Midnight: Murder Mystery Novel

David Carroll #4

by Octavus Roy Cohen

On a dark and gloomy night a glamorous lady catches a cab in the big city and after a tough ride through the blizzard the car stops at the destination. The driver finds out that the lady has gone and that there is a suitcase and a dead body of a man left on the back seat. Police department is confused and they decide to pull the atypical move and call private investigator David Carroll to help them solve the mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Octavus Roy Cohen was an American author, born in South Carolina where he received his secondary education at the Porter Military Academy, now the exclusive Porter-Gaud School. He went on to receive a college education at the Clemson University. Between 1910 and 1912 he worked in the editorial departments of the Birmingham Ledger, the Charleston News and Courier, the Bayonne Times, and the Newark Morning Star. He became popular as a result of his stories printed in The Saturday Evening Post which concerned themselves with the adventures of the Southern Negro. If his people seemed to possess the usual mythical Negro qualities of drollery and miscomprehensions, his tales at any rate were spirited. In 1913, he was admitted to the South Carolina bar and practiced law in Charleston for two years. Between 1917 and his death he published 56 books, works that included humorous and detective novels, plays, and collections of short stories. He also composed successful Broadway plays and radio, film, and television scripts.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

1922 murder mystery about a dead body found in a taxi cab. It's a little dated, with some Jazz Age slang in the dialogue, but still an entertaining read. Found at Project Gutenberg.

[MarilynLovesNature · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this five stars because of my own personal enjoyment, and since I prefer this type of well written mystery to thrillers that can be emotionally draining. It probably would earn 4 to 4.5 stars from other readers, since most of the characters were not that exceptional, though were at least individuals. The mystery itself was quite an intriguing idea. A taxi driver gives a ride to a woman and then discover she has disappeared and left the suitcase she brought with her in addition to a man's dead body. The suitcase turns out to belong to the murdered man. The taxi driver had no clues as to who the woman was.
I thoroughly enjoyed this calmly entertaining story with a likable kind-hearted detective. He also had a chief who was supportive.
I liked the author's descriptions of the attitudes and emotions of the various characters. The teenage girl's crush on the detective added humor and charm. The mystery itself was not easily solved and I'm not sure if there were any helpful clues that would have aided this. I listened to it on Librivox, where it was read excellently by Roger Melin. I would like to read more mysteries by this author, but they are hard to find.

[Sukanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read detective fiction, and this did not disappoint at all! If anything, it rekindled my love for the genre!
I really loved the characterisation, especially of Carroll and Evelyn, and reading their banter was a real delight. The fact that the dialogues use a lot of dialect also made all the scenes more realistic and vivid to imagine for me, making it even more of a treat. The plot is well laid-out, but I'll admit the fun was lost when I figured it out towards the last few chapters, leaving me to only wait and read on for the unravelling to actually happen. Having said that, the suspense is sustained for the most part, so it wasn't upsetting as such.
I'm so glad I stumbled acriss this book randomly on Amazon, and can't wait to read the other instalments featuring Carroll!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1922, this book does show its age here and there, but it is still an enjoyable read. The plot is a little thin once one reads to the end, and I was able to guess a crucial plot point (though not the entire solution) well in advance of everyone else in the story. The ending seemed a little forced, as though the author himself wasn't entirely sure whodunnit until he wrote the relevant chapter. Like many detective stories of this era, the focus isn't on the characters as real people, but rather on the situation, using the characters as sort of stock figures to set events in motion.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Listened to the librivox.org version.)
Good mystery, much like an Agatha Christie. The detective, David Carroll, is a bit like Poirot. I enjoyed it, and figured out the mystery at the same time as the detective.

[JayD · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Midnight" is a standard romance-murder mystery potboiler from 1871. It's the kind of paperback you pick up at a station or airport to pass a boring journey without having to pay much attention to the details. It does that perfectly well: just don't expect any more and you won't be disappointed. As an example of the language, here's a small snippet:

“What is this–a game? If I knew that I’d have your job, Mr. Carroll. The dame killed him, all right; and when we find out how she did it, and when, and how he got in and she got out, we’ll have a whale of a story!”

There are no bonus points for spotting whodunnit before the last chapters. That just wastes the rest of the book.

[Elk Bend Quick Response Unit 1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit to slow

Parts of the book were very good but I feel the interaction with a 17 year old was a but much. The book was kind of slow and failed to grab my attention. Thanks anyway.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting mystery. The tale is peopled with interesting characters, a complex plot, challenging motivations and an interesting setting (atmosphere). Altogether this is an entertaining read.

[Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good noval felt little bit exited at the end, it was little bit boring at the beginning and in the middle.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming mystery with good character development. Listened while hiking and made the effort enjoyable and time flew by. Great reader helped a lot. Fun book.

[Denise Kulesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG ! This book was so good and hard to put down.

I was not sure who the murderer was until the almost very end and did not see that one coming !!!!

I highly recommend this book and author.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intrigue, murder, romance - Interesting plot & twists, read by Roger Melin. I didn't guess this one, which is always fun. 👍

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot & twists, good characterizations...nicely read by Roger Melin.