Sleepless Summer

"There is something Edgar Allan Poe-like in the inexplicable way the wind turbines tax some of Blaashoek's inhabitants...Sleepless Summer is determined to leave you with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, and its Coen Brothers-meets-Stephen King nightmare of an ending is sure to do the trick." -Hank Stephenson, Shelf Awareness
Seasons come and go in provincial Blaashoek, where the town's superficial harmony is upended by the arrival of a wind farm. The irritating hum of the turbines keeps butcher Herman Bracke awake at night. He falls prey to a deadly fatigue and gradually loses control over his work, setting off a series of blood-curdling events with fatal consequences for the townspeople.
Bram Dehouck (Belgium) was the first author ever to win both the Golden Noose and the Shadow Award, the two most prestigious prizes for Dutch crime writing. Compared to the work of Stephen King, Dehouck's characteristic black humor and concise, punchy prose make for a refreshing take on the modern thriller.

About the author

BRAM DEHOUCK (Belgium) was the first author ever to win both the Golden Noose and the Shadow Award, the two most prestigious prizes for Dutch crime writing, for the same novel: De minzame moordenaar (‘The Mild-Mannered Murderer’). Sleepless Summer, his second novel, was again awarded the Golden Noose and the Knack Hercule Poirot Public Prize, and was nominated for the Crimezone Best Thriller Award.

Summary

"There is something Edgar Allan Poe-like in the inexplicable way the wind turbines tax some of Blaashoek's inhabitants...Sleepless Summer is determined to leave you with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, and its Coen Brothers-meets-Stephen King nightmare of an ending is sure to do the trick." —Hank Stephenson, Shelf Awareness
Seasons come and go in provincial Blaashoek, where the town’s superficial harmony is upended by the arrival of a wind farm. The irritating hum of the turbines keeps butcher Herman Bracke awake at night. He falls prey to a deadly fatigue and gradually loses control over his work, setting off a series of blood-curdling events with fatal consequences for the townspeople.
Bram Dehouck (Belgium) was the first author ever to win both the Golden Noose and the Shadow Award, the two most prestigious prizes for Dutch crime writing. Compared to the work of Stephen King, Dehouck’s characteristic black humor and concise, punchy prose make for a refreshing take on the modern thriller.

Foreword

• Bookstore co-op available
• Advance reader and digital reader copies
• National TV, radio and print review coverage
• Social media campaign
• Giveaways: Shelfawareness, Goodreads and LitHub
• Booktrailer available
• Digital assets featuring the windmill as symbol of Dutch culture
• Author tour and promotions at Bouchercon and NY Thrillerfest
• Promotion in THE BIG THRILL
• Campaign targeted at thriller blogs and online communities such as Mystery Thriller Week and Mystery Writers of America

Additional text

"There is something Edgar Allan Poe-like in the inexplicable way the wind turbines tax some of Blaashoek's inhabitants...Sleepless Summer is determined to leave you with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, and its Coen Brothers-meets-Stephen King nightmare of an ending is sure to do the trick." —Hank Stephenson, Shelf Awareness
"Dehouck creates a melancholic and wistful atmosphere in a world dominated by dark egocentrism. Uncanny, original and haunting" —Flanders Literature
"A clinically perfect development of mania from annoyance, published by the exclusive World Editions and translated insightfully by Jonathan Reeder….Bram Dehouck has written a gem of a book" —Jeffrey Mannix, The Durango Telegraph
"Following the lives of various inhabitants of a sleepy village who, increasingly rapidly, turn their surroundings into a living hell, is one of Stephen King’s trademarks. Dehouck is better at it—without involving the occult or taking up more pages than necessary" —NRC Handelsblad
"Dehouck obviously loves the written word and manipulates it with impressive precision. It is a small miracle how he brings to life over twenty characters in barely two hundred pages" —Het Parool
"A gem. With Sleepless Summer, this Flemish writer proves that his award-winning book De Minzame Moordenaar (The Mild-Mannered Murderer) wasn’t just a one‐off success" —Algemeen Dagblad
"Masterly. Definitely worthy of the Golden Noose prize" —Vrij Nederland
"A worthy successor to Reservoir Dogs" —Knack
"Sleepless Summer is a surprising book that exudes an atmosphere of melancholy. The minute descriptions of the events in the village lead almost unnoticed to a furious finale" —Thrillerweb
"It’s like the blackest version of Midsomer Murders you could possibly imagine, infused with the dark, psychological tinge of the finest Scandinavian crime fiction. I loved it" —Raven Crime Reads
"A compact and original story, with a heart-stopping denouement. Dehouck writes effectively and concisely. With the right words in the right place, he only needs a few pen strokes to get to the heart of his story. A beautiful book, a relief" —Jury, Golden Noose Awards
"In this book everything is exactly right and everything is the result of something else. Sleepless Summer is really well written and equally well conceived" —De Lees Fabriek
"The language is compact and effective; this is a book that never bores. A beautiful, compact, universal, and exciting story about how a seemingly insignificant occurrence can lead to unprecedented disaster. Bram Dehouck once again proves his talent with this exciting and often comical novel" —Misdaadromans.nl
"An incredible story in which everything is perfect" —Thrillers Leestafel

Report

"There is something Edgar Allan Poe-like in the inexplicable way the wind turbines tax some of Blaashoek's inhabitants...Sleepless Summer is determined to leave you with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, and its Coen Brothers-meets-Stephen King nightmare of an ending is sure to do the trick." -Hank Stephenson, Shelf Awareness
"Dehouck creates a melancholic and wistful atmosphere in a world dominated by dark egocentrism. Uncanny, original and haunting" -Flanders Literature
"A clinically perfect development of mania from annoyance, published by the exclusive World Editions and translated insightfully by Jonathan Reeder....Bram Dehouck has written a gem of a book" -Jeffrey Mannix, The Durango Telegraph
"Following the lives of various inhabitants of a sleepy village who, increasingly rapidly, turn their surroundings into a living hell, is one of Stephen King's trademarks. Dehouck is better at it-without involving the occult or taking up more pages than necessary" -NRC Handelsblad
"Dehouck obviously loves the written word and manipulates it with impressive precision. It is a small miracle how he brings to life over twenty characters in barely two hundred pages" -Het Parool
"A gem. With Sleepless Summer, this Flemish writer proves that his award-winning book De Minzame Moordenaar (The Mild-Mannered Murderer) wasn't just a one-off success" -Algemeen Dagblad
"Masterly. Definitely worthy of the Golden Noose prize" -Vrij Nederland
"A worthy successor to Reservoir Dogs" -Knack
"Sleepless Summer is a surprising book that exudes an atmosphere of melancholy. The minute descriptions of the events in the village lead almost unnoticed to a furious finale" -Thrillerweb
"It's like the blackest version of Midsomer Murders you could possibly imagine, infused with the dark, psychological tinge of the finest Scandinavian crime fiction. I loved it" -Raven Crime Reads
"A compact and original story, with a heart-stopping denouement. Dehouck writes effectively and concisely. With the right words in the right place, he only needs a few pen strokes to get to the heart of his story. A beautiful book, a relief" -Jury, Golden Noose Awards
"In this book everything is exactly right and everything is the result of something else. Sleepless Summer is really well written and equally well conceived" -De Lees Fabriek
"The language is compact and effective; this is a book that never bores. A beautiful, compact, universal, and exciting story about how a seemingly insignificant occurrence can lead to unprecedented disaster. Bram Dehouck once again proves his talent with this exciting and often comical novel" -Misdaadromans.nl
"An incredible story in which everything is perfect" -Thrillers Leestafel

Product details

• Authors: Bram Dehouck
• Assisted by: Jonathan Reeder (Translation)
• Publisher: World Editions Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.06.2019
• EAN: 9781642860160
• ISBN: 978-1-64286-016-0
• Subjects: Fiction > Suspense; FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense, FICTION / Small Town & Rural, FICTION / World Literature / Netherlands