Midnight Bayou

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: James Daniels, Sandra Burr

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Declan Fitzgerald had always been the family maverick, but even he couldn't understand his impulse to buy a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. All he knew was that ever since he saw Manet Hall, he'd been enchanted - and obsessed - with it. So when the opportunity to buy the house comes up Declan jumps at the chance to live out a dream.

Determined to restore Manet Hall to its former splendor, Declan begins the daunting renovation room by room, relying on his own labor and skills. But the days spent in total isolation in the empty house take a toll. He is seeing visions of days from a century past, and experiencing sensations of terror and nearly unbearable grief - sensations not his own, but those of a stranger. Local legend has it that the house is haunted, and with every passing day Declan's belief in the ghostly presence grows.

Only the companionship of the alluring Angelina Simone can distract him from the mysterious happenings in the house, but Angelina too has her own surprising connection to Manet Hall - a connection that will help Declan uncover a secret that's been buried for a hundred years.

©2004 Nora Roberts (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator James Daniels depicts this romantic, suspenseful ghost story with finesse, switching Cajun accents as he navigates between Declan Fitzgerald and the restoration of Manet Hall in 2002, to betrayal, rape, and murder in the early 1900s." ( AudioFile)
"To add to the pleasure, tastefully choreographed, highly erotic lovemaking scenes are seamlessly woven into a novel that exemplifies storytelling at its finest." ( Booklist)

One of my favorites

I love the narrator of this NR novel. I would rather listen to him reading than read myself

Couldn’t stop listening

Loved the romance with the house, ghostly inhabitants, loved the characters. I finished it in two afternoons.

2nd time

2nd time is better all around. I wish all titles with a man & women characters had 2 narraters. Makes the story so much better. Where you at?😁

Well Done!

I read this book many years ago! Fantastic story and the voice work was excellent! Everyone loves a good story about old houses and their ghosts! Excellently done!

Midnight Bayou

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed this book, but have to agree that the ending seemed rushed.

If you’ve listened to books by Nora Roberts before, how does this one compare?

Not Nora Roberts best book.

Have you listened to any of James Daniels and Sandra Burr ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I thought James Daniels did an awesome job, loved listening to him in the Robert Crais/Elvis Cole books. He is a great narrator.

Was Midnight Bayou worth the listening time?

Was worth the listen, not sure how many times I'd listen to it again. Some of Nora Roberts books are worth several listens.

A Romance from a Different Angle

At first the book was yada yada routine....but then it changed with the old house and the haunting. I was hooked. What a unique concept for a romance. It kept me listening every chance I had. James Daniels and Sandra Burr did an excellent portrayal of the characters and brought the love, mystery and lust to life for me. I hated for the book to end.

Loved it

Read it before and loved it. This time I got the audible and loved it even more.

A Nora Roberts Review By A Guy

This novel came up in one of Audible’ s special sales. It sounded interesting to me, a Boston attorney comes to bayou area outside New Orleans buying a huge Southern mansion and doing the restoration/renovation mostly himself, rebounding from a broken engagement and finding love. Embodied in this was a parallel story at the turn of the century involving a murder in this home and various spirits (ghosts) that were active in this long-abandoned plantation home, and the obligatory love story, both past and present and very connected. So far, so good.

As a male reader of mostly history/nonfiction and detective/thriller novels, this had some excellent elements to get me engaged. First, the story is somewhat complex as the characters from the past are highly correlated to the characters in the present. There is a lot of ghost activity, flashbacks and paranormal events. Nora Roberts demonstrates authority on the process of restoration which was interesting.

Suffice it to say, this story leaves the concrete world and heads somewhere else. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The couple is compelling, complex and interesting whole people. My only quibble comes at the end, when too many things happen and there is parallel story running simultaneously; that got me into disbelief quickly. Would you say yes to marry someone that had lost his mind/gender periodically?

Things happen with much purpose and everything means something, so there is a bit of rush as everything has to be neatly resolved. I recommend this book as excellent entertainment. Nora Roberts writes a novel with strong characters, a great plot and wonderful information and dialog.

So, from a man's perspective, this is worth the time and money. It was escapism at its best.

I'm totally biased but I loved this one!

I have yet to be disappointed with Nora Roberts in book form or audio form. This book had everything I love: mystery, ghosts, and romance. And the characters?! Some of my favorite that she's ever put on paper.

wow, could not stop listening to this story

Another favorite by Nora Roberts. Have to say this plot really captivated me from the beginning. The opening scenes drew me in and I listened to almost the whole book in one day. Fortunately it was a day off and I could do housework! Immediately liked both the lead characters. Who wouldn't like a strong, intelligent male lead who is sensitive, great at rebuilding a mansion, rich, and likes to shop! The whole mystique of the time period in the past, plus the bayou traditions and tales, was a great setting. The only thing I didn't like, and it was minor, was that the end seemed a little abrupt. But that might have been just because I hated to have this book end. Narration was excellent also. Great combination of male/female voices for present/past. Highly recommend this one.