OVER 1,000,000 series copies sold "Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum. —Nelson DeMille "Kelter is a master, pure and simple." —The Kindle Book Review “Chalice’s acerbic repartee is like an arsenal of nuclear missiles.” —BookWire Review BookWire Review DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES LAWRENCE KELTER, Leisure Books, New York, NY, $6.99 US, paperback, (322p) 0-8439-5554-6 "Don't Close Your Eyes" begins with a whimper and a bang—two seemingly unrelated deaths. The first is a teenage girl whose asthma suffocates her while sleeping. The second is a man shot on the tram that connects Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. Lying next to the man is the real a woman who might appear to have died of natural causes if not for the handwritten note stuffed in her mouth that simply reads "Look back." Murder mystery thrillers are often driven by tough, fast-talking, streetwise detectives with a sad story about their past and a penchant for nabbing perps. The cop on the case in "Don't Close Your Eyes" is all these things and more. Meet Stephanie Chalice. She's a smart, beautiful, 28-year-old NYPD homicide detective whose acerbic repartee is like an arsenal of nuclear missiles—it convinces her male colleagues that she means business. Behind all the bluster, though, is a young woman with fierce passions who shows the same tremendous dedication to her ill mother as she does her job. Chalice is an excellent detective, but it comes at a cost. She suffers recurring nightmares, and obsesses that the diabetes that killed her father and weakens her mother will one day come for her. When a second woman is found dead with a rag in her mouth and another cryptic note nearby, Chalice realizes a serial killer stalks Manhattan's Upper East Side. Her detective work combines intelligence, persistence, a skilled partner, and well-connected friends. Secret allies also work on her behalf to thwart dangers that lie just beyond her periphery. As she follows a trail of clues and corpses to the murderer, she also pursues her own demons, uncovering startling truths about who she really is. "Don't Close Your Eyes" is entertaining and engrossing. Detective Chalice is a strong character, the killer is devilishly intriguing, and the well-paced plot will keep your eyes wide open. BookWire Review