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As She Lay Sleeping: A Shadowy Figure, a Brutal Murder, an Anonymous Tip, Will Justice Prevail? A True Story Hardcover – January 15, 2013

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

Savagely attacked as she lay sleeping on the sofa, Natalie Antonetti's skull was shattered. Bizarrely, she was able to move about her apartment, changed clothes and tried to speak to her son. Her words never came. Two weeks later she was dead.

The only lead was a neighbor who claimed to have seen a shadowy figure wielding a child’s baseball bat an hour prior to the attack. Despite a wide search for leads and questioning some suspects, the police were unable to find anyone who matched the description and the case grew cold.

Then out of the blue, a woman contacted the police claiming her husband, Dennis Davis, shockingly revealed to her he had killed Natalie. With no DNA, no fingerprints, no eyewitness and two witnesses who refused to testify, former journalist and rookie prosecutor Mark Pryor committed to bring justice to Natalie's family. This, his first homicide case would require him to be a sleuth, investigator and prosecutor all with the deadline nipping at this heels. He vowed to do it.

As She Lay Sleeping follows the twisted and often murky criminal investigation all the way to its dramatic courtroom climax in this true crime thriller.
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Editorial Reviews

Review


Publishers Weekly - STARRED REVIEW
"...riveting...readers should enjoy Pryor's cozy, accessible style and passion for justice."

Midwest Book Review - "...A strong addition to any criminology or true crime collection, recommended."

About the Author

Mark Pryor is a prosecutor in Austin, Texas and holds a law degree from Duke University. His reporting credentials include a diploma from Stadbroke Journalism College in England and a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a journalist writing for newspapers in England and the United States. For ten years he covered crime beats in both countries, as well as producing special reports from Romania and Northern Ireland. He and his family reside in Austin, Texas.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Horizon Press (January 15, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0882824287
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0882824284
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

About the author

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Mark Pryor
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Mark Pryor is the author of the eight (soon to be nine!) Hugo Marston mystery novels, six of which are set in Paris, France, but also feature London and Barcelona. The books have been translated into eight languages and the film and television rights were recently optioned to Like Entertainment, with a view to putting Hugo on the screen!

Mark also authored two psychological thrillers set in Austin, Texas, where he lives. HOLLOW MAN and its sequel, DOMINIC, received high praise from reviewers:

"[Hollow Man's] Dominic is not your grandmother’s psychopath. . . . This noirish twisty tale will appeal to those who enjoy Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, and Pryor’s own Sherlockian international thriller series starring Hugo Marston."

—BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW

“Devilishly clever… As the mishaps escalate for the conspirators, so does the suspense, culminating in a denouement worthy of the neo-noir film classic The Usual Suspects.”

—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW

“Pryor’s exquisite stand-alone is a gem. . . .”

―RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 ½ stars (Fantastic—Keeper)

“Pryor’s skillful narrative crystallizes in the best possible way, in the novel’s last sentence. Pryor… can write realistically about the mind of a psychopath. Maybe that is useful for an assistant district attorney. It certainly is for a murder mystery writer.”

―San Antonio Express-News

“Dominic goes into action, pulling several diabolical tricks that solve the murders, simultaneously confirming Dominic’s own status as a psychopath in a clever book that has a significant number of puzzles and an equal list of tantalizing answers.”

―Toronto Star

A former newspaper reporter from England, and now an assistant district attorney with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, in Austin, Texas, he is the creator of the nationally-recognized true-crime blog D.A. Confidential. He has appeared on CBS News's 48 Hours and Discovery Channel's Discovery ID: Cold Blood.

THE BOOKSELLER was his first Hugo Marston novel and upon release was Library Journal's Debut of the Month with a starred review. RT Book Reviews called it "a fantastic debut!" and gave it 4 and 1/2 stars, and Oprah.com listed it as an "unputdownable mystery."

His second in the series, THE CRYPT THIEF, was released in May of 2013 and reviewers said:

"[G]ood character development, increasing levels of action and suspense, a complex and deranged antagonist, and—once again—appealing Paris settings. The Hugo Marston series now belongs on every espionage fan’s watch list."

—Booklist

“Haunting imagery in Père La Chaise cemetery sets the stage for Pryor’s chilling sophomore entry, and the City of Light becomes a backdrop for Marston’s adventures. The clever antagonist leads him on a merry chase that will keep the reader entertained throughout."

—RT Book Reviews

"Two young lovers make the fatal mistake of sneaking into Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery the same night as a bone-stealing psychopath in Pryor’s propulsive second novel starring affable former FBI profiler Hugo Marston…. The engaging characters sweep readers into a suspenseful chase from Pigalle to the Pyrenées."

—Publishers Weekly

The third Hugo Marston novel, THE BLOOD PROMISE, was released in January 2014. It may be his best yet...

“Mark Pryor is one of the smartest new writers on the block. His new novel is a doozy.”

—Philip Kerr, author of A Man Without Breath, a Bernie Gunther novel

"Pryor seems to have hit his stride in this series, as he adroitly juxtaposes the light banter between Marston and Green with some scenes of intense emotion.... And, all the while, the suspense ramps up. Top-notch mystery in a skillfully delineated Parisian setting."

—Booklist

Mark is also the author of the true crime book, AS SHE LAY SLEEPING, which is the account of a "cold" murder case he prosecuted. Published in January 2013, Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review and called it "compelling" and "riveting."

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
12 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2013
I read this book in two days, I couldn't put it down. I was struck by how difficult the truth is to figure out sometimes because so many people are bias or mistaken or just plain lying. I do not envy the job of detectives or prosecutors have in determining what really happened.

I read this book after seeing a story about the case on TV. The TV report I thought sensationalized the case in a way that made it seem more mysterious than it actually was - that there legitimately could have been an alternate suspect. The book puts that theory to rest, even though the State's case is still circumstantial. The TV report also made it seem like the defendant testified in his own defense, which never happened. After the TV report, I had some doubts about the defendant's guilt. After reading the book, I didn't have any doubt.

Overall the book does a wonderful job of detailing how the case unfolded and the evidence that led to the arrest of the perpetrator as well as a detailed account of the trial.

I thought the prosecutors and detectives did a great job, but I was still left with some unanswered questions.

Definitely worth reading for anyone who is interested in stories of crime solving and is a fan of TV shows such as Law & Order, Cold Case, Columbo, Perry Mason, etc.
8 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2013
Mark Pryor is a Texas prosecutor who has written this book about a 1985 murder that he tried more than 20 years later, successfully. Also a novelist ("The Bookseller" and the forthcoming "The Crypt Thief") and former journalist, his storytelling abilities are evident, as he pumps life into two-decade-old events from police and court records. "As She Lay Sleeping" provides an inside look into the investigation of the death of Natalie Antonetti and the trial and conviction of her former boyfriend, Dennis Davis, in Austin. It's clear that criminal justice isn't like TV. He delves into the gritty details of the hearings and trial and makes it clear to the reader that solving crimes and putting criminals in prison isn't a darn thing like CSI and L&O - it's hard work, based far less on dramatic reveals and scientific evidence and more on building relationships with witnesses and probing, detailed questions on the stand. Pryor is candid about the twists and turns that the trial took, freely admitting a mistake and providing a peek inside his own head as he tried to lock up a murderer. The only shortcoming of "As She Lay Sleeping" is that some sections read too much like a trial transcript. There are a few areas that could have better been summarized, rather than delving into all the verbatim back-and-forth of court questioning. But that's a small criticism of an otherwise excellent book. I'm going to soon explore Pryor's novel, and hope he gives us another book soon.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2013
A fascinating look at a cold case and the steps a prosecutor had to take to bring the killer to justice. Rich details about the case, both personal to the victim and the prosecution. As another reviewer put it, riveting.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2015
This was very well written. I did not purchase however, I borrowed from our local library and finished it yesterday. It was what I was looking for, a murder, decades old, how to solve. Mr. Pryor took me through all of the phases of the investigation, the pretrial hearings, and the trial.

I found it suspenseful as well. Not the I'm afraid kind of suspenseful, but a real whodunit. While most of the time I agreed that it was D.D., at first, by the living situation I through her roommate could have had something to do with it.

Mark Pryor gives a very detailed, step by step through this decades old mystery writing with a style to grip you and keep you until the end.

Bravo!
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2013
Although supportive of the genius and persistence it takes to pursue cold cases, I lost interest when the book is more about the nuances, and the nuances of the nuances of putting the case together. I'm sympathetic to the obstacles faced by cold case prosecutors. However, I wanted more "story."
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2013
This book deals with the tragedy of murder in Austin Texas. The author is British and came to the states, went to law school and became a prosecutor. He has also written another book. He is precise in his descriptions of the city, justice system and courtroom drama. I love the true crime books when the bad guys are caught & put away.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2014
This is an excellent true story told by the man who prosecuted this criminal and lousy excuse for a human being, Davis. How could anyone (jealous boyfriend or not) in their right mind harm such a person as Davis did, much less kill her in a horrendous fashion and then return to the scene immediately and pretend he cares about the victim. He then continues to 'search' for the killer, act concerned and friendly to the victim's family, and in the aftermath of his murderous behavior, chose to harm other women, but rarely a man. His pathetic excuses are so telling, and now he expects a new trial and to be exonerated? Have fun roasting in Hell, Davis, you certainly created a similar situation for your victims (including their families and your own somewhat clueless wife) here on earth.
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2022
Great read.