Author: Ellie Marney
Publisher/Year: Allen & Unwin/2020
Publisher description
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?
Reviewer: Jacqui Horwood
Ellie Marney first came to the attention of Sisters in Crime when she won the Scarlet Stiletto Award in 2010. Since then she has gone on to blossom into one of Australia’s finest writers for Young Adult readers (and quite a few adult readers). Her Every trilogy featuring Rachel Watts and James Mycroft won multiple awards.
Ellie’s latest book is the very creepy, None Shall Sleep. Set in the 1980s when we were all obsessed by serial killers, None Shall Sleep is unashamedly influenced by the books of Thomas Harris and John Douglas’ Mindhunter, and tells the story of Emma Lewis and Travis Bell, two teenagers whose lives have been touched by serial killers.
Emma and Travis meet when they are approached by the FBI to help profile teenage serial killers. This work brings them into contact with Simon Gutmunsson, a psychopathic teenage killer who may or may not be able to help them with a current case.
Emma and Travis are two fabulous fictional creations. They are resourceful, observant and intelligent. Very Mulder and Scully, they are respectful and supportive of each other while keeping each other at arm’s length. By the end of the book, however, there is a spark of interest. Marney really is a master at creating and sustaining URST.
Marney’s writing is much leaner in this book and it suits the story. I really enjoyed this sparser style. It added to the pacey unravelling of the story and underscored the mounting tension and dread as Emma and Travis race to find out what Simon knows, and, worse still, what he’s up to.
None Shall Sleep is a book to read in one go and will definitely keep you up at night. I really hope this is the start of series. Emma, Travis and Simon deserve more attention.
https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/None-Shall-Sleep-Ellie-Marney-9781760877309