By: Miranda Rijks
ISBN: 9781915275806
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Publication Date: 07/24/2022
Format: e-book
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ARC)
Daisy can’t sleep. But the cure is her worst nightmare.
Daisy hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in years. Her chronic insomnia has gotten so bad, it’s affecting her job as a journalist. So she’s delighted when she’s asked to review a new, luxurious sleep clinic - this could be the answer to her prayers.
At first, everything about the clinic seems perfect – the stunning seaside location, the beautiful rooms, the exquisite cuisine.
Clinic owner and chief therapist, Amity, is sure she can cure Daisy’s insomnia by uncovering its root cause. But to do that, she’ll use hypnosis to probe deep into Daisy’s past. And that’s not good – because Daisy has a terrible secret.
As Amity digs into her mind, Daisy feels more and more vulnerable. She begins to think there is something off about the clinic. Is her insomnia making her paranoid or does Amity have her own sinister agenda?
Fearing the past has finally caught up with her, Daisy wonders if she should just leave. But that’s not so easy – because this clinic, which was supposed to offer rest and safety, is the most terrifying place she’s ever been…
The Insomniac – the chilling psychological thriller from the author of The Visitors, The Arrangement, The New Neighbour.
My Review
I LOVED Miranda Rijks' "THE INSOMNIAC!"
There is nothing better than a journalist with a secret past, a spa owner with a plan for revenge, a locked-room luxury spa chilling setting, a funny, creepy stalker, a few more random characters for your surprise, and jaw-dropping plot twists. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Set in London, we meet Daisy McKenzie (a favorite). Daisy is an intelligent journalist with insomnia. Something in her mysterious past haunts her, keeping her awake. This is revealed later in the book, so get ready because it is GOOD.
She is happily married to Haydn with two children. She also has a Facebook Group and blog, "Can't Sleep and Going Crazy' with 243K members. Both she and her husband are very supportive of one another and their careers.
Daisy is not completely satisfied with her current job at a glossy magazine 'Live Life London.' It does not challenge her. She enjoyed her previous career more (higher end) but had to quit. Again we find out more about this later due to a case she was working on as an investigative reporter.
She is constantly tired due to a lack of sleep which has been going on for years. When her editor says he has a new project for her, she thinks it might be just the trick.
The Serenity Spa wants a journalist to try out their new luxury spa and sleep clinic. All expenses are paid in exchange for a review and a week's stay. She is the perfect candidate. It is fully booked for months and run by Amity Augustiago. Daisy's husband thinks it is a great idea and has his mother over to help take care of the kids and house while she is away.
However, when Daisy arrives for this new adventure, little does Daisy know (not forewarned in advance) that she has to turn over her cell phone, car keys, computers, tablets, and any electronics for a week. She is trapped. They say it is part of the process to rid yourself of outside distracting influences.
On top of this, little does she know Amity will be her worst NIGHTMARE. Amity has a hidden agenda to make her life a living nightmare, and she has all the tools at her disposal with the spa. She is out for revenge, but Daisy does not know this woman. How does their past connect?
Hold on, fans, a multi-layered web of deceit that will keep you gripped to the pages!
The horror begins from voices piped in the speakers in her private room, loud noises at all-night hours, locked in the sauna, locked in the floatation tank, violating her privacy, manipulating hypnosis, making her do crazy things, and the list goes on and on. Wow, all these will have your heart pounding. Amity befriends her and convinces her she is helping her with this insomnia by getting to the root of her problem.
However, Daisy has no clue who controls all this manipulation or why. All she wants to do is leave, but her keys are locked up, and no way to get out. Amity wants her to write down her past in a journal, but Amity breaks into her room and reads everything even though she said no one would read it.
She starts getting suspicious and tries to find a way to escape. On top of this, a stalker funny fan girl, Rosemary, on her blog, shows up at the spa, following her around, giving her the creeps, and she thinks she sees the guy from her past that has haunted her out on the beach!
Talk about LOCKED ROOM SUSPENSE! OMG.
As the week winds down, more events from the past and present connect. Amity also has secrets from her past, and she may turn into a victim instead of a predator with the huge brilliant, clever jaw-dropping twist at the explosive ending, which will have your head spinning to the satisfying conclusion. (loved).
This book checked all the boxes for me. The author's writing style is clever, sophisticated, fast-paced, crisp, and relatable characters. The suspense is riveting, the claustrophobia is intense, and the setting and descriptions are vivid. She balances with ease wit and darkness.
From the strong women characters, the twisty plot, the spa setting, the journalist backstory, and the suspense - it has it all for a locked-room gripping psychological thriller.
Miranda's BEST YET! The author is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. What talent and imagination. Her books are unique, with exciting storylines and topics, unlike any other authors. I devoured EVERYTHING about this book from the first page to the last.
The excellent character development, plot, twists, suspense, and jaw-drops (more than one). Miranda has more twists than you can imagine, and her signature surprise jaw-dropping twist at the end blew me away. I did not see it coming! This is always a special surprise you look forward to in her books.
THE INSOMNIAC is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read and the first set in a spa with a specific target agenda and not a group event. GET THIS ON YOUR LIST!! Top books of 2022. Another locked-room favorite is the upcoming Lisa Unger's Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six (Nov 2022) with a hidden agenda. Both these books are tops.
I am trying to read Miranda's backlist Miranda Rijks between reading all my ARCs and upcoming new books. You will see her books on my forthcoming favorite lists.
I LOVE discovering new thriller UK authors (from the other side of the pond) and an author for life when I like their style. Don't you love newfound authors? I owe this to NetGalley and Dreamscape audio, who had some of her recent books that are now out on audio for my introduction. I enjoy her audiobooks and enjoy the inspiration behind the books. If you have not read this author's work thriller fans, get her titles on your TBR list. Thank me later.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for a digital ARC to read, enjoy, and review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars ++ ✨✨✨✨✨
Pub Date: 24 July 2022
MY REVIEWS
📚 BOOKS
THE CONCIERGE (2022)
FORGET ME NOT (2022)
THE INSOMNIAC (2022) Top Books of 2022
🔉 AUDIOBOOKS
THE SECOND WIFE (2022)
WHAT SHE KNEW (2022)
THE NEW NEIGHBOUR (2022)
THE VISITORS (2022)
THE ARRANGEMENT (2022)
DESERVE TO DIE (2022)
On a side note:
I am an INSOMNIAC and feel Daisy's pain. Not for the same reason, though. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. Sleep is such a luxury I wish I could experience. Hence why I am writing this review at 3:05 am.
I have had a lifetime of insomnia but much worse over the last seven months. I have been diagnosed with Temporal Arteritis (Giant Cell Arteritis). There is no cure, and only people over 50 get it, primarily women. You must stay on a very high dosage of steroids for a year to two years or longer. I am allergic to prednisone, so I have been taking Dexamethasone high dosages for months now. The steroids cause so many nasty and severe side effects (too many to name), but one of the worst ones is INSOMNIA. I have slept very poorly for seven months, from half-hour to 3 hrs max per night, if lucky. If you try to tape down to a lower dosage, your inflammation returns like this past week, and it can cause blindness. Blood work every two weeks. This is a dreadful disease, and if you know anyone with these symptoms, they need to see a rheumatologist, have a biopsy, and get on steroids immediately before they go blind.
About the Author
I write psychological thrillers - many of which have been Kindle bestsellers. If you'd like to receive free short stories, info on my writing and be the first to know about upcoming releases, you can sign up to my newsletter at https://mirandarijks.substack.com.
Before becoming a fiction writer, I helped newbie entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses. In 2015, I was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and everything changed.
I live in Sussex, England with my husband, musician daughter and black Labradors. When I'm not writing, I'm dreaming about living in a chalet on a Swiss mountain, obsessively knitting and painting on my iPad. My books include: The Visitors, The Arrangement, The New Neighbour, The Second Wife, The Only Child, What She Knew, The Influencer, Roses Are Red, You Are Mine, Deserve To Die, I Want You Gone, Fatal Fortune, Fatal Flowers and Fatal Finale.
Thank you for reading my books. WEBSITE
