Combat veteran and author Jeremy D. Baker has over 20 years of experience in national security, counterterrorism, and intelligence gathering. In his debut novel, he puts that expertise to work. The Guilty Sleep follows an ex–counterintelligence agent who gets swept up in a web of crime and conspiracy, threatening what he holds most dear. Here’s everything you need to know before the book hits shelves on May 6!
Trigger warning: This article contains discussions of PTSD and alcohol abuse. In addition to these topics, The Guilty Sleep contains depictions of racism and graphic gun violence, death, and warfare, as well as brief mentions of suicidal ideation and child sexual abuse. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Synopsis
Broke, plagued by PTSD, and on the brink of divorce, Afghanistan veteran Dexter Grant desperately needs a win when his old Army buddies approach him about a rescue mission — this one off the books. Their former interpreter, to whom Dex owes his life, is on the run from the Taliban. To get him and his family into the U.S. safely, they need money. Fast. And Dex just happens to work at the bank local crime boss Angie Cooke launders her capital through.
If anyone can pull this crazy heist off, it’s Dex’s former team leader, Staff Sergeant Stu Saenz. Not to mention, Dex could really use the cash a successful job promises. So against his better judgment, he accepts. But as all good plans do, their mission goes off the rails, putting Dex’s wife and daughter in the line of fire. As his inner demons threaten to swallow him whole, Dex must summon his prior training and courage to rescue his family. Along the journey, he’ll realize everything he thought he knew about his community, his past, and this plan only scratched the surface of the twisted truth.
A Visceral Crime Thriller
No one gets hurt is a fine plan. A worthy goal. But when it comes down to the moment, there’s always plenty of hurt to go around.
Jeremy D. Baker, The Guilty Sleep
Jeremy D. Baker’s The Guilty Sleep is a mesmerizing debut crime caper built on the author’s background as an Afghanistan vet, counterintelligence agent, and PTSD survivor. All the hallmarks of a classic, action-packed thriller are here — gripping heists, high-octane car chases, and suspenseful shoot-outs. However, the psychological undercurrent of Dex’s fight to control his PTSD escalates the tension tenfold. While he navigates life-or-death situations, Dex not only has to contend with bloodthirsty crime bosses and political corruption; he must also wade through the black river of his trauma, hoping to save the people he loves before the current pulls him under.
An Uncensored Depiction of PTSD
The night spit him out like he was Jonah and the whale had a burning stomach full of rotgut. Dex clawed free of the funeral shroud of his covers with a gasp that would’ve been a scream if he’d had any air. His chest heaved like a cracked bellows. His eyes burned and there was salt on his lips. The dark bedroom was unfamiliar, its angles strange and haunted. He lasered in on the blackest corners, the lightless void behind the closet door. Nothing moved. Everything moved. The darkness pulsed like a swallowing throat. The waves of the black river lapped against his skin, trying to pull him back under.
Jeremy D. Baker, The Guilty Sleep
When we meet him at the story’s inception, Dexter Grant doesn’t know who he is anymore. Each day is the same: He wakes from a nightmare, goes for a run, and sleepwalks through his shift at the bank. Then, he holes up at a nearby bar and crawls into the bottom of a bourbon bottle, praying it will numb the pain of his impending divorce and quell the never-ending barrage of blood-stained images in his head. The Dex he used to know — the Dex he was before Afghanistan — had grand dreams for the future. Now, on the verge of losing his wife, Daria, and young daughter, the countryside home he’d fantasized about buying seems more like a pipe dream, and Dex is directionless.
He’s tried to get his anger under control, to get back in his wife’s good graces, but nothing is working — not the meds, not the veterans’ support group, and certainly not the VA shrink who can’t be bothered to remember his name. Only when he’s nearly lost it all does Dex finally confide in Daria about his trauma. The relief is immediate. It’s not a fix-all, but it’s a start. And with his family by his side, Dex finally feels ready to face his demons.
Jeremy D. Baker delivers a powerful portrayal of PTSD here, drawing from his own experiences to craft a raw image of life after combat. The resulting narrative is a devastatingly realistic one that demonstrates how trauma can turn everyday life into a waking nightmare. Yet, for anyone dealing with something similar, Baker leaves a conclusive message of hope: A seasoned soldier, Dex has endured many battles in his lifetime; this is simply the latest. As he’s survived before, he’ll survive again, just as Baker himself has done.
A Perfect Mix of Humor and Heart
‘I’ma tell Aunt Angie,’ Slade gasped, sounding like a little kid on the playground who just got pushed off the seesaw by an older cousin.
‘I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit a better response’n that. Stop complaining.’
Jeremy D. Baker, The Guilty Sleep
You might not guess it based on the sensitive subject matter this book tackles, but The Guilty Sleep is a deeply funny story. Baker balances moments of light and dark with incredible skill, constructing a tone that is alternatingly playful and serious as the narrative demands. Using humor to offset some of the more emotionally taxing moments, Baker expertly braids heavy topics like PTSD with laugh-out-loud banter and snarky inner monologues. It’s a challenging line to walk, but Baker does so with precision, making The Guilty Sleep a story that can elicit tears of heartbreak, laughter, and catharsis all in the same chapter.
A Compelling Call To Keep Moving Forward
He remembered almost nothing about the conversation, just the feeling of it and his father’s rough plumber’s hands clasped around his steaming mug and his father’s tired blue eyes, and the one thing he said Dex could remember was this: ‘Dexter, when you don’t know what to do with yourself, when you don’t know where you’re going or what you’re going to be, just focus on figuring out one simple idea—the next right thing. You do that, you’ll be okay.’
Jeremy D. Baker, The Guilty Sleep
For far too long, Dex has been stuck in a holding pattern, not knowing how to dig himself out of the hole of alcoholism, debt, and depression he finds himself in. His life is a vicious cycle of flashbacks and binge drinking and rage — one that feels impossible to break. For the sake of his family, Dex knows he needs to move forward, away from the prison of his past. But how can he even start when recovery feels so unreachable? He wants an overnight remedy, despite knowing there’s no such thing, and so, he remains in the same old place, day in and day out. Ultimately, it’s a life lesson from his dad that gives him the push he needs.
As Dex’s father taught him: Often, sustainable progress doesn’t happen in leaps and bounds; it happens in slow, shaky steps — one minute at a time, day after day. When you don’t know what to do, the only thing you can do is the next right thing. And that’s exactly Dex’s intention: to put one foot after the other for as long as it takes to be okay.
Final Thoughts
The Guilty Sleep by Jeremy D. Baker is a striking suspense novel in the vein of S. A. Cosby and C. J. Box. More than just an electrifying crime narrative, at its core, Baker’s debut is the story of a man trying to reassemble the shattered pieces of his life in the face of immense tragedy and trauma. If you like your thrillers with a heap of humanity, this is one you won’t want to miss.
You’ll love The Guilty Sleep if you enjoyed these books:
- An Honorable Assassin by Steve Hamilton
- Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby
- Deep into the Dark by P. J. Tracy
- Open Season by C. J. Box
- Overwatch by Matthew Betley
Bookstr’s The Guilty Sleep Dream Cast:
- Ryan Guzman as Dexter Grant, a haunted former counterintelligence agent
- Karen Gillan as Daria Grant, Dexter’s estranged wife
- Diego Luna as Stu Saenz, Dex’s former team leader
- Ali Olomi as Jalal Hamidzai, a military interpreter who saved Dex’s life
- Daphne Zuniga as Angelita Cooke, a ruthless drug queenpin
- Joaquin Phoenix as Melchizedek Turner, Angie’s right-hand man
If you want to add The Guilty Sleep to your TBR, you can preorder it on Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon. Thank you to Diversion Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
To feel safe at all times is a basic human right; let’s work to make this world physically and mentally safe for everyone. If you or someone you know is battling with PTSD, suicidal ideation, or substance abuse, we urge you to make the call to seek the help you need.
To contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (confidential, free, available 24/7/365):
→ Call or text 988
→ Chat online at 988lifeline.org
List of Hotlines in 46 Countries: https://wave-network.org/list-of-helplines-in-46-countries/
To contact the Veterans Crisis Line:
→ Call 988, then press 1
→ Text 838255
→ Chat online at https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
To contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
→ Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
→ Text your 5-digit ZIP Code to 435748 (HELP4U)
→ Find help near you at https://findtreatment.gov/
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