Dear Detective Inspector Thorne. What can I say? Practice makes perfect. And don't you just envy her that perfect...distance? I invite you to consider the concept of freedom. True freedom. Have you ever really considered it? I'm sorry about the others. Truly. I shall not insult your intelligence with platitudes about ends and means but offer in mitigation the thought that a massive undertaking often has an appropriate margin of error. It's all about pressure, Detective Inspector Thorne, but then you'd know all about that. Seriously, though, Tom, maybe I'll call you sometime.Mark Billingham's arresting debut novel Sleepyhead, an international bestseller, is a mesmerizing, psychological thriller. Tense and unnerving, this menacing tale of obsession is as scathingly witty as it is bone chilling, and it introduces a stunning new talent in detective fiction.Alison Willetts is unlucky to be alive. She has survived a deliberately induced stroke, and although she can see, hear, and feel, she is completely unable to move or to communicate. In leaving Alison alive, the police believe her assailant has made his first mistake. Until Detective Inspector Tom Thorne discovers the horrifying truth: Alison is the psychopath's first success; the three women he killed before her were the mistakes. "An appropriate margin of error" is how their killer dismissed them; his true intention was to leave them just like Alison: put to sleep for the rest of their natural lives. And Thorne knows they won't be his last victims. To save innocent lives, he must find a criminal whose agenda is terrifyingly unique. But this untraceable, sadistic madman is smart, elusive, and cryptic — he enjoys toying with the police almost as much as he savors pursuing his sick fantasy — and the only lead Thorne has is the tragically uncommunicative Alison.Sensational, sinister, and sophisticated, Sleepyhead is a twisted take on the contemporary crime novel, and with it Mark Billingham reveals an extraordinary depth and range of talent. Impeccably plotted and remarkably assured, Billingham's debut marks the start of a brilliant career.

"It's hard to believe that a stand-up comedian could write a book as dark, intense, and powerful as this one....It's brilliantly conceived and superbly plotted, with complex characters, deft twists, and an ending that's both shocking and oppressive....A must-read." Emily Melton, Booklist (Starred Review)

"Overall, [Billingham] displays a solid grasp of the form, though not at the gut-wrenching level of such peers as Mo Hayder. Billingham excels in characterization, however, and it's likely that readers will develop empathy for his conflicted protagonist and the compassionate physician who takes justice into her own hands." Publishers Weekly

"Newcomer Billingham debuts with a rote but easily digestible thriller....Billingham's prose is lively but takes no risks, and why should it with a tried-and-true formula? Thorne doesn't come close to, say, Helen Mirren's DI Tennison, but there's more than one wanker and plenty of bollocks to go around." Kirkus Reviews

"[A]n intense, creepy variation on the serial-killer theme....The strength of what could have been a standard medical/police procedural lies in its complex characters, serpentine plot twists, and dark ending." Library Journal

"An assured chiller. Disturbing and thrilling...with memorable characters and bundles of atmosphere. Britain now has its own forensic crime maestro." The Guardian (U.K.)

"What's refreshing about the British comedy writer Mark Billingham's Sleepyhead is that this debut novelist comes up with a genuinely creepy premise without being unpleasant. More important, he doesn't lose sight of the victims....The most remarkable passages in the book are the inner monologues of Allison Willets, the killer's sole 'success' (i.e., the only one of his victims who doesn't die — she's conscious, but she can't speak and can barely move). It's here that Billingham shows his knack for comedy. Allison's voice has a 'what next?' exasperation that manages to be darkly funny without slighting the horror of her situation....At their best, Allison's monologues have some of the otherworldly strangeness of the heaven sections of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. The revelation of the killer's identity and motive are, frankly, a prosaic letdown after the extremity of the crime. And Billingham takes risks in making his cop hero...so pigheaded and off track for most of the investigation, though it's easy to imagine Thorne becoming a companionable protagonist...and Billingham's control of character and plot becoming more sure. He's off to a remarkable start." Charles Taylor, Salon.com

"Compelling." The Daily Telegraph (London)

"There?s not much you can fault Sleepyhead on. Disturbingly original." Time Out (London)

"Don?t make any plans for the weekend when you buy it — because you won?t be leaving the house until it's finished." FHM

"Who would have thought a stand-up comedian could write a British police procedural as good as those produced by crime queens Elizabeth George and Ruth Rendell?" USA Today

"Billingham's flawless plotting and the steadily increasing sense of fear combine to make this one of the best debut novels of the year. Going from 0 to 60 in record time, his next book is on my must read list. Grade: A" The Rocky Mountain News

"A new twist to the twisted mind of a psychopath — an exciting debut novel." Baltimore Sun

"A sensational debut novel." Toronto Globe & Mail

"A terrifically stylish debut novel. It can only be a matter of time before Tom Thorne returns." The Independent On Sunday (U.K.)

"Sleepyhead is one of the finest first-novels I've read in a long while. Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre and earned an instant seat at the top table of crime novelists. An exceptional debut." George P. Pelecanos, author of Right as Rain

Alison Willetts can't move or communicate, but she's aware. Her survival of a deliberately induced stroke convinces police her attacker made an error. But Detective Tom Thorne discovers that Alison is the psychopath's masterpiece; the three women he killed before her were mistakes. Thorne must find a criminal whose agenda is terrifyingly unique.