Review: Sleep With the Lights On by Maggie Shayne

My sister has been a huge fan of Maggie Shayne for years, especially the Wings in the Night series. I must confess as to not having really read anything by her that wasn't in an anthology that I had gotten for another author.  So when I entered a contest for a singed copy of one of Maggie Shayne's books, it was originally for her. But then I got the book, and read the back, and the first couple of pages. Before I knew it I was on Chapter 3 and telling my sister she would get it when I was done with it.

The story starts out in the mind of a serial killer.  He knows what he is doing is wrong. But this voice in his mind keeps driving him to do it over and over and over again. Each time, he promises himself that it will be the last time. Then comes the night that he realizes that his very own son now fits his preferred victim type. And the voice in his head starts telling him that it is time to kill again, this time, his own son.  Knowing that he won't be able to stop himself, he decides to commit suicide and leave all the incriminating evidence of his crimes for his brother, a cop, to find.

But Detective Mason Brown doesn't want to hang these evil deeds upon his brother's wife and kids, so he tries to cover them up and donate his organs to save others.  Mason's hope is that this will somehow help his soul find atonement in the afterlife.

Rachel de Luca has been blind the majority of her life, due to macular degeneration that occurred when she was still a child. She has made quite the name for herself as a self help and positivity guru, never mind that she is in fact moody, sarcastic and basically the exact opposite of the what she peddles to the masses.  When she gets a corneal implant using a new technique, after dozens of failed tries over the years, and her sight is restored, it is labeled a miracle. She actually does feel it is miraculous that she can once again see.  Until the visions start.  Then her miracle becomes a nightmare as she what she sees literally becomes murder.

Oh, I liked this story. A LOT!  The paranormal aspects and the psychological thriller aspects worked so well together. There is a hint of romance, while the mystery of figuring out who the killer is, held me spell bound. I stayed up way too late one night finishing this book.  And with the ending, I found it just a little bit scary to close my eyes and sleep.  I give this book a 5 star rating.

Through the eyes of a killer

Rachel de Luca has found incredible success writing self-help books. But her own blindness and the fact that her troubled brother has gone missing have convinced her that positive thinking is nothing but bull. Her cynicism wavers when a cornea transplant restores her sight. The new eyes seem to give her new life, until they prove too good to be true and she starts seeing terrifying visions of brutal murders crimes she soon learns are all too real.

Detective Mason Brown's own brother recently died, leaving behind a horrific secret. In atonement, Mason donated his brother's organs, though he's kept the fact quiet. Now he wants to help Rachel find her brother, but when he discovers the shocking connection between her visions and his own brother, he suddenly has to do everything in his power to save her from a predator who is somehow still hunting from beyond the grave.

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