>Imagine a mysterious plague of sleeplessness is spreading across the land. What is known is that a protein plaque attacks the brain rendering the victim forever sleepless. The afflicted experience memory loss, confusion, and increasing pain. Their faces show detachment and they walk like zombies. The disease take several months to kill and almost 10% of the population are infected. Thousands of people become a subculture of the doomed. Government begins to fail and vast encampments of the homeless, jobless and the infected spring up.

An undercover cop named Parker is the main character. He works for the LAPD and the crisis is personal for him–his wife is infected and he fears for her and their infant daughter. Author Charlie Huston is a popular crime writer who has elevated the genre to social commentary. Sleepless has the gritty feel of Blade Runner and the conspiratorial elegance of Brazil. Huston’s skillful depiction of popular culture and technology lends credibility to the story. Sleepless provides a disturbingly relevent vision by a talented author.