Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (Ace, 2014)

Smokey · Post by **Smokey** » 29 Jun 2014, 21:56

Charlaine Harris can't seem to create an uninteresting character. From Aurora Teagarden to Sookie Stackhouse to Harper Connelly to Lily Bard all of her books are populated with intriguing characters I'd like to know -- even the more evil of them. Midnight, Texas, where Harris' latest novel is set is populated with wonderful, unique these wonderful, unique characters.

As in most of her books, Harris has devised a plot that includes some serious events, twists, suspense, and, of course, humor. There are laugh-out-loud moments in Midnight Crossroad, among the murders and kidnappings, and right wing extremists. Midnight is a very small town, so Harris is able to describe so you can see them in your mind's eye, its houses, shops, and streets. The book is a fun and exciting read that would be interesting even without the plot because of its colorful characters, seemingly all living in Midnight because of something in their pasts. You see, it isn't polite to ask people probing questions in this town.

Although the book is written in third person, Harris presents the action through the eyes of two characters, Mandrake, who has just moved to Midnight, and Fiiji, who has been a resident for several years. Mandrake is a popular phone and internet psychic. Fiiji is a witch who operates a shop and holds classes from the house she inherited from her aunt, also a witch. There is a combination antique shop and nail services owned by a gay couple, Joe and Chuy. Bobo, the proprietor of the pawnshop, lives above the businesses and rents out his basement apartments to an energy and blood vampire and a stunning woman, Olivia, who does, maybe, investigations. There's the reverend who has an animal cemetery and the inside of whose house no one has ever seen. The woman who operates the cafe, her baby, and her handyman for hire husband are maybe the most normal of the town's residents, except it's hard to see how she keeps the cafe going with such a limited group of customers. The busiest place in town is the gas station and convenience store owned by a relative newcomer and his young son and beautiful daughter.

One of the most entertaining characters is Mr. Snuggly.

The most action in the plot centers on the disappearance of Bobo's lover, Aubrey. He has been miserable ever since she left him. But she's been gone long enough so the pawnshop owner is wondering how loathsome she must find him, what horrible thing he could have done to her, so that she's never sent for her things. Not even her toothbrush. Not even her grandmother's sewing machine. Then, on the day of the first and only annual Midnight picnic, its residents find something horrible. And now they are all wondering if one of them is a murderer or if radical outsiders are the ones who've disrupted the private lives of their very private town.

Midnight, Texas. I love it. Please, Ms. Harris, may I have some more?

reads-a-lot · Post by **reads-a-lot** » 30 Jun 2014, 18:37

I love books by Charlaine Harris. Sookie Stackhouse is one of my favorites. This sounds like it is a must
read for me. Thanks for the good review and introducing me to a new book!