Midnight Crossroad

By: Charlaine Harris

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

First in a new trilogy

From Charlaine Harris, the best-selling author who created Sookie Stackhouse and her world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, comes a darker locale - populated by more strangers than friends. But then, that's how the locals prefer it. Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It' s a pretty standard dried-up western town. There' s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There' s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there' s new resident, Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he' s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own). Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth....

©2014 Charlaine Harris, Inc. (P)2014 Recorded Books

Rocky Start but Good Mystery

Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 3.50

Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris had a very strong (and enjoyable) mystery and the characters are starting to grow on me!

Story Thoughts: I am a self-professed fangirl of Charlaine Harris' ability to write a good mystery. It is the main reason that I love her stories. She writes a darn good "who-dun-it". Midnight Crossroad is no exception in that aspect. Once we got to the mystery, the book really took off. I was invested and a little bit caught off guard that one of my off-the-wall guesses was right (granted I only guessed off-the-wall because sometimes Charlaine will do that). Even though it takes a bit to get to the mystery, it really was worth the journey. My only complaint was the pacing for the first 1/3 of the book which happens a lot in first in series. Especially when you are introducing a town as quirky as Midnight, TX!

Character Thoughts: Going to admit that it took till the last quarter of Midnight Crossing for me to get into the characters. In the beginning, I just couldn't quite connect with them. There were too many characters but towards the end I realized why. Now, I am invested in Fiji and her familiar. I was happy to see characters such as Manfred and Arthur from her other series. Overall, I am sure in the 2nd book I will have more favorites!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by: Susan Bennett/Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins


I thought Susan did an excellent job with the narration of Midnight Crossroad. She managed to capture the quirkiness of the town just right. She showcased the large cast in a way that made each one stand out and be completely unique. I will be continuing this in audio.

Final Thought: Rocky start but excellent mystery!

32 of 36 people found this review helpful

Okay

I'd rank it just above chick-lit. First off, I chose this book because Susan Bennett was the narrator and she is THE BEST of the female narrators. If you haven't heard her read "Bite Me" by Christopher Moore you are missing out. This book was an okay, easy listen. Hard to classify it as a vampire book since they really didn't feature much. Main protagonist was weak but not totally unlikeable. It kept me listening, just not fascinated. Like I said, probably best for the reader into light, uncomplicated novels or chick-lit.

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

Surprising Gem

What made the experience of listening to Midnight Crossroad the most enjoyable?

I loved hearing all the characters speak and found them all very entertaining. I was surprised, as reviews on this book had been mixed, which is why I put off buying it. However, I really loved it.

What other book might you compare Midnight Crossroad to and why?

This book reminds me a bit of the True Blood show, not so much the books she wrote. The characters are all sorts of twisted, but still somehow likable.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the scene in the pawn shop where two of the characters get creative in resolving a problem for Bobo.

If you could take any character from Midnight Crossroad out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Fiji hands down! She such a riot and a witch, what's not to like?

Any additional comments?

Honestly I really loved this book and was sad when it ended. I have to say I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. It is more comparable to the True Blood TV show, rather than the books it's based on....so, if you like the show, you might like this story.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great start to a new series with familiar faces

If you could sum up Midnight Crossroad in three words, what would they be?

Atmosphere, Midnight Crossroad is steeped in it, warm, familiar, comfy, scary and fun. Loved catching up with old favorites: Bobo Winthrop from the Lily Bard series, Manfred Bernardo from the Harper Connelly series and the sheriff from the Aurora Teagarden series. Great cast of new characters as well. After being disheartened over the last Sookie novel, this was a happy surprise and vintage Charlaine Harris. Back in my happy space.

Loved the performance. Susan Bennett's voice dropped me immediately in the town of Midnight and kept things exciting and enjoyable.

Very satisfying all the way round!

What other book might you compare Midnight Crossroad to and why?

Dead Until Dark

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

Loved the performance. I had bought the Kindle version and started reading, but realized I did want some audio atmosphere. Susan Bennett's voice dropped me immediately in the town of Midnight and kept things exciting and enjoyable.

Who was the most memorable character of Midnight Crossroad and why?

Manfred Bernardo, but I probably say that because he is a favorite character from the Harper Connelly series.

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

The verdict is still out

I'm not sure what to think of this book. It's very different from Charlaine Harris' other series. Although it included characters from other series. That was a surprise that I appreciated. Especially since I wish The Lily Bard series continued. This book started off very slow with just a hint that something good was coming. I had faith in Harris so I continued. The book didn't really pick up until the last few chapters. Then things took a very strange turn. I won't spoil the ending for anyone but it's rather shocking. I can see good things coming and I will get the next book.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Slow.

I am a Charlaine Harris fan, but this book was too slow. it captured that s all town feel. she developed her characters nicely and she made the reader want to be a part of this community. The ending has a good twist, but overall I felt underwhelmed and this is the first audible I had to force myself to finsh. I was waiting for magical battles, or steamy scenes...not this book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

slow meandering plot

I expected something faster paced from Harris. just okay. I won't listen to the next book in the series.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

GOTTA LOVE CHARLAINE HARRIS

What made the experience of listening to Midnight Crossroad the most enjoyable?

hearing about some old characters from her other books, along with some new fun ones too.

What other book might you compare Midnight Crossroad to and why?

lots of charlaines other books come to mind. from harper, teagarden, shakespear, and even sookies books. a little bit of everything we all love.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good mystery novel with excentric characters

What did you love best about Midnight Crossroad?

Another well written mystery by Charlaine Harris. It was wonderful to have one of her side characters get his own series, though he didn't quite feel like the main character in this. Manfred felt like just another side character, where the main character was either Bobo or Fiji. While they were wonderful characters, I would have liked to see Manfred a bit more involved in the story, but the other characters are great in and of themselves that it worked just to learn about them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr. Snuggly! I love how the true nature of a lazy cat is capture in him. (If you haven't read the book yet, then you'll understand this a whole lot better after. Not going to give anything away.)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did take a few breaks. It was interesting but it wasn't until the last quarter of the book where I didn't want to stop listening. There isn't any romance in this one, unlike other novels by Charlaine Harris. There's a lot of wanting, but no actual 'getting'. Sometimes that spice keeps things going.

Any additional comments?

Overall a good story and hope to read/listen to more in the future. Hoping for something with Manfred a bit more prominent now that he's settled in Midnight.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Delightful Tale for Charlaine Harris Fans

Any additional comments?

A nice, and a bit surprising, tale in and of itself, I'd recommend Midnight Crossroad to many readers.For Charlaine Harris fans who've read many of the author's other series novels, I HIGHLY recommend Midnight Crossroad. "Crossroad" is right.... or maybe "crossover". The novel is absolutely delightful for Harris fans. Each mention, allusion, and nod to another series by the author is like collecting magical Easter eggs. Enjoy the novel on one level. Enjoy the crossovers on a second, also enjoyable level.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful