Congratulations to Libby D. from Boca Raton, FL who won Spy, Interrupted. Carol W. of Plano, TX won The Bone Orchard, and Cynthia B. from Uxbridge, MA won Booty Bones.
Did you miss Charlaine Harris’ Midnight Crossroad when it came out in hardcover? It’s now available in mass market paperback. And, I have two copies to give to lucky winners.
If you did miss it, I reviewed the hardcover when it first came out. I’m not the best reviewer of Midnight Crossroad, the first book in Charlaine Harris’ new series.
After starting the first Sookie Stackhouse novel, I never read more in that series. So, I can’t tell other readers if any of the characters from that series reappear here. However, I did read every book about Lily Bard, so I recognized her when a character referred to her. But, if you’re looking for a comparison to the Sookie books, it won’t come from me. I can say I really appreciated the unusual denizens of Midnight, Texas. And, the new resident fits in perfectly.
Manfred Bernardo likes the isolation of the small West Texas town of Midnight. At twenty-two, he’s a psychic who spends his time on computers, telling people what they want to hear. He’s a little bit charlatan, but he has a gift. And, it seems a few of the other residents have secrets and gifts as well. There are reasons people in Midnight, a town at the crossroads of Witch Light Road and the Davy Highway, don’t ask many questions. They don’t want to answer them.
The boarded up town does have a pawnshop. Bobo, Manfred’s landlord, owns it. He’s still in mourning for Aubrey Hamilton, the woman who walked out of the shop one day, and just disappeared. Fiji, the witch down the road, runs a little witchcraft shop. There’s a diner and a gas station. Two gay men, Joe and Chuy, run an antiques store and a nail salon. Lemuel is a vampire who runs the pawnshop at night, and has unusual visitors. Who knows what the mysterious Olivia does for a living? The Rev runs a little one-room wedding chapel and a pet cemetery. And, all of them are a little uneasy when two strange men show up in town. When those two men disappear, and others appear to ask questions, the residents of Midnight learn how much they care about each other. And, they learn how far they’ll go to protect each other.
Midnight Crossroad is a fascinating novel with unusual characters. It’s a book that will challenge readers. What is evil? How can good people do horrible deeds and live with themselves? And, is killing ever justified? And, will a reader feel a little creepy to realize there is something likable about the residents of Midnight, Texas?
Charlaine Harris’ new book is a little bit mystery, a little bit horror novel, a little bit paranormal. And, it’s a terrific story.
Charlaine Harris’ website is www.charlaineharris.com
Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris. Ace. 2014. ISBN 9780425263150 (hardcover), 320p.
