Maggie Shayne Darker Than Midnight

Darker Than Midnight

Maggie Shayne

Mira, Nov 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.

ISBN: 0778322297

Since he was arrested for murdering his wife Steph, a crime he does not remember, or anything else from that night, Michael "River" Corbett has been drugged and confined to a state mental hospital. He is not sure if he is paranoid from the drugs that leave his mind fuzzy and in a fog, but River believes someone has tried to kill him. He escapes from the institution heading to Blackberry, Vermont, to learn whether he killed his spouse, and if not, who did.

Fourteen year ago, Cassandra "Jax" Jackson's father killed the man who murdered his other daughter, but the court declared him not guilty due to diminished capacity; Jax's police career in Syracuse died in that courtroom, so she accepts a job in Blackberry. When the by the book Jax meets River, she fails to take him in, as something in his look makes her believe he is no killer. As they team up seeking to learn who murdered Steph, a ghost sends clues to the "besieged" teenager Dawn Jones, who if she wants to be left alone, must help River and Jax.

Readers will agree from the start, that River is innocent because the killer seems obvious relatively early on, yet no one will put down DARKER THAN MIDNIGHT until the end to affirm their theory is correct. The who-done-it storyline is enhanced by the paranormal elements, as Steph tries to reach them from the grave, to right a wrong that she partially caused. Fans will root for the lead couples to more than just survive the twilight; like Steph they want Jax and River together, but the chances of that happening seem so remote.

Harriet Klausner