…a night that changed three women forever—but that none of them can remember. 

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.
 
After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women’s mysterious tipster.
 
Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

Titles in The Lost Night Files series include — Sleep No More —◊—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Sleep No More
Series:  The Lost Night Files #1
Author:  Jayne Ann Krentz
Published:  January 3, 2023
My Rating:  4.5 stars

One of the reasons that Jayne Ann Krentz is a go-to author for me is that when she’s writing a story that has a puppetmaster in the background pulling strings I rarely discover who they are, which is a good thing because I want to get lost in the story and simply enjoy.  Sleep No More is an excellent example of that word mastery she has, I was pulled into this story from the first page until the final word… and whoa, what an ending that was!  Now, because I try to do spoiler-free reviews I won’t be talking plot details, those you should be discovering on your own – and besides, this type of suspense/thriller (especially a paranormal) will usually have everything you need to know before purchasing in the Cover Description.  And if that description doesn’t draw you in I don’t know what would.

Pallas, Talia, and Amelia were completely unknown to each other before one fateful night when everything changed for them, absolutely everything.  What drew them together was that one lost night when they each experienced the same thing during an overnight stay at a hotel.  It turns out that Ambrose also experienced a lost night but he was on his own with no one to compare, talk to, or support when he slowly falls into desperation trying to discover what really happened to him.  He turns to the Lost Night Files podcast as a possible way to find his own answers not knowing that will only offer up more questions and a woman who will come to mean so much to him in time.  That is the basic idea behind this book (and all of that is found right in the Cover Description).  What follows is a search for information that leads to twisting strings of information, danger, intrigue, lies, and murder.

I was fascinated by Pallas’ and Ambrose’s paranormal talents, especially the dream drawings done by Pallas.  Their relationship began on shaky ground but slowly they will start asking questions, and discovering oddities, as well as the secrets that all small towns possess.  There is plenty of action in this well-written story, lots of twists and turns, and definitely the possibility of a romance in the background.  I liked this couple and was fully engaged in discovering what had happened to them all but especially Ambrose who has the strongest connection to this location.

If you love a good, solid Suspense/Thriller/Mystery with a touch of Romance, then Sleep No More would be perfect for you.  I’m definitely looking forward to the next book’s release.  I enjoyed myself immensely, would definitely recommend this book, and now need to know what happens next – for there is far more to the overarching mystery than we’ve discovered so far.  Excellent reading experience.

I own a Kindle Edition of this title.

Available in print, audio, or your favorite e-reader