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Mordecai Young #3
Darker Than Midnight
MICHAEL RIVER CORBETT--Confined in the state mental hospital and heavily drugged since the death of his wife, River cannot remember what truly happened the night he was arrested for her murder. But now someone is trying to kill him, and he is forced to run for his life. A fugitive from the law and from someone who wants him dead, all he wants is the truth.CASSANDRA JAX JACKSON--The uncompromising police lieutenant knows she's putting her career on the line when she encounters this desperate stranger and doesn't turn him in. Something in River's eyes has Jax convinced he's worth saving...whether he wants it or not.DAWN JONES--The daughter of a madman, Jax's young friend is haunted by voices she doesn't want to hear. But she can no longer ignore the curse she inherited from her twisted father--because unless she listens to what the dead are telling her, Jax might be doomed to join them.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2005
79 people are currently reading
937 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Shayne
257 books2,571 followersI live in the teeny, tiny town of Taylor, NY, (Alliteration Alert!) though my mailing address is Cincinnatus, my telephone exchange is Truxton and I pay taxes and vote in Cuyler. All of these are at least in the same rural county in the southern hills of New York State; Cortland County. There are more cattle than people here. The nearest “big” cities are Syracuse and Binghamton and they are an hour away, in different directions, and not really all that big by most standards, though they both seem humongous to me. I look out my window to see rolling, green, thickly forested hills, wildflower laden meadows and wide open blue, blue skies. My road is barely paved. The nearest neighboring place is a 700 acre dairy farm.
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
June 6, 2019
Good mystery, romance and storyline. I've just discovered her books and have yet to be disappointed.
November 9, 2010
4 ½ stars. Book 3 in the Mordecai Young Trilogy.
This is by far my favorite in this series. More suspenseful, more plot, more character development, more mystery (although veterans of romantic suspense will figure out the “who done it” way ahead of time).
Michael “River” Corbett used to be a cop. Until he got shot in the head one day and started experiencing black outs where he remembers nothing. Apparently during one of his black outs he killed his wife and unborn baby in a house fire. He was locked away in a mental institution and kept heavily drugged. He escapes after someone is trying to kill him.
Lt. Cassandra “Jax” Jackson moved up to Blackberry, VT to take over the job as Police Chief from the almost retired Chief Frankie Parker. Jax moved into a house with a tragic history. A house where a woman and her unborn baby had died in a fire.
River makes his way to the house he used to own. He knows two things, he has to have time for the drugs to clear out of his system so he can think, and he has to find out the truth about what really happened to his wife. Jax and River make a brilliant team. Because of Jax’s personal history that her family went through and because River pulled her out of a freezing pond, Jax decides to give River the benefit of the doubt and figure out what really happened the night River’s wife died.
Fans of this series will be pleased to find that Dawn has a major part in this story. She has, unfortunately, inherited her father’s “gift.” Fortunately, it comes in handy for helping save her friend’s life.
This is by far my favorite in this series. More suspenseful, more plot, more character development, more mystery (although veterans of romantic suspense will figure out the “who done it” way ahead of time).
Michael “River” Corbett used to be a cop. Until he got shot in the head one day and started experiencing black outs where he remembers nothing. Apparently during one of his black outs he killed his wife and unborn baby in a house fire. He was locked away in a mental institution and kept heavily drugged. He escapes after someone is trying to kill him.
Lt. Cassandra “Jax” Jackson moved up to Blackberry, VT to take over the job as Police Chief from the almost retired Chief Frankie Parker. Jax moved into a house with a tragic history. A house where a woman and her unborn baby had died in a fire.
River makes his way to the house he used to own. He knows two things, he has to have time for the drugs to clear out of his system so he can think, and he has to find out the truth about what really happened to his wife. Jax and River make a brilliant team. Because of Jax’s personal history that her family went through and because River pulled her out of a freezing pond, Jax decides to give River the benefit of the doubt and figure out what really happened the night River’s wife died.
Fans of this series will be pleased to find that Dawn has a major part in this story. She has, unfortunately, inherited her father’s “gift.” Fortunately, it comes in handy for helping save her friend’s life.
February 23, 2018
I did enjoy this romantic suspense with a touch of paranormal and a intriguing plot that I had me thinking the obvious with a nagging doubt, just how the author intended I suspect. I felt so sorry for the hero and kept cheering him on. I also liked the heroine who was strong and perceptive. Policewoman Cassie 'Jax' discovers Michael 'River' hiding in her home but doesn't turn him in.
September 14, 2024
Loved reading this end to the trilogy, it was really well done, I loved seeing how things resolved!
November 24, 2015
This is an intensely gripping, edge of your seat book that you'll have troubled putting down. That doesn't mean that it's good, though.
The vast majority of the plot and sub-plots contained in Darker than Midnight work because of one of two things: people being very lucky or people being incompetent and not thinking things through. Both of which are really bad traits in detective fiction which is sort of what this is, the main characters are cops after all and the whole story is driven by a "who done it" plot, but there's not a whole lot of sleuthing that goes on here. Just a lot of really annoying red herrings that are only there to pad the book out to it's ridiculous length.
Seriously, this thing could have been at least 100 pages shorter and that would have greatly improved the tale. Especially since the climax was drawn out to the point that I literally said, "Come on, just get to the end already" out loud. You'll know who did it by page 300 and then next 80 pages will just be you sitting there going "really, we haven't solved this yet? Are you people concussed?"
Add to that the book's baffling romance which, though steamy, failed to fit how the characters would act given the situation they're in and you've got a bit of a mess on your hands.
I should also touch on the fact that this book is the third in a series. I had no idea about that until I logged on here to write my review. Well, that's not totally true, I did have some inclination that there was a larger story going on here, but that's only because the character Dawn's sub-plot was so bizarrely out of place. It felt like there were two stories being told here and the book suffered for it.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone as there are far better genre books, but I also wouldn't be shocked to meet someone who enjoyed it because it certainly does serve as decent entertainment for the first 300 pages and the writing ranges in quality from gripping to decent depending on the scene. I probably would have given this 3 stars if it weren't for the tedious nature of the ending and the super forced romance.
The vast majority of the plot and sub-plots contained in Darker than Midnight work because of one of two things: people being very lucky or people being incompetent and not thinking things through. Both of which are really bad traits in detective fiction which is sort of what this is, the main characters are cops after all and the whole story is driven by a "who done it" plot, but there's not a whole lot of sleuthing that goes on here. Just a lot of really annoying red herrings that are only there to pad the book out to it's ridiculous length.
Seriously, this thing could have been at least 100 pages shorter and that would have greatly improved the tale. Especially since the climax was drawn out to the point that I literally said, "Come on, just get to the end already" out loud. You'll know who did it by page 300 and then next 80 pages will just be you sitting there going "really, we haven't solved this yet? Are you people concussed?"
Add to that the book's baffling romance which, though steamy, failed to fit how the characters would act given the situation they're in and you've got a bit of a mess on your hands.
I should also touch on the fact that this book is the third in a series. I had no idea about that until I logged on here to write my review. Well, that's not totally true, I did have some inclination that there was a larger story going on here, but that's only because the character Dawn's sub-plot was so bizarrely out of place. It felt like there were two stories being told here and the book suffered for it.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone as there are far better genre books, but I also wouldn't be shocked to meet someone who enjoyed it because it certainly does serve as decent entertainment for the first 300 pages and the writing ranges in quality from gripping to decent depending on the scene. I probably would have given this 3 stars if it weren't for the tedious nature of the ending and the super forced romance.
January 15, 2010
as i was reading this book, i thought how thrilling it was. afterward, looking back, i realized that there were inconsistencies. river corbett is supposed to be very weak from overdoses of medicine and exposure, yet he pulls lieutenant cassandra jackson, a.k.a. jax, out of the hole in the icy pond. she befriends him, a fugitive, which should have resulted in her not getting the police chief position in blackberry, vermont, but also being drummed out as a policewoman entirely. adultery is happening all over the place, and what's with this "i see dead people who tell me thing" dawn character. it is more fantasy--not to mention both main characters getting beaten up, etc and bouncing back like the energizer bunny.
June 30, 2018
This third book in the Mordecai Young series centers around Jax's story of finding love and the mysterious burning Dawn felt in her hand at the end of book 2 when Mordecai lay dying.
Cassandra Jackson, Jax, is visiting Blackberry, VT, to see if she would be willing to give up her job in Syracuse to take over for the retiring chief. Jax is surprised a house comes as part of the compensation for the job, but can't wait to spend her first night in town there to see if she likes it. The town owns the house due to back taxes and although Jax suspects there is more to it than that, she doesn't push too hard to find the answers.
That same night, Jax finds a naked, thin, confused stranger in her bed. Although he dresses and promises to leave and not come back, Jax chases him out into the cold since he is potentially sick and definitely under-dressed for the freezing weather. Not being familiar with the area, Jax runs into the meadow across the street because she thought she saw movement there. She didn't realize the "meadow" was actually a pond until she hears the crack that heralds her fall into its icy depths. Suddenly, the scrawny stranger is back and pulling her out of the water.
In return, she takes him to the house, feeds him, and gives him a warm place to sleep. Jax doesn't realized the stranger is tied to the mystery surrounding the house. Once she finds out the entire story, she cannot believe the stranger who allegedly killed his pregnant wife and unborn child due to insanity is the same man who rushed to pull her from certain death.
Jax puts it all on the line for the stranger as she protects him from forces who are trying to kill him and still keep her badge.
The story is a good romantic thriller with unexpected twists.
Cassandra Jackson, Jax, is visiting Blackberry, VT, to see if she would be willing to give up her job in Syracuse to take over for the retiring chief. Jax is surprised a house comes as part of the compensation for the job, but can't wait to spend her first night in town there to see if she likes it. The town owns the house due to back taxes and although Jax suspects there is more to it than that, she doesn't push too hard to find the answers.
That same night, Jax finds a naked, thin, confused stranger in her bed. Although he dresses and promises to leave and not come back, Jax chases him out into the cold since he is potentially sick and definitely under-dressed for the freezing weather. Not being familiar with the area, Jax runs into the meadow across the street because she thought she saw movement there. She didn't realize the "meadow" was actually a pond until she hears the crack that heralds her fall into its icy depths. Suddenly, the scrawny stranger is back and pulling her out of the water.
In return, she takes him to the house, feeds him, and gives him a warm place to sleep. Jax doesn't realized the stranger is tied to the mystery surrounding the house. Once she finds out the entire story, she cannot believe the stranger who allegedly killed his pregnant wife and unborn child due to insanity is the same man who rushed to pull her from certain death.
Jax puts it all on the line for the stranger as she protects him from forces who are trying to kill him and still keep her badge.
The story is a good romantic thriller with unexpected twists.
May 1, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyable book about Jax looking to take Frankie's place as Chief of Police in Blackberry, where her parents have now moved to join Beth and Josh. Before she can even take the job, she is involved with an escaped lunatic from the State Mental Hospital. Or is her a lunatic at all? Some horrifying ideas about the miscarriage of justice are explored as River and Jax wind their way through a difficult investigation of a crime committed over a year before. Dawn comes into it as she tries to deal with her new "gift". Although I am finding her a little slow on the uptake, given her previous precociousness in the earlier books, it is not hard to believe that she would be reluctant to take up her gift. Perhaps not so ferociously reluctant, however. As usual, I had difficulty with some of the logic of the story line which was not always convincing, particularly where Jax and her job are concerned. She is supposedly a very good cop and very capable, but she goes down twice in circumstances that I felt she should have been able to deal with easily.
October 16, 2017
It was hard to put it down through the first half of the book. Once the "romantic feelings" surfaced, it got a little boring, repetitive, and quite frankly, annoying. To keep my interest in the book, I found it necessary to skim through the pages referencing Jax and River's "relationship". Even with skimming pages, it didn't take long to figure out "who dun it", although I was interested to see how the story would actually reveal the "real" killer.
A pet peeve in reading crime stories, is when you have characters who are larger than life and can get hit by cars, pulled from burning buildings, break bones (you get my drift) and still be a super hero to take down the criminal. If you have the same pet peeve, you may be rolling your eyes through portions of this book too.
All-in-all, I gave it 3-stars because the actual crime portion of the story was something a little different and it was interesting to see how everything would play out.
A pet peeve in reading crime stories, is when you have characters who are larger than life and can get hit by cars, pulled from burning buildings, break bones (you get my drift) and still be a super hero to take down the criminal. If you have the same pet peeve, you may be rolling your eyes through portions of this book too.
All-in-all, I gave it 3-stars because the actual crime portion of the story was something a little different and it was interesting to see how everything would play out.
November 6, 2018
Sometimes I just want something fun to read- the equivalent of an action movie that doesn't require much effort on my part, but even then I have standards and require a minimal level of adequate writing and character development and adult characters who don't talk and act like 12 year olds.
She actually had her protagonist repeatedly say, "I want to jump his bones." Instead of coming across as a strong, sexually aware feminist and modern woman she came across as trashy and immature and completely stupid.
I've read lots of romance novels in my life and have never enounctered anything as ridiculous as this book. The writing was awful. I literally have read Harlequin Intrigues that were 100 times better than this.
I guess if I want something fun I'll stick to the romance novels with a thriller background.
She actually had her protagonist repeatedly say, "I want to jump his bones." Instead of coming across as a strong, sexually aware feminist and modern woman she came across as trashy and immature and completely stupid.
I've read lots of romance novels in my life and have never enounctered anything as ridiculous as this book. The writing was awful. I literally have read Harlequin Intrigues that were 100 times better than this.
I guess if I want something fun I'll stick to the romance novels with a thriller background.
July 26, 2023
This is the first book I have ever read by Maggie Shayne and definitely won’t be the last. I really liked her style of writing. The main characters Jax and River are well written and I found the mystery was good and kept my attention. Overall this book is an easy read with a good storyline. The only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 star rating was because of the ending. It was a little cheese, but the book is still good nonetheless.
October 9, 2025
An engaging story. I didn't realize I was joining a series on book 3. Overall, it is a solid thriller/mystery. My hang-ups were:
A key character did not have much development (could have been in earlier books)
I found it too easy to solve the mystery.
We are introduced to a lot of characters, and I'm not sure it was necessary.
I bought it second hand, amd am happy with my purchase, it is going to a little free library in my town.
A key character did not have much development (could have been in earlier books)
I found it too easy to solve the mystery.
We are introduced to a lot of characters, and I'm not sure it was necessary.
I bought it second hand, amd am happy with my purchase, it is going to a little free library in my town.
Want to read
February 23, 2021In all honesty I have no idea if I've read this already or not. I know I've read at least the first and second one in the Mordecai Young series. I read like the prologue of this book and can't recall it. Guess I'll hold onto it and maybe read it someday. :)
August 1, 2017
Compelling story
Compelling storyline I cried, I was scared, I was determined that the bad guys were going to lose! I just didn't know for a while who they were!
Compelling storyline I cried, I was scared, I was determined that the bad guys were going to lose! I just didn't know for a while who they were!
October 15, 2017
Good read
January 22, 2018
Good story, would have been better if the humans had solved the crime rather than the ghosts.
December 16, 2019
This book is riveting. It was really hard to put down. I figured part of it out right away, but not all of it. I will definitely look for more from this author.
March 31, 2020
Nota Geral: 3.4/5
Escrita: 4
Cenário: 4
Originalidade: 3
Personagens: 3.5
Suspense: 3.5
Humor: 3
Romance: 4
Capa: 3
Aditivo: 3
Previsível: 3
Escrita: 4
Cenário: 4
Originalidade: 3
Personagens: 3.5
Suspense: 3.5
Humor: 3
Romance: 4
Capa: 3
Aditivo: 3
Previsível: 3
May 14, 2020
Fast paced, grabbed me right away.
Read
February 16, 2021good
July 2, 2022
Great story line. Action packed. I'm not one for adding romance to a story, but it worked in this book.
July 19, 2008
I just happened to see this book featured at a local bookstore, and thought I'd give a try-- I'm really glad I did. This was the first novel I have ever read by Maggie Shayne, but it will certainly not be the last. I was somewhat surprised to find out Shayne has written over 40 novels-- she does come accross as a seasoned storyteller in her writing, but the characters have such a "that-could-be-me-or-my-friend" everyday appeal to them. This book isn't actually a sequal, however there are characters that appear in Darker Than Midnight that have more leading roles in Shayne's novel Colder Than Ice. While I wish I would have known about and read "Ice" prior to "Midnight," Shayne explains enough for you to receive a hint of background and understanding of why/how each character plays into part.
The characters come together when police lieutenant Cassandra "Jax" Jackson revisits Vermont after being offered a position as Chief of Police in the small town of Blackberry. Current Chief and acquaintance Frankie Parker will be retiring in 2 weeks or less-- just enough time for Jax to make her decision while spending her 2 week vacation in the house "donated" by the city to the new chief(whoever that may turn out to be). Enter Michael "River" Corbett, a man in the state mental hospital, heavily drugged and suffering from blackouts. Convicted of murdering his wife, River actually doesn't remember what transpired the night she died. After a few "supposed" attempts on his life, River escapes the hospital and searches for the truth. After saving Jax's life one evening, River stays the night with her (only so he won't freeze to death outside), and she becomes determined to find out who he is and why he is running. As news spreads of his escape, Jax now winds up harboring a fugitive, putting her career, and possibly life, on the line. Events unfold, stories of the characters' past come to light, and Jax finds herself compromising more than just HER life. Throw in Jax's parents, River's bestfriend Ethan (who is also his psychiatrist), and Jax's young friend Dawn (who hears and sees ghosts, but doesn't want to), and you have yourself a real ordeal.
A lot of interesting, beleivable, and lovable (and hateable!) characters, Darker Than Midnight is exciting, funny, romantic and just plain good. I recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries, romance, hidden clues, and a little of the supernatural. Shayne definately leaves the book open to spinoff more of the other characters, and I hope she does just that.
The characters come together when police lieutenant Cassandra "Jax" Jackson revisits Vermont after being offered a position as Chief of Police in the small town of Blackberry. Current Chief and acquaintance Frankie Parker will be retiring in 2 weeks or less-- just enough time for Jax to make her decision while spending her 2 week vacation in the house "donated" by the city to the new chief(whoever that may turn out to be). Enter Michael "River" Corbett, a man in the state mental hospital, heavily drugged and suffering from blackouts. Convicted of murdering his wife, River actually doesn't remember what transpired the night she died. After a few "supposed" attempts on his life, River escapes the hospital and searches for the truth. After saving Jax's life one evening, River stays the night with her (only so he won't freeze to death outside), and she becomes determined to find out who he is and why he is running. As news spreads of his escape, Jax now winds up harboring a fugitive, putting her career, and possibly life, on the line. Events unfold, stories of the characters' past come to light, and Jax finds herself compromising more than just HER life. Throw in Jax's parents, River's bestfriend Ethan (who is also his psychiatrist), and Jax's young friend Dawn (who hears and sees ghosts, but doesn't want to), and you have yourself a real ordeal.
A lot of interesting, beleivable, and lovable (and hateable!) characters, Darker Than Midnight is exciting, funny, romantic and just plain good. I recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries, romance, hidden clues, and a little of the supernatural. Shayne definately leaves the book open to spinoff more of the other characters, and I hope she does just that.
March 17, 2014
Cassandra “Jax” Jackson goes to Blackberry, VT after being offered the job as the new Chief of Police. Who said small towns are sleepy? When an escaped mental patient saves her from drowning, Jax makes it her mission to clear him of the murder of his wife and unborn child.
Michael “River” Corbett used to be a hero at the NYPD, but after taking a bullet to the brain, he suffers from blackouts and missing time. Did he really kill his pregnant wife? He doesn’t remember. With Jax’s help, he intends to find out once and for all.
Aside from being somewhat predictable, this is actually a decent romantic suspense novel. I liked the characters, the police work, the action. Having the girl with ESP conveniently getting clues from dead people at the end, nearly ruined it for me, but not completely. ESP girl could have worked had she been more involved in the first half of the book. I was also disappointed that the reader (meaning me) was able to figure out the killer before the two seasoned cops and without the aid of ESP girl.
While the mystery left me lukewarm, the relationship between Jax and River was red hot! I really loved the compassion they showed for each other and the gradual descent into love. Jax’s father was also a very touching secondary character. Rex the dog was cute, too.
While this is the first book I have read by Maggie Shayne, it is actually the third in a series. Coming in where I did was not confusing. Shayne does well with getting the reader up to speed.
Overall, I give Darker Than Midnight…
Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks
Character Development – 3 bookmarks
Use of the Paranormal – 1 bookmark
Love Story – 3 bookmarks
Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Mark Wahlberg (River), Anna Torv (Jax)
Michael “River” Corbett used to be a hero at the NYPD, but after taking a bullet to the brain, he suffers from blackouts and missing time. Did he really kill his pregnant wife? He doesn’t remember. With Jax’s help, he intends to find out once and for all.
Aside from being somewhat predictable, this is actually a decent romantic suspense novel. I liked the characters, the police work, the action. Having the girl with ESP conveniently getting clues from dead people at the end, nearly ruined it for me, but not completely. ESP girl could have worked had she been more involved in the first half of the book. I was also disappointed that the reader (meaning me) was able to figure out the killer before the two seasoned cops and without the aid of ESP girl.
While the mystery left me lukewarm, the relationship between Jax and River was red hot! I really loved the compassion they showed for each other and the gradual descent into love. Jax’s father was also a very touching secondary character. Rex the dog was cute, too.
While this is the first book I have read by Maggie Shayne, it is actually the third in a series. Coming in where I did was not confusing. Shayne does well with getting the reader up to speed.
Overall, I give Darker Than Midnight…
Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks
Character Development – 3 bookmarks
Use of the Paranormal – 1 bookmark
Love Story – 3 bookmarks
Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Mark Wahlberg (River), Anna Torv (Jax)
December 6, 2010
I really wasn't sure what I was in for when I picked up this book. I had read some of Maggie Shayne's fantasy books - vampires and witches - but this appeared to be a different breed. Before reading it, I was thinking it was a paranormal romance. Mid-way through I changed my mind to mystery. Now that I've finished, I suppose the spine description "romantic suspense" is the most accurate.
This is also the third book in a series, but from what I can tell, the connecting element was one of the background characters. The foreground characters were the potential romantic couple. And as much as I usually go for the romantic element, I preferred the friendship and mystery in this case. I literally fell asleep on one of the sex scenes.
SPOILERS...
I must say, I figured out the mystery long before anyone else. I'm not sure why no one considered the other cuckolded spouse sooner. (A woman can be cuckolded too, can't she?)
If I didn't mention it before, I haven't read the previous two books in the series. It's not obvious looking at the book that it is part of a series.
So what seemed like a secondary character seeing ghosts seemed a thin excuse for the number of characters who ended up dead in this one. That last heroic death had me sobbing. It was so unnecessary. And for a romance, it was swept under the bed awfully fast. That last upbeat bit seemed hollow after such a tragic death.
So, to tell you the truth, the end ruined it for me. The HEA was tainted.
This is also the third book in a series, but from what I can tell, the connecting element was one of the background characters. The foreground characters were the potential romantic couple. And as much as I usually go for the romantic element, I preferred the friendship and mystery in this case. I literally fell asleep on one of the sex scenes.
SPOILERS...
I must say, I figured out the mystery long before anyone else. I'm not sure why no one considered the other cuckolded spouse sooner. (A woman can be cuckolded too, can't she?)
If I didn't mention it before, I haven't read the previous two books in the series. It's not obvious looking at the book that it is part of a series.
So what seemed like a secondary character seeing ghosts seemed a thin excuse for the number of characters who ended up dead in this one. That last heroic death had me sobbing. It was so unnecessary. And for a romance, it was swept under the bed awfully fast. That last upbeat bit seemed hollow after such a tragic death.
So, to tell you the truth, the end ruined it for me. The HEA was tainted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2009
Wow! talk about a tense, haunting, page turning read!!!
From back cover:
"Some people will do anything - and kill anyone - to keep their secrets locked away.
Michael "River" Corbett - Confined in the state mental hospital and heavily drugged since the death of his wife, River cannot remember what truly happened the night he was arrested for her murder. But now someone is trying to kill him, and he is forced to run for his life. A fugitive from the law and from someone who wants him dead, all he wants is the truth.
Cassandra "Jax" Jackson - The uncompromising police lieutenant knows she's putting her career on the line when she encounters this desperate stranger and doesn't turn him in. Something in River's eyes has Jax convinced he's worth saving...whether he wants it or not.
Dawn Jones- The daughter of a madman, Jax's young friend is haunted by voices she doesn't want to hear. But she can no longer ignore the curse she inherited from her twisted father - because unless she listens to what the dead are telling her, Jax might be doomed to join them."
**Just a side note to those of you who have read "Thicker Than Water" and "Colder Than Ice"...remember Mordecai??? Then read this one too!
From back cover:
"Some people will do anything - and kill anyone - to keep their secrets locked away.
Michael "River" Corbett - Confined in the state mental hospital and heavily drugged since the death of his wife, River cannot remember what truly happened the night he was arrested for her murder. But now someone is trying to kill him, and he is forced to run for his life. A fugitive from the law and from someone who wants him dead, all he wants is the truth.
Cassandra "Jax" Jackson - The uncompromising police lieutenant knows she's putting her career on the line when she encounters this desperate stranger and doesn't turn him in. Something in River's eyes has Jax convinced he's worth saving...whether he wants it or not.
Dawn Jones- The daughter of a madman, Jax's young friend is haunted by voices she doesn't want to hear. But she can no longer ignore the curse she inherited from her twisted father - because unless she listens to what the dead are telling her, Jax might be doomed to join them."
**Just a side note to those of you who have read "Thicker Than Water" and "Colder Than Ice"...remember Mordecai??? Then read this one too!
August 22, 2013
3rd and final book in the Mordecai Young series.
Lieutenant Jackson aka Jax finally has her own book. We still see some of our fav characters from the two previous books. Dawn is back so is Bryan, Beth and Josh. We also get Jax's back story as well as a new main character the escaped mental patinet River.
This book has so many things going on some might get lost but it is a crazy ride from start to finish. Right off the bat you get emotional drama of Jax back story that plays right along with what is happening today in the quiet town of Blackberry. It seems so obvious who done it I alomst didn't want to keep reading but I kept saying no thats too easy something else has to happen. Maggie Shayne did not dissappoint, I was definatly entertained and entralled by most of the story.
I just kept wishing Dawn was in it more or we could actually find out more about her new "gift". She did help save Jax eventually with her "gift" but it was a bumpy ride for her. I could say more but don't want to spoil anything for future readers, but I will say this the bodies pill up again in this book and the ending. ...wow didn't see that coming.
I'd give it a 3.5 overall.
Lieutenant Jackson aka Jax finally has her own book. We still see some of our fav characters from the two previous books. Dawn is back so is Bryan, Beth and Josh. We also get Jax's back story as well as a new main character the escaped mental patinet River.
This book has so many things going on some might get lost but it is a crazy ride from start to finish. Right off the bat you get emotional drama of Jax back story that plays right along with what is happening today in the quiet town of Blackberry. It seems so obvious who done it I alomst didn't want to keep reading but I kept saying no thats too easy something else has to happen. Maggie Shayne did not dissappoint, I was definatly entertained and entralled by most of the story.
I just kept wishing Dawn was in it more or we could actually find out more about her new "gift". She did help save Jax eventually with her "gift" but it was a bumpy ride for her. I could say more but don't want to spoil anything for future readers, but I will say this the bodies pill up again in this book and the ending. ...wow didn't see that coming.
I'd give it a 3.5 overall.
October 8, 2018
This was an awesome series. This is a great author.
October 18, 2009
Lieutenant Jackson "Jax" has always been self reliant and one tough lady, but in her newest job, she might need more help than she even thinks. "River" Corbett is a decorated ex-cop who happens to be in a mental institution for the murder of his wife, but after a series of events sends him out the door in a dead orderlies uniform, he tries not to need the help of any stranger, little lone a cops. Together they are trying to unravel the events that sent River over the edge.
This being the third book of the Mordecai Young series, it was very enjoyable to start the book knowing most of the charecters. To see the struggles that Dawn has in the realization that some of her fathers "gift" now seemed to be part of her. The relationship of Jax's parents and her are a very good explanation of her personality, the independence, the sassiness of her. Her no holds barred way of looking at life and taking care of things is so much fun to watch. The relationship that builds between River and Jax is one of tension, mistrust and gut intstincts. Very fun interaction between the two of them.
This being the third book of the Mordecai Young series, it was very enjoyable to start the book knowing most of the charecters. To see the struggles that Dawn has in the realization that some of her fathers "gift" now seemed to be part of her. The relationship of Jax's parents and her are a very good explanation of her personality, the independence, the sassiness of her. Her no holds barred way of looking at life and taking care of things is so much fun to watch. The relationship that builds between River and Jax is one of tension, mistrust and gut intstincts. Very fun interaction between the two of them.
August 8, 2011
After reading all 3 of the Mordecai Young series books, I felt that this was the best one by far. The story was quite interesting (although I figured out the killer in the first 1/3 of the book). I really enjoyed the characters Jax and River and the intensity of their attraction for each other. It was interesting to see how Dawn chose to deal with her "gift" from her father which leads me to think there will be a 4th book coming up in the series or a new series based on Dawn. One thing that I thought was rather funny was that in all 3 novels.....the two main characters that get together and become romantically involved....do so and within a week they are in love and getting married.....SO NOT REALISTIC.....but made me chuckle. It was a nice light read and I enjoyed the series for the most part.
March 27, 2008
Good book which I enjoyed quite a bit, but there was just a little something lacking. Not sure what, but it's worth reading. It's about an ex-cop with a head injury who suffers from black outs. During one of those blackouts, he supposedly murdered his pregnant wife. For a year or so, he's been in a state psych ward, all drugged up. He escapes and gains the help of the towns new sheriff and tries to unravel what happened the night his wife died. Like I said, it's interesting, but it seemed to missing a little something. If you decide to read it, there are 2 books that precede it in semi-series (basically, there are a set of characters who then each have their own story). Titles: Thicker Than Water, Colder Than Ice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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