A Cup Full of Midnight

Jared McKean Mystery #2

by Jaden Terrell

At thirty-six, private detective Jared McKean is coming to terms with his unjust dismissal from the Nashville Murder Squad and an unwanted divorce from a woman he still loves. Jared is a natural horseman and horse rescuer whose son has Down Syndrome, whose best friend is dying of AIDS, and whose teenage nephew, Josh, has fallen under the influence of a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture. When the fringe group's leader - a mind-manipulating sociopath who consideres himself a vampire - is found butchered and posed across a pentagram, Josh is the number one suspect. Jared will need all his skills as a private investigator and former homicide detective to match wits with the most terrifying killer he has ever seen. When he learns that Josh is next on the killer's list, Jared will risk his reputation, his family, and his life in a desperate attempt to save the boy he loves like a son.

"If there's anything Terrell can't do, you wouldn't know it from reading A Cup Full of Midnight. This is a riveting, deeply felt novel with a terrific mystery at its core." - Timothy Hallinan, author of the critically acclaimed Poke Rafferty Bangkok thrillers.

"If Taylor Jackson ever needed a private investigator, she would call Jared McKean.." - J.T. Ellison, best selling author of The Cold Room.

Genres: Mystery

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Jaden Terrell is a Shamus award finalist and the internationally published author of four novels private detective novels (Racing the Devil, A Cup Full of Midnight, River of Glass, and A Taste of Blood and Ashes) and one cozy black cat detective romantic mystery. Trouble Most Faire, set at a Renaissance Faire. Terrell is also a contributor to >i>Now Write! Mysteries a collection of exercises published by Tarcher/Penguin for writers of crime fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Killer Nashville Noir: Coldblooded and Year-Round Trouble.

A Nashville-based writing coach & consultant, Terrell also teaches a series of workshops and online courses for writers.

The former special education teacher has attended the Metro Nashville, FBI/TBI, and TBI Citizen Academies and is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Women's National Book Association, and Private Eye Writers of America.

Terrell is a recipient of the 2009 Magnolia Award and the 2016 Silver Quill Award for service to the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and of the 2016 Killer Nashville Builder Award.

Reviews

[Michael Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Cup Full of Midnight: A Jared McKean Mystery
By: Jaden Terrell
Hardcover, 288 pages Published August 15th 2012 by The Permanent Press
ISBN13: 9781579622251

Overall 4 out of 5 stars

This is is second book in the Jared McKean Mystery series. I have not read the first book, yet, but as soon as I get a chance to, I will. A Cup Full of Midnight is a murder mystery. McKean is a private investigator and former homicide detective whose nephew has become a suspect the the murder of a former lover. McKean gets involved to clear his nephew's name but uncovers a lot more trouble than simply clearing his nephew's name.

Creativity 4 out of 5 stars

This is a classic murder mystery in format and the story itself is classic murder mystery so the for stars do not come from the creativity in plot. The four stars come from one of the two outstanding things about this novel, style. Jaden Terrell's writing style is awesome, I loved it. There is a certain style to the writing that i cannot quite explain. Jaden Terrell does a little more telling than showing than I do, but it really works. Terrell leaves much of the scene to the imagination of the reader, which I prefer because it makes everyone see the book from a slightly different perspective, but Terrell throws in these little nuances of the scene that you would probably not even notice in a movie, but add a poetic style to the writing.

Characters 5 out of 5 stars

These characters jump from the pages and this is really where Jaden Terrell shines. Almost all of the characters have the appropriate amount of page space, have their own uniqueness that you can relate to and really make the story. The best thing about this book is the main character, Jared McKean, who is one of the best protagonist that I have ever read about. These types of books generally have extremely tough, manly men, that you wouldn't really like in real life, overly smart detective minds that make preposterous conclusions with psychic like abilities, or females that have and implausible ability to defeat multiple foes that are way stronger than her, but not McKean. Jared McKean is human, his vulnerability, compassion, and realism shine through to create a main character that you can empathize with, root for, and thoroughly enjoy. This is everything that character development should be. When other authors read my criticisms about their characters, this is how it should be.

Spelling and Grammar 4 out of 5 stars

I did not find anything glaring about the editing at all. The knock comes from the occasional repeating of certain things. For instance, the first time Jaden wrote about a character counting down with his fingers by saying that he ticked them off on his fingers, which was a nice way of visualizing the movement of pulling the top of a finger down, like people do to count something off, but the third or fourth time I heard it, the uniqueness was lost and it became annoying.

Execution 4 out of 5 stars

Jaden Terrell executed A Cup Full of Midnight very well. For about three fourths of the way through, I thought I knew how it would end, but I was wrong, which was nice. The best part about the execution was that while McKean has a police background and still has connections in the department, Jaden Terrell has some familiarity, but is no expert and chose to not get into the procedural elements of how police interact or run investigations, like I do in Eliot because it is my expertise. Terrell chose instead to focus on character driven elements of the plot and did it exceptionally well.

Without question I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys mysteries or character driven stories. Outstanding job by Jaden Terrell and please remember that recommendation does not come very often from me.

Michael A. Wood Jr.
The Critical Critic

[Sue Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent mystery that has depth and underrepresented character types. I would recommend reading his first one before this, but its not totally necessary

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaden Terrell has done it again. Her newest novel, A Cup Full of Midnight, picks up where Racing the Devil left off, with detective Jared McKean answering a desperate phone call from his niece Caitlin, whose teenage brother Josh is a suspect in a murder.
Josh has become involved with a Goth subculture group, whose leader, known as “Razor,” was brutally killed in what could be a ritualistic killing, or at least staged to look like one. McKean makes the clearing of Josh’s name his number one priority. But even as he searches for Razor’s killer, he must tread carefully with his brother Randall, Josh’s father, who struggles to come to terms with his son’s life choices. As McKean works through the maze of possible suspects, along with connections to his own family, he realizes that innocent people are in danger, and it is a race against time to catch the murder before he (or she) strikes again.
As McKean travels deeper into the Goth world his nephew has embraced, and more deaths occur, he moves closer to the truth and to a conclusion no one wants. And interspersed between his hours as an investigator, he must deal with the problems of his long-time friend and roommate Jay, whose former lover is dying of AIDS.
With vampires (so they say), vengeful killers and the unremitting sadness of parents who have lost a child, Terrell still steers a true course of a story where people are what they are, trying to do their best. She doesn’t stint in her use of the vivid language that these brutal situations require, but Jared McKean comes across as a person who will grow as this series continues.
Author Terrell does not just tell a story, she plays with language to permit the story to take on its own life as you read. And her characters never lose their humanity, even as they struggle with pain that is almost more than an individual can bear.
(Review appears in Suspense Magazine)

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you didn’t read Jaden Terrell’s Racing the Devil you missed a really good mystery novel. But don’t worry—you don’t have to have read it to be wholly enthralled and wholly satisfied by this second Jared McKean mystery. A Cup Full of Midnight is complete on its own, an intellectually thrilling mystery, psychologically scary and real, filled with memorable real-world characters and the sort of social commentary that comes from genuine conversation and honest concern. Jared McKean is a wounded protagonist with the strength to fight foes, the honesty to know when he’s beaten and the determination to get up and carry on. He’s frequently beaten but never down and out, and his concern for client, family, stranger and friend crosses boundaries of prejudice and bends the law with love.

A predator is dead at the start of this novel. Not just any predator, but one who preyed on McKean’s own nephew. Nearly everyone is pleased he’s gone. But the cops want to find out who killed him and teen victims suddenly find themselves facing exposure and accusation.

Lost children, suicide, and black magic rituals in the living room of an ordinary Nashville home; abusive neighbors, predatory friends, and teens role-playing as in a community center; broken relationships, a room-mate dying of AIDS and a son with Downs’ Syndrome… Somehow they all mix together into a tale of human passion, fast action and riveting mystery. These characters could live next door. These wounds could be worn by neighbors anywhere. But a story this powerful is hard to find, a mystery this intriguing, or a narrator as brutally honest and generous and kind.

I’m lucky to have read both novels of this series. I’m eagerly awaiting more.

Disclosure: I received a free bound galley of this novel from the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nashville. Horses. Country music. Murder? It worked in Jaden Terrell’s debut and it works in her second novel A Cup Full of Midnight. Welcome back private investigator Jared McKean, a sensitive tough guy which should appeal to a wide swath of readers. His housemate has AIDS, his son has Down’s Syndrome, he’s divorced, loves his ex and respects his ex’s new husband and new situation. He likes to ride his horse in his down time. He’s been a decent advisor/ father-figure to his teenaged gay nephew Josh. Author Jaden Terrell takes the reader on a twisted ride through Nashville’s darker streets and seedier lifestyles in which people think they’re vampires and witches and demons. Plenty of details and descriptions take you right inside the ritualistic alliance. Terrific characters and a disturbing mystery makes for a solid summer page-turner. full review at http://entertainmentrealm.com

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has many layers. At the heart is a murder mystery with many twists that kept me guessing throughout. We also explore love and loss, the depths of friendship, and the intricacies of family.

I found the characters compelling. They have strengths and faults, are well-developed and feel totally human. The plot is completely believably and relevant to our world today. The writing is exceptional, with a pace that is quick without feeling rushed.

This is the second Jared McKean mystery. I have not read the first, and that wasn't a problem here. This book reads well as a stand-alone. Though, after having read this one, I fully intend to go back and read the first.

[Rosa M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book grew on me as it went along. At first the subject matter was quite dark and strange, but the pace of the writing made me curious to get to the next event, and the next, and the next. The author created a subculture outside of most people's comfort zone, and deftly kept the characters down to earth.

[Islefaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed that it was set in Nashville since I lived there for a little while once. Also loved how the main character had a gay friend and it dealt with his feelings of overcoming homophobia to realize his friend meant more to him than what the rest of the world thought about it. Uhm everybody needs to do that, people are people. Nice mystery read too :D

[Holly McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because it is set in Nashville and I wanted to see how the city I'm familiar with is portrayed in fiction. Quickly, however, I was drawn in to the plot and developed sympathy for the characters. There are a few rough edges here and there, but this is an excellent mystery and bodes well for other books by this author. I will be looking for them.

[Paul Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mysteries are not my genre, but if you're into them, you'll enjoy this latest tale by local author Jaden Terrell. The cast of characters is a menagerie of misfits, outcasts, unfortunates and crazies that somehow blend together into this bizarre tale of the gothic, vampire sub-culture of Nashville. Well written and enjoyable to the murder mystery crowd.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in the Goodreads giveaway...This book was a great read and very well written.It is full of everything you would want in a book, action,great pace from start to finish,characters that you won't forget and much more.Can't wait to read more from this author..

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the firstreads giveaways, and I enjoyed it. The mystery was good, though I think I most enjoyed that the author was not afraid to kill people off, and thus the ending was also good. I would certainly not mind reading more of these!

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this novel AFTER you have read the first in the series entitled RACING THE DEVIL. Great characters, great plot and more. Couldn't put the book down and I read every detail!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Goth culture, well developed characters and fast moving plot.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good! I liked it a lot and the plot was intriguing the whole way through. I didn't know what happened until the main character did. I also enjoyed the main character on his own, which is always a plus and honestly a little rare.

[CAROL · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting but hard to follow: too large a cast of characters

[Gloria Feit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared McKean, 36 years of age and now a private detective after seven years with the Nashville Metro Police Department, has gone, as he describes it, from “uniformed patrol officer to undercover vice officer to homicide detective to outsider.” Now he has his most important client ever: his nephew, Josh. Josh and his sister, 14-year-old Caitlin, are as close to him as anyone in his life, the boy feeling closer to him than to his own father. Lately Josh’s life has been in a state of upheaval, having not long ago come out of the closet and left home to live with Sebastian Parker, known as “Razor,” the sociopath who’d seduced him [a man in his late 20’s to Josh’s 16]. After the latter’s murder a few days before, Josh had attempted suicide, and now ‘hires’ Jared to find out who killed Razor. No simple task, since he seems to have engendered hatred in most everyone whose path he crossed. In what appears to be a ritual killing, he had been slashed to death, emasculated, eviscerated, and his body placed on a pentagram, surrounded by occult symbols.

The novel is a cautionary tale of disenchanted youth and the Goth sub-culture, “vampire wannabees.” I was initially – but only initially - unsure whether this was a book for me, agreeing with the protagonist when he says “I didn’t believe in magic spells or voodoo curses. I didn’t believe in vampires or witches or things that go bump in the night. The only monsters I had ever seen were human.”

This is the second in the Jared McKean series, following the terrific “Racing the Devil,” and it doesn’t disappoint. Jared’s “ex” hits the nail on the head in explaining why she couldn’t stay married to him, citing his career choice: “It’s not what you do; it’s who you are. You’re a hero waiting for something to die for.” Jared is a fascinating protagonist. Still on good terms with his ex-wife [now re-married and in her ninth month of pregnancy], they are both devoted to their eight-year-old Down Syndrome son, Paulie. He shares a ranch with his best childhood friend, Jay, now battling AIDS, and his three horses: Dakota, the rescued Arabian; Crockett, the Tennessee Walker; and Tex, the palomino gelding Quarter Horse. As the investigation continues, several suspects emerge, and Jared’s investigation puts his life, and that of his nephew, at risk, and he becomes even more relentless. Well-plotted, the book has more than one heart-stopping moment. It was a very good read, and is recommended.

[Clay Stafford]

Beth Terrell, executive director for Killer Nashville, knows first-hand I’m blatantly anti-nepotistic. In fact, I’m harder on family and friends than I am on anybody. So when I choose a book of the day by Jaden Terrell (Beth’s pseudonym), she knows it means something. You should, as well. Beth turns a story like no other. Her latest book, “A Cup Full of Midnight” is no exception. In this second installment of PI Jared McKean, the tough detective takes on the world of the goth. It’s a fascinating, well-researched journey and one I know you’re not going to want to miss.

From Amazon:

“At thirty-six, private detective Jared McKean is coming to terms with his unjust dismissal from the Nashville Murder Squad and an unwanted divorce from a woman he still loves. Jared is a natural horseman and horse rescuer whose son has Down Syndrome, whose best friend is dying of AIDS, and whose teenage nephew, Josh, has fallen under the influence of a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture. When the fringe group’s leader – a mind-manipulating sociopath who consideres himself a vampire – is found butchered and posed across a pentagram, Josh is the number one suspect. Jared will need all his skills as a private investigator and former homicide detective to match wits with the most terrifying killer he has ever seen. When he learns that Josh is next on the killer’s list, Jared will risk his reputation, his family, and his life in a desperate attempt to save the boy he loves like a son.

“If there’s anything Terrell can’t do, you wouldn’t know it from reading A Cup Full of Midnight. This is a riveting, deeply felt novel with a terrific mystery at its core.” – Timothy Hallinan, author of the critically acclaimed Poke Rafferty Bangkok thrillers.”


A Cup Full of Midnight on Killer Nashville
My Other Reviews on Killer Nashville

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is rather gory and dark. The original murder is truly gruesome and described in some detail. So if you don’t want to hear about entrails this is not for you. The story is filled with suspects that all had good reason to want the murdered man dead and figuring out which one of them got to him first keeps the reader guessing. Jared, the detective, is an interesting figure that has many things going on in his life besides the murder so you get a nice picture of who he is as a whole and not just a one dimensional cop. You even get a good picture of the murdered man even though you never actually get to meet him. The only character I didn’t really understand was the maybe new girlfriend. She seemed shoved in somehow and I can only hope it is setting something up for future books because she seemed out of place here. There are a lot of themes running through this book; love, loss, hate, loyalty, betrayal, vengeance. It even looks at evil in men and the intricate workings of the mind and how it can be manipulated and twisted. And they are all worked in well. The story moves quickly but I wouldn’t call it light reading. It is a hard edged mystery and can get pretty grim at times. Don’t read this if you are depressed. But if you want something more than a cozy mystery this will do the trick.

[Viccy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaren McKean is a P.I. on the mean streets of Nashville. An ex-cop, divorced from a woman he still loves with a Down Syndrome child, Jared struggles with anger issues. He lives with his best friend from childhood, a gay man living with AIDS. His nephew is implicated in the murder of a Goth/vampire wannabe and Jared takes the case on, head-first. He becomes submerged in the Goth underculture and learns more than he ever wanted to know about headgames and the psychology of abuse. An interesting read, I liked Jared, especially his support of his gay room-mate, for a macho man, he understands loyalty and stands his ground.

[Jerri Ledford · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since a book snagged my emotions. This one did.

Another excellent book from Terrell. The characters could be people in real life. The situations, real. I laughed and cried for the people in this story. I feel their pain and triumph. Jared McKean is a real a "hero" as any man can be, living a life as real as any man could live. It's a tough, gritty mystery that keeps you guessing and second-guessing all the way to the twisted end.

[David Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the Goodreads first-read giveaway. This was a good story but it seems to be missing something to me. I can't put my finger on it. Didn't have a "happily ever-after" ending.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this book. I find that Jared is a very interesting and enjoyable character. The book was dark and an interesting read. I didn’t get into this one as much as Racing the Devil but was still a solid read and I will be anticipating the next book in this series.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has made her characters and setting come to life. So much so that I'm going to go back and read the first in the series. It was a delight to meet and chat with Jaden at Murder in the Magic City this February, 2014 in Birmingham, AL.

[J.J. Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which is the second in a series. Terrell does a great job with creating a realistic protagonist who has real-life problems, insecurities, and shortcomings. I also like that the setting is Nashville, which is not that common for novels. I highly recommend this book.

[David Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A distinct improvement on the first novel in this series, this represents a good balance between character development and plot.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2014/0...

[Peg Brantley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark your calendars for August 9th. That's the release date for Terrell's new book. It's terrific. And in the meantime, if you haven't read RACING THE DEVIL, you're in for a treat.

[Stephanie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author to me, thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the new voice.

[Layne · Rating 3 out of 5]

very dark and brooding. not really my style.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine mystery with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader going.