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Midnight Crossroad

(Midnight, Texas #1)

Charlaine Harris (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating details · 26,635 ratings · 3,678 reviews

FIRST IN A NEW TRILOGY

From Charlaine Harris, the bestselling 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 Witc

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Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Published May 6th 2014 by Ace (first published January 1st 2014)

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3.69 ·

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· 26,635 ratings · 3,678 reviews

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Feb 15, 2018 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-all, own

I can't believe I have had this damn trilogy for 6,000 years and had no idea I had my own little gem! Story of my life!!

I loved it and all of the characters! 😄

Mel ❤

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

AMAZON: REVIEW ...more

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Mar 18, 2014 Ang from OZ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Interested to see what this is like. Think I'll wait and see what early reviews say first though.
I haven't forgiven Ms Harris for the last few books in the Sookie Stackhouse series yet......

Update- I reckon if I get 100 likes on this I'll buy the stupid book and review it.

Update- As stated once I hit 100 likes I agreed to read and review this book. So the book is on its way, Stay Tuned for Review...
In the mean time, check out the Interview with Charlaine Harris where she talks about her books ...more

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Jan 16, 2014 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ Rabid Reads-no-more rated it liked it

Shelves: not-your-ordinary-creatures, mystery, some-kinda-magic, southern-comfort, urban-fantasy, vampires, weres-shapeshifters, rabid-reads-reviews

2/7/18 - ON SALE for $2.99:

http://amzn.to/2wnV3Kw

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

3.5 stars

I love Charlaine Harris. Really, I do.

When I started reading her SOOKIE STACKHOUSE books, I was so desperate for more Harris reading material (in the between books time) that I did something I’d never done before—I read mysteries.

Why did I read mysteries?

B/c that’s what Harris writes. She wrote mysteries for years, only having middling success. I don’t know if Harris had a dream filled with vampires and werewolve ...more

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Jan 25, 2016 Darth J rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, witch-wizard, werewolf-shapeshifter, vampire, urban-fantasy, disappointing, slow

After reading that the premise of supernatural people living in a small town, I immediately thought of one of my perennial favorites: HalloweenTown.

What I got, however, was a dull and meandering story of a one-horse town that is, in a word: lame.

While I wasn’t one of the angered fans of how Harris ended her Southern Vampire Mysteries/ Sookie Stackhouse books, I am disappointed in this one. This new series exists in the same universe and yet is so lacking in each and every way. Gone is the smoky- ...more

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Mar 15, 2014 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm a big Charlaine Harris fan and I've read all of her other series, so when I found out she had a new trilogy coming out this year I was super excited. And then I received an ARC months before the book was due to be released, so I couldn't wait to get started.

Manfred Bernardo has just moved into the (very) small town of Midnight. He's a 'psychic' and has his own business, conducted online and on the phone, so this isolated place seemed like a good place to move. Most of his work includes the ...more

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Apr 09, 2017 Jilly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: werewolves-and-other-furry-shifters, vampires, urban-fantasy, paranormal-mystery, 2017-machalo-reading-challenge

Oh man, how can I trust Ms. Harris with my heart again after the travesty that was the ending of the Sookie Stackhouse series? And yet, here I go again. A sucker for pain.

Bring it on

This book has a slow pacing, so be aware. It is set in a small town in West Texas, and since I live in Houston, I have been through many of these types of places. The lifestyle is slower. The iced tea is so sweet you will get insta-cavities, which is fine because there always seems to be a lack of teeth going on anyw ...more

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May 11, 2014 Meg Leader rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I was hugely disappointed in this new book. It is the first of the series, with Manfred, the psychic friend of Harper Connelly as the star carryover from previous books. (Though, to be fair, Lily Bard from the Shakespeare books gets a mention too.)

I so looked forward to this. I absolutely have loved every one of Charlaine Harris's books--I'm pretty sure I've read all her published novels, even the very early ones. And the Harper Connelly series (GRAVE SIGHT, etc.) is my absolute favorite. I like I was hugely disappointed in this new book. It is the first of the series, with Manfred, the psychic friend of Harper Connelly as the star carryover from previous books. (Though, to be fair, Lily Bard from the Shakespeare books gets a mention too.)

I so looked forward to this. I absolutely have loved every one of Charlaine Harris's books--I'm pretty sure I've read all her published novels, even the very early ones. And the Harper Connelly series (GRAVE SIGHT, etc.) is my absolute favorite. I liked Manfred in that series, the young man who worked with and looked after his grandmother. Both made a living as psychics, with Manfred having more actual talent than his grandmother, but both having actual flashes of psychic skills.

But...my disappointment level is huge with this opening book of the new Midnight Texas series. First, the writing is very flat. This is a little town in West Texas out in the middle of nowhere, with maybe a couple hundred total residents, most of whom live in outlying ranches. The people living in the town are a group of a dozen or so. Of this cadre of characters, all of them appear to have odd back stories. One is a vampire. The businesses these people run appear to have no likelihood of ever drawing a single customer--who would go there to buy anything???--yet they all scratch out an acceptable living. Harris does so many character POV switches that we never really get to know any of the characters very well. She doesn't head-hop--the POV switches are clearly done. But everything is very shallow and...well...flat.

Even worse. This is a mystery series, right? Well, in my Kindle edition, I was 80% of the way through the book before a dead body appeared! NOTHING HAPPENS in this story. There's no real conflict. There's no real story problem that drives the story from start to end.

WORST OF ALL: No one has any real, knowable motivation for anything except the most superficial kind (It's the end of the worst of the summer heat, so let's do a community picnic to celebrate). Okay, I can accept the vampire's motivation for staying there--he's been there 100+ years. Maybe he's attached to home ground. But everyone else--most especially the "lead" characters Fiji and Manfred (the ones whose POV we're in most often)--have ZERO apparent motivation for moving to or staying in this nowhere place of Midnight, Texas. We never do learn why Manfred (last seen in the Harper Connelly books somewhere in NC or Tennessee...someplace like that) has chosen Midnight as his new place to be. There's not even a hint of how he even found it on the map, much less why he moved there. I'll grant that the motivation of one of the characters for living there is key to solving the question of who did in the dead body, but still...

So...while the place has some level of intrigue (there is that vamp, and, apparently, other less-than-normal characters. And Fiji, of course, is a working witch), the characters themselves do not. Where is Sookie's quirky humor and desire to be normal? (No one in Midnight appears to have a sense of humor.) Where is Harper Connelly's drive to find her missing sister? No one has any push to accomplish anything. There is no story problem driving the story. There is virtually no conflict anywhere in the book, except a minimal amount at the end. The POV switches seem designed to prevent the reader from getting close to the characters and provide a lazy way to "tell" readers what's going on rather than "showing" them. This is flat, simplistic writing. I'm surprised the editors didn't call Harris on this and insist that it be done better. Or that her agent didn't tell her it wasn't ready for publication yet. SOMEONE should have said, this is a good start, now go back and make it your usual excellent writing.

A HUGE disappointment from a beloved author. ...more

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Apr 24, 2014 Judy Lesley rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, suspense

What happens when a witch, a vampire, and a psychic walk into the Home Cookin restaurant in Midnight, Texas? Answer: not much.

I have been tempted to read novels written by Charlaine Harris, but had never satisfied my curiosity. I figured the first book in a new trilogy would be a good place to start. This story is set in a tiny hamlet that is nothing more than a stoplight at a crossroads. The book reads as if every inhabitant of the town is included in the character list. The beginning of the no What happens when a witch, a vampire, and a psychic walk into the Home Cookin restaurant in Midnight, Texas? Answer: not much.

I have been tempted to read novels written by Charlaine Harris, but had never satisfied my curiosity. I figured the first book in a new trilogy would be a good place to start. This story is set in a tiny hamlet that is nothing more than a stoplight at a crossroads. The book reads as if every inhabitant of the town is included in the character list. The beginning of the novel is rather slow since so many characters have to be introduced and partially explained and it took quite a while to figure out even what type of novel it would be. So....let me tell you that one of the residents of the town left one day and has not been heard from since. When a badly decomposed body is found the investigation gets underway to verify who the person was and how they died. The list of characters includes a witch, a vampire, a psychic (or is he just a con man?) and others who might be simply humans or who might be revealed in future novels to be other than human. A lot of room was left for this story to evolve and that aspect left it feeling rather unpolished to me. There are things which go bump in the night, but they are glossed over with no explanation and no expansion so there is no fear and not much strangeness factor developed. All of the characters maintain "boundaries" of personal history which it is considered impolite to cross. Those boundaries were mentioned often and resulted in the story coming to a squealing halt and then trying to get back started. To me that was simply saying you need to buy the next novel to see if any more will be revealed. The community comes together most often at the restaurant where most of the main characters have their assigned seats. Even the vampire feels right at home.

I was not much impressed with my first Charlaine Harris novel. By bringing in the white supremacy aspect you would think there would be menace and tension established and yet it all just fizzled out with no resolution. Black leather clad ruffians? Yep. On motorcycles? Yep. Ho hum. More reason to buy the next novel in the series to see if Mama and Daddy took the leader to the woodshed? No, not for me. This novel didn't have the depth of character or plot I would have expected from a well established author. In fact, it was pretty much a bland reading experience. And don't forget to buy that next book, y'all hear?

I received an ARC of this novel through the Amazon Vine Voices program. ...more

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Apr 11, 2014 Shannon Godwin marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I am just wondering if this series is going to be like the true blood series & let us all down at the end.... I don't think I know of one person who really enjoyed the last couple of those books.

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Mar 11, 2018 Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: part-of-series, book-club, fairytalechallenge, reviewed, put-on-site

“If you live next door to an apex predator, you shouldn’t go around poking him with a stick."

I became a Charlaine Harris fan when introduced to her Sookie Stackhouse wonders (except the last few books, let’s just forget those shall we?) I followed up with other series, but none captured me like her paranormally twisted Louisiana town that boasted a rare psychic, werewolves, and a bizarre blend of vampire personalities. I was hopeful this new paranormal series was her returning to the roots that “If you live next door to an apex predator, you shouldn’t go around poking him with a stick."

I became a Charlaine Harris fan when introduced to her Sookie Stackhouse wonders (except the last few books, let’s just forget those shall we?) I followed up with other series, but none captured me like her paranormally twisted Louisiana town that boasted a rare psychic, werewolves, and a bizarre blend of vampire personalities. I was hopeful this new paranormal series was her returning to the roots that made her so successful in the first place, but I’m starting to wonder if the exhaustion she started clearly feeling with the Sookie novels meant her heart really isn’t in the place for another paranormal start.

This time all the characters are together in one town, an odd assortment of people who are brought together by a small pawn shop, a tiny country diner, a convenience store and….streets basically. The town just isn’t that exciting, but the church where the Reverend hosts his pet cemeteries and rare weddings brings in some spice of interest.

Most of her series stay focused on a main character, but here she hops around to several viewpoints with a third-person writing style. Mainly focusing on the POVs of Manfred ( a weak and inconsistent psychic, sort of), Fiji (a witch type), and sometimes a few other characters, it seems a little distant for Harris’s typical intimate writing style. Names are downright bizarre – Fiji reminds me a water, Bobo reminds me of clowns, Lemuel makes me think of pale colored beans, Creek (?), the strange names don’t stop.

Harris made her name with mystery novels, but here the mystery is a bit slight. Bobo’s ex is found dead eventually, and they try to figure out who did the dastardly deed, but it takes awhile to get going. The main focus is on this paranoid and demented group that are after Bobo for a truly strange reason that still doesn’t make a whole bunch of sense to me. At the end the murder is solved almost as an afterthought when lightning strikes for everyone’s imagination. I will say the solution for dealing with that was nifty enough since it blends cold-blooded characters with the small-town us-against-them mentality.

Overall Midnight, Texas is a sedate and dry seeming town that tries to appear more interesting than it ends up being. I’m curious on the show though and how some more life injected into these characters may solve some of the issues that weighed down the book. ...more

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Jun 02, 2014 Shannon rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed, mystery, trilogies, vampires, 2014, witches, adult, you-disappointed-me, cozy-mystery

I've read at least one book (in some cases all) of every single series Charlaine Harris has written. Her earlier cozy mysteries are at worst, mind numbingly boring (especially Aurora Teagarden), and at best, mildly interesting. Midnight Crossroad unfortunately falls into the cozy mystery genre, though I was hoping for more of a Harper Connelly-type story, especially given the (sort of) main character hails from that series, but this ends up closer to Lily Bard's series instead.

Stay away from th I've read at least one book (in some cases all) of every single series Charlaine Harris has written. Her earlier cozy mysteries are at worst, mind numbingly boring (especially Aurora Teagarden), and at best, mildly interesting. Midnight Crossroad unfortunately falls into the cozy mystery genre, though I was hoping for more of a Harper Connelly-type story, especially given the (sort of) main character hails from that series, but this ends up closer to Lily Bard's series instead.

Stay away from this if you don't like mysteries solved by people who shouldn't be solving mysteries (one of Harris's protagonists in another series is a cleaning lady, and yet the worst one is a librarian. No, these people should not, and would not, solve mysteries in real life!) Cozy mysteries as a whole just don't make much sense to me, though I realize lots of people like them.

Also skip this if multiple POVs make your head spin. On one occasion the POV switched mid-page. I was ok with this most of the time, but it took me a second to go with the flow.

Another thing, if you're a fan of whodunit mysteries and like to try to figure out the killer, good luck with this one. I don't think I'm oblivious to signs and clues but I had no idea who the killer was up until they were revealed. I honestly don't see how anyone could guess what had happened or why until it's spelled out in the end.

I'd like to say that this is a case of "first book syndrome" where things are just getting setup and the author can be forgiven for a shaky start: but COME ON. How many books has Harris written now? Plus, this is just a trilogy! She only has two more times to make this series seem worth reading.

Some of the characters are really interesting and I want to learn more about them, so that's why I'll continue reading this series. Plus, like I said this is just a trilogy. I don't have to invest much and I don't regret reading this book, even with its faults. I did borrow it from the library, which I suggest most should do, or wait for the paperback. Sadly, Harris is no longer on my insta-buy list for authors I'll blindly buy hardcovers of. I really wish she'd write another paranormal series because I know from experience that her cozy mysteries just aren't that exciting for me. ...more

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Mar 24, 2014 Anna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, mystery

If I could give this book six stars I would. Every page was a delight, from the beginning where I got to meet beloved old characters from my favorite past Charlaine Harris series to the end, where I was left satisfied and enlightened and yet still curious about what is to come in the secretive town of Midnight, Texas. This is little more than a crossroads with a traffic light and a small handful of residents all of whom have their reasons for living there, and town custom is to not enquire about If I could give this book six stars I would. Every page was a delight, from the beginning where I got to meet beloved old characters from my favorite past Charlaine Harris series to the end, where I was left satisfied and enlightened and yet still curious about what is to come in the secretive town of Midnight, Texas. This is little more than a crossroads with a traffic light and a small handful of residents all of whom have their reasons for living there, and town custom is to not enquire about each other's reasons. They all have their secrets, and they all want to keep their secrets. Of course events are set in motion that lead to the spilling of a lot of them....

The book begins as my favorite character from the Grave series, the intermittently psychic and always charming Manfred Bernardo, moves into town to rent a house from Bobo Winthrop, who has grown from the golden boy of Shakespeare, Arkansas into a troubled thirty something pawn shop proprietor, landlord to a vampire, and target of roving gangs of white supremacists. Bobo is having a hard time living down his family's legacy of racism and hatred, and now his girlfriend has disappeared and he is heartbroken. We get to know the town as Manfred does: the awkwardly well meaning witch Fiji and her familiar Mr Snuggly (who is now one of my Favorite Fictional Felines), the mysterious vampiric couple in the basement, the hard working proprietors of the Home Cookin restaurant, the sweetly mysterious couple at the nail salon/antique store, the anxiously closed down family who run the Gas & Go. Soon they all have to band together to solve a murder and cope with attacks on the community from gangs of white supremacists. Harris obviously had a great time writing this book and added in references to all her previous series, making it an absolute treat for those of us who've read her entire output. I don't think you need to have read any of her books to enjoy this one, however, but it will spoil Shakespeare's Champion for you if you haven't read it, as the events in that book are the reason why those gangs just won't leave Bobo Winthop alone.

It is interesting to see how Harris has blended the worlds of all four of her previous series, especially given the fact that in one of them, the Sookie Stackhouse books, the paranormal are generally acknowledged to exist, but not in the other three. It does work, just, because the Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard books happened before the invention of True Blood and the subsequent outing of the vampires, so it is easy to believe that events in those books could have happened in a world crawling with paranormal creatures, it's just that the characters of that world lived in blissful ignorance of that fact. In the Grave series ghosts and psychics are real, which makes it easier to for one world to step into the next (as actually happened in the short story "the Blue Hereafter" where Manfred visited Bon Temps). The human authorities don't seem to be as aware of the paranormal in Midnight as they are in Bon Temps, but again, this could just be due to not wanting to think about it, instead of not knowing about it. No one seems very surprised by the existence of Midnight's vampire, they are just terrified of him. But unlike Bon Temps where the local bigots are all about human rights, the bigots near Midnight are focused on white supremacy, succession from the federal government and other political movements that are actually going on in our own Texas. It takes the urban fantasy a step back from the candy colored wackiness of the Stackhouse novels and grounds things more into the realism of the Grave novels, and I like that. It's a more stable balance and I think in finding that balance Harris has found her voice as an author again, the last few Stackhouse novels were basically unreadable, but this new book is something to treasure and not only read but re-read. She's an author who has a lot she wants to say about the American South and this new balance gives her the opportunity for social commentary while still having fun with the fantastical elements. ...more

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Feb 15, 2018 Crystal rated it liked it · review of another edition

audiobook.
Cute, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had physically read it

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May 09, 2014 Branwen Sedai *of the White Ajah* rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-science-fiction

I'm a little disheartened to say that one of the most highly anticipated books for me this year ended up being the biggest disappointment thus far. :/

I used to really look forward to each Sookie Stackhouse book that came out, even if the storyline sort of fizzled out by the end of the series. So I was really excited to discover that she had a new series coming out and that it featured a small town in Texas that was surrounded by mysterious circumstances.

Suffice to say I was sad to find out tha ...more

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Jul 13, 2014 Yodamom rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cookbooks, cute-animals, favorite-author, mystery, vampires, wizards, witches

3.5- it was slow, it was not exciting, and yet it was a pleasurable experience. I enjoyed the relaxed small town feel of the story. The pacing was easy, how life happens in a one gas station country town. A place where everybody knows your business and keeps to theirs for the most part. This is the kind of community that reveals their steal bonds in times of trouble. It is also a place where many beings have come to hide away from the outside world. Not much happens no, but the characters introd ...more

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Dec 01, 2013 ALPHAreader rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

*** I try not to give ‘Harper Connelly’ or ‘Lily Bard’ spoilers away – but I do have to mention how it is that two characters from those series are able to migrate into this new Charlaine Harris universe, so if you intend to read those books and don’t want to be in the least bit spoiled – STOP READING! ***

Manfred Bernardo – 22-year-old phone and online psychic – has just packed up and moved his entire life to Midnight, Texas. One stoplight town with a pawnshop, resident witch and more secrets t ...more

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Jun 08, 2015 ᴥ Irena ᴥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, magic, mystery, paranormal, vampires, witches

Welcome to Crazytown, Texas. Everyone here is hiding something; be it one's past or nature, they all have that in common. There are more POVs but they are all about the same things: the main mystery and what they think of each other. Midnight Crossroad is more of an introduction to the series and setting the stage for future mysteries and problems these characters might be facing than anything else. Also, I love the book summary.

I can't be sure if I would feel the same about Manfred if I didn't ...more

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May 11, 2014 Kirsti rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Possibly the most boring book I've read this year. Dry writing, boring characters, boring murder mystery. If the whole point of this novel is solving the murder of a character, I would have liked to know more about her, enough to actually care she was dead. Instead Manfred moves to town long after she's disappeared, and that's when the story begins.

Why do Charlaine Harris characters end up with such cracked names? Maybe it's just me, but most people I meet have names like, Matt, Brad, etc, but w ...more

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Nov 16, 2018 Cyndi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

First of all take the Sookie of it all out of your brain. Although this is about a small town in the south it’s much different. Well, except for the supernatural stuff and the killings. Okay, it’s kinda different. Mostly because we have more POV’s. I got so tired of Sookie.
Anyway...a physic moves into Midnight, TX shortly after a woman disappears. As the story progresses we have that mystery to solve along with getting to know the characters in this cool town.

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Nov 21, 2013 Elaine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Marked ad to read! So excited Manfred is getting his own trilogy! I wonder if Harper and Tolliver will make any appearances ??Can't wait!

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May 08, 2014 Arielle Walker rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-unusual, crime-thriller, urban-fantasy

Midnight Crossroad‘s blurb urges readers to “stay a while, and learn the truth”, so it's rather frustrating to discover that the whole “truth” about the town of Midnight and its residents will have to wait until book two. The truth about this first book, however, is plain: despite an interesting premise, great characters and a lot of potential, it never goes anywhere.

After the prologue has quirkily – if a little clumsily – set the scene, fantasy elements are introduced quickly, with hints of mor Midnight Crossroad‘s blurb urges readers to “stay a while, and learn the truth”, so it's rather frustrating to discover that the whole “truth” about the town of Midnight and its residents will have to wait until book two. The truth about this first book, however, is plain: despite an interesting premise, great characters and a lot of potential, it never goes anywhere.

After the prologue has quirkily – if a little clumsily – set the scene, fantasy elements are introduced quickly, with hints of more to come later on. Psychic newcomer Manfred has an awkward encounter with a vampire before attempting to befriend Fiji, a gentle witch. Fiji is in love with the oddly named Bobo, a handsome man who owns the pawn shop in Midnight – one of only five or so shops in the boarded up town. Some of the items in the pawn shop are possibly more magical than they look. We are told this. Bobo’s girlfriend has left him, but in Midnight things are never as they seem, and the whole town is quickly drawn together to stop the darkness that threatens them all. We are told this, too.

So far, so good. It all seems promising, and the first half of the book lives up to that promise. Lives are threatened, murderous plots are uncovered and secrets are slowly revealed. And then… nothing else happens. Or rather, events that have been foreshadowed since the beginning are suddenly over for no particular reason, replaced by other plot points that make very little sense and are resolved far too quickly (with some rather shady ethics involved, I might add) and then it’s back to descriptions of the mundane details of many not so mundane lives in a big lead up to… the next book.

It’s not all bad, just disappointing, as aside from these faults, Midnight Crossroad is charming and fun. Despite the death and heartbreak that occurs throughout it’s also a strangely innocent read. It’s a shame that the entire book feels like a prologue for a much longer story that hasn’t been released yet.

Full review here.

Recieved from the publisher through NZ Booklovers ...more

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Jun 05, 2014 Kaora rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: mindless-books

What did I just read?

This is my first Charlaine Harris book, so I went in not knowing what to expect.

A book about a town consisting of a vampire, a witch and a psychic and a host of other strange creatures and people. Should have been an interesting read.

IT WASN'T.

I was bored. Bored bored BORED. That is when I wasn't scratching my head saying WTF?

The book and the people are just so illogical. Maybe I am expecting too much. It is a book with snake-people, witches and vampires, so I suppose expect ...more

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Jun 08, 2015 SUSAN *Nevertheless,she persisted* rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars.

I read Ms. Harris's "True Blood" series and though I enjoyed it,the series fizzled out at the end.
I was hesitant to start another series,but I liked this book. I was not crazy about the storyline. I thought the "whodunit" storyline line was a little lame. It seemed a little forced.

I loved the characters in this book and want to know about them,so Ms Harris effectively hooked me.
I just hope that the storyline strengthens,good characters can only take you so far and then interest starts ...more

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Oct 31, 2016 Wanda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, female-authors, fantasy, urban-fantasy, werewolves, used-books

Not my favourite book by Charlaine Harris by a long chalk. And that despite the fact that there is cross-over of characters from the Sookie Stackhouse series, which I am still reading and enjoying quite a bit. This book had potential—but I think Harris was still burnt out from finishing the Sookie series and should maybe have left this concept alone for a while.

I’m glad that I picked this novel up in a used book store—I’ll be returning it for credit and enjoying another volume of something else! ...more

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May 27, 2014 Noneya rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Man, oh man. I have long been a fan of Charlaine Harris, and coming fresh off the let down of the final few books in the Dead series (namely the last one), I was really hoping she would redeem herself with this new book. Sadly, that simply wasn't the case. The best way for me to describe what reading this book was like is to harken it to having a strong craving for a delicious tiramisu only to receive a soggy, watery, flavorless goo. While the book was not so terribly offensive as the final book Man, oh man. I have long been a fan of Charlaine Harris, and coming fresh off the let down of the final few books in the Dead series (namely the last one), I was really hoping she would redeem herself with this new book. Sadly, that simply wasn't the case. The best way for me to describe what reading this book was like is to harken it to having a strong craving for a delicious tiramisu only to receive a soggy, watery, flavorless goo. While the book was not so terribly offensive as the final book of the Sookie Stackhouse series, it left a whole bunch to be desired. The characters were one dimensional and flat and never fully fleshed out enough for me to care about their story or how they fit into the overall story arc (which is a completely different issue, but I will get to that later). I felt like the use of some of the minor characters from some of her previous series was a weak attempt at giving the reader a bit of nostalgia from her previous work that was generally enjoyable, but it wasn't enough to breathe life into this book. The pace was extremely slow in the beginning chapters and took some real digging in to get through. Once the roll call of characters were introduced, I found myself thinking that they held no intrigue. She spells out immediately who is what, essentially rendering the reader's quest for the ultimate question of "What's up with that guy?" impotent. Charlaine, your readers may not typically be voracious consumers of Thoreau, but they generally have enough intellect for you to use subtle hints that character "A" may or may not be a vampire. You don't have to just come out and say it. Perhaps a little less of the good ole'ham fist on the fact that they were all "different" would have added a little more urgency to the read, as readers would have enjoyed the journey a bit more to find out exactly what character "A" actually is. To put it in lay terms: You blew our load for us ma'am, and THAT is darn near literary treachery! Charlaine has always done a good job of setting up the mystery fairly early on and leading us on a journey to discover the truth, however, this book set up the "mystery" late, (perhaps because the mystery held no real "meat")and then in the final few chapters abruptly called upon the good old deus ex machina. No good. Lame "mystery" with lame substance, and lame reveal equals lame story telling. Unlike with the rich world she has created in many of her other novels, I felt that with this book, she pulled out her stencil from Charlaine-Harris-series-past, and plugged template characters into roles that were loved in her earlier works. You could almost see that Bobo could have easily been Sam, and Olivia would have been Pam. The thing she seemed to miss with this book is that in her other works, we loved the characters on their own merit. The locale also very frequently was an unspoken character in the book. They were both rich and fleshed out enough that you WANTED to read about them, whether they were involved in a murder mystery or not. The Texas locale in this book was about as colorless, dull, and rocky as the story. When this book was over, I couldn't have cared less if I never heard from any of those characters again, and honestly I can't fathom what she could possibly do to them to make them more appealing. While the book didn't exactly make me want to tear my hair out in agony, I definitely found myself wondering if I could find my receipt to return it. Hey, at least I was reading in my spare time rather than watching tv, so I suppose the book served at least some purpose. ...more

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Mar 19, 2015 Beverly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, 2017, witches, vampires, rereads

A great start to a new series!

Welcome to Midnight, Texas...a small town where everything seems pretty much normal if you just drive through and don't look any anything too closely. (It sort of reminded me of the Haven TV series in that regard.)

Harris has written a great cast of characters (despite their odd names, which did kind of grow on me), including Manfred, the Internet psychic, who had arrived in Midnight for reasons unknown and has a drive to work until he just about drops; Fiji, (and ...more

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Jul 30, 2017 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) added it · review of another edition

I don't know if my tastes have changed or if the author's writing style has but this just didn't do it for me like her series in the past have. I just could not get into this and had to DNF it. Maybe I will try again at a later date. I'm hoping I like the TV series better.

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Jan 31, 2014 Tabitha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: penguin, own, 1st-in-series, urban-fantasy, fantasy, mystery

Midnight Crossroad was different then the usual type of urban fantasy I’m used to reading that is typically fast and very in your face with the supernatural elements. This one had a pace that was just what I imagine Texas is like, a leisurely mosey. Don’t mistake me tho it was incredibly readable and such a refreshing change of pace especially considering I’m normally an adrenaline junkie.

The story takes place in a very very small town in Texas that pretty much only stays alive because it has a Midnight Crossroad was different then the usual type of urban fantasy I’m used to reading that is typically fast and very in your face with the supernatural elements. This one had a pace that was just what I imagine Texas is like, a leisurely mosey. Don’t mistake me tho it was incredibly readable and such a refreshing change of pace especially considering I’m normally an adrenaline junkie.

The story takes place in a very very small town in Texas that pretty much only stays alive because it has a stoplight. There are only let’s see, 1+1+1+2+3+2+3 = 13 people that live there. I didn’t realize it was 13 people what a lucky number hah. Thankfully we only read from the POV of three characters, Manfred, Fiji and Bobo. The newest town resident Manfred who is a physic, Fiji is a witch and Bobo owns the pawn shop. I loved these characters. I enjoyed reading from all of their perspectives which for me isn’t always the case when I read multiple pov books. The main plot involves the murder mystery of a former resident Aubrey who was Bobo’s girlfriend who’d gone missing several months before.

Things I liked
– In Midnight you don’t ask personal questions of your neighbors because this is a place where people go who have secrets they don’t want to share. It made for such an intriguing aspect of the book because readers were right there next to the characters learning things about each other.
– Subtle paranormal/urban fantasy that hinted at what some people were while some characters were obviously one supernatural type or another. I liked being left guessing for a few of the characters and perhaps we will learn what is special about them in the next book.
– Each one of the main characters were interesting and treated to as much development as the other. Tho I did think that how quickly each one of the town residents were introduced within the first few pages of the book was a bit fast.
– There was a good bit of diversity in the characters
– The mystery kept me interested and the extra plot threads with Bobo and the racial extremist group that were tied in definitely spiced things up.
– a talking cat…I am always a sucker for a talking cat!

Midnight Crossroad was a great read and I’m already digging into the second book. I also found out these book take place in the same “universe” as the Sookie Stackhouse books ( tho are not tied together thankfully). I can’t wait to find out what other secrets are hidden in this tiny stoplight town. ...more

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May 06, 2014 Dianne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read, comfort-books, read-2018

Welcome to Midnight Crossroad, where everyone has a secret. Some are deadly, some are funny and some just downright odd. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, EVERYONE has one!

A word of warning, it might seem to those who have a passing fancy with the Sookie Stackhouse series that this book may be set in Sookies world –it is NOT - although there are vague elements that could possibly suggest (in the smallest of ways) that it is. This is a very different world and one that I am happy to have been Welcome to Midnight Crossroad, where everyone has a secret. Some are deadly, some are funny and some just downright odd. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, EVERYONE has one!

A word of warning, it might seem to those who have a passing fancy with the Sookie Stackhouse series that this book may be set in Sookies world –it is NOT - although there are vague elements that could possibly suggest (in the smallest of ways) that it is. This is a very different world and one that I am happy to have been able to enjoy.
I loved this book, however it took me at least 30 percent of it before I came to the conclusion that I would even like it let alone love it. Ms Harris spends a goodly amount of time describing Midnight TX - where houses and buildings are situated and what they look like and then she spends a good amount of time giving us a general idea of the personalities of her characters. A bit dry, bland and boring.

Overall, quite typical of a set-up first novel in a trilogy.

What I adored about this book is that so many of the characters come from all of her other series. The Sheriff comes from the Aurora Teagarden series, Bobo from Lily Bard series, Manfred from the Harper Connelly series – I don’t remember if there are any characters from the Sookie series (yes eventually one from the Sookie series shows up but not in this book and is not a constant character)– if there were some they would have not been important enough for me to have remembered them.

This is not Sookies world, although it is a preternatural one. And not everyone is out of the closet (so to speak) yet. At least not obviously.

I will pass on the re-cap/synopsis since I may spoil things for you and a couple of reviews/re-caps I have read has already done that for me.

The writing is meticulous as usual. The humor is there and is a sly, dry, wit that we have found in Ms Harris’ other series. The mystery is complicated enough without the usage of numerous red herrings that can easily get on ones last nerve. The main bad guy appears that he will be a major factor in the next two books, so this will be interesting.

I cannot wait to see who is next to come out of the paranormal closet in this town! ...more

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Jun 25, 2018 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, magic, mystery, paranormal, print, release-in-2018

3.5 Stars
Werde die Reihe weiterlesen, aber als TV Serie gefällt sie mir nach wie vor besser :D

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Small town where many have mystical powers; talking cat. [s]	6	31	Sep 14, 2018 03:36PM
Nothing But Readi...: Midnight Crossroad, by Charlaine Harris - Start Date June 22nd (June 2014 Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy) Informal Buddy Read Revisit June 1, 2018 REVISIT 1 June 2018	184	381	Jul 20, 2018 07:19PM
The Challenge Fac...: Eunice & Daph - Midnight Crossroad	11	10	Jan 05, 2018 07:33AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Midnight, Texas Series by Charlaine Harris - Reading from 'Midnight Crossroad' from September 8th 2017	58	162	Sep 27, 2017 05:06PM
The Sword and Laser: Midnight, Texas (NBC) expect spoilers	4	49	Jul 26, 2017 08:08PM
The Reading For P...: May 2017 Buddy read - Midnight Texas Trilogy by Charlaine Harris with Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition and Enchantress ☮Debbicat ஐ	56	31	Jul 12, 2017 08:54PM
Contemporary YA: Midnight Texas Books into TV	9	28	Apr 10, 2017 06:48PM

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About Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris

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Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry an Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.

The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.

Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.

Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River. ...more

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Midnight, Texas (3 books)

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Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)

Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse, #2)

Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse, #5)

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“When the second hour of Fiji’s open house was almost at an end, a mother from Davy said, “How on earth do you get it to look like the cat is talking?” “Oh, did it look realistic?” Fiji had to struggle to keep a smile on her face. “It was so cute! It said, ‘Get off my tail or I’ll smother you in your sleep.’” “Just some batteries and a CD!” Fiji said. “And isn’t that just what a cat should say?” — 3 likes

“You have a vampire living in your basement, and you're stunned by a talking cat?” — 3 likes

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