From Publishers Weekly
While flash floods sweep New England, escaped schizophrenic Michael Hrubek leads pursuers on a perilous chase as he seeks to confront Lisbonne Atcheson, whose testimony clinched his conviction as the Indian Leap State Park murderer. The premise is hackneyed, the plot somewhat formulaic, but Deaver's ( Hard News ) knack for pacing and misdirection enliven this entertaining thriller. At the center of the drama is the complex Hrubek, a terrifying figure with problems big enough to match his 300-pound frame. At times he recognizes and is painfully frustrated by his tenuous grip on reality; at others, he is racked with guilt over having assassinated President Lincoln. On Hrubek's trail are his therapist, Dr. Richard Kohler; professional tracker Trenton Heck and his prize bloodhound Emil; the police; and Lisbonne's attorney husband Owen, a seasoned hunter and combat veteran. What really happened at Indian Leap is revealed in a climax that brings everyone together at Lisbonne's newly inherited estate in remote, storm-battered Ridgeton. Although Deaver's prose is sometimes careless, his characters are colorful and believable, and his careful plotting delivers palpable suspense and a clever surprise ending. 50,000 first printing; $75,000 ad/promo; paperback to Signet; Literary Guild selection. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Deaver has published both general fiction and, under a pseudonym, some Edgar Award-winning mysteries, but the publisher sees this book as his breakout title. The antihero is a 28-year-old man who escapes from a hospital for the criminally insane. The 75,000-copy first printing speaks volumes.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
A murderer escapes from an asylum for the criminally insane with only one thought in mind: to locate the woman whose testimony convicted him. Law officers, a professional tracker, and the woman's husband are all on his trail. The reader's fine skill in varying voice tone is necessary since almost all the characters are men. The book depends on abrupt shifts of point of view to carry the narrative along. Although the character voices are confusing initially, they're more comprehensible as the listener becomes familiar with the protagonists. Heald's talent builds tension, provides excitement and adds to the unexpected twist at the conclusion. D.M.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Big, bearish Michael Hrubek springs himself from the funny farm by replacing a dead inmate's corpse with his own in the hospital's reusable body bag. That's cause for considerable alarm on the part of Lis Atcheson, who fingered Michael for the murder and rape that sent him downriver in the first place. Semicompetent hospital head Dr. Adler wants to make Michael's escape as hush-hush as possible, though, so he just hires an out-of-work cop to tail the loony. Not that Lis' husband isn't also on Michael's trail, likewise Michael's shrink, who's convinced Michael's really harmless. Thinking that he's John Wilkes Booth in search of Dr. Mudd after assassinating Lincoln, Michael's certainly balmy enough, but he holds no candle to such of his obvious forebears as Norman Bates in Psycho II in terms of menace. And menace is what Deaver's tepid exercise needs--bad! Viking's hefty first printing indicates someone there thinks this thing'll fly, and the publisher will probably prod strong initial sales. Fans of the psycho-thriller are advised to wait for Thomas Harris' promised third Hannibal Lecter opus. Ray Olson


James Patterson
A nightmarish 24 hours [of] harrowing suspense.


Stephen King
Compulsively readable.


Robert Crais
Delivers a nerve-snapping climax that will keep you huddled in your chair.


San Jose Mercury News
There is no thriller writer today like Jeffery Deaver.


Kirkus Reviews
Harrowing...undeniably throat-clutching.


People
A master of ticking-bomb suspense.


Publishers Weekly
Palpable suspense...An entertaining thriller.


Book Description
Praying for revenge...Psycho killer Michael Hrubek has escaped to find the woman who put him away. He'll show her what killing is all about...Praying for salvation...Lis knows he's out there. He's haunted every sleepless night, watching and waiting to take her to hell with him...And now Lis is Praying for Sleep.

ANNOTATION

A powerful breakout novel of suspense in the tradition of James Petterson's Along Came a Spider. Taking place in one storm-swept night, this richly atmospheric novel plunges the reader into a nightmare world of an escaped psychopath determined to track down the woman who helped put him away. "A hayburner of a haunting story and a page-turning thriller."--Gregory McDonald, author of the Fletch series. Ad in People magazine (Top 10 Edition).

FROM THE PUBLISHER

On a savage, storm-lashed night, Michael Hrubek - a dangerously paranoid schizophrenic - escapes from a mental hospital for the criminally insane by impersonating a dead man. He's on a mission - to find Lis Atcheson, the woman whose testimony identified him as the gruesome Indian Leap State Park murderer. He'll stalk her all the way home, where she waits in the cool autumn night...surrounded by her past. For Lis, the chief witness at Hrubek's trial, is a woman obsessed with the past. Living in the remote New England house that was her family's summer retreat, she is struggling to put her life back together after a period of terrible turmoil - just as Michael Hrubek sets out on his harrowing quest. Racing to intercept him are his psychiatrist, Richard Kohler, a brilliant doctor - but one with his own secrets to protect; Trenton Heck, a professional dog tracker, with an uncanny skill for picking up a trail and a desperate need for the reward money offered for Hrubek's return; and Lis's husband, Owen Atcheson, a man of uncommon intelligence and determination - who must hunt Hrubek down before he can destroy his wife. Yet Michael's madness is inextricably entwined with his genius - and he proves a far greater adversary than any of his pursuers anticipated. For though his mind is tormented by his eerie delusions of betrayal and revenge, he is crystal clear on one point: he knows Lis Atcheson better than she knows herself, and as he hunts her he is bringing a terrible secret into the light of day. As primal as the night itself, Praying for Sleep is an astonishing stay-up-all-night read, which delivers a climax you'll never forget. It is a brilliant work of terror, taut and intricate, subtle and original - the breakout book of a seasoned and skillful writer.

FROM THE CRITICS

Stephen King

Compulsively readable.

James Patterson

A nightmarish 24 hours [of] harrowing suspense.

Robert Crais

Delivers a nerve-snapping climax that will keep you huddled in your chair.

San Jose Mercury News

There is no thriller writer today like Jeffery Deaver.

People