--- product_id: 24163672 title: "Sleeping Beauty: A Psychological Suspense Thriller of Serial Murder and Hidden Secrets" brand: "phillip margolin" price: "$23.92" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/24163672-sleeping-beauty-a-psychological-suspense-thriller-of-serial-murder-hidden store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Sleeping Beauty: A Psychological Suspense Thriller of Serial Murder and Hidden Secrets **Brand:** phillip margolin **Price:** $23.92 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Sleeping Beauty: A Psychological Suspense Thriller of Serial Murder and Hidden Secrets by phillip margolin - **How much does it cost?** $23.92 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/24163672-sleeping-beauty-a-psychological-suspense-thriller-of-serial-murder-hidden) ## Best For - phillip margolin enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted phillip margolin brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Sleeping Beauty: A Psychological Suspense Thriller of Serial Murder and Hidden Secrets - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+tDd0VAUL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You Will Lose Sleep Reading This Beauty *by J***L on Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2004* Phillip Margolin has never disappointed me yet with his novels, and with Sleeping Beauty, his streak continues. In this novel things are seldom what they seem and it would spoil the read for me to reveal the twists and turns that this story takes. The straight forward story is that Ashley Spencer, a high school soccer star has a friend to her house for a sleep over following a big game and awakens to the most terrifying experience one can imagine. A masked stranger is in their room. He ties up Ashley and takes her friend into another room where he rapes and murders her. Returning to her room, he says, "I'll see you later" and she hears him go down to the kitchen. Her father, who is the only parent in the house that night crawls into her room suffering from multiple stab wounds and using the last of his energy frees fer from her bonds and she escapes out her window.This appears to be a random event until Ashley's mother is taking a creative writing course at a nearby private school in which Ashley has enrolled and hears the instructor read a passage from a piece of writing that describes the event that her daughter has gone through and also includes a part of what happened that received no publicity. She eventually determines that no one in the class wrote the story and that it was drafted by the instructor, Joshua Maxwell, himself.Her suspicions are aroused to the point where she confides them to the Dean of the school who checks out the instructor's background and calls the mother suggesting a meeting to discuss what she has found. While jogging on the school grounds near where the meeting is taking place, Ashley hears a scream and decides to investigate. What she sees as she peers in the window are the bodies of two women lying on the floor (the Dean and Ashley's mother) and Joshua Maxwell standing over them with a bloody knife in his hands. He sees her as she turns and runs for her life with Maxwell in pursuit. She escapes, the story is out, Maxwell is pursued and eventually arrested and brought to trial. And the story is JUST BEGINNING. Margolin uses an interesting vehicle in telling the story. The Dean, Casey Van Meter, was not murdered, but ended up in a coma. Her brother, Miles Van Meter has written a book about the events leading up to her being in the coma entitled, Sleeping Beauty. A continuing thread in this book is his presence at a book signing where he reads from the book and answers questions about it.I will leave it to the reader to explore the intracies of this very well told tale. It is an undertaking that will be well worth the effort. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Family Affair *by G***S on Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2004* Regrettably, the talented Phillip Margolin's latest effort, "Sleeping Beauty", is a bit of a disappointment. Lacking the energy and suspense of Margolin's earlier works, "Beauty" plods along to a "twist" ending that while contrived, was nonetheless predictable.Miles Van Meter, aristocrat of the US Northwest and author of a true-crime best seller ("Sleeping Beauty"), is on tour promoting an updated release of his book. His book traces the story of Joshua Maxfield, a serial killer who has left Van Meter's twin sister, Casey, in a coma with little hope of recovery. Through a series of flashbacks, Van Meter's story intertwines with that of talented teenager Ashley Spencer, whose family and best friend were also brutally murdered by the heinous Maxfield. While "Beauty" gets off to a promising start, it soon loses its way, sidetracked by cardboard characters, inane dialogue, and uninspired prose. Also, an unnecessary and sappy romance is distracting and unnecessary. A successful novel captures the fine balance between the plot that is startling and unpredictable, but also believable. Margolin tries hard to achieve the former, but ultimately misses the latter. And regarding the "shocking ending", even the dust cover summary portends the conclusion. Bottom line: Margolin can do better; I'd skip this one, or at least wait for the paperback and the beach. Consider Lashner's "Fatal Flaw" as a more interesting alternative. ### ⭐⭐ Too many loose ends... *by J***H on Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2018* One of my favorite authors but this was disappointingSeemed he wrapped it up without explaining the discrepanciesIt seemed obvious at the beginning that something was up with Casey’s brother but you dropped the ball and never explained the nagging, “why’s”Wouldn’t recommend this book --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/24163672-sleeping-beauty-a-psychological-suspense-thriller-of-serial-murder-hidden](https://www.desertcart.us/products/24163672-sleeping-beauty-a-psychological-suspense-thriller-of-serial-murder-hidden) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*