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The Midnight Road: A Novel
From the moment he saw the girl in the snowstorm, Flynn had less than an hour to live. But he’ll remember his last fifty minutes long after he’s dead. As an investigator for Suffolk County Child Protective Services, Flynn has seen more than his share of misery, but nothing could prepare him for the nightmare inside the Shepards’ million-dollar Long Island home. In less than an hour, that nightmare will send him plunging into a frozen harbor—and awaken him to a reality even more terrifying.
They’ve nicknamed Flynn “The Miracle Man” because few have ever been resuscitated after being dead so long. But a determined homicide detective and a beautiful, inquisitive reporter have questions about what really happened at the Shepard house—and why the people around Flynn are suddenly being murdered. Flynn has questions of his own, especially when one of the victims dies while handing him a note: This is all your fault Flynn has returned from The Midnight Road—and someone wants to send him back.
They’ve nicknamed Flynn “The Miracle Man” because few have ever been resuscitated after being dead so long. But a determined homicide detective and a beautiful, inquisitive reporter have questions about what really happened at the Shepard house—and why the people around Flynn are suddenly being murdered. Flynn has questions of his own, especially when one of the victims dies while handing him a note: This is all your fault Flynn has returned from The Midnight Road—and someone wants to send him back.
317 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
30 people are currently reading
483 people want to read
About the author
Tom Piccirilli
186 books387 followersThomas Piccirilli (May 27, 1965 – July 11, 2015) was an American novelist and short story writer.
Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".
Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
July 29, 2011
My husband has been reading through my tbr pile for me. He has a lunch hour and I don't but I'm not bitter. Since our reading tastes are pretty similar when it comes to mystery/horror (well, if you don't count The DaVinci Code which I despised and he seems to think is perfect) I trust him when he says a book is a dud. His reviews are usually minimal and to the point but he went on about this book for quite a while last night stunning me with his memory when I asked him to describe it for me. He really should review books but I guess I'm the only review writing geek in the family, still he indulges my weirdness and gave me his "review" to spare me from having to read this book.
Unfortunately I was tired last night and my memory is pretty shoddy and even though I did indeed listen to every word he spoke (though he'd probably deny that) this is the bit I can remember:
This book was very misleading. The back of the book makes it sound like it's all about a child protective service officer finding a nightmare inside a fancy home in Long Island but it's not (he still trusts blurbs & Amazon's #1 reviewer unlike jaded me). In fact, that all happens within the first part of the book and it wasn't what I'd consider a nightmare at all.
This is the nightmare: the officer finds an autistic man locked up in a dog crate and attempts to remove the child and the man from the home. The snooty mother shoots at him, she ends up dying, the officer then takes the child, the man and the child's dog to safety. The officer is then approached by people with odd notes throughout the remainder of the book and these people end up getting murdered (I make some crack here about The DaVinci code which he ignores). Blah, blah, blah (note: I did not tune out here, it's my poor memory, really it is) more stuff happens, somehow the officer ends up under water with the kid and the dog, and more mysterious but dull sounding adventure ensues. It ends with a big reveal that made little sense. It was hard to stick with this book, he says, but he finished it nonetheless and it was a big let down.
Needless to say I'm not going to read it since he so kindly spared me the bother. I gave it a 3 for him since I forgot to ask him for a number rating and it sounds like a middle of the road book to me.
Unfortunately I was tired last night and my memory is pretty shoddy and even though I did indeed listen to every word he spoke (though he'd probably deny that) this is the bit I can remember:
This book was very misleading. The back of the book makes it sound like it's all about a child protective service officer finding a nightmare inside a fancy home in Long Island but it's not (he still trusts blurbs & Amazon's #1 reviewer unlike jaded me). In fact, that all happens within the first part of the book and it wasn't what I'd consider a nightmare at all.
This is the nightmare: the officer finds an autistic man locked up in a dog crate and attempts to remove the child and the man from the home. The snooty mother shoots at him, she ends up dying, the officer then takes the child, the man and the child's dog to safety. The officer is then approached by people with odd notes throughout the remainder of the book and these people end up getting murdered (I make some crack here about The DaVinci code which he ignores). Blah, blah, blah (note: I did not tune out here, it's my poor memory, really it is) more stuff happens, somehow the officer ends up under water with the kid and the dog, and more mysterious but dull sounding adventure ensues. It ends with a big reveal that made little sense. It was hard to stick with this book, he says, but he finished it nonetheless and it was a big let down.
Needless to say I'm not going to read it since he so kindly spared me the bother. I gave it a 3 for him since I forgot to ask him for a number rating and it sounds like a middle of the road book to me.
December 7, 2013
A terrifically quirky thriller from Piccirilli about life, death, pain and the ability to let go of the past. The characters are engaging and full of life in the hands of a talented writer like Piccirilli. He knows just how to create these strange little worlds where people don't always act like they should but somehow find a way to overcome the odds. Throw in a talking dead dog and you have a real winner here. Highly recommended.
June 28, 2011
The Midnight Road is the latest novel written by one of America's finest storytellers of dark fiction. As with Piccirilli's other work, the protagonist begins a journey of self discovery, weaving in and out of their own troubled past that somehow connects to a current threat. While the story itself wasn't as gripping as his other book, Headstone City, this one still has the trademarks that Piccirilli fans have come to know and love - flawed, haunted characters caught up in dangerous situations, wrapped in a beautifully detailed world of pain. The only problem I had with the book was the occasional over-analyzing of characters, delving into their psychological motivations throughout the story over and over again. I felt the story wanted to break away with greater speed and energy - and should have - only to be held back sometimes by this technique. That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller and as always, look forward to the next Piccirilli tale.
July 11, 2013
There's a common theme in Piccirilli's books, that of loyalty to family even in the face of dysfunction. Usually in the face of (extreme) dysfunction. An unshakable love for one's blood, even when it turns out really, really bad.
Flynn works for Child Protective Services, but he can't shake the violent death of his older brother, some 30 years ago, and it affects him even when he's being pursued by a killer. In the beginning, Flynn dies in the same car that his brother lost his life. After a high-speed chase sends his Charger into the icy Long Island Sound, he's a goner for 28 minutes before miraculously being revived.
Soon after his recovery, a killer surfaces and begins to murder the people around Flynn. The Midnight Road is a solid whodunit, with the telltale Pic style that makes everything he writes a step above whatever else is out there. The main key is in his characterization and the emotionally flawed heroes of his stories.
Flynn was dead and came back, but over the course of the book, there's a realization that he'd been dead for the last 30 years. Since that day when his brother, running from the law with his pregnant girlfriend and her younger sister in tow, kicked Flynn and the younger girl out of the car just in time. Moments later, Danny and his girlfriend were dead, and Flynn and Emma, the surviving younger siblings, lived the rest of their lives trying to come to grips with what happened, as well as what could have (or maybe should have) happened to them.
****SPOILER AHEAD****
Which brings us to the antagonist, revealed in the last chapters. Nuddin suffers from low-functioning autism and has spent his life hurting himself severely just to feel something, to try and understand the body he inhabits and make some sense of who and what he is. The only way to feel anything is through inflicting pain, both on himself and others.
It's similar in many ways to the pain that the protagonists, Flynn and Emma, inflict on themselves. Flynn through a career of beating up violent, abusive fathers through his work at CPS (he probably would have been fired long ago, but oh well) and Emma through a string of abusive relationships with angry men. In the end, they find each other and try to help each other through the other side of their suffering.
Once again, another great read from Pic. What would have been an average mystery from most writers becomes an absorbing read full of three-dimensional characters, with the lines between the good guys and bad guys often blurred. Piccirilli can do no wrong in my eyes.
Flynn works for Child Protective Services, but he can't shake the violent death of his older brother, some 30 years ago, and it affects him even when he's being pursued by a killer. In the beginning, Flynn dies in the same car that his brother lost his life. After a high-speed chase sends his Charger into the icy Long Island Sound, he's a goner for 28 minutes before miraculously being revived.
Soon after his recovery, a killer surfaces and begins to murder the people around Flynn. The Midnight Road is a solid whodunit, with the telltale Pic style that makes everything he writes a step above whatever else is out there. The main key is in his characterization and the emotionally flawed heroes of his stories.
Flynn was dead and came back, but over the course of the book, there's a realization that he'd been dead for the last 30 years. Since that day when his brother, running from the law with his pregnant girlfriend and her younger sister in tow, kicked Flynn and the younger girl out of the car just in time. Moments later, Danny and his girlfriend were dead, and Flynn and Emma, the surviving younger siblings, lived the rest of their lives trying to come to grips with what happened, as well as what could have (or maybe should have) happened to them.
****SPOILER AHEAD****
Which brings us to the antagonist, revealed in the last chapters. Nuddin suffers from low-functioning autism and has spent his life hurting himself severely just to feel something, to try and understand the body he inhabits and make some sense of who and what he is. The only way to feel anything is through inflicting pain, both on himself and others.
It's similar in many ways to the pain that the protagonists, Flynn and Emma, inflict on themselves. Flynn through a career of beating up violent, abusive fathers through his work at CPS (he probably would have been fired long ago, but oh well) and Emma through a string of abusive relationships with angry men. In the end, they find each other and try to help each other through the other side of their suffering.
Once again, another great read from Pic. What would have been an average mystery from most writers becomes an absorbing read full of three-dimensional characters, with the lines between the good guys and bad guys often blurred. Piccirilli can do no wrong in my eyes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
November 12, 2019Synopsis: from the time he saw the girl, Flynn, an investigator for the Suffolk County Child Protective Services, had less than an hour to live.
December 8, 2020
I have no idea what made me pick this book, I have no idea why I kept reading on though I was so disinterested and I have no idea what I just finished reading.
September 16, 2018
No one quite does ethereal melancholy as good as Tom Piccirilli, and this is more evident than ever in this book. Flynn (which is probably his last name, but we never learn his first) is a CPS worker who likes nothing more than finding abusive fathers and beating the daylights out of them. He's a man who lives in the past. He loves his brother's souped up Charger more than he ever loved his ex-wife. He goes to theater screenings of noir. He has old posters of Bogie and Mansfield on his walls at home. And he's surrounded by ghosts, haunted most by his brother who died in said Charger when Flynn was a kid. One day Flynn saves a little girl and her mentally challenged, deformed and autistic uncle from a rich family, and the next thing he knows, people are dying by Flynn wherever he goes, always with a note intended for him. It's quite the mystery, and the solution is super creepy and sheer lunacy. It's amazing. Also, the first chapter is a masterpiece in storytelling. The very last line of the final chapter is a gut punch and it nearly made me cry. I can't recommend this book enough. You can't go wrote with Piccirilli.
October 22, 2014
I love Tom Piccirilli's writing. This book was dark and unpredictable....with lots of film noir references....what could be better?
March 4, 2015
This book started off at a really fast paced and I thought it was going to be a great ride. Half way through the story lagged and the end was incredibly disappointing.
July 10, 2015
Couldn't put it down.
I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting a powerfully good read. I read it straight through from start to finish, and I now have a new author to explore.
I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting a powerfully good read. I read it straight through from start to finish, and I now have a new author to explore.
September 14, 2019
Piccirilli's start writing horror fiction is on display in this book, a delicious waiting around every corner for the monsters to jump out of the dark. While there are monsters, none are of the supernatural variety; they exist in the darkness of homes and hearts, and they do their dirty work from there, only occasionally jumping out to show themselves.
The one major flaw in this story is its depiction of the autistic character. I don't want to divulge too much because then there'd be spoilers, but suffice to say, I think the point could have been made in a different way. Nonetheless, Piccirilli's writing stands the test of time, and this haunting story is overall worth the read.
The one major flaw in this story is its depiction of the autistic character. I don't want to divulge too much because then there'd be spoilers, but suffice to say, I think the point could have been made in a different way. Nonetheless, Piccirilli's writing stands the test of time, and this haunting story is overall worth the read.
May 4, 2018
If you can overlook the more unlikely practices of this particular child protection officer, our main protagonist, you are left with a 'sort of', slightly supernatural crime thriller which quietly ramps up the 'creepy' and concludes with a bloody gore laden show down. In a basement. of course. Not Piccalilli's finest but I like his writing style, his damaged characters and find him a super easy and satisfying read.
Not a four star volume but a very high three.
Not a four star volume but a very high three.
December 13, 2017
Library Request on Audio. What just happened, some books leave me thinking what a great book, this one left me with what just happened. It was so over the top believable with its sever autistic person of interest for all the murders was so unbelievable it sort of ended my understanding of the book, bah humbug.
December 19, 2019
Piccirilli is a very good writer who pushes the boundaries with his thrillers that read more like psychological puzzles. This is not my favorite book of him, but the way he constructs his story is always intriguing.
January 13, 2020
The plot line wasn’t bad, but the improbable hero was. I worked in Child Protective Services, and if I had pulled some of the stunts the lead character did, I would have been fired and perhaps arrested.
January 17, 2018
Good read
I enjoyed this book will read more from this author. Yes I recommend this book. Thanks write more and more!
I enjoyed this book will read more from this author. Yes I recommend this book. Thanks write more and more!
January 22, 2018
Another great book
I love this mans books. They keep one hooked and guessing always off balance. Off to get my 4th one to read.
I love this mans books. They keep one hooked and guessing always off balance. Off to get my 4th one to read.
September 1, 2019
Half decent quick read. Macho male main character.
September 5, 2007
THE MIDNIGHT ROAD (Suspense-New York-Cont) – VG
Piccirilli, Tom – Standalone
Bantam Books, 2007, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780553384086
First Sentence: Flynn remembered the night of his death more clearly than any other in his life.
*** Flynn is an investigator for the Suffolk (NY) County Child Protective Services. Responding to a tip, he drives through a snowstorm to the Shepard’s Long Island mansion where he finds a young, mentally disabled, man being kept in a cage. In spite of the mother threatening to shot him, and accidentally shooting her husband, Flynn escapes with the young man and his even younger niece. A car chase by the mother, lands Flynn in the frozen harbor, but revived after being “flash frozen” for 28 minutes. However, his new life ends up a nightmare with someone killing the people around him.
*** From the opening sentence, I found myself embroiled in Flynn’s story. Piccirilli’s writing is lyrical, although a bit overblown. He has an excellent ear for dialogue and knows when to use humor to balance the dark a bit. This is a case where the weather becomes an essential element of the story, along with the talking dog. The characters are eclectic and have violent histories. I would have said this might not be my type of book, but, instead, found it a dark, intriguing, haunted and haunting book I couldn’t put down. (EMBRG selection)
Piccirilli, Tom – Standalone
Bantam Books, 2007, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780553384086
First Sentence: Flynn remembered the night of his death more clearly than any other in his life.
*** Flynn is an investigator for the Suffolk (NY) County Child Protective Services. Responding to a tip, he drives through a snowstorm to the Shepard’s Long Island mansion where he finds a young, mentally disabled, man being kept in a cage. In spite of the mother threatening to shot him, and accidentally shooting her husband, Flynn escapes with the young man and his even younger niece. A car chase by the mother, lands Flynn in the frozen harbor, but revived after being “flash frozen” for 28 minutes. However, his new life ends up a nightmare with someone killing the people around him.
*** From the opening sentence, I found myself embroiled in Flynn’s story. Piccirilli’s writing is lyrical, although a bit overblown. He has an excellent ear for dialogue and knows when to use humor to balance the dark a bit. This is a case where the weather becomes an essential element of the story, along with the talking dog. The characters are eclectic and have violent histories. I would have said this might not be my type of book, but, instead, found it a dark, intriguing, haunted and haunting book I couldn’t put down. (EMBRG selection)
July 19, 2009
This book wasn't exactly crap, but it wasn't exactly good. I wouldn't recommend it, but if I were you, and someone gave me a copy, I wouldn't punch them in the face. I wouldn't thank them either.
I felt like this author did really minimal research, resulting in the characters and plot coming off as fairly ridiculous. It seems to me that a well written book would allow someone such as myself, with lots of professional experience social services, to read his book and find it believable, not laughably over the top. The depictions of social work, and social services agencies, as well as CPS, seemed to be gleaned from the most salacious of "news" stories. The totally bizarre reoccurring claim that the main character was looked upon suspiciously for being a man working in social services was far fetched and just silly, as well as completely unfounded.
The villain is poorly developed, again poorly researched, and when the big reveal happens, the only logical reaction the reader can have is "LOL WUT." The killer's motivation is never actually determined, and once caught, the result is wholly unsatisfying.
I felt like this author did really minimal research, resulting in the characters and plot coming off as fairly ridiculous. It seems to me that a well written book would allow someone such as myself, with lots of professional experience social services, to read his book and find it believable, not laughably over the top. The depictions of social work, and social services agencies, as well as CPS, seemed to be gleaned from the most salacious of "news" stories. The totally bizarre reoccurring claim that the main character was looked upon suspiciously for being a man working in social services was far fetched and just silly, as well as completely unfounded.
The villain is poorly developed, again poorly researched, and when the big reveal happens, the only logical reaction the reader can have is "LOL WUT." The killer's motivation is never actually determined, and once caught, the result is wholly unsatisfying.
July 4, 2011
During an investigation of a child abuse complaint, Social Worker Flynn finds a scarred, mentally disabled man kept in a cage in the basement. In the ensuing attempt to get the man and the child away, Flynn wrecks his car, dies, and is brought back to life. Now, a dead bulldog is following him around talking to him and people are being killed in front of him for no reason he can see.
I really loved Tom Piccirilli's The Cold Spot, but I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe it's because I know too many actual social workers to really believe in a gun-toting, brawling Child Protective Services worker like Flynn. In any real CPS organization, he'd have been out on his ass years ago. (I have the same problem, BTW, with most "legal thrillers"--my ability to suspend disbelief only goes so far). So maybe the problem is me.
On the up side, while the revelation of who the mysterious antagonist is shouldn't be any real surprise to anyone paying a bit of attention, once he's out in the open, he's one of the scariest and downright creepiest villains I've ever read.
So, the book has its points. But I'd recommend reading The Cold Spot instead.
I really loved Tom Piccirilli's The Cold Spot, but I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe it's because I know too many actual social workers to really believe in a gun-toting, brawling Child Protective Services worker like Flynn. In any real CPS organization, he'd have been out on his ass years ago. (I have the same problem, BTW, with most "legal thrillers"--my ability to suspend disbelief only goes so far). So maybe the problem is me.
On the up side, while the revelation of who the mysterious antagonist is shouldn't be any real surprise to anyone paying a bit of attention, once he's out in the open, he's one of the scariest and downright creepiest villains I've ever read.
So, the book has its points. But I'd recommend reading The Cold Spot instead.
Read
July 25, 2011Ok, Tom Piccirilli is a freakin' god as far as I'm concerned, and he deserves to be a much more well-known author than he is! I read a lot of so-called thrillers and often find myself none-too-thrilled with villains who seem to always be magically one step ahead of the action and plots that tie up way too conveniently at the end. Piccirilli creates amazing characters and situations--his main character in this book, Flynn, is addicted to old film noir--and the action is seriously nonstop. As I said after I read his book "The Cold Spot," I don't understand why Hollywood feels it needs to keep remaking movies when there are a lot of great stories out there to be adapted, and this is another one of them.
This is the second book of Piccirilli I've read (I actually was in the middle of another when my sister gave birth a few weeks ago and left the book at the hospital--ugh), and I'm definitely going to read the rest of them. Ridiculously enough, however, none of his books are sold in stores! Can't figure that out for a second...
This is the second book of Piccirilli I've read (I actually was in the middle of another when my sister gave birth a few weeks ago and left the book at the hospital--ugh), and I'm definitely going to read the rest of them. Ridiculously enough, however, none of his books are sold in stores! Can't figure that out for a second...
March 15, 2008
The author has quite a good plot where a social worker being chased by a mother who wants her child back finds himself drowning in his car after it crashes. He dies and is revived only to find himself in another nightmare. The people around him are being killed off one by one and he is suspected of the murders.
This was a great plot and he is a good writer, but he added some strange things to the plot like the talking dead dog, and his dead parents giving advice in the oddest places. I could even believe this...that he had gone insane. I was not happy when another character also did things because he was also "hearing voices" like our social worker.
The who_know_it part is fascinating and this book will be enjoyed by people who love Stephen King...but Stephen King is scary because the situations he writes about are believable. I am not a fan of the incredible and if he had just left out the one character was hearing things I would have gotten into this novel totally.
This was a great plot and he is a good writer, but he added some strange things to the plot like the talking dead dog, and his dead parents giving advice in the oddest places. I could even believe this...that he had gone insane. I was not happy when another character also did things because he was also "hearing voices" like our social worker.
The who_know_it part is fascinating and this book will be enjoyed by people who love Stephen King...but Stephen King is scary because the situations he writes about are believable. I am not a fan of the incredible and if he had just left out the one character was hearing things I would have gotten into this novel totally.
September 4, 2010
This is a new author for me and I am impressed by him. This is a rather dark story, well-written and one that, I suspect, will stay with me for awhile. Flynn is a man who is haunted by ghosts, figuratively and maybe even literally. That is the great thing about the writing, I was never quite sure if the ghosts were actually there or only in Flynn's head. The book never had a supernatural feel to it because the ghosts, whether there or not, were so seamlessly woven into the story. As to the "whodunit" part of the book, I never had a clue until it was revealed.
April 9, 2016
Another very solid noir by Piccirilli. I hardly knew anything at all about the plot and that shocking scene right at the beginning definitely surprised me. It set the mood for the next ~300 pages. The author again creates such a weird and dark atmosphere that seems very real, right to the point that it gets absolutely scary.
The plot is about a lonely traumatized social worker who one day discovers something horrible on an assignment. Iz gets weirder and darker from that point on right until the end. That was definitely not an easy book! I need to read something completely different now!
The plot is about a lonely traumatized social worker who one day discovers something horrible on an assignment. Iz gets weirder and darker from that point on right until the end. That was definitely not an easy book! I need to read something completely different now!
April 28, 2010
This was the first book I read by this author and I loved it! The story had a lot of odd things including a ghost dog who died and came back to haunt the main character while still wearing a sweater and booties. It had a dark, although not disturbing feel. A lot of subtle humor which I enjoyed. There were a few slow spots where things were over analyzed, but besides that it went at a pretty good pace!
December 10, 2015
Quite the road trip... not sure I'd be up for another ride with this author but the first was definitely different and engaging. Kept me on the edge not quite knowing what was real, and what was just the product of the protagonist's damaged mind. Unexpected curves and poor weather conditions kept me checking that my seatbelt remained fastened throughout. Would recommend for those who like a bit so something different.
September 28, 2009
I started reading this book thinking that it is a horror book but it wasn't. It is a mystery\suspense book with no ghosts or monsters. Surprisingly I really enjoyed it. I couldn't help but fall in love with the hero who is burdened by his past. The mystery was good and engaging and the end was great. I will try other books for the writer and hopefully will be as good as this one.
September 6, 2010
Piccirilli's books are not for everyone. He has a very distinct style, which is great, but which can be a bit overbearing sometimes. I took a few years off reading his books and recently came back with this one, and it was a great read.
July 11, 2015
I did not enjoy this suspense novel. The notion of two brothers dying in the same car, with one of them surviving, was interesting. However, the plot was just not particularly well laid out. Oh well, can't win them all.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews