Phillip Margolin has been boldly shouldering his way into the
membership of 'A' List suspense authors since the publication of
his classic novel GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. Arriving, of course, is
only part of the job. The rest is running as hard as you can to
stay there. Margolin takes another step toward firmly ensconcing
himself on that "must read" list with his latest novel, SLEEPING
BEAUTY.

SLEEPING BEAUTY begins with a brutal home invasion that brings
unspeakable tragedy into the life of Ashley Spencer, a teenager
whose idyllic life is shattered when, while her mother is away on
business, her father and her best friend are murdered by a fiend
who leaves no clues as to his identity. When her mother is
subsequently murdered, in an attack that also leaves Casey Van
Meter, the headmistress of Ashley's school, in a coma, everything
points to Joshua Maxfield, a charismatic teacher and bestselling
author, as the killer. Maxfield is taken into custody, but when he
escapes, Ashley suddenly finds herself in terrible danger.

She goes on the run for years, only to return when a stunning
secret is revealed that brings Maxfield out of hiding and back into
the arms of the police. Casey, meanwhile, awakens from her coma and
is able at trial to identify Maxfield as her attacker and the
killer of Ashley's mother. After a riveting trial Maxfield is
convicted of murder.

Miles Van Meter, brother of Casey, writes SLEEPING BEAUTY, a true
crime book about the events as a tribute to Casey and her ordeal.
That, however, is not the end of Margolin's tale. It is, in fact,
only the beginning! Margolin takes several structural chances in
SLEEPING BEAUTY, and his success in doing so without so much as one
misstep demonstrates the quality of his workmanship. This is a
complex tale, yet Margolin explains things so well that the
narrative never falters. It is worth noting that Margolin's style
is such that he is able to lead the reader through a complicated
plot shifting between the book's present and past without slowing
the pace of his novel one bit, making it possible to devour the
tale in one sitting.

Margolin, with SLEEPING BEAUTY, continues to challenge himself and
others in his field with a tightly written tale that twists and
turns through the narrative to a surprising but satisfying
conclusion. This is yet another Margolin novel that is not to be
missed.