We seem to be enjoying a golden age of brilliantly written first Tom Bradby's Shadow Dancer received a nosegay of rave reviews, all praising the assurance and skill of his writing. With The Sleep of the Dead , Bradby has overcome the inevitable second novel this one is every bit as assured as its predecessor, and combines characterisation as astute as anything in literary fiction with the forcefully realised mechanics of the thriller novel. Julia Havilland has had a troubled childhood. And when her father, Colonel Mitchell Havilland, dies in the Falklands in a mystifying act of heroism, Julia finds that her return from 15 years in China means that she must come to terms with the ghosts of the past. Living under the threat of an inquiry that will almost certainly end her career in military intelligence, Julia finds herself confronting the past again, with the image of her beloved father ever more present in her thoughts. Only by a painful and dangerous investigation, can she lay the ghosts of the past--and perhaps come to terms with the problems of the present. What makes this forcefully written piece such a commanding read is the multifaceted characterisation of Julia. But Bradby does not try to make us like her, and we are quickly involved with her plight as she tries to rend the veil of secrets that is destroying her life. This is a novel about the destructive effects of suspicion and betrayal on human existence (a superscription from Shakespeare makes this clear, although it is evident from the first chapter onwards), and the novel functions both as an exemplary psychological thriller and a novel of character. -- Barry Forshaw