The Last Sleep

How far will you go for justice...'

Chicago, 1984

Detective Jimmy Parisi is grieving for his late wife, Erin.

With his usual partner, Doc Gibron, off sick, he is partnered with a beautiful young ex-military woman named Rita Espinosa.

When the body of Carl Vincent, an ex-military sniper who fought in the Vietnam War, turns up with a bullet to the back of the head, his murder sets off a chain of subsequent killings.

Parisi believes there must be a connection.

As they investigate, they learn that Vincent was one of a group of soldiers responsible for murdering several innocent men, women and children in a tiny hamlet during the Vietnam War.

It would seem that another soldier from that group - Evan Azrael - who never actually pulled the trigger, feels it is his duty to punish them by death.

In a world of no justice, he wants these killers to pay for their sins.

After killing the first few soldiers off his hit list, he changes his identity and becomes William Roberts.

Having moved to San Francisco, he meets and falls in love with Li, a young Vietnamese prostitute, who becomes pregnant with his child.

But she represents his first sign of weakness when it comes to completing his mission.

When Li is killed by a group of men on the hunt for Roberts, he believes his life is all but over and is more determined than ever to end the life of her killer.

His last mission is to kill Tommy Costello, the man who ordered the attack which left Li and their unborn child dead.

Will he finally get the justice he so desires?

Or will his act of vengeance leave him more broken than ever?

The Last Sleep is an electrifying thriller about revenge, love and regret.

Praise for Thomas Laird

"Well-paced thriller" - Publishers Weekly

"The publishers have come up with a winner here" - Mark Timlin, Independent

Thomas Laird has several short stories published in US literary magazines and a collection of short fiction called Blue Collar and Other Stories. He is also the author of Black Dog, Season of the Assassin, My Brother's Keeper and Healer. He teaches creative writing, literature and composition in central Illinois.