Sleep Walkers by Tom Grieves

Sleep Walkers by Tom Grieves is a really clever story.

The hero of Sleep Walkers, Ben, is a kind, fantastic husband and father and an all-round good guy. However, Ben has nightmares, and in his nightmares, he isn’t a good bloke at all. The terrible things Ben does in his dreams prey on him long after he wakes up.

Then there is Toby, a gorgeous 15 year old boy who, like Ben, is truly lovely, but he is bullied mercilessly by kids at school. Like Ben, Toby has terrible nightmares.

The other main character is Anna, Toby’s English teacher. Anna notices Toby being picked on, and realising he is constantly covered in bruises and scars, suspects Toby’s parents of abusing him. When Anna starts investigating Toby’s home life, she discovers mysteries that can’t be explained.

I’ve been sitting at my computer trying to think of how to write about this story and I can’t. Sleep Walkers is unlike anything I’ve read before, and I don’t want to give away the plot.

What I can say is that Ben, Toby and Anna have a lot of adventures separately, as individuals who are unknown to each other in the beginning of the book and after they team up to try and solve the mystery of their lives. Some of the characters even get to live happily ever after.

I highly recommend reading Sleep Walkers if you like mystery thrillers.