A good first novel. I found it very frustrating that the main character was not believed, despite the fact that she was a great doctor and could do no wrong. The details of the medical situations were well researched but I felt that the police 'investigation' was a bit flawed. A good idea for a story and I did not guess the villain.

People do incredible things for love, particularly for unrequited love. - Daniel Radcliffe

Alex Taylor is a respected doctor at the A & E (Accidents and Emergency) department at a large hospital in Bath, England. She is practically engaged to her handsome veterinarian boyfriend and life seems to be going good for her.

Then crazy things start happening to her and people around her. Or is she actually GOING crazy?

This is a tense psychological thriller with all kinds of smokescreens and blind alleys throughout the story. This one really did keep me guessing up until almost the very end.

Character development was good on Alex but some of the other characters could have been fleshed out a bit more.

I liked the location of Bath for the book and there were some interesting tidbits about it throughout the story.

I received this book from Bonnier Zafre through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Dr. Alex Taylor is a young and dedicated doctor heading for a stellar career in emergency medicine.

When she finds herself regaining consciousness whilst naked and strapped to an operating table with an unrecognisable, gowned up surgeon towering over her, she fears that she's been in a terrible accident that she doesn't remember. Very soon she realises that something is very wrong as the person standing by the table begins to threaten her with a terrifying procedure that she very definitely doesn't want or need.

What the hell is going on? How did she get on the table? Who is behind the mask?

She is asked a question that she doesn't quite understand. She goes under again and when she awakens in the emergency room with a few bumps and bruises, she quickly realises that the ER staff don't know what has happened to her. She tries to tell them what happened, and that she may have been harmed, perhaps even raped, but they look at her oddly and tell her that she's had a bump on the head and been found unconscious in the hospital grounds. There's no suggestion of any foul play, or indeed, any of the things she's talking about. Perhaps that bump was a little harder than they thought?

The police are notified, and they don't see any evidence of anything that Alex claims. They look into it half-heartedly, but she can tell they think she's a bit crazy. There are references to something that happened a year or so before, and also the fact that on the day of Alex's ordeal, the ER lost a child patient - something they think may have sent Alex over the edge and into the realms of delusional behaviour.

Even Alex's successful and charming fiancé doesn't really believe her, and if he's honest, is quite embarrassed by the whole event, not least her erratic behaviour - she is drinking way too much and even, on occasion, going into work drunk - and insistence that she was attacked. Her colleagues start to avoid her and she hears whispers as she walks down the halls of the hospital.

Then a nurse goes missing. When she turns up in hospital she says something to Alex in the ER that makes Alex think that the same nutcase who got her is responsible for the attack on this woman. When other people start to die too, Alex becomes of interest to the police as a suspect, and she has to try and figure out who is behind this reign of terror before her job and her life are irrevocably damaged.

There are lots of false twists and turns in this tale and much as I enjoyed it, I did guess who the culprit was and just couldn't figure out quite why they were doing what they were. When it was revealed, it was a little disappointing because it seemed a tad far-fetched, but there was still a good deal of suspense and I wasn't quite sure how it was all going to end. The dynamic between Alex and her fiancé was cleverly observed, but I felt the police officers to be a little stilted and stereotypical - the determined young female officer portrayed as a power-hungry, dismissive bitch and the comfortable older male cop finding himself entranced by the young, successful surgeon.

This is an clever, fast-paced thriller with a nightmare premise - waking up naked, strapped to an operating table has to be one of the scariest things you can imagine, especially if you're not meant to be there and you don't know who is preparing to operate on you! Throw in a healthy dash of psychological suspense, some confusing plot twists and you've got a pretty good thriller. I think this is Liz Lawler's first novel, but you certainly can't tell from her writing style - I am definitely looking forward to reading her next book!

Thanks to the author, Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dark and intense, engaging and unpredictable!

Dr Alex Taylor finds herself in a horrific, true life nightmare, when she wakes up to find herself naked and strapped up on a operating table and has no idea how she got there. A masked surgeon with ominous intentions is threatening to do terrifying things to her unless she answers this one simple question correctly..." What does 'no' mean?"

When she wakes up again in the ward of the hospital in which she works, after being found unconscious in the hospital car park, fully clothed and with a mere bump on her head, her version of events seems far-fetched to the police, her colleagues and even her beloved boyfriend.

Soon, there are more questionable and suspicious incidents and we are left wondering if Alex is having a breakdown or is someone intent on destroying her. And if so, why.

From the outset, this captivating read had me feeling anxious with my heart in my mouth during this original and oh so frightening opening, playing on ones fears of waking up helpless and unable to move on a operating table.

This read will keep you on your toes, having you wonder what is real and what isn't, having you speculate whether this will turn out well for the protagonist.

With the many twists, turns and red herrings, everyone was a suspect at one stage. I was delighted that the 'who' in the 'whodunit' took me by surprise as the author slapped me in the face with it!

With the suspense building as a result of a disturbing and seemingly unstoppable person pulling the strings, I drank up the intense, nail biting and unpredictable ending, it's conclusion hitting the sweet spot.

The only niggle I had was that I found I had trouble believing Alex's loved ones and the police were so quick to dismiss her version of events, so quick to think the worst of her.

Despite that, I am so pleased I got to read this clever, disturbing, tension-filled medical psychological thriller, and I look forward to reading more of Liz Lawler's work in future.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bonnier Zaffre Twenty7 and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The author introduces us to the main character Dr Alex Taylor as she lies drugged on an operating table – hence the title. She is being held captive by an unknown abductor who is threatening to do unmentionable things to her. The next we know she is found in the hospital car park and no one will believe what she is saying has happened to her – including her boyfriend and her colleagues.
The events of the following weeks get more and more confusing for Alex and she seriously starts to question her sanity. If we are to believe her, there are a few characters who could be considered as her assailant but I found a couple of them to be rather too obvious. The police clearly do not believe her, with only one of the detectives curious enough to even entertain her story but even he wonders whether his interest in the doctor is on more of a personal level than professional.
The discovery of a body in suspicious circumstances at the hospital is a pivotal moment for the storyline and the tension cranks up several notches as the author begins the big reveal. The suspense builds steadily throughout the book and I really sympathised with Dr Taylor throughout as she tried to convince various friends and colleagues that she hadn’t dreamt up the horrors she described. I enjoyed the back story of the detectives lives and how this influenced the management of the case being investigated. The plot comes to a very satisfactory conclusion and I do hope we see a sequel to this story as I feel these characters have so much more to offer.
My only negative thought throughout the whole story is that in my experience the Mini doesn’t have a spare wheel - it has run-flat tyres – and I found this quite off-putting when reading one part of the story as I found myself wondering more about that than the awful events which had just happened. I know this is a very trivial observation on my part and I could well be wrong, however it did have me questioning whether it might be relevant in the detectives’ investigation. Crazy where the mind goes when you’re trying to work out the plot!
An excellent suspenseful thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed, I will definitely be watching for future work from this author.
My review will be featured on my blog: www.sandiesbookshelves.blogspot.co.uk nearer to publication day.

Alex Taylor is a respected doctor. She has a loving boyfriend and seems to have it all- until one night she finds herself naked, strapped to an operating table where a 'surgeon' asks her a horrific question. The next thing she knows she is being taken into the A & E department. She tries to explain what has happened but medical examinations do not correspond to her account. The ambitious police officer dismisses her as a fantasist.

It seems nobody really believes Alex & when a dying girl is brought into the A &E where she is working, Alex is convinced she has found another victim. From being a respected person Alex feels everyone is convinced that she is losing her mind and when the next victim is found Alex finds herself under suspicion.

This is a great fast moving story. Sometimes graphic it sweeps the reader along as they struggle to work out who is behind these events. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If I had any criticism it would be that I thought it ended a bit abruptly, however that wasn't enough to stop me giving this five stars. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

A good thriller which starts off brilliantly then loses a bit of the great plot. The ending brings us back nicely to discover who the murderer is. Dr Alex Taylor wakes up tied to an operating table, her legs in stirrups. She is eventually released unharmed but finds that no-one believes her incredulous story. Can she find the evidence to prove what happened? Read on!

In this high tension medical psychological thriller Dr Alex Taylor finds herself in a living nightmare. Drugged and abducted in the hospital car park after work, she wakes up to find herself immobilised, naked and strapped down to an operating table in an operating theatre with a masked surgeon standing over her threatening to do her harm. After she is later found unconscious, fully dressed, she is told there is nothing wrong her and she must have suffered a bump on the head. No one believes her bizarre story and when other strange things happen and other people die she becomes the suspect. With no one standing by her, not even her colleagues and boyfriend Alex begins to wonder if she is going insane.

This book will grip you and keep you guessing as it hurtles along towards the end. Even though I had difficulty buying into the theory of why Alex would be killing people and why her friends would abandon her so easily, I didn't see the ending coming until quite late in the book so overall that makes for a pretty good thriller (and a promising debut) as long as you don't mind suspending belief just a little bit.

This was a fast read for me, in many ways your typical psychological thriller.I also loved the fact that its quite unpredictable.

As debut novels go this is very good.
The tension is palpable from the start.
The main character is beautifully crafted.
At times I liked her.
At times I hated her.
At times I felt sorry for her.
It is difficult to write about this book without giving too much away about the plot.

Suffice to say that there are elements of this book which are the stuff of nightmares.
There are a few red herrings along the way which made me want to keep reading.
What I really liked was the not too subtle way in which the opening story line was returned too and developed.
This book has Mo Hayderesque overtones!
I for one will be keeping my eye open for future books by Liz Lawler on the strength of this novel.

My thanks to Netgalley and Twenty7 for a copy in exchange for this review.

Don't Wake Up wasn't a good read for me. It was slow and not believable. I finished this title, but it was difficult.

Wow what a book !!!!! Absolutely brilliant .You are gripped from the first page (what a scenario!) and the story twists and turns ,bodies pile up red herrings are thrown in until you have no idea what comes next even though you think you do !!! i loved this book so much a very clever psychological thriller .Imagine if what happened to Alex happened to you !!!!!! 10 stars .............

Superb book, a real page turner. Loved reading it. Guessed who the culprit was quite late in the book, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. Highly recommended.

Though I enjoyed this somewhat in the end I was annoyed throughout at how so many crazy things could happen to her and no one would believe her recollection of the events. Not colleagues, the police or her boyfriend. I found it unbelievable that no attetion would be placed on anyone other than her. It was somewhat suspenceful, however, overall I thought it was too unlikely to give it a higher rating. 3.5.

This novel has an extraordinary chilling theme like a far fetched nightmare. Dr Alex Taylor is an eminent doctor at a hospital in Bath and the strangest incidents occur. Those around her (including me!) wonder if she's flaky or having a nervous breakdown. It seems strange to me that none of her colleagues or the police believed her or investigated the incidents efficiently. I thought the novel had a riveting start and a riveting ending but somewhere half way through it flagged a little. I think this was because there were too many characters and a very involved plot. I seemed to lose concentration and have to back-track. The medical setting and detail was interesting and I enjoyed reading it enormously. Thank you for letting me read it. I shall be posting this review on Amazon and my blog after publication.

Well this was a book of two halves for me, I would give the first half 5 stars and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I liked the pace and the story was full of promise and intrigue I liked the main character and was on her side,and I had no clue what was going on, so great start to the book as far as I was concerned. Then it started to go slightly wrong for me in the second half in that things became a bit frantic and at times not very realistic and I started to not like the main character at times.In one sense this was good because the writing was creating doubt about the main character and that added to the suspense on the other hand it did also take away some credibility for me, I don't want to be too critical but did end up thinking it was a bit far fetched at times and will only be giving it 4 stars for that reason .I don't want to put anyone off reading the book though I did enjoy it and it kept me entertained .

Wow wow and wow! Alex finds herself on an operating table strapped down with someone standing over her making threats. She is then found in the car park of the hospital where she works as a doctor. Various other incidents happen around her and due to her drinking she is suspected of making things up and not being responsible. Is she going mad? Was the attack a nightmare or is someone stalking and framing her? This is one chilling gripping read that I couldn’t put down. You feel for Alex and the traumas surrounding her. Her broken life that a few weeks ago she thought was perfect. Her friends and colleagues wanting to believe her but finding it so unlikely and without proof that she is doubted by everyone she thought she knew. I won’t spoil anything but to say this is one of my top reads of the year- and out of 300 ish books that isn’t said lightly. One truly stunning read.
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased

Gripping first chapter which hooked you in quickly. After that, plot lacked plausibility and characters were poorly developed and often unlikeable. Author insists on calling characters by their full name, which becomes incredibly annoying.

I come from a medical background and live in the South West, so I am familiar with Bath and its hospital. It was really enjoyable for me to picture the scenes from my own recollection as well as the narrative.
What a terrific medical side to the book. Bravo for getting things accurate and still stretching the imagination.

I found this book compulsive, not to be put down. I was tired this morning as I just had to finish it overnight.

The detectives were so true to life and their objectives in solving the case/s,understandably influenced by their personal agenda.

Usually the heroine survives under these circumstances but blood-letting at the end was truly horrific.

Well put together. I was still left wondering about Maggie and what drove her. at the end.

Apparently this book is the No 1 Best Seller in the Amazon category of Anaesthesia Nursing, which is only slightly more terrifying than the actual book. Don’t Wake Up plays to all my darkest fears and is an edge of the seat psychological thriller.
A fast paced read, this book sent shivers up and down my spine as the medical and psychological torture inflicted upon the victims is really chilling. Dark and intense, the story focuses on Alex an independent young doctor with a stellar career, who finds herself the victim of a horrifying attack, but what is worse is that no-one believes her and she is gradually ostracised by her friends and colleagues.
Isolated and afraid, she has no idea how to convince the police that she is telling the truth. Worse than that, as more deaths occur in the hospital, Alex herself becomes the focus of the police investigation.
I enjoyed the storylines around the police investigation and the tension between the cops, though there was one police officer who I thought was a bit too stereotypical. Lawler does a good job of showing Alex’s mental state deteriorating as she fruitlessly tries to convince everyone around her that she isn’t making the whole thing up.
Easy to read and with a compelling premise, I enjoyed this book. It doesn’t especially stand out in this genre, but when you want something that is going to unsettle you as well as keeping you transfixed, this debut novel is just the job. I will look out for more from this author.