She had read about stalkers, but they belonged in a different, faraway world. She had no idea who it could be, who would want to harm her. She was trying desperately not to panic, but lately her sleep had been filled with nightmares, and she had awakened each morning with a feeling of impending doom.
Thus begins Sidney Sheldon’s chilling new novel, Tell Me Your Dreams. Three beautiful young women are suspected of committing a series of brutal murders. The police make an arrest that leads to one of the most bizarre murder trials of the century. Based on actual events, Sheldon’s novel races from London to Rome to the city of Quebec to San Francisco, with a climax that will leave the reader stunned.
‘It was some time on Saturday night after work but before closing time down at the pub that Delia Chapman saw a spaceman. Well, that wasn’t quite true. She saw ten of them. They stayed for about half an hour. And they took her on their vessel. They had silver suits and stainless-steel boots.’
So begins Anthony McCarten’s wildly original debut novel. A tightly knit New Zealand community is in an uproar when sixteen-year-old Delia, a feisty and unapologetic girl who packs cow hearts at the local meat-packing plant, insists that she had group sex with the spacemen. The town wonders if she’s just trying to be more hip, more ‘American,’ with her claim of alien contact. But then two other girls–also pregnant–tell of similar experiences. Fueling the talk is a dead cow lying in the center of a scorched, perfect circle in a nearby field.
The rumor mill goes into overdrive with the sudden appearance of Phillip, the mayor’s handsome young nephew. Enchanted with Delia, he discovers the secrets behind her past and gradually uncovers other sinister goings-on in the town. Deeply smitten despite his findings, he helps Delia prepare for the coming–possibly extraterrestrial–baby.The gossip becomes public when a tabloid reporter camps out in the town, waiting for what he hopes will be the story of his career. But he soon wonders what he’s doing with his life.
In the end, McCarten reveals the sincere emotions of a town shaken by revelation and honesty, which have changed the community far more than the landing of a flying saucer ever could.
