| name | Waking Hours (The East Salem Trilogy) |
|---|---|
| orig title | |
| translator | |
| image |  |
| author | Lis Wiehl, Pete Nelson |
| cover_artist | |
| country | United States |
| language | English languageEnglish |
| series | |
| classification | Fiction |
| genre | Christian Suspense |
| publisher | Thomas Nelson |
| release_date | October 2011 |
| media_type | Print (hardcover, paperback), Kindle, Audiobook |
| pages | 336 |
| isbn | ISBN 1595549404 |
| preceded_by | |
| followed_by |
The story
Set in the fictional town of East Salem, NY, the murder mystery opens with an encounter between local football hero Tommy Gunderson and a wild-eyed old woman (Abbie Gardener) who wanders onto his property in the middle of the night and attacks him.
At the same time, a gruesome murder takes place across town. A teenage girl is killed, apparently in a violent and bizarre ritual during a party. The only suspect is another teen—but the more prosecutors dig into the case, the more confusing it becomes. The other teens who attended the party don’t remember anything about what happened.
Forensic psychologist Danielle “Dani” Harris is assisting the DA’s office in solving the crime—when she gets an offer of assistance from the last person she’d expect.
This story of a small town and a big murder weaves together suspense, romance, supernatural elements along with religious themes—including the struggle between good and evil.
Dani unexpectedly finds herself working alongside Gunderson, who is a rookie private investigator. He’s admired her since high school, when he was a football star and she was a straight-A student.
As they work to unravel the murder mystery, a romance develops.
The plot is full of twists and turns. Dani keeps having nightmares and awakening at exactly 2:13 a.m., a time which later seems to be significant. There are repeated references to supernatural forces that may be influencing the events of the book, and numerous allusions to witchcraft or Satanic rituals. As in her previous novel, Heart of Ice, Wiehl depicts psychopathic characters with stunning accuracy.The book has only a few minor gruesome scenes, and explores the struggle between good and evil—not just in the physical realm, but in the supernatural as well.