Changes

Ben is the devoted proud father of two young children, the happily married husband of Carrie and a skilled car mechanic. He has all the makings of a wonderful life that would actually become one if he could just get a decent night's sleep. The problem is that he's haunted by vivid, violent nightmares. Meanwhile across town, 15 year old Toby also has nightmares and, on top of this, a body scarred with abuse, a fact his teacher, Anna, is determined to do something about. His parents have the appearance of people who love him but, where child abuse is concerned, that means nothing. Anna cares enough to get involved, not realising that it's an involvement that could cost her life. Indeed, as all three of them are about to find out, not all nightmares end on waking.

The idea behind ''Sleepwalkers'' is us – the British population, and our attendant apathy. In the novel this is the greatest weapon the government has and it may have a point. We moan about changes or authoritarian intrusions but don't take decisive action because, on the whole, we don't believe we can do anything. The governmental thin end of the wedge is now part of our daily lives. For instance on the whole there is now an unsettling silence surrounding the use of CCTV cameras and monitoring the nation's email. Both these factors of daily life in the UK could be deemed as being for our benefit but to what other ends can they be used? In fact, Can everything in our lives actually be as it seems? ''Sleepwalkers'' is populated by a small, dedicated group of people who need to find the answer, guided by an author who knows how to develop people as well as he develops plot.