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Susan Wren #7
Edge of Midnight
A heat wave has struck Hampstead, Kansas, and Susan Wren, police chief of the sweltering town, has a vile flu. She struggles to keep up with work piling on her desk, while also dealing with a troubled teenage girl, a delusional World War II veteran, and a rookie cop who needs to be fired before her enthusiasm and inexperience get someone killed. If this weren't enough to contend with, trouble from the outside world enters the small town.
Cary Black is new in Hampstead, hiding out from her abusive policeman husband, Mitch. The woman she was to stay with has disappeared, and Cary, not wanting to alert the police, assumes the woman's identity. Mitch will stop at nothing to recover his wife, but when he tries, he'll be on Police Chief Susan Wren's turf.
This seventh entry in the highly praised series is the most thrilling and suspenseful yet. Charlene Weir weaves an intricate tale and Susan Wren encounters every obstacle she meets with courage and resourcefulness.
Cary Black is new in Hampstead, hiding out from her abusive policeman husband, Mitch. The woman she was to stay with has disappeared, and Cary, not wanting to alert the police, assumes the woman's identity. Mitch will stop at nothing to recover his wife, but when he tries, he'll be on Police Chief Susan Wren's turf.
This seventh entry in the highly praised series is the most thrilling and suspenseful yet. Charlene Weir weaves an intricate tale and Susan Wren encounters every obstacle she meets with courage and resourcefulness.
- GenresMystery
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2007
2 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Charlene Weir
12 books17 followersCharlene Weir was born in Nortonville, Kansas. She grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas. After graduating from nurses' training she attended the University of Oklahoma and worked as a public health nurse. She is the creator of "Susan Wren", police chief in Hampstead, Kansas.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 20, 2016
This is both the first book that I've read in this series and the first book by this author. It was okay but I just wasn't feeling it. I'm assuming Police Chief Susan Wren wasn't at her best due to her health issues not because she's a crappy cop. Why talk about the birds if no one was going to do anything. Maybe it was just because there was too much going on and the Chief was ill that obvious clues were missed by all.
I didn't particularly like Susan anyway so I won't be continuing this series. I did like Cary and was glad that she eventually ran from her abusive husband. The whole "abused wife" thing was handled very well and seemed realistic. One of the few (IMHO) well-done plot points in this one.
I didn't particularly like Susan anyway so I won't be continuing this series. I did like Cary and was glad that she eventually ran from her abusive husband. The whole "abused wife" thing was handled very well and seemed realistic. One of the few (IMHO) well-done plot points in this one.
June 5, 2019
Meet Cary Black. She married the guy of her dreams who is now a well-liked police officer. They've created a home together in the outskirts of Berkeley, California. All is not as it seems though. Mitch Black is a control freak with anger management problems that are exacerbated by alcohol. Cary's honeymoon ended quickly, and she tip toes around Mitch, afraid that any little thing will give him an excuse to hit her. As time goes on though, it seems like he doesn't really need an excuse. She comes up with inventive "klutz" stories to explain bruises, but her best friend, Arlette, sees past the stories. Arlette patiently supports Cary, and finally convinces her friend that she needs to leave Mitch. Together they come up with an escape plan, and start to hide supplies.
Cary hopes to find peace in a small town in Kansas, while also dealing with her fading eye sight. She's been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. This rare genetic disorder initially causes loss of night vision, and difficulty adjusting to changes in light. Eventually the vision field narrows until patients lose most of their sight. Mitch is a cop though, with a wide network to assist him in finding Cary. Can she ever truly find peace?
My two cents: . Edge of Midnight is a disturbingly dark read (especially the prologue). STRONG TRIGGER WARNING to anyone who has experienced rape. This dark tone would have been ok if Weir had focused on one theme. Instead there are multiple disturbing threads (rape, murder, domestic violence, revenge, torture) which are all touched on, but not explored fully. In the end it created a tangled web that felt unrealistic. Weir's vision loss was especially problematic. As with most genetic disorders, symptoms of Retinitis Pigmentosa usually show up in childhood. While occasionally people may not experience vision loss until their 20's or 30's, the disease has a much more gradual curve than Weir portrays. In any case, I sincerely hope that *no* eye doctor would cavalierly diagnose a patient with incurable, progressive blindness, and then send them packing with no resources, support, or follow up. This was my biggest problem with this offering. Aside from Arlette, no one helps Cary (even when they have a very good reason to do so). I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but I was especially disturbed with the ending. Good or even average police work could have prevented almost all of it. Given 2 stars or a rating of "average" for Cary's strong character. She persevered through hardship, and was truly likable. Recommended to those who want an in your face portrayal of domestic abuse. Skip the prologue if you want to avoid much of the horror in the novel.
Further reading: A link to nomore.org. This great website offers resources to victims, as well as what to do if you suspect a friend is enduring domestic violence, or you witness violence. https://nomore.org/learn/resources/
~~A link to the National Eye Institute's page on Retinitis Pigmentosa: https://nei.nih.gov/health/pigmentosa...
Cary hopes to find peace in a small town in Kansas, while also dealing with her fading eye sight. She's been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. This rare genetic disorder initially causes loss of night vision, and difficulty adjusting to changes in light. Eventually the vision field narrows until patients lose most of their sight. Mitch is a cop though, with a wide network to assist him in finding Cary. Can she ever truly find peace?
My two cents: . Edge of Midnight is a disturbingly dark read (especially the prologue). STRONG TRIGGER WARNING to anyone who has experienced rape. This dark tone would have been ok if Weir had focused on one theme. Instead there are multiple disturbing threads (rape, murder, domestic violence, revenge, torture) which are all touched on, but not explored fully. In the end it created a tangled web that felt unrealistic. Weir's vision loss was especially problematic. As with most genetic disorders, symptoms of Retinitis Pigmentosa usually show up in childhood. While occasionally people may not experience vision loss until their 20's or 30's, the disease has a much more gradual curve than Weir portrays. In any case, I sincerely hope that *no* eye doctor would cavalierly diagnose a patient with incurable, progressive blindness, and then send them packing with no resources, support, or follow up. This was my biggest problem with this offering. Aside from Arlette, no one helps Cary (even when they have a very good reason to do so). I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but I was especially disturbed with the ending. Good or even average police work could have prevented almost all of it. Given 2 stars or a rating of "average" for Cary's strong character. She persevered through hardship, and was truly likable. Recommended to those who want an in your face portrayal of domestic abuse. Skip the prologue if you want to avoid much of the horror in the novel.
Further reading: A link to nomore.org. This great website offers resources to victims, as well as what to do if you suspect a friend is enduring domestic violence, or you witness violence. https://nomore.org/learn/resources/
~~A link to the National Eye Institute's page on Retinitis Pigmentosa: https://nei.nih.gov/health/pigmentosa...
August 11, 2007
EDGE OF MIDNIGHT (Police Procedural-Kansas-Cont) – Okay
Weir, Charlene – 7th in series
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2007- US Hardcover- ISBN: 0312347979
*** Police chief Susan Wren is very busy in the small town of Hempstead, Kansas. She has a rookie cop who has nearly killed two of her partners by not following their instructions. The teenaged girl Susan has befriended is clearly upset but won’t talk to Susan. A World War II veteran suffering of Alzheimer get a hold of a gun. Into this comes Cary Black, a woman on the run from her abusive husband, who is a cop.
*** I so enjoy this series and felt the last book, “Up In Smoke,” was excellent. For me, this book wasn’t up to the same level. There was a lot going on in this book, perhaps a bit too much. I did feel the story could have been much tighter. And yet, Ms. Weir deftly wove most the fragments together into a suspenseful plot primarily focused on abuse. The protagonist of this book, rather than being Susan, was Cary. Ms. Wren did a very good job of showing the balance of Cary’s fear yet strength and determination, as well as the husband’s psychosis and rationale for beating his wife. However, there were a few too many coincidences and I definitely saw the end coming. This was definitely not her best book. I do recommend Ms. Weir’s books and wish she would write them faster, rather than every two-to-three years, but I should recommend starting with “Winter Widow.”
Weir, Charlene – 7th in series
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2007- US Hardcover- ISBN: 0312347979
*** Police chief Susan Wren is very busy in the small town of Hempstead, Kansas. She has a rookie cop who has nearly killed two of her partners by not following their instructions. The teenaged girl Susan has befriended is clearly upset but won’t talk to Susan. A World War II veteran suffering of Alzheimer get a hold of a gun. Into this comes Cary Black, a woman on the run from her abusive husband, who is a cop.
*** I so enjoy this series and felt the last book, “Up In Smoke,” was excellent. For me, this book wasn’t up to the same level. There was a lot going on in this book, perhaps a bit too much. I did feel the story could have been much tighter. And yet, Ms. Weir deftly wove most the fragments together into a suspenseful plot primarily focused on abuse. The protagonist of this book, rather than being Susan, was Cary. Ms. Wren did a very good job of showing the balance of Cary’s fear yet strength and determination, as well as the husband’s psychosis and rationale for beating his wife. However, there were a few too many coincidences and I definitely saw the end coming. This was definitely not her best book. I do recommend Ms. Weir’s books and wish she would write them faster, rather than every two-to-three years, but I should recommend starting with “Winter Widow.”
May 7, 2018
Once I got into this I realized I'd read it before. Worth a reread, I still picked up a couple of things I missed the first time around. One of the lead characters was beginning to lose her sight. Afraid that physical abuse by her husband was making her blind, she finally went to an optometrist who gave her a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable condition that leads to blindness. There was no follow up, no referral to an opthamologist, no treatment plan, no advice on how to deal with a future with no sight. What doctor does that?I had a vision of the doctor saying "Yep, you're going blind. Pay the nurse on your way out. NEXT!" Later on, someone else - NOT a doctor - recommends that she get a seeing-eye miniature horse, which seemed to be a clumsy method of introducing the concept of these animals, but otherwise contributed nothing to the story. The abusive husband is dealt with too easily, I thought. He deserved ever so much more!
In spite of these flaws, I may be looking for others in the series, just to see where it goes.
In spite of these flaws, I may be looking for others in the series, just to see where it goes.
April 1, 2010
I've been enjoying this series all along but this book is outstanding. It hits on so many issues and handles all of them masterfully!
Susan Wren, Chief of Police is not feeling well, she has an ear infection, cold and is generally miserable. Contrast that with the problem of Cary Black, she is hiding from her abusive husband who also happens to be a cop, and Cary is going blind. Contrast that with Jen, Susan's teenage friend who is being bullied at school. Contrast that with Iva, a new cop on Susan's force who so far has almost gotten two other officers killed.
There is a lot packed into this book and all the issues are tackled head on with some happy ends, some very tragic endings and some things still left hanging, just like real life.
Weir's writing is just getting better but it will be hard to top this one, the powerful emotions here kept me reading into the night last night.
Susan Wren, Chief of Police is not feeling well, she has an ear infection, cold and is generally miserable. Contrast that with the problem of Cary Black, she is hiding from her abusive husband who also happens to be a cop, and Cary is going blind. Contrast that with Jen, Susan's teenage friend who is being bullied at school. Contrast that with Iva, a new cop on Susan's force who so far has almost gotten two other officers killed.
There is a lot packed into this book and all the issues are tackled head on with some happy ends, some very tragic endings and some things still left hanging, just like real life.
Weir's writing is just getting better but it will be hard to top this one, the powerful emotions here kept me reading into the night last night.
July 31, 2007
Dark. No spunky female sleuths here.
I haven't read the rest of the series. This book felt like an in-betweener. I'm going to be looking for the other books to see.
I haven't read the rest of the series. This book felt like an in-betweener. I'm going to be looking for the other books to see.
August 23, 2009
Chief Susan Wren #7
August 15, 2022
The suspense was incredible. Each page with a drawing power of it's own. This series is so good.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews