''Are You Sleeping'', the debut novel of Kathleen Barber, is a

murder mystery Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

. Barber draws on her knowledge of the law, practicing in Chicago and New York. Barber acknowledges that she was influenced by the ''Serial'' podcast, and a key element of the novel is a podcast that looks into the case of a prisoner who may have been wrongfully convicted of murder. The hardcover edition was published in 2017 and the paperback in 2018. Television rights were acquired, and

Nichelle Tramble Spellman Nichelle D. Tramble Spellman (born February 11, 1967) is an American television producer and writer. Career In 2017, Spellman, and her husband, Malcolm Spellman began to co-produce and co-write an alternate history television series for Hom ...

produced a television series entitled ''Truth Be Told'' for the

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

streaming service starting in 2019. The novel was then renamed ''Truth Be Told'' in 2019 to reflect the name of the television series.

Plot

Estranged twins Josie and Lanie Buhrman lost both their parents when they were fifteen years old. Their father was murdered, and their mother ran away to join a cult. Thirteen years later the sisters each learn that an independent investigative journalist, Poppy Parnell, is regularly releasing podcasts in which she investigates whether Warren Cave, the man convicted of killing their father, was wrongfully convicted, as his conviction relied heavily on Lanie's eyewitness testimony. As Parnell's investigation gathers steam, the twins are forced to meet after their mother commits suicide.

Differences with TV series

Bustle magazine ''Bustle'' is an online American women's magazine founded in August 2013 by Bryan Goldberg. It positions news and politics alongside articles about beauty, celebrities, and fashion trends. By September 2016, the website had 50 million monthly rea ...

'' published a guide to the novel for fans of the TV series, detailing major adjustments the screenwriters made in their adaptation to a visual media. For instance the novel's protagonist is Josie Burhman, one of the twins, and Poppy Parnell, the podcaster, is merely a minor character. As Parnell's podcasts dig up new evidence, Josie's doubts about Cave's convictions grow.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = https://www.pjstar.com/entertainmentlife/20200229/author-kathleen-barber-galesburg-native-is-promoting-her-second-book , title = Author Kathleen Barber, a Galesburg native, is promoting her second book , work =

Peoria Journal Star The ''Journal Star'' is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois, and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it became a Copley Press entity in 1996. In 2007, the paper was sold to Fairport, New York-based GateHouse M ...

, author = Leslie Renken , date = 2020-02-29 , location = Peoria , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20200306194846/https://www.pjstar.com/entertainmentlife/20200229/author-kathleen-barber-galesburg-native-is-promoting-her-second-book , archivedate = 2020-03-06 , accessdate = 2020-04-29 , url-status = live , quote = In 2014 Barber left her career as a New York City attorney in corporate restructuring to write novels. In 2017 she published her first book, “Are You Sleeping?” and last fall a film adaptation of the book, called “Truth be Told,” aired on Apple TV+. {{cite news , url = https://www.bustle.com/p/did-warren-kill-chuck-in-truth-be-told-the-source-material-has-a-shocking-ending-19417489 , title = Did Warren Kill Chuck In 'Truth Be Told'? The Source Material Has A Shocking Ending , work =

, author = Gretchen Smail , date = 2019-12-06 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191207135721/https://www.bustle.com/p/did-warren-kill-chuck-in-truth-be-told-the-source-material-has-a-shocking-ending-19417489 , archivedate = 2019-12-07 , accessdate = 2020-04-29 , url-status = live , quote = Viewers interested in speeding ahead of Poppy may find answers in Kathleen Barber's novel Are You Sleeping, the source material for Truth Be Told. {{cite news , url = https://www.galesburg.com/news/20170803/galesburg-native-publishes-crime-thriller , work =

Galesburg Register-Mail ''The Register-Mail'' is an American daily newspaper published in Galesburg, Illinois. The paper was owned by the Pritchard family from 1896 to 1989, when it was sold to the '' Journal Star''. Copley Press bought both papers for $174.5 million. In ...

, author = Robert Connelly , title = Galesburg native publishes crime thriller , date = 2017-08-03 , location =

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190723070138/https://www.galesburg.com/news/20170803/galesburg-native-publishes-crime-thriller , archivedate = 2019-07-23 , accessdate = 2019-07-23 , url-status = live , quote = Amazon describes the book as an {{'inventive and twisty psychological thriller about a mega-hit podcast that reopens a murder case and threatens to unravel the carefully constructed life of the victim’s daughter.{{' {{cite news , url = https://www.npr.org/2017/08/06/539598542/a-podcast-reopens-old-wounds-in-are-you-sleeping , title = A Podcast Reopens Old Wounds In 'Are You Sleeping' , work =

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

, author = Bethanne Patrick , date = 2017-08-06 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190723064711/https://www.npr.org/2017/08/06/539598542/a-podcast-reopens-old-wounds-in-are-you-sleeping , archivedate = 2019-07-23 , accessdate = 2019-07-23 , url-status = live , quote = {{cite news , url = https://dailynorthwestern.com/2018/01/24/ae/nu-alumnas-novel-sleeping-made-tv-series-starring-octavia-spencer/ , title = NU alumna's novel 'Are You Sleeping' to be made into TV series starring Octavia Spencer , work =

Daily Northwestern ''The Daily Northwestern'' is the student newspaper at Northwestern University which is published in print on Mondays and Thursdays and online daily during the academic year. Founded in 1881, and printed in Evanston, Illinois, it is staffed primar ...

, author = Charlotte Walsh , date = 2018-01-24 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190722193835/https://dailynorthwestern.com/2018/01/24/ae/nu-alumnas-novel-sleeping-made-tv-series-starring-octavia-spencer/ , archivedate = 2019-07-22 , accessdate = 2019-07-22 , url-status = live , quote = {{cite news , url = https://www.rcreader.com/news/kathleen-barber-author-visit-dec28 , title = Kathleen Barber, December 28 , work =

River Cities' Reader The ''River Cities' Reader'' is an independently owned alternative newspaper based in Davenport, Iowa. The newspaper was founded in 1993 and is circulated throughout the Quad-Cities metropolitan area and outlying communities. ''The Readers format ...

, author = , date = , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190722193833/https://www.rcreader.com/news/kathleen-barber-author-visit-dec28 , archivedate = 2019-07-22 , accessdate = 2019-07-22 , url-status = live , quote = Author Barber was raised in Galesburg and graduated from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law. While she previously practiced bankruptcy law at large firms in Chicago and New York, Barber is also a registered yoga teacher and self-described “incurable wanderer” who, when she isn’t writing, enjoys traveling the world with her husband. {{cite news , url = https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/los-angeles-filming-apple-are-you-sleeping-octavia-spencer-aaron-66190/ , title = L.A. What's Filming: Apple Series 'Are You Sleeping' Starring Octavia Spencer + Aaron Paul , work =

Backstage Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production. Backstage may also refer to: Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...

, author = Ashley Steves , date = 2018-11-30 , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20200805201203/https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/los-angeles-filming-apple-are-you-sleeping-octavia-spencer-aaron-66190/ , archivedate = 2020-08-05 , accessdate = 2019-07-22 , url-status = live , quote = The series stars Octavia Spencer, Michael Beach, Lizzy Caplan, Ron Cephas Jones, Aaron Paul, Elizabeth Perkins, and other major names. {{cite news , url = https://deadline.com/2018/10/are-you-sleeping-katherine-lanasa-apple-series-recasting-1202477683/ , title = 'Are You Sleeping': Katherine LaNasa Joins Apple Series In Recasting , work =

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

, author = Nellie Andreeva , date = 2018-10-08 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190526173817/https://deadline.com/2018/10/are-you-sleeping-katherine-lanasa-apple-series-recasting-1202477683/ , archivedate = 2019-05-26 , accessdate = 2019-07-22 , url-status = live , quote = {{cite news , url = https://deadline.com/2018/08/bosch-casts-chris-ashworth-lyndon-smith-are-you-sleeping-1202448692/ , title = 'Bosch' Casts Chris Ashworth; Lyndon Smith Joins 'Are You Sleeping' , work =

, author = Denise Petski , date = 2018-08-21 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190708032253/https://deadline.com/2018/08/bosch-casts-chris-ashworth-lyndon-smith-are-you-sleeping-1202448692/ , archivedate = 2019-07-08 , accessdate = 2019-07-22 , url-status = live , quote = Are You Sleeping, created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman based on the true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber, provides a unique glimpse into America’s obsession with true-crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage. 2017 American novels 2017 debut novels American novels adapted into television shows Gallery Books books