist as well to help understand how this type of crime can happen so easily and how difficult it is to get action. The other point of interest is that in both books the fraudster continues upon release. No lessons ever seem to be learnt by such people. My prayers go out to Carolyn and I admire her bravery and persistence.
I would recommend that this is given to all teenage girls to read at school and to publicise it as a book that every woman should read to be aware of how easily this can happen however strong and educated.

Shocking true story by Carolyn Woods who was taken in, dominated and utterly manipulated by serial fraudster and con artist Mark Acklom, who went by numerous aliases and was on Britain's National Crime Agency's list of 10 most wanted men. Described as a true psychopath, this is Carolyn's experience of unwittingly losing everything to Mark Acklom and the subsequent battle of bringing him to justice. A very good read, well written.

This was so addictive I finished it in two sittings. Shocking and compelling a truly insightful read into being duped by an psychopath. Carolyns account is honest and open and I really really felt for her. What a cautionary tale it is. A great read.

What a great read right from the start. How could a 54 year old seemingly sensible woman be conned. The more I read the more unbelievable her experiences were. The psychopath seemed to have such plausible excuses and reasons for his behaviour and lack of good fortune. He manages to destroy and grind down his victims beyond belief. I found the lies and deceit beyond belief but know that this was fact and not fiction. Thanks to all for an ARC.