Don’t Wake Up

At the start of British author Lawler’s intense first novel, doctor Alex Taylor wakes up on an operating table, disoriented and constrained, and a man dressed as a doctor describes how he’s going to torture her. The last thing Alex remembers is leaving her shift at the hospital in suburban England, where she’s employed, and walking through the car park to meet her boyfriend, Patrick. When she comes to again, Alex is in her own department at the hospital, and, though she keeps explaining what’s happened to her, the story is too outlandish for anyone to believe. Her status as one of the hospital’s top doctors and her relationship with Patrick both begin to crumble, and she has to wonder whether she’s having a breakdown after all. But a breakdown doesn’t explain why people around her keep getting hurt. Lawler creates a diverse cast of characters and toggles between them seamlessly to create an exciting narrative, from the police chief inexplicably drawn to help Alex to the officer determined to lock her up. Readers will look forward to her next psychological thriller. (Feb.)