While You Sleep

Zoe Abrams, the heroine of this derivative supernatural thriller from Merritt (the Giordano Bruno mystery series, as S.J. Parris), has left her husband, Dan Bergman, and her son, Caleb, behind in Connecticut to take a break on a remote Scottish island. Zoe, who suspects Dan of infidelity and has survived a mysterious trauma, has rented an isolated house in the hopes of being able to make progress with her painting. The house’s owner, who has restored it for paying guests, warns Zoe not to pay attention to the tall tales the locals might share about the McBrides, who formerly lived there. Naturally, not only does Zoe have her head filled with grim accounts about the McBride family history, which include a mother who murdered her son, but she begins to experience the inexplicable herself, beginning in the form of erotic dreams that turn out to leave tangible evidence behind. Meanwhile, Zoe realizes that someone very real wishes her ill. Even if the exact details of how the plot unfolds are not predictable, the overall arc is, and the lack of surprise is matched by the lack of scares. (Mar.)