A tense, gripping psychological thriller, with Hitchcockian overtones, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn's GONE GIRL and Sophie Hannah.

Lara Finch is living a lie.

Everyone thinks she has a happy life in Cornwall, married to the devoted Sam, but in fact she is desperately bored. When she is offered a new job that involves commuting to London by sleeper train, she meets Guy and starts an illicit affair. But then Lara vanishes from the night train without a trace. Only her friend Iris disbelieves the official version of events, and sets out to find her. For Iris, it is the start of a voyage that will take her further than she's ever travelled and on to a trail of old crimes and dark secrets. For Lara, it is the end of a journey that started a long time ago. A journey she must finish, before it destroys her...

The Sleeper makes for breathless, compulsive reading, with characters so real you almost feel like you know them well enough to ring them up and ask them what on earth is going on. Emily achieves what other writers cannot - her books are just getting better and better. * Elizabeth Haynes *
We can't praise Emily Barr's novels enough; they're fresh, original and hugely readable * Glamour *
A tense and gritty read with echoes of Daphne du Maurier's Don't Look Now * Telegraph *
A great read from start to finish...believable characters that are variously biting, insightful and sympathetic * The Times *
Sleep-sabotagingly moreish * Cosmopolitan *
A gripping piece of fiction spiked with an unnerving amount of psychological tension * Kirkus *
One brilliantly compelling page-turner * Closer *

Emily Barr is the well-loved and bestselling author of Backpack, the original backpacking novel, and many other highly acclaimed novels. A former journalist, she has travelled around the world and written columns and travel pieces for the Observer and the Guardian. After living in France, Emily and her husband, whom she met backpacking, have settled in Cornwall with their three children. You can learn more about Emily and her novels by visiting her website www.emilybarr.com.