The Insomniac by Miranda Rijks
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 1st August 2022
PublishedL 24th July 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Daisy thinks her insomnia is the worst thing in the world. She's wrong.
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…
MY THOUGHTS:
I love Miranda Rijks, having only recently discovering her thrillers and therefore gaining such an appreciation for her fun fast paced reads. THE INSOMNIAC is entertaining and addictive though it wasn't hard figuring out some of the twists but for me it's the journey getting there, the thrill of the chase, the excitement of the ride. And what a ride it was!
Daisy is an insomniac. She has not had a good nights sleep in years and it has gotten so bad it's affecting her job as well as her life. Happily married to Haydn with two young children, Millie and Ollie, she also hosts a Facebook group 'Can't Sleep and Going Crazy' with thousands of members. Hubby Haydn is completely supportive, it made for a refreshing change not to have one who is harbouring a deep dark secret.
Life has not exactly turned out as she had at first planned in the early days of her journalist's career, having already mapped out the rising trajectory in her early twenties. But something happened to change the course of Daisy's life which still haunts her to this day, in both her daylight and nighttime hours. And it's keeping her awake. Now she writes for a glossy magazine 'Live Love London' though she finds the work mundane and unchallenging. Of course it doesn't help that she is constantly tired from the lack of sleep. So when she's offered a weeks' stay in a new exclusive luxurious spa and sleep clinic she's delighted. This could be the answer to her prayers and finally an end to her insomnia could be in sight.
'The Serinity Spa' have asked for someone to try out their new sleep clinic in an all expenses paid week long stay in exchange for a review and Daisy is of course the perfect candidate. Run by psychologist Amity Augustiago, the spa offers a variety of treatments of which Daisy will be able to take full advantage of...including some one on one sessions with Amity herself.
When Daisy arrives at the clinic, she is shocked to learn that she must hand over her mobile phone, laptop, tablet, car keys and all electronic devices for the week. She was not forewarned of this and feels uncomfortable having to relinquish them. What if she wants to call her children to say goodnight? Or hear her husband's voice to calm her fears? Or what if the house burns down and they have no way of contacting her? Or the children are taken ill? But they assure her that it is all part of the 'digital detoxing' and ridding yourself of any outside distractions.
And then she meets Amity. At first, her host is all smiles and friendly helpfulness. But Daisy has no idea that while she has come to clinic to cure her insomnia, Amity will become her worst nightmare. And she has all the tools at her disposal to make this happen. Voices piped into her room through hidden speakers, flashing lights, pounding music, trapped in the sauna, sealed in the flotation tank, locked in her room, manipulating hypnosis...the list goes on. It's not surprising that is isn't long before Daisy begins to wonder if she's going crazy and wants to leave but Amity convinces her that it is for her own good. But is it really? All she wants to do is leave but with her keys and her phone locked away out of her reach, she has no way of escaping. She really and truly feels trapped.
With no clue as to who controls the manipulation or why, Daisy sets out to find a way to escape. But little does she know that there is so much more to her nightmares than just Amity. That is just the beginning. Then there is the creepy stalker fan Rosemary who seems to know a lot more about Daisy's life than she has ever shared. Who is Rosemary really and what has she got to do with the nightmare her life has become?
There are secrets and lies and tons of deception in this fast past thrill ride as events from the past and present intersect. Who is Amity? Who is Rosemary? And what do these women have to do with Daisy's life, past or present?
Wow! THE INSOMNIAC is a real locked-room psychological thriller that will make you never want to visit a sleep clinic...EVER! It is intensely claustrophobic with a palpable tension that will have you scrambling to make sure your doors are not quite locked and that you can still escape if you need to. It will keep you awake into the night and haunt your dreams, the suspense and tension are that intense.
Told through the eyes of Daisy and Amity, readers get to see both women's stories unfold as we are drip-fed information little by little, piece by piece. It is clear from the beginning that both are hiding something but the fun is in working out what it is and how it intersects. Both women appear a little unreliable at times, so who do you believe?
Miranda knows just how to keep her readers engaged with just the right amount of tension cleverly written to keep you glued to the page from beginning to end. Some of it you will guess, some you will have no idea. As a night owl, I'm also something of an insomniac but nothing like Daisy. I am a very light sleeper, when I do get to sleep, waking at several annoying intervals throughout the night. It would be nice to sleep the whole night through. So I can feel Daisy's pain...though thankfully, not to her extent.
I have read another insomniac thriller which was a little along these lines but was in no way executed quite as well as THE INSOMNIAC. But then Miranda Rijks is an impressive author with the ability to lure her readers with sweetness and light before throwing them into the deep end of nowhere left to swim for our lives. I love her thrillers (this is my fifth, I believe) and one day I will get around to reading all her others I have yet to dive into.
Overall, another fantastically solid read from a talented author that is perfect for psychological thriller fans...particularly of the claustrophobic locked room type.
I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheInsomniac in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.
She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time!
Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.
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