Stars: 4. Because this series shouldn’t ever stop.
In Midnight Crossroad, Charlaine Harris “capture[d] the same magic as the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and [took] it to another level” (Houston Press). Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels returns to the one-traffic-light town you see only when you’re on the way to someplace else…
There is no such thing as bad publicity, except in Midnight, Texas, where the residents like to keep to themselves. Even in a town full of secretive people, Olivia Charity is an enigma. She lives with the vampire Lem, but no one knows what she does; they only know that she’s beautiful and dangerous.
Psychic Manfred Bernardo finds out just how dangerous when he goes on a working weekend to Dallas and sees Olivia there with a couple who are both found dead the next day. To make matters worse, one of Manfred’s regular—and very wealthy—clients dies during a reading.
Manfred returns from Dallas embroiled in scandal and hounded by the press. He turns to Olivia for help; somehow he knows that the mysterious Olivia can get things back to normal. As normal as things get in Midnight…
I’ve come to realise – I’m really late to the party – that all of Charlaine Harris’ supernatural books are all set in the same universe, her series just happen to focus on different characters.
What can I say – I haven’t read her Sookie Stackhouse series, but her Grave Sight and Midnight, Texas series have me hooked! (If you’re a fan of Sookie, you’ll probably love a shout to her in this book.)
But back to Day Shift: life in Midnight has been going on as normal – Manfred’s business is going strong, Bobo and Fiji still have their heads in the sand about each other (or rather Bobo does), Chuy and Joe are adorable and the Rev… is the Rev. And Olivia and Lem are … Olivia and Lem.
This is the story in which we learn more about them, in particular, and it is through Manfred this happens. When he is a prime suspect in an investigation, Midnight is invaded by the press, much to Olivia’s irritation. She chose Midnight to remain out of sight of enemies of her own, and to remove the unwanted attention on Midnight, she needs to help Manfred solve a mystery.
But, in addition to the unwanted press Manfred’s troubles bring, new people are coming into to the old hotel, now a new hotel, and sometime aged care facility, with residents that are quite hilarious – but what’s interesting is that Olivia is warm towards them and unlike her normal taciturn self. Hints are dropped about her past, about who she might have been once before she came to Midnight. What I love about the author’s writing is that she says so much in so few words. Olivia is here, and Harris doesn’t need to hit readers over the head with elements to create this complicated character.
Manfred, poor Manfred goes through the wringer in this one, and all he wanted to do was help a client of his. Instead, he spends the book trying to prove his innocence to a maniacal son, who is convinced Manfred is a jewellery thief and charlatan. He and Olivia are an odd couple if ever there was one.
Then there’s Dietrich, a kid given into the Rev’s care much to everyone’s surprise. I mean, it’s the monosyllabic Rev is hardly a father-figure, as everyone notes. But that surprise is quickly surpassed when Dietrich proves to be an interesting puzzle on his own. He, however, is also fun, engaging and becomes the town’s child – everyone takes care of him, and he is adorably cute. It’s interesting that another child sort of takes centre stage, in a way, in this the second book of the series. Children are all very different to say the least, remember book one?
Overall, this is a character-fest, with Harris expanding on all your Midnight, Texas favourites in her warm, matter-of-fact way. Midnight is expanding, and who knows what the next book will bring!
