a fun read . the noir language is a bit strained at times, but the plot is interesting and the protagonist is one of a kind. A whole new adventure in the unreliable narrator field, as , due to his narcolepsy, the detective is often unsure of what happened , are things true or hallucinations, what has he told the police, what have others told him. ( )

Really good. Like a narcoleptic Memento. You get the feeling you are sharing his symptoms. ( )

I eagerly dove into No Sleep Till Wonderland by one of my favorite authors, Paul Tremblay. When I had learned that Tremblay also had a series of mystery fiction in addition to his renowned horror/suspense stories and books, I was prepared for an immersive experience.
What I did not know was that this was the second in the Mark Genevich series (the first being The Little Sleep). So I was unexpectedly thrust into the noir world of a sarcastic, self-deprecating narcoleptic Boston-based investigator. Under the thumb of his mother/landlord, Mark is compelled to attend group therapy meetings as a condition for free rent. It is at one of these meetings that Mark encounters Gus, a magnetic stranger who first befriends and later hires him to help out a lady friend “in need.” As is typical in these types of stories, the dame is bad news and leads our sleepy hero on a twisting and dangerous quest. It is obvious that Tremblay is having a bit of fun poking at the tropes of the hard-boiled detective novel and the misanthropic/misogynistic traits of the narrator. In between racing into fires, getting beat up and having awkward sex, Mark battles with his condition and the constant dream-like state it produces. Since the reader is only privy to his point-of-view, the storyline becomes a meandering series of confusing episodes that may or may capture reality. The gritty vibe and caustic humor is enjoyable at first, but becomes wearing after a while. Mark is “too clever by half” and knows it, and his treatment of women makes him difficult to embrace. Perhaps I would have had a better appreciation for his quirks if I had read the first book. As it was, the impression that I got was that while Tremblay playfully toys with provocation and extremes, the unfortunate result is a collection of wisecracks and misogyny with a plot that fails to be compelling. The novelty of a narcoleptic narrator is unique, but also contrived and unnecessarily distracting. No Sleep Till Wonderland requires a lot of patience from the reader-who may struggle to empathize with Genevich and question his puzzling choice of a profession for which he seems so ill-suited. I could go back and read The Little Sleep to give Tremblay the benefit of the doubt, but I am much more likely to anxiously await his next thriller release instead.

Thanks to the author, St.Martin’s (Griffin), and Edelweiss Plus for an ARC of this book in return for a partial review. ( )

In this follow up book to THE LITTLE SLEEP we revisit Mark Genevich the narcoleptic P.I. After coupling his landlord mother forcing him to go into therapy, his P.I. business not meeting his expectations and his ongoing battle with his narcolepsy Mark decides to go on a two day bender. Coming out of the bender Mark finds himself a suspect in a arson/murder investigation. The first book was unique because it threw a twist into the typical P.I. genre read. Although this follow up still has the sarcastic wit and dark humour of the original some of the newness has worn off the concept and I found myself not enjoying it as much. I will continue to read Mr. Tremblay’s books because he has injected enough interesting personality into his Genevich character that I want to find out 1. more about the original cause for his narcolepsy and 2. how he continues to deal with it. If I need to red through another adventure to find these things out … so be it. ( )

DNF, 3 pp. I was bored to death. Nothing there. Language was pedestrian, almost lazy, little action, vague descriptions, little in the way of rich detail or images. It failed to engage me. Sorry.... ( )