Review: None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

The hint about just how engrossing a thriller can be is in the name of the genre. It literally thrills you with such intensity that you cannot put it down until you’ve found out exactly what lies at the heart of the mystery, who the killer is, what will happen to the protagonist, or a mix of all three.

Ellie Marney’s latest offering, None Shall Sleep, is everything a good thriller should be, drawing the reader in from the first chapter and refusing to release them for meals, conversation, or even sleep, until it’s finished. Perhaps Marney chose the title not from the Byron poem it references towards the novel’s conclusion, but because she knew that would be true for anyone reading it.

Set in 1982 (one of my few criticisms with the book would be that I only was aware of the time settings from the blurb and a few scattered references to era-relevant technologies), the story opens with veteran agent Ed Cooper recruiting eighteen-year-old Emma Lewis, the survivor of a serial killer, to assist with the founding of a unit on behavioural science to interview convicted teenage serial killers. The logic: because these killers may be more willing to speak with someone their own age.

However, it quickly becomes apparent that this research assignment directly intersects with an ongoing current case, and Emma, who forms a connection with the terrifyingly clever and terrifyingly sociopathic Simon Gutmunsson, and the other recruit for the project, Travis Bell, are thrust into the middle of the hunt for a ruthless, clever serial killer.

There are obvious parallels here to Silence of the Lambs, which Marney in no way shies away from (indeed, the book and all of Harris’ oeuvre on our favourite sociopathic cannibal are explicitly mentioned I the acknowledgements). However, it feels as though when Marney was planning out the story, she looked at where the gaps where in the story were, and from there, carved out her own narrative; why Hannibal would only speak with Clarice (Hannibal’s choice was sort of explained in a different book, to be fair), the fact that Hannibal falls out a bit in terms of the capture of Buffalo Bill, even the internal experience of Clarice in response to being singled out by a serial killer. Without wanting to critique Harris’ rather spectacular book, it means that None Shall Sleep in some ways feels like a more cohesive text in terms of the way its narrative is framed and executed.

What I particularly enjoyed was that while Emma and Travis are selected in part because both of them have personal, tragic, experiences with serial killers, the point is reinforced repeatedly that their youth gives them a perspective and insight into the case that others simply don’t—and can’t—possess (without giving away spoilers, I also loved how that this informed part of the ‘reveal’ as well; very, very cleverly done). Given this book is a Young Adult thriller, it’s nice to not simply be a story which happens to be about things which happen to a young person, but instead a story that delves into why it is that a younger person is placed front and centre of such events.

Marney herself said that she wrote the story specifically about “teenager protagonists confronting horror” for a teenage audience to give them “comfort” and impart a powerful message: “you are strong enough to deal with this. You have been in far worse situations and survived. It’s the litany Emma uses to support herself, and to overcome. In a way, it is the litany we all need to hear – that we can cope. We will cope.” I really enjoyed this aspect to the story, as well as the emphasis placed on cultivating healthy ways to cope with trauma (such as having a good therapist).

The way the novel’s events build mean that the tension and stakes climb to a climactic finale which meant I couldn’t tear myself away from the book. The only thing I would have loved a little bit more backstory to what Emma endured, and also to Simon’s crimes – perhaps it’s my internal voyeur, but it was constantly hovering on the edge of my curiosity. However, Marney’s noted that among the podcasts to which she listened as part of her research placed emphasis on the victims (Real Crime Profile in particular), so I can understand that perhaps the decision was one to remove the natural inclination of people to focus on the killer and the nature of the crime rather than the human lives taken.

Finally, a note on the writing. Thrillers in particular, in my opinion, require prose that is invisible; if you’ll pardon me delving into the realm of metaphor, you don’t want to see the brushstrokes, because you want to be totally engrossed in the unfolding story. Marney’s writing is crisp, clear, and clean and does just that, it fades into the background of the reader’s awareness in deference to the rather gripping story. That being said, if you peer under the hood (another metaphor!), you’ll see that Marney’s writing is technically superb. The moments of lyricism shine through without detracting even for a moment from the way the story pulls the reader on. Instead, they are touches which do a fabulous job of providing a clear sense of setting and story.

If you’re a fan of thrillers, I can guarantee that you’ll love None Shall Sleep.

None Shall Sleep is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up None Shall Sleep? Tell us in the comments below!

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Synopsis | Goodreads

Interviewing convicted juvenile killers for the FBI leads Emma Lewis and Travis Bell on the hunt for a serial murderer who targets teenagers. A riveting YA thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

It’s 1982, and the innovative FBI Behavioral Science section is breaking new ground. Emma Lewis and Travis Bell, two teenagers with valuable skills, are recruited to interview convicted juvenile killers for information on cold cases.

When they’re drawn into an active case targeting teenagers, everything starts to unravel. Over Travis’s objections, Emma becomes the conduit between the FBI and an incarcerated serial killer, nineteen-year-old Simon Gutmunsson, who is a super-intelligent sociopath. And although Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he’s also an expert manipulator playing a very long game …

Can Emma and Travis stop a serial killer on the loose – or will they fall victim themselves?

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