Before I Wake

By Brett Halliday

April Haddon has spent years waiting to hate her stepmother. Ever since her father wrote to tell her that he had married a woman named Florence, April has stockpiled her loathing in preparation for the day when they would finally meet. And when they do, she is not disappointed.

April's father is dead, and she has returned to Midhampton to claim her inheritance. Only Florence stands in her way. Appointed April's guardian until the young girl comes of age, Florence seems to relish her newfound control over her stepdaughter. But as April writes in her diary, she would kill Florence if she thought she could get away with it – and perhaps she'll get the chance.

Over the next eleven days, April and Florence engage in a battle of wills that leads inexorably to tragedy. But is Florence truly an evil stepmother – or is April not as innocent as she appears?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781784979201

Brett Halliday

Brett Halliday (1904–1977) was the primary pseudonym of American author Davis Dresser. Halliday is best known for creating the Mike Shayne Mysteries. The novels, which follow the exploits of fictional PI Mike Shayne, have inspired several feature films, a radio series, and a television series. 

Reviews for Before I Wake

[datrappert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a well-done paranoid tale for most of the book, as a young girl has dire suspicions about her new stepmother after she returns to her father's home after his death. A provision in her father's will means that she has to live with the stepmother until she turns 21 if she is to inherit half of his fortune. She begins to believe that the stepmother murdered her father--and is now out to murder her. This is a great setup, but as the book meanders along, the author doesn't quite manage to pull it off with the panache it deserves.