Day Shift

A Novel of Midnight, Texas

By: Charlaine Harris

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

A number-one New York Times best-selling author, Charlaine Harris penned the addictive Sookie Stackhouse series. In Day Shift psychic Manfred Bernardo is hounded by the press after a client drops dead during a reading. Turning to the local vampire's lover for help, Manfred hopes she can put the squeeze on the scandal before someone else is put on ice.

©2015 Charlaine Harris, Inc. (P)2015 Recorded Books

World Building at It's Best

I have tried other books by Charlaine Harris, but the Midnight series is the only one that I have really enjoyed reading. The difference for me is the fact that the author is very successful at world building in this novel. Blue ribbon world building seems to be reserved for high sci-fi or epic fantasy (like King's, "The Talisman"), but Harris accomplishes it by providing the reader with intense imagery of the tiny town of Midnight. There is a cat that needs to experience it's 9th life, but other than that, suspension of belief is easy.

I am such a picky reader that it embarrasses me, so I always try to shout out if an Audible selection holds my attention from the first page to the last. This paranormal mystery will hold your attention from page one, and you will step into the story.

This series is definitely worth your time, and is best read in order.

Midnight, Texas Continues to Fascinate

I enjoyed this book. And I like the narration on this series. I think the main character is quirky enough to be very entertaining, yet not so far out there that he is totally un-relatable to a real reader. I would like to see some of the secondary characters roles expanded. Several of them should be be quite interesting.

This book brings back a couple of the major characters of several of the Sookie Stackhouse series. They weren't characters I particularly liked in that series, but I enjoyed their participation in this book. It actual gave more depth to at least one of the characters and made him more sympathetic.

I hope there are more books in this series. I will definitely read them. I recommend the series to Charlaine Harris fans. So far it isn't as funny as the Sookie series, but I think it is a little more complex and closer in form and structure to the Harper Connelly series.

Another quirky tale.

Not a lot of purpose in these particular tales, but there's enough weaving of characters from other stories into the plotline to make this offbeat tale worth hearing.

Cast includes the following other-story players:
- Manfred Bernardo (from the Harper Connelly series) - main character
- Arthur Smith (cop from the Aurora Teagarden series)
- Barry Bellboy (telepath from the Sookie Stackhouse series)
- Quinn (werelion from the Sookie Stackhouse series)

Midnight Series

The second book in the series was better than the first. The characters are further developed and you get a better understanding of the town. This series is just not as fast moving as her previous series. Characters do overlap between The Sookie Stackhouse series and the Midnight series, which is entertaining.

Look out people! More supernaturals to love!

I really appreciated the number of new characters included in this series.
All are unique and have what I call book appeal (you would want to meet them outside of the written page) .

Keep up the great word smithing Ms. Harris. Keep us fans wondering if you've cast a spell on us too.

A promising start

I'll admit that I was angry at how Mrs. Harris had ended her last series.
However Day Shift has all the charm and quirkiness that made me love her other books. I am looking forward to reading the further adventures of the residents of Midnight Texas and figuring out their back stories.

Good, Not Great

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes, I would maintain the world she created in Midnight Crossroads and not try to slide back into the Sookie Stackhouse world. It became too convoluted and broad. I was glad to see her make a new world. Now she's slipping back.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Weak. Too focused on leaving room for a sequel

What does Susan Bennett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does them all good except Lem, who she overdoes.

Was Day Shift worth the listening time?

Yes, it was, it just wasn't great. It was good.

Didn't love it.. but worth reading

I'm bummed. This book didn't exceed my expectations... I think I have lowered my Charlaine Harris standards and expectations. Does she not have a continuity editor anymore? There were at least 3 things in this book that bugged me so much I found myself asking "Did she not read this over?" Ugh!!

I do think this book was decent. Not great, but decent. Some of the cross over characters from the Sookie Stackhouse book didn't really work for me. I was super happy to find them in this book, but it didn't really work. They felt randomly placed. I'm glad I read it and I enjoyed it more than someone else's mediocre book, but it could have been way better.

PS - sorry for typo's and grammatical errors, but I'm personally not an editor. :-)

100% better

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first book! I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Entertaining

This is an enjoyable book. Harris creates an interesting and entertaining world for her characters. The plot was engaging and the characters were all very entertaining. The only thing that I didn't like was hoe Harris weaved in characters from previous books.Although it worked in this book, I thought it was a bit cheesy . I still look forward to reading the next book.