It takes guts to name your first mystery after one of the most famous american mystery books there are, but this really is a fun read. I am a fan of noir and dialogue is impossible in modern times without seeming really stilted. One way to make it work is to have everything be just a little off, like in the Aberystwyth novels. If you liked this, give them a try a mixture of hard boiled and sweet thatreaaly satisfies

This was a hard-boiled humorous mystery by an author whose horror books I have very much enjoyed. The narrator is a narcoleptic detective who has trouble distinguishing reality from dream, which makes it more difficult to solve the case he's become involved in. For me, this was just okay, but then I'm not a huge fan of mysteries. I found the narrator's voice somewhat grating, which made it difficult to become attached to the characters, and the plot seemed somewhat weak, not as surprising or twisted as Tremblay's horror writing has been. ( )

Mark Genevich is a private investigator with narcolepsy. What a great premise, right? THE LITTLE SLEEP delivers on that premise!

Crime noir, (indicated by that title), with a twist! For once, it's a P.I. who does NOT have a drinking problem. However, the problem he DOES have is narcolepsy and throughout this novel we learn all about it and its effects. Catalepsy which sounds terrifying, is just one of the symptoms:

"a medical condition characterized by a trance or seizure with a loss of sensation and consciousness accompanied by rigidity of the body."

How does a man, dealing with falling asleep, falling into a waking comas, (which is what catalepsy sounds like to me), hypnagogic hallucinations, (more on that later), solve mysteries? You'll have to read this to find out!

Not going to lie, at first Mark Genevich got on my nerves. Why does he call his mom "Ellen? Why is he smoking when he could fall asleep at any moment? As the story progressed though, he grew on me. How could he possibly solve a mystery when he fell asleep WHILE the person hiring him was in his office? How can he solve a mystery when he's not even sure that person existed, (enter the hypnagogic hallucinations, which occur just before he falls asleep)? How can he solve anything when he can't even drive? All of these questions are answered with a great deal of sarcasm and self-deprecation.

What was really surprising though, was Genevich's effectiveness. Despite all of these problems holding him back, it turned out that he had a steely backbone. This man is not going to go down without a fight. (Unless, of course, he falls asleep.)

THE LITTLE SLEEP was quite an entertaining read! Genevich was a unique character with depth, and I'm sure some will come out of this read hating the guy's guts. But I thought he was funny and interesting, and in the end? Much more compelling than the mystery itself. For this reason, I will definitely be moving on the next book in the series: NO SLEEP TILL WONDERLAND. I'm already looking forward to meeting Genevich again in the future.

Recommended!

Available everywhere tomorrow, but you can pre-order here: https://amzn.to/39fD2zZ

*Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!* ( )

Mark Genevic is a Private Investigator with a problem. He suffers from nacrolepsy. Falling asleep during an initial meeting with a client leaves him with a racy photograph, no recollection of the context of the case and a bunch of bad guys after him. This was a fun book.
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The Little Sleep is one of the most enjoyable and refreshing crime noir / mystery / private eye novels I've read in years. The story focuses in on one Mark Genevich, a South Boston ("southie") PI with one very large problem. He is a narcoleptic... falling asleep at the most inappropriate of time and even hallucinating on occasion. When a minor local celebrity comes in and hires Mark to track down the meaning of some scandalous photos, Mark's world is turn upside down and he quickly learns that the past does not always stay dead.

Genevich is an amazingly "real guy" sort of guy. It's wonderful to read about a detective who is not all... "I have a 210 I.Q. and am knowledgeable about everything from classical architecture to medieval literature to particle accelerators. Please pass the rutabagas." Mark is human to a fault and it constantly proving it.

Tremblay's writing is also constantly intriguing. The pace of the novel, once set, rarely lets up and in any other time of my life, would have read this book in two days flat. Also, his anthropomorphic descriptions are always making me chuckle. As exemplified in the following passage, when Mark walks into his office after it has been ransacked:

"My flat screen computer monitor is not quite flat anymore and is on the floor, where my client chair used to be. That chair is huddled in the corner of the room, licking it's wounds. It saw everything and is traumatized. It'll never be the same." (pg. 101-2 arc)

That's just one small example in a book filled with everyday imagery that is brought to life through the author's unique writing. I sincerely hope that we will see more of Paul Trembly's work soon.