The Guilty Sleep: A Thriller
Jeremy D. Baker
May 2025 · Simon and Schuster
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About this ebook
To save the life of a former comrade, a burned-out Army vet takes part in a heist that comes with a heavy price in this crime thriller: "A terrific debut—fast, tough and hard, shot through with hard-won authenticity and deep humanity. . . . Don't miss out" (Lee Child).
No one gets hurt is a fine plan. A worthy goal. But when it comes down to the moment, there's always plenty of hurt to go around . . .
Afghanistan vet Dexter Grant is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he's approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex's life. It means ripping off a vicious queenpin's drug proceeds—but not to worry, they have it all worked out. And if anyone can pull it off, it's Dex's former team lead, Staff Sergeant Saenz.
Tempted by an easy score that could make his own problems disappear and imbued with new purpose, Dex agrees to play his part in the scheme. But just as in combat, the best-laid plans don't survive first contact with the enemy. When the heist goes off the rails, his wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge. Dex must face down his spiraling inner darkness and call on all his strength and training to save his girls. In his quest, he'll learn there was much more to this heist than he ever imagined . . .
Jeremy D. Baker bursts onto the crime fiction scene with this debut thriller that recalls C. J. Box's unlikely hero Joe Pickett and the small-town, lived-in noir of S. A. Cosby. Told from three revolving points-of-view, The Guilty Sleep is a riveting tale of robbery and betrayal in which a father's love faces off with a soldier's debt.
"This novel moves. And it cuts sharp and deep." —Elliot Ackerman, bestselling co-author of 2034 and 2054, and National Book Award Finalist for Dark at the Crossing
"Baker writes with such authority, every word is utterly convincing. And yet there are so many more layers to this story than just the portrait of a broken vet trying to put his life back together. It's also a heist novel, an organized crime novel, a war novel, and so much more. For me, it's the best debut since The Sympathizer." —Steve Hamilton, New York Times–bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of An Honorable Assassin
No one gets hurt is a fine plan. A worthy goal. But when it comes down to the moment, there's always plenty of hurt to go around . . .
Afghanistan vet Dexter Grant is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he's approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex's life. It means ripping off a vicious queenpin's drug proceeds—but not to worry, they have it all worked out. And if anyone can pull it off, it's Dex's former team lead, Staff Sergeant Saenz.
Tempted by an easy score that could make his own problems disappear and imbued with new purpose, Dex agrees to play his part in the scheme. But just as in combat, the best-laid plans don't survive first contact with the enemy. When the heist goes off the rails, his wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge. Dex must face down his spiraling inner darkness and call on all his strength and training to save his girls. In his quest, he'll learn there was much more to this heist than he ever imagined . . .
Jeremy D. Baker bursts onto the crime fiction scene with this debut thriller that recalls C. J. Box's unlikely hero Joe Pickett and the small-town, lived-in noir of S. A. Cosby. Told from three revolving points-of-view, The Guilty Sleep is a riveting tale of robbery and betrayal in which a father's love faces off with a soldier's debt.
"This novel moves. And it cuts sharp and deep." —Elliot Ackerman, bestselling co-author of 2034 and 2054, and National Book Award Finalist for Dark at the Crossing
"Baker writes with such authority, every word is utterly convincing. And yet there are so many more layers to this story than just the portrait of a broken vet trying to put his life back together. It's also a heist novel, an organized crime novel, a war novel, and so much more. For me, it's the best debut since The Sympathizer." —Steve Hamilton, New York Times–bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of An Honorable Assassin
To save the life of a former comrade, a burned-out Army vet takes part in a heist that comes with a heavy price in this crime thriller: "A terrific debut—fast, tough and hard, shot through with hard-won authenticity and deep humanity. . . . Don't miss out" (Lee Child).
No one gets hurt is a fine...
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Ron Meyerink
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January 23, 2026
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About the author
Jeremy D. Baker grew up in Italy, Florida, and Maryland. He’s a former US Army counterintelligence agent and combat veteran. Like Dexter Grant, he served alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan. Also like Dexter, he’s a PTSD survivor. Over the last 20 years, his work in national security has focused on intelligence, counterterrorism, transnational organized crime, human trafficking, climate risk and resilience, and cybersecurity. He lives with his family in Maryland.
Jeremy D. Baker grew up in Italy, Florida, and Maryland. He’s a former US Army counterintelligence agent and combat veteran. Like Dexter Grant, he served alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan. Also like Dexter, he’s a PTSD survivor. Over the last 20 years, his work in national security has f...
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