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The Dead of Midnight
Members of the bookclub at the Mystery Au Lait Cafe in Winnipeg are getting nervous, as events from their favourite murder mysteries start to come true-right in their own quiet neighbourhood of Wolseley. But Sarah Petursson and her neighbours can't stop themselves from reading the popular Midnight Mystery series published by Alfred, a prominent member of the club.
360 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Hunter
23 books5 followersCatherine Hunter is a poet, novelist, editor of the Muses’ Co. Press, and associate professor of English at the University of Winnipeg. Her most recent work is the novella In the First Early Days of My Death.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 3, 2016
I love finding Winnipeg novels but Catherine Hunter clearly has American influences. Surprisingly, we do not receive the rare treat of a Canadian vocabulary. Instead of “SUPPER”, she made such repetitive use of the synonym; it appeared on every page! She should vary with “meal”, “food”, “repast”! “Cheque” and “University” weren’t used either. The novel was slow to connect, being one that introduces character after character with their own perspective scenes. We don't know with whom to settle in as protagonist and can't tell if the opening suspense is going to lead somewhere. There are a lot of fanciful comments about mystery-reading traits.
Eventually I did become engrossed: so much that I keep reading, instead of tuning-into a favourite television show! That is a telling compliment. The background is highly original and emotional, encompassing two generations between my home city and a much loved place to visit, Kenora. I did not care for nor accept Sarah's attitude towards gathering memories of her Mother, whom she lost early in life. No one in her position would suddenly receive fifteen boxes of private papers and groan over storage. They would have been delighted there was so much to pour over! However I became very invested in her story and the current mysteries that connected to their Kenora island history.
A few vocabulary nuisances like the grossly overused mealtime word, some unreasonable behaviour, and delayed connectivity account for three stars. However “The Dead Of Midnight” is well worth sticking with. Sarah's interest in her Mother becomes very emotionally rewarding. All of the old and present mysteries are very well-plotted and action-packed. Cutting out repetitive words and earlier delineation of chief characters, would open up enjoyment of Catherine’s novel to five stars. This is an excellent, locally-set story and it really stays with you.
Eventually I did become engrossed: so much that I keep reading, instead of tuning-into a favourite television show! That is a telling compliment. The background is highly original and emotional, encompassing two generations between my home city and a much loved place to visit, Kenora. I did not care for nor accept Sarah's attitude towards gathering memories of her Mother, whom she lost early in life. No one in her position would suddenly receive fifteen boxes of private papers and groan over storage. They would have been delighted there was so much to pour over! However I became very invested in her story and the current mysteries that connected to their Kenora island history.
A few vocabulary nuisances like the grossly overused mealtime word, some unreasonable behaviour, and delayed connectivity account for three stars. However “The Dead Of Midnight” is well worth sticking with. Sarah's interest in her Mother becomes very emotionally rewarding. All of the old and present mysteries are very well-plotted and action-packed. Cutting out repetitive words and earlier delineation of chief characters, would open up enjoyment of Catherine’s novel to five stars. This is an excellent, locally-set story and it really stays with you.
April 22, 2012
April 15, 2012:
Started the book last night, just before bed. Got a few chapters in and totally creeped myself out. Honestly, how you mystery lovers can read this stuff and maintain your sanity is beyond me. Or maybe you don't! Mwaa-haa-haa!
...Stay tuned!
April 21, 2012:
Finished this book yesterday - all in all a very entertaining read. I am not usually one to read mystery/thrillers. Neither am I one to watch horror movies. I guess I don't like to be on edge as I read or watch. I was pretty sure I'd end up having nightmares after my first evening reading this particular book. Luckily that didn't happen but it sure had the makings for some.
Thankfully, it was less spine tingling and more intriguing as the plot thickened.
Members of the Mystery-au-Lait book club in Wolseley (an area of Winnipeg known as the granola belt) are reading a Canadian re-issue of the Midnight Mystery Series previously popular in the US. Freakily, as the group goes through the books, members are being bumped off one by one in the same manner as the victims in the books they are reading.
There are lots of characters in this book, most of whom might be potential villains. The first character to whom we are introduced is Sarah Petursson, and being the first intended victim, is probably the only one we are comfortable in not suspecting. Having avoided her demise, Sarah remains in constant danger. Her ex-husband Peter seems to be the most likely suspect at least until the third murder is committed while Peter is in jail.
Running parallel to and intertwining with the mystery of who is bumping off the book club members is the mystery of Sarah's past. As a child Sarah lived with her mother, in seeming seclusion, on an island in Lake of the Woods. She never knew her father and in fact, as a child, never knew she ought to have a father. Tragically, her mother was killed in a fire on the island when Sarah was just six years old. Until now, Sarah had buried her past as being too painful to visit. However, when she comes into possession of some of her mother's papers and journals, some of which suddenly disappear from her porch, she is compelled to return to her childhood home and learn about her mother's life.
Having grown up on Lake of the Woods myself and being well acquainted with the area, particularly the ruins of the flour mill (which by the way was at one time the 2nd largest flour mill in the world!)and the boat lift, this story was particularly visually intriguing to read. I could easily see everything happening exactly as the author set out. Eek!
I have no idea how this book would compare to others of its genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Started the book last night, just before bed. Got a few chapters in and totally creeped myself out. Honestly, how you mystery lovers can read this stuff and maintain your sanity is beyond me. Or maybe you don't! Mwaa-haa-haa!
...Stay tuned!
April 21, 2012:
Finished this book yesterday - all in all a very entertaining read. I am not usually one to read mystery/thrillers. Neither am I one to watch horror movies. I guess I don't like to be on edge as I read or watch. I was pretty sure I'd end up having nightmares after my first evening reading this particular book. Luckily that didn't happen but it sure had the makings for some.
Thankfully, it was less spine tingling and more intriguing as the plot thickened.
Members of the Mystery-au-Lait book club in Wolseley (an area of Winnipeg known as the granola belt) are reading a Canadian re-issue of the Midnight Mystery Series previously popular in the US. Freakily, as the group goes through the books, members are being bumped off one by one in the same manner as the victims in the books they are reading.
There are lots of characters in this book, most of whom might be potential villains. The first character to whom we are introduced is Sarah Petursson, and being the first intended victim, is probably the only one we are comfortable in not suspecting. Having avoided her demise, Sarah remains in constant danger. Her ex-husband Peter seems to be the most likely suspect at least until the third murder is committed while Peter is in jail.
Running parallel to and intertwining with the mystery of who is bumping off the book club members is the mystery of Sarah's past. As a child Sarah lived with her mother, in seeming seclusion, on an island in Lake of the Woods. She never knew her father and in fact, as a child, never knew she ought to have a father. Tragically, her mother was killed in a fire on the island when Sarah was just six years old. Until now, Sarah had buried her past as being too painful to visit. However, when she comes into possession of some of her mother's papers and journals, some of which suddenly disappear from her porch, she is compelled to return to her childhood home and learn about her mother's life.
Having grown up on Lake of the Woods myself and being well acquainted with the area, particularly the ruins of the flour mill (which by the way was at one time the 2nd largest flour mill in the world!)and the boat lift, this story was particularly visually intriguing to read. I could easily see everything happening exactly as the author set out. Eek!
I have no idea how this book would compare to others of its genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
November 10, 2012
Loved this book - set in Winnipeg.... very good read - had me from that first page and the book never lost me for a moment!
August 31, 2025
“Memory is a wild thing, fleeting, like an animal in the forest.”
Sincere thanks to Carolyn for sending me a copy of this book. Although this thriller was a bit outside my comfort zone I enjoyed it immensely. It felt great to read a Canadian mystery. This one is set in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Whiteshell area, and Kenora, ON.
This was a bit of a difficult book to get into because Catherine uses the perspectives of an ever increasing number of different characters. However, I connected to our protagonist, Sarah, immediately. I preferred the parts of the book that were written from her perspective. I loved reading through her mother’s diaries and exploring Persephone Island and the Lake of the Woods area, rediscovering her childhood and finding who she has become.
The mystery of Sarah’s father was the most interesting of the many interrelated mysteries in this novel. Although being primarily a murder mystery, this book is really the story of a journey home, a story of a mother and her daughter, of Demeter and Persephone.
Sincere thanks to Carolyn for sending me a copy of this book. Although this thriller was a bit outside my comfort zone I enjoyed it immensely. It felt great to read a Canadian mystery. This one is set in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Whiteshell area, and Kenora, ON.
This was a bit of a difficult book to get into because Catherine uses the perspectives of an ever increasing number of different characters. However, I connected to our protagonist, Sarah, immediately. I preferred the parts of the book that were written from her perspective. I loved reading through her mother’s diaries and exploring Persephone Island and the Lake of the Woods area, rediscovering her childhood and finding who she has become.
The mystery of Sarah’s father was the most interesting of the many interrelated mysteries in this novel. Although being primarily a murder mystery, this book is really the story of a journey home, a story of a mother and her daughter, of Demeter and Persephone.
September 24, 2010
This mystery kept me on my toes and just when I thought I had it all solved the author would throw a curve ball my way. I loved not knowing which characters where going to meet their end and had a couple of favorites that I was hoping would survive. I had the opportunity to hear the author speak about this book and she talked about trying to be a poet while making a living and how it was not always possible which is the situation that unfolds for Carolyn in the book. I was glad that Sarah found not the next best selling mystery novel but the poems her mother dedicated to her at the end of the story. The characters were well thought out and none of the interactions between them seemed unnatural or forced. I found that as I read the book I became just as paranoid as the characters, suspecting practically everyone mentioned in the book. I would join Zina's mystery book club any day (but maybe not the romance book club)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2009
this was another very interesting book filled with twist and turns of characters and suspicion, while reading the book i had thought that most characters benifited from the events that had happend in the dead of midnight everyone was a suspect and the one whom caused the mysterous causes of death was the least suspected.
July 27, 2009
to say that i read this whole book is actually a lie. i tried, i really did. i got about 2/3 of the way through and realized i don't really care what happens at the end! so i'm not finishing it. it just didn't hold my attention. i won't be reading any more by this author any time soon...
April 20, 2010
Very good read; very intriguing. Usually as many mysteries as I read, I can usually solve the mystery about 3/4 of the way through the book. This was a surprise, and the villain was totally unexpected!
April 13, 2009
Ahhh-- one of my favorite mysteries. I read this in the 8th grade before writing a very original mansion-mystery novella for English.
December 8, 2009
Didn't love it, didn't hate. Good story, but . . . it should have been better.
October 31, 2010
kept me guessing...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews