Circadian Algorithms

In this engrossing techno-thriller from Night (Mind Painter), Madeline Johnston, the CEO of a company preparing for a lucrative IPO, decides to go for an early-morning swim at the fancy Tokyo hotel where she’s staying for business. At the deserted rooftop pool, she’s accosted by a bloodstained and rambling Japanese man, who refers to having gone without sleep for over 22 days. He asks her if she believes in dragons, then jumps to his death. Madeline later learns the man was Takayoshi Yamamoto, a controversial entrepreneur and just one of several successful corporate executives recently to die by suicide. Another such suicide, from the Golden Gate Bridge, is witnessed by Madeline’s husband, Darwin Johnston, the uncredited inventor of a cure for narcolepsy. The couple’s marriage and lives come under threat after Madeline secretly undergoes a procedure, illegal in the U.S., aimed at decreasing the amount of sleep she needs to function, despite being warned the operation could affect her dreaming in alarming ways. Night keeps the pages turning without sacrificing believable characters for his intriguing plot. John Marrs fans will be pleased. (Self-published)