Readers looking for a detailed, psychological thriller should check out “Anna O” by Matthew Blake. (It is a GMA Buzz Pick, a Today Show Pick and a People Magazine Pick.) The premise of the story involves people who sleepwalk – specifically, those who commit crimes while asleep and have no memory of the incidents upon waking. The various characters are all well developed and there are twists and turns throughout the novel. There is definitely a ‘dark’ edge to this complicated thriller.
Dr. Benedict (Ben) Prince is an expert in sleep-related disorders. He is brought in by the authorities to try to wake up Anna Ogilvie, who has been in a sleep-like coma for 4 years, after allegedly killing her two best friends while she was sleepwalking. Ben is obsessed with this case and begins achieving success with his patient. However, sinister secrets begin emerging as Anna O awakes . . . Did Anna really kill her friends? Was she really asleep? Is Ben more involved than we think? What about Ben’s boss, his wife and his coworkers? The story is told in short chapters, through several characters’ points of view, which really added to the intrigue of the novel.
“Anna O” was a bit lengthy, but I absolutely HAD to keep reading to find out what really happened the night Anna’s two friends were murdered. I loved the twists and turns – the novel is written really well and is unique in its subject matter. (There really was an Anna O psychology case in the mid-1800’s and the ‘sleepwalking defense’ has actually been used in court cases.)