Crandall (Seeing Red
) delivers a rather pedestrian piece of romantic suspense. Smalltown Southerner Abby Whitman's childhood sleepwalking led to a fire that killed her sister and destroyed the old family home. When a mysterious car accident kills a senator's son, Abby worries that she ran him over in her sleep. Rather than seeking help, Abby makes the ridiculous decision to stay awake for as long as she can. Handsome psychiatrist Jason Coble tries to help her while battling problems of his own, including an alcoholic ex-wife and a teenage stepson who conveniently dislikes Abby and wants Jason to come home. As Jason and Abby get closer to the truth of the accident, affection supposedly grows between them, but flat characters and purple prose (“What would it be like to orbit around him, she a moon to his planet?”) do away with any shreds of passion or tension. (Jan.)
