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Midnight Calling: A Memoir of a Drug Smuggler's Daughter
NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS, WINNER
ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD, GRAND PRIZE SHORTLIST
The first time Lynn used cocaine with her father, she was eighteen. The last time, she was twenty-one. In those three years, she lost everything and everyone she cared about and was forced to choose—her father or her life.
Lynn grew up the carefree daughter of a Miami undercover narcotics agent—until her dad snuck out of the house in the dark of night without a glance back. She never knew what happened to her father until she was in high school, and he was in prison for drug smuggling. By then, Lynn had developed a dangerous drug and alcohol habit of her own. It was the perfect setup for her to latch onto the only connection to her dad that remained when he was paroled from prison—cocaine.
Midnight Calling: A Memoir of a Drug Smuggler’s Daughter is a true story about family bonds, addiction and the price of holding on when it's time to let go.
ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD, GRAND PRIZE SHORTLIST
The first time Lynn used cocaine with her father, she was eighteen. The last time, she was twenty-one. In those three years, she lost everything and everyone she cared about and was forced to choose—her father or her life.
Lynn grew up the carefree daughter of a Miami undercover narcotics agent—until her dad snuck out of the house in the dark of night without a glance back. She never knew what happened to her father until she was in high school, and he was in prison for drug smuggling. By then, Lynn had developed a dangerous drug and alcohol habit of her own. It was the perfect setup for her to latch onto the only connection to her dad that remained when he was paroled from prison—cocaine.
Midnight Calling: A Memoir of a Drug Smuggler’s Daughter is a true story about family bonds, addiction and the price of holding on when it's time to let go.
306 pages, Paperback
Published March 14, 2022
504 people are currently reading
12449 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Walker
4 books135 followersLYNN WALKER is the author of the best-selling books, Midnight Calling: A Memoir of a Drug Smuggler's Daughter and Breaking Midnight: A True Story. Her debut novel is Three Days Earlier: A Psychological Thriller.
For many years, Lynn worked with high school students whose parents were drug addicts & alcoholics. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
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For many years, Lynn worked with high school students whose parents were drug addicts & alcoholics. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@walkermemoir
Instagram: www.instagram.com/walkermemoir
Facebook: www.facebook.com/walkermemoir
YouTube:www.youtube.com/@walkermemoir
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
May 28, 2022
Lynn’s story of overcoming her demons and the hero worship of her father.
August 11, 2022
What a crazy life the author led. It's amazing she came out the other side relatively unscathed, although she has a lot to constantly work on. Great, honest life story that was hard and harsh.
Merged review:
What a crazy life the author led. It's amazing she came out the other side relatively unscathed, although she has a lot to constantly work on. Great, honest life story that was hard and harsh.
Merged review:
What a crazy life the author led. It's amazing she came out the other side relatively unscathed, although she has a lot to constantly work on. Great, honest life story that was hard and harsh.
January 26, 2022
I don’t generally read memoirs because the stories always tend to go out of order and start to jump around. I get easily frustrated and confused by this, so I tend to steer clear of them. However, I was excited to be an ARC reader for this new release and volunteered to read it. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. This was the first memoir that read like a novel in my opinion, and because of that, I enjoyed it more than most other memoirs I’ve read in the past.
The story was emotionally charging. I found myself feeling sorry for Lynn while also being angry when she initially didn’t jump onto the opportunities to get help. I also found that I was able to relate to her feelings of loneliness while struggling with all of her stresses. I found myself motivated to wanting to pick up new hobbies when reading the steps of physical activities she engaged in to replace the void of drugs and alcohol. I won’t lie and say that I’ll be backpacking anytime soon but finding an activity like she did that boosts self-esteem seems like a good idea – seeing how it helped her in her journey.
The epilogue promises a sequel. Hearing the pov of her father will help reading about her experience to come full circle and I am really looking forward to it.
The story was emotionally charging. I found myself feeling sorry for Lynn while also being angry when she initially didn’t jump onto the opportunities to get help. I also found that I was able to relate to her feelings of loneliness while struggling with all of her stresses. I found myself motivated to wanting to pick up new hobbies when reading the steps of physical activities she engaged in to replace the void of drugs and alcohol. I won’t lie and say that I’ll be backpacking anytime soon but finding an activity like she did that boosts self-esteem seems like a good idea – seeing how it helped her in her journey.
The epilogue promises a sequel. Hearing the pov of her father will help reading about her experience to come full circle and I am really looking forward to it.
May 3, 2022
This is a beautiful testament and legacy of two women, the author and her mother, and written incredibly well. This is about her, not her father.
Like so many other children abandoned by their father, the author battles wanting his love and acknowledgment of her life. She follows dark places at an incredibly young age. She is brutally honest in the choices she made. Her mother always wanting her to succeed, never gave up on her, and practiced tough love.
I am truly amazed that Ms. Walker has lived to tell her story. I'm humbled and am a better person after reading her memoir.
Through hard work lives can be changed.
There is a lot of profanity and sexual references, while I understand, they prevent 5 stars. Albeit, I think there is a lot to learn and everyone should read this.
Thank you Goodreads and Lynn Walker for the opportunity. The narration was spot on for me.
Like so many other children abandoned by their father, the author battles wanting his love and acknowledgment of her life. She follows dark places at an incredibly young age. She is brutally honest in the choices she made. Her mother always wanting her to succeed, never gave up on her, and practiced tough love.
I am truly amazed that Ms. Walker has lived to tell her story. I'm humbled and am a better person after reading her memoir.
Through hard work lives can be changed.
There is a lot of profanity and sexual references, while I understand, they prevent 5 stars. Albeit, I think there is a lot to learn and everyone should read this.
Thank you Goodreads and Lynn Walker for the opportunity. The narration was spot on for me.
April 21, 2023
This was one of the best memoirs I’ve read in a while. Well written and held my attention from start to finish. A very honest story about family issues, an addiction and overcoming the addiction and working on herself 👏
March 30, 2025
4.5 🌟 The 2nd of 3 books - having read the first book from Lynn’s dad’s perspective, it was so interesting to read what was going on for Lynn during that time
February 17, 2023
Absolutely a must read. Good cop gone bad. Abandoned family. How both events impacted his family and their individual lives. Characters come to life with each turn of the page.
October 1, 2022
Midnight Calling: A Memoir of a Drug Smuggler’s Daughter
I Picked Up This Book Because: I love a Memoir.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Review copy provided by LibraryThing
Dates Read: 9/20/22 - 9/27/22
Stars: 2.5 Stars
Narrator(s): Paige Risenfield
The Story:
I hate to say it but I was a little disappointed in this book. I didn’t realize it is not narrated by the writer and I have trouble connecting with the book like this because it doesn’t feel as personal to me. Also, My last thought is how does she remember so much in such great detail with all of the drugs/alcohol/blacking out she has had in her past. Maybe it’s because I have such a sucky memory I can’t fathom how she managed to recall all of this.
The Random Thoughts:
I Picked Up This Book Because: I love a Memoir.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Review copy provided by LibraryThing
Dates Read: 9/20/22 - 9/27/22
Stars: 2.5 Stars
Narrator(s): Paige Risenfield
The Story:
I hate to say it but I was a little disappointed in this book. I didn’t realize it is not narrated by the writer and I have trouble connecting with the book like this because it doesn’t feel as personal to me. Also, My last thought is how does she remember so much in such great detail with all of the drugs/alcohol/blacking out she has had in her past. Maybe it’s because I have such a sucky memory I can’t fathom how she managed to recall all of this.
The Random Thoughts:
March 1, 2023
I remember when Lynn told me she was going to write a book. I was floored. Her story is one that easily could be fiction, but it’s not. This book is amazing. I highly recommend it. Stop reading the reviews and just buy it. You’ll finish it very quickly because you won’t want to put it down. I also recommend reading her second book, about her dad. It’s called Breaking Midnight.
August 6, 2022
For me, this book was bumpy at first. The author, Lynn, begins with describing moments from her childhood. Her dad is amazing and caring, but his job as an undercover cop is dangerous. Although slow at first, things soon begin to pick up in the worst possible way.
Her father acts suspiciously for a while before abandoning his family. He moves in with his new eye candy and sees his kids less and less. Divorce is common, but your father turning into a drug smuggler—not so much. Of course, Lynn doesn’t know that’s what he’s doing yet.
Eventually Lynn and her brother, Ricky, get into some bad stuff, all of which the author seems to recall perfectly. Either she’s filling in holes or her memory is perfect because I can’t even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday.
Anyway, the main chunk of this story is about Lynn’s addictions which plague her throughout high school and then college. And as her father grows more rich and powerful, her access to drugs never seems to be an issue either. This is where the story really gets toxic because Lynn begins using with both her brother and her dad. Like, a lot.
Not to mention, the poor girl has abandonment issues so she’s always selling herself short and shacking up with the wrong men. She’s not afraid to describe everything in detail, which I can appreciate. She’s brutally honest in such a direct manner it makes you think, “Oh, yeah. Snorting like a dozen lines of cocaine in one day is no biggie.”
This is the insider’s perspective to addiction and how difficult it is to overcome. No matter how many times Lynn tells herself this’ll be her last drink, you want to believe her even though it’s not likely true. She’s someone you root for because she’s so very human. I was incredibly happy with it ending on a positive note.
Her father acts suspiciously for a while before abandoning his family. He moves in with his new eye candy and sees his kids less and less. Divorce is common, but your father turning into a drug smuggler—not so much. Of course, Lynn doesn’t know that’s what he’s doing yet.
Eventually Lynn and her brother, Ricky, get into some bad stuff, all of which the author seems to recall perfectly. Either she’s filling in holes or her memory is perfect because I can’t even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday.
Anyway, the main chunk of this story is about Lynn’s addictions which plague her throughout high school and then college. And as her father grows more rich and powerful, her access to drugs never seems to be an issue either. This is where the story really gets toxic because Lynn begins using with both her brother and her dad. Like, a lot.
Not to mention, the poor girl has abandonment issues so she’s always selling herself short and shacking up with the wrong men. She’s not afraid to describe everything in detail, which I can appreciate. She’s brutally honest in such a direct manner it makes you think, “Oh, yeah. Snorting like a dozen lines of cocaine in one day is no biggie.”
This is the insider’s perspective to addiction and how difficult it is to overcome. No matter how many times Lynn tells herself this’ll be her last drink, you want to believe her even though it’s not likely true. She’s someone you root for because she’s so very human. I was incredibly happy with it ending on a positive note.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2023
This is a gripping story of a young woman’s account of her youth and relationship or lack there of a relationship with her father. I believe this shows how easily a child or teen can go off track without a consistent, strong, positive adult influence in their life and how difficult it can be for one parent to hold all the responsibility of support and care on their own. Although, I often did not agree and wished Lynn had made different choices, I enjoyed hearing this fast paced story, while I was throughout always hoping that Lynn would find her way. I am glad she was able to recover and share her story. 5 star read.
March 22, 2025
Thank you to Goodreads for a copy of this truly amazing book.
This is the best memoir book I have ever read! Filled with such raw emotion and light. I was rooting for Lynn the entire time. How she went from a drug addict to climbing out of the abyss was truly inspiring. I will be reading the sequel and following the author.
This is the best memoir book I have ever read! Filled with such raw emotion and light. I was rooting for Lynn the entire time. How she went from a drug addict to climbing out of the abyss was truly inspiring. I will be reading the sequel and following the author.
April 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this memoir it is a great story of overcoming life when the cards are stacked against you. Lynn walker put her life out on paper and let us see her flawed self as only a good author can. I would have never picked this book up if it was not gifted to me but I am glad it was. I recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with addiction or if you know anyone who has. I will pass this story forward as I feel I can help someone out. Thank you Lynn for sharing you story with us.
November 22, 2023
Hard to put down in a gut wrenching way.
February 27, 2023
*First, I'm very grateful that I won this E-book on a Goodreads Giveaway. I'm very thankful I had the opportunity to read such an amazing Memoir and thank the Author for the Opportunity as well!*
I thoroughly enjoyed this! This Memoir was so well written that I felt like I was in the Authors shoes, feeling every raw and heart wrenching emotion, from being in the darkness to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It closed out perfectly. I believe that anyone with experience in Addiction will relate to certain aspects of this story. To the Author, Lynn Walker, everything she went through from a child through adulthood and where she is now, is very admirable and inspiring.
I truly look forward to reading her other Book, in relation to this except from her father's perspective as a Drug Smuggler and the life and demons he endured.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! This Memoir was so well written that I felt like I was in the Authors shoes, feeling every raw and heart wrenching emotion, from being in the darkness to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It closed out perfectly. I believe that anyone with experience in Addiction will relate to certain aspects of this story. To the Author, Lynn Walker, everything she went through from a child through adulthood and where she is now, is very admirable and inspiring.
I truly look forward to reading her other Book, in relation to this except from her father's perspective as a Drug Smuggler and the life and demons he endured.
April 20, 2022
Good book but not what I was expecting. When reading the description of the book I got so excited that I won it from the Goodreads giveaway. I love a good biography and love a happy ending which I assume this book had. I also assume that this book would be about how the drug Smuggler got his daughter into smuggling drugs that is not what this book is about this book is more last about a drug addict with a dad problem.
That doesn't make the book any less good as it is still a really great book with a happy ending the only thing I wish the author would have done was focus on the mother and how different the mother was compared to the dad. It seemed to me that the mom was working so hard but was rarely mentioned the mom seemed to really try and help but never really got through. I also wanted to know how the relationship ended at the end of the book.
That doesn't make the book any less good as it is still a really great book with a happy ending the only thing I wish the author would have done was focus on the mother and how different the mother was compared to the dad. It seemed to me that the mom was working so hard but was rarely mentioned the mom seemed to really try and help but never really got through. I also wanted to know how the relationship ended at the end of the book.
June 9, 2025
Ugh I really really did not enjoy this. I don’t like when memoirs include a huge amount of dialogue because there is just no way that people can quote or remember entire conversations that they’ve had with people (especially conversations that happened years in the past!!)
The writing was poor and extremely repetitive, and while I sympathised with her story and her struggle with addiction, I was honestly just dying for this book to end. It felt like 306 pages of drugs and sex and drugs and sex and drugs and sex, which appears to have been what her life was like for many years but it really doesn’t make for a particularly insightful or interesting read.
The writing was poor and extremely repetitive, and while I sympathised with her story and her struggle with addiction, I was honestly just dying for this book to end. It felt like 306 pages of drugs and sex and drugs and sex and drugs and sex, which appears to have been what her life was like for many years but it really doesn’t make for a particularly insightful or interesting read.
January 9, 2022
Lynn was the happy go lucky daughter with a loving mum and a father who was in the police force and dotted on Lynn and her brother Rick. Then one day Lynn’s world fell apart as her dad who was now a Miami undercover narcotics agent suddenly disappeared from her life after leaving home one night with no explanation and never returning.
The book follows the story of Lynn, brother Rick, and mum as their lives unravel and the family crumble as Lynn and Rick grow up and try to come to terms knowing their dad is not coming home and wondering like all 8-year-old what she had done wrong.
Lynns mum try’s hard with both children as she come to terms that her own life has unravelled as she now has the responsibility of juggling work and being a single mum. When the children get older both Rick and Lynn are on a collision course for alcohol and drugs. Rick drops out of school first and as Lynn’s school grades drop, she starts to skip’s school. Lynn finds the bad boys more alluring; booze and drugs have more appeal to her and Lynn’s life changes dramatically as she begins to spin and spiral out of control.
Lynn and Ricks dad loses his way as the booze and drugs get the better of him and decides to leave the police force and become a drug smuggler. This of course lands him in prison after getting caught for smuggling 12,000 pounds of marijuana and he will begin an 8-year stretch.
When Lynn finds out after her brother tells her she asks her mum is it true. As Lynn was already filling the emptiness her dad had left in her life with a massive drug habit of her own this news tips her over the edge as her life unravels, Lynn losses everything as she battles with university and her studying, relationships, work, family, and eventually Lynn will be forced to choose between her life and her father.
Lynn draws you into this book from the very first page as Lynn tells her story with raw honest emotions, and the history of abuse and abandonment drugs and alcohol addictions and the unhealthy attachments she has with men, and the struggle with other people as she finds it very hard to connect and relate to people.
Lyn eventually seeks help after her flatmate cannot take anymore and leaves. Lynn has hit rock bottom after fuelled up on Coke, alcohol and digging through the rubbish bin in the deepest clutches of her addiction looking for butts of cigarettes as she finds she is so scared and cannot open the door and go across the road to the gas station to buy even a packet of cigarettes.
Lynn rings her mum who has never given up on her and tell her what has happened and can she come home. Lynn’s mum says yes with a few ground rules and they both no this will be a hard long road and It will not be easy, as healing is a long painful and messy business with the temptations and obstacles of everyday life which will carry on regardless.
Eventually Lynn proves that change for the better is always possible, no matter what is in your past with help from Phycologists, support from family and support from groups like AA. This book teaches you about family, relationships, forgiveness, healing, and the importance of both as well as the long-term impact that grief and addition can have on a person. A truly exceptional book in every way beautifully written raw and honest.
Thanks to Lynn I received an advance review copy for free. I am part of the ARC group for Wildblue Press and BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The book follows the story of Lynn, brother Rick, and mum as their lives unravel and the family crumble as Lynn and Rick grow up and try to come to terms knowing their dad is not coming home and wondering like all 8-year-old what she had done wrong.
Lynns mum try’s hard with both children as she come to terms that her own life has unravelled as she now has the responsibility of juggling work and being a single mum. When the children get older both Rick and Lynn are on a collision course for alcohol and drugs. Rick drops out of school first and as Lynn’s school grades drop, she starts to skip’s school. Lynn finds the bad boys more alluring; booze and drugs have more appeal to her and Lynn’s life changes dramatically as she begins to spin and spiral out of control.
Lynn and Ricks dad loses his way as the booze and drugs get the better of him and decides to leave the police force and become a drug smuggler. This of course lands him in prison after getting caught for smuggling 12,000 pounds of marijuana and he will begin an 8-year stretch.
When Lynn finds out after her brother tells her she asks her mum is it true. As Lynn was already filling the emptiness her dad had left in her life with a massive drug habit of her own this news tips her over the edge as her life unravels, Lynn losses everything as she battles with university and her studying, relationships, work, family, and eventually Lynn will be forced to choose between her life and her father.
Lynn draws you into this book from the very first page as Lynn tells her story with raw honest emotions, and the history of abuse and abandonment drugs and alcohol addictions and the unhealthy attachments she has with men, and the struggle with other people as she finds it very hard to connect and relate to people.
Lyn eventually seeks help after her flatmate cannot take anymore and leaves. Lynn has hit rock bottom after fuelled up on Coke, alcohol and digging through the rubbish bin in the deepest clutches of her addiction looking for butts of cigarettes as she finds she is so scared and cannot open the door and go across the road to the gas station to buy even a packet of cigarettes.
Lynn rings her mum who has never given up on her and tell her what has happened and can she come home. Lynn’s mum says yes with a few ground rules and they both no this will be a hard long road and It will not be easy, as healing is a long painful and messy business with the temptations and obstacles of everyday life which will carry on regardless.
Eventually Lynn proves that change for the better is always possible, no matter what is in your past with help from Phycologists, support from family and support from groups like AA. This book teaches you about family, relationships, forgiveness, healing, and the importance of both as well as the long-term impact that grief and addition can have on a person. A truly exceptional book in every way beautifully written raw and honest.
Thanks to Lynn I received an advance review copy for free. I am part of the ARC group for Wildblue Press and BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 27, 2021
Walker's story drew me in from the very first page - once I picked it up, I had trouble setting it back down until I'd finished. She expertly paints a picture for the reader of her early life before everything began to fall apart as her father became distant before walking out on her family entirely. The author and everyone else in her family is profoundly impacted by her father's unexpected behavior and we follow the story of how their lives devolve as she grows up with an absent father - often in physical sense, yes, but also emotionally absent.
As the years pass, Walker struggles ever more deeply with creating attachments to other people, blossoming drug and alcohol addictions, and an inability to cope with life with any sense of normalcy. With my own history of abuse and abandonment, I easily recognized myself as I read the author's story. However, the author has written about what was happening both internally and externally, demonstrating the links between between the trauma of her father's sudden distance and her mental associations and behaviors, with such clarity and insight that any reader can imagine themselves into her world.
This book is painful and heartbreaking and beautiful and inspiring. The author demonstrates a grit, courage, and determination when in the deepest clutches of addiction that proves that change for the better is always possible, no matter what's in your past. It won't be easy, and healing is messy and painful, but it can be done.
Everyone should read Midnight Calling - it will teach you about the importance of familial relationships and the long-term impact they have, addiction, grief, and - ultimately - healing. A truly extraordinary book in every way.
As the years pass, Walker struggles ever more deeply with creating attachments to other people, blossoming drug and alcohol addictions, and an inability to cope with life with any sense of normalcy. With my own history of abuse and abandonment, I easily recognized myself as I read the author's story. However, the author has written about what was happening both internally and externally, demonstrating the links between between the trauma of her father's sudden distance and her mental associations and behaviors, with such clarity and insight that any reader can imagine themselves into her world.
This book is painful and heartbreaking and beautiful and inspiring. The author demonstrates a grit, courage, and determination when in the deepest clutches of addiction that proves that change for the better is always possible, no matter what's in your past. It won't be easy, and healing is messy and painful, but it can be done.
Everyone should read Midnight Calling - it will teach you about the importance of familial relationships and the long-term impact they have, addiction, grief, and - ultimately - healing. A truly extraordinary book in every way.
September 21, 2025
This book Midnight Calling had me sitting there with my mouth hanging wide open half the time. I swear I have never read anything like this before.
So Lynn she grew up thinking her daddy was the good guy like wearing a badge and all. Then boom turns out he was sneaking off at night doing shady mess and lands himself in prison for hauling dope around. That right there sounds like some kinda movie but nope it was her real life.
Then when he got out she was already riding the rough train herself hitting the bottle and the white stuff. And instead of running away from the man she jumped right in his crazy world. And lemme tell ya the part where she actually sits down and uses cocaine with her own daddy I just about dropped my sweet tea. That's the type of family bonding nobody needs. Shoot a board game would have worked out fine.
The way she tells it though it isn't whiny it isn't fancy. It's just straight forward this is what happened and this is what it cost me. And by the time she had to choose between keeping her daddy or keeping her own life you just know that choice damn near tore her in two.
It isn't a pretty story but it's real and it's wild. I laughed a couple times not because it was funny but because my brain didn't know what else to do. Like dang girl how are you even still here to write this book.
I give it 5 outta 5 Catfish!
So Lynn she grew up thinking her daddy was the good guy like wearing a badge and all. Then boom turns out he was sneaking off at night doing shady mess and lands himself in prison for hauling dope around. That right there sounds like some kinda movie but nope it was her real life.
Then when he got out she was already riding the rough train herself hitting the bottle and the white stuff. And instead of running away from the man she jumped right in his crazy world. And lemme tell ya the part where she actually sits down and uses cocaine with her own daddy I just about dropped my sweet tea. That's the type of family bonding nobody needs. Shoot a board game would have worked out fine.
The way she tells it though it isn't whiny it isn't fancy. It's just straight forward this is what happened and this is what it cost me. And by the time she had to choose between keeping her daddy or keeping her own life you just know that choice damn near tore her in two.
It isn't a pretty story but it's real and it's wild. I laughed a couple times not because it was funny but because my brain didn't know what else to do. Like dang girl how are you even still here to write this book.
I give it 5 outta 5 Catfish!
August 24, 2022
4.25 rounded down
•
A stark and candid memoir of the daughter of an undercover police officer turned drug smuggler, Midnight Calling kept me engrossed from start to finish. I expected this book to give me a peek into the life of a criminal and what effect that criminal activity had on his family. It did that, but so much more. I had no idea I would connect to Lynn’s story on such a personal level.
•
My biological father has never been to prison, but he has been involved in plenty of unlawful activities throughout his life. He’s an addict: alcohol, drugs (cocaine among others), gambling, etc. He and my mother divorced when I was a young child. He remarried and had more children while I dealt with sporadic calls and visits.
•
Like Lynn, I had a strong and loving mother who was there for me. Unlike Lynn, I was able to avoid following my father’s example. Midnight Calling is a look into Lynn’s life, good bad and otherwise. It felt like reading a “what if” version of my own life. I could have easily been Lynn, and while that’s frightening to think of with so many of the things she went through, it’s also inspiring because of where she is now. Every now and then I connect to a book on a such a level that I feel fortunate to have read it. Highly recommended.
•
A stark and candid memoir of the daughter of an undercover police officer turned drug smuggler, Midnight Calling kept me engrossed from start to finish. I expected this book to give me a peek into the life of a criminal and what effect that criminal activity had on his family. It did that, but so much more. I had no idea I would connect to Lynn’s story on such a personal level.
•
My biological father has never been to prison, but he has been involved in plenty of unlawful activities throughout his life. He’s an addict: alcohol, drugs (cocaine among others), gambling, etc. He and my mother divorced when I was a young child. He remarried and had more children while I dealt with sporadic calls and visits.
•
Like Lynn, I had a strong and loving mother who was there for me. Unlike Lynn, I was able to avoid following my father’s example. Midnight Calling is a look into Lynn’s life, good bad and otherwise. It felt like reading a “what if” version of my own life. I could have easily been Lynn, and while that’s frightening to think of with so many of the things she went through, it’s also inspiring because of where she is now. Every now and then I connect to a book on a such a level that I feel fortunate to have read it. Highly recommended.
July 12, 2023
Lynn Walker’s life was one that a kid dreams of: backyard pool, a stay-at-home mom, and a father who was a Miami detective. That was until Lynn’s father disappeared, and wasn’t seen or heard from until Lynn was a teenager. It was then that Lynn found out the truth about her father: He was in prison for drug running and became was a drug addict. Worse, Lynn was beginning her own descent into addiction.
“Midnight Caller” is the story of how a father ruined his entire family once he went on the wrong side of the law. We see Lynn Walker’s abandonment trauma first hand, as she goes from one bad relationship into another, with her being inebriated most of the time.
Even though Walker turns things around, it’s a sad memoir because you can feel a little girl’s heartbreak, and how that one singular act left her family and it’s members broken. The only thing I found troubling is that Walker fails to hold her father accountable for this tragedy. She speaks so strongly on forgiveness, yet doesn’t give herself enough grace to say “He screwed us.” She won’t even admit the obvious truth that he was a horrible father.
An engaging, honest memoir.
“Midnight Caller” is the story of how a father ruined his entire family once he went on the wrong side of the law. We see Lynn Walker’s abandonment trauma first hand, as she goes from one bad relationship into another, with her being inebriated most of the time.
Even though Walker turns things around, it’s a sad memoir because you can feel a little girl’s heartbreak, and how that one singular act left her family and it’s members broken. The only thing I found troubling is that Walker fails to hold her father accountable for this tragedy. She speaks so strongly on forgiveness, yet doesn’t give herself enough grace to say “He screwed us.” She won’t even admit the obvious truth that he was a horrible father.
An engaging, honest memoir.
September 27, 2024
I received this book as an ACR and I must admit that it took me a while to start reading because I find memoirs usually tend to drag on and become tiring. However, this book was a pleasant surprise. The story is incredibly well written and is very easy, though heartbreaking at times, to read and I found it hard to put down. The author describes a her teenage and early adult life in a straightforward and honest way. Throughout the story I felt furious with her father, initially for abandoning her and later for sharing and encouraging her and her brother's drug addiction. At times I was annoyed with her for letting her self go down that path and not taking advantage of the help and opportunities she was given.
The fact that she managed to emerge such a life and use her experiences to help others is a very happy ending and I truly hope she manages to remain in this path for the rest of her life.
The fact that she managed to emerge such a life and use her experiences to help others is a very happy ending and I truly hope she manages to remain in this path for the rest of her life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2023
I absolutely loved this memoir. It was incredibly captivating and I felt so connected to the author the whole time. However obviously, if addiction is a big trigger to you, perhaps the details in this book could be too much. There are many parts of the story that are very descriptive!
I had a soft spot for every main person mentioned in this book, even at their worst. It’s a beautiful but very bitter sweet story. Lynn does a great job of painting a picture of how truly difficult it is to navigate through pain and addiction. I highly recommend this book!
I had a soft spot for every main person mentioned in this book, even at their worst. It’s a beautiful but very bitter sweet story. Lynn does a great job of painting a picture of how truly difficult it is to navigate through pain and addiction. I highly recommend this book!
March 22, 2022
I won a free copy of Midnight Calling from GoodReads and found it to be an interesting read. I appreciate the author's honesty in telling their story as I'm sure it wasn't easy. At times, this almost felt like a work of fiction because so many things happened and I never knew what I was going to encounter in any given chapter. I applaud the author and her family for escaping their drug addictions and being comfortable enough to share their story.
April 30, 2023
Excellent, Enlightening
Although my Dad was not a druggie (to my knowledge), I still saw so much of the relationship I had with him in this story. I also found a few things about myself, revealed, that I had never quite connected with. Deep, without being depressing, the openness Lynn is able to have with her readers offers a great deal of hope and understanding. Highly recommend this book.
Although my Dad was not a druggie (to my knowledge), I still saw so much of the relationship I had with him in this story. I also found a few things about myself, revealed, that I had never quite connected with. Deep, without being depressing, the openness Lynn is able to have with her readers offers a great deal of hope and understanding. Highly recommend this book.
May 1, 2023
This was a very sad, but also very educational book on addiction, but also on recovery. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one that is an addict, or someone that works with addicts. Also a great read for addicts! What amazes me is that Lynn was able to fully recover as she did. This should be a light of hope for an addict that wants to recover and be whole again, but doesn't think that is possible.
October 12, 2023
I felt like I was growing up alongside the author. The gradual tone shift from child to adult was perfect and made everything believable. And Lynn was actually likable and someone you rooted for.
That said.
I was a little irked of constantly being reminded how thin and tiny she was, but I’ll own that might be my own personal issue. I’d also have liked it to be a bit shorter with more accountability.
That said.
I was a little irked of constantly being reminded how thin and tiny she was, but I’ll own that might be my own personal issue. I’d also have liked it to be a bit shorter with more accountability.
February 14, 2025
I’m not sure that I buy this book being a memoir. It reads more like a work of fiction. If it is a true memoir then the author has a lot of demons she still needs to conquer starting with the hero worship of her horrible father. Also the way she tells it she spent years constantly high in cocaine or drunk and blacked out. Yet somehow remembers in details events during that time. Not convinced this is real. The timeline was all over the place and it wasn’t a great read regardless. 2.5⭐️
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