Midnight Crossroad (Midnight, Texas #1) by Charlaine Harris is her brand new novel, the first of a new series, set in the very small town of Midnight, Texas. While known mainly for her Sookie Stackhouse novels, from which the series True Blood was adapted, she’s written over 30 novels, and (from what I understand) a few of Midnight Crossroad’s cast of characters are from some of these previous novels. So, while this may cater to fans of her work, how does it read to someone completely new? The answer is simple – rather well.
Manfred Bernardo is the new guy in Midnight, moving into his own place in the quiet town in order to continue his private work. His landlord, Bobo, runs the pawn shop and also has two other tenants living in the flats: Olivia, a beautiful and secretive person, and Lemuel, Midnight’s resident creature of the night. Fiji is the witch; Joe and Chuy the owners of the antique gallery and nail salon; Madonna and her husband Teacher, along with their new-born baby are the proprietors of the local diner; while the Lovell family – Shawn, his daughter Creek, and son Connor – run the gas station. The final member of the community is the Rev who runs the local Chapel and Pet Cemetery. All-in all they are a very diverse cast, each bringing something different to the table.
While the above may seem a little full-on to start with, Harris spends plenty of time setting the scene and introducing the characters. We learn about Manfred and his job – online psychic – while having questions about him linger as the plot progresses, Bobo and his broken heart after his love left him in the recent past, while we learn more about Fiji and her ways, and her unspoken love for Bobo. We also find out more about Midnight itself, and just how everyone seems to be keeping secrets. It all builds up a complete picture and is a very easy place to get acquainted with.
Harris, for her part, is a storyteller who is able to get you to invest and enjoy the tale she is weaving. It may not rocket along at a super quick pace, but that’s one of the things about Midnight Crossroad that I enjoyed so much. It gave me time to savour the setting, the characters, and allowed me to start building ideas about the story in my mind, letting me hope I’ve got things worked out, and then throwing me off track with surprises as the novel nears its end.
At its heart Midnight Crossroad is a murder mystery, but done in such a way that begs for more to be explored about the characters and setting. It’s a pleasurable and enjoyable read, with Harris’ prose making the experience easy and simple. As a newcomer to her work I can safely say I’ll be back for more, and to see just what else is in store for Midnight, Texas.
Publisher: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/Gollancz/Index.page
Author: http://charlaineharris.com
May 2014, 320 Pages
Hardcover, ISBN: 9780575092846
Review copy received from the publisher
© 2014 Mark Chitty
