megan_mirich's review
2.5 stars. I love the idea of this book and initially thought I would enjoy it. The short stories ended up being too...short.
lovelynat08's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
cj_mo_2222's review
4.0
Midnight Hour is a collection of twenty short mystery and suspense stories by authors of color. All of the stories have something to do with Midnight. Of course in an anthology like this, there will always be stories I like better than others. However, overall I found this to be an entertaining collection. Two standouts for me were The Cape May Murders by Tina Kashian, a cute cozy murder mystery, and Gigi Pandian's The Diamond Vanishes, about a seance gone wrong. I also enjoyed the humor in Elizabeth Wilkerson’s story about a yearly planner and the clever way in which E.A. Aymar told a melancholy story.
Other favorites included a couple in which I found myself rooting for the villains, such as an elderly serial killer in Tracy Clark’s story, a female police detective on the take in a story by Delia C. Pitts, as well as the V.M. Burns tale about an art thief. It's all relative and in these stories, the characters who could be considered villains aren't necessarily in the wrong.
I was already familiar with a couple of the authors who contributed to this collection, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to be introduced to some new authors through their short stories. Fans of mysteries and short stories should find several stories to their liking in this diverse collection.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
Other favorites included a couple in which I found myself rooting for the villains, such as an elderly serial killer in Tracy Clark’s story, a female police detective on the take in a story by Delia C. Pitts, as well as the V.M. Burns tale about an art thief. It's all relative and in these stories, the characters who could be considered villains aren't necessarily in the wrong.
I was already familiar with a couple of the authors who contributed to this collection, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to be introduced to some new authors through their short stories. Fans of mysteries and short stories should find several stories to their liking in this diverse collection.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
erraticeldandil's review against another edition
3.5
This was a "light" engaging read that I needed at the moment.
It had diverse perspectives with not just pretty white women victims and I enjoyed that I featured crimes outside of murder, even though that dominated.
It had diverse perspectives with not just pretty white women victims and I enjoyed that I featured crimes outside of murder, even though that dominated.
annarella's review
4.0
Anything that includes story by Abbi Vandiver, Gigi Pandian and VM Burn is a must read for me and their story didn't disapping.
I was happy to read a new Java Jones story and thoroughly enjoyed the stories by Ms Vandiver and Burns.
This an anthology of stories bound by a common theme: the midnight hours.
It's a mixed bag but most of the story were quite entertaining and well written.
I discovered some new to me author and enjoyed those by author I already knew.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I was happy to read a new Java Jones story and thoroughly enjoyed the stories by Ms Vandiver and Burns.
This an anthology of stories bound by a common theme: the midnight hours.
It's a mixed bag but most of the story were quite entertaining and well written.
I discovered some new to me author and enjoyed those by author I already knew.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
keepingyouonread's review
4.0
Midnight Hour is a collection of 20 short stories by authors of color. The authors follow a prompt of the action taking place around midnight, but the themes range from crime, mystery and thriller.
What I liked: None of the stories were super scary or gory - a plus for me! I liked that each story was different and feel there really is something for everyone in this collection (if you’re into mysteries and thrillers). Personally, I’m loving short stories for the ease of stopping and starting. Sometimes all we have is ten minutes to read.
Some of my favorites:
Skin - A man is hired to steal a book made from human skin - creepy concept but then can he actually pull off the heist.
Dead Men Tell No Tales - Not only written by one of my favorite people on bookstagram, but I enjoyed the political intrigue/whats going to happen plot line.
Nighthawks - In my story notes, I put I liked this one a lot as my rating (super specific I know). This one is about a robbery gone wrong.
The Search for Eric Garcia - I liked the author had the character actively making choices and the reader saw what they were choosing between.
These are just a few I singled out in my
Notes app, I would suggest reading other reviews on Goodreads, a few rate each story and we didn’t always agree on favorites.
What didn’t work for me: I’ve said this before about other short story collections but there will always be stories I connect with less. There were a few stories that I felt could have benefited from being longer to give the reader more details or backstory.
One I enjoyed but wish was longer was Cape May Murders. It gave me Christie vibes/old school who done it and I could easily see this one being reworked into a full length novel where the reader is given more time to get to know the characters and motives.
Who should read it: mystery/thriller fans check this one out to get a taste of a variety of authors.
What I liked: None of the stories were super scary or gory - a plus for me! I liked that each story was different and feel there really is something for everyone in this collection (if you’re into mysteries and thrillers). Personally, I’m loving short stories for the ease of stopping and starting. Sometimes all we have is ten minutes to read.
Some of my favorites:
Skin - A man is hired to steal a book made from human skin - creepy concept but then can he actually pull off the heist.
Dead Men Tell No Tales - Not only written by one of my favorite people on bookstagram, but I enjoyed the political intrigue/whats going to happen plot line.
Nighthawks - In my story notes, I put I liked this one a lot as my rating (super specific I know). This one is about a robbery gone wrong.
The Search for Eric Garcia - I liked the author had the character actively making choices and the reader saw what they were choosing between.
These are just a few I singled out in my
Notes app, I would suggest reading other reviews on Goodreads, a few rate each story and we didn’t always agree on favorites.
What didn’t work for me: I’ve said this before about other short story collections but there will always be stories I connect with less. There were a few stories that I felt could have benefited from being longer to give the reader more details or backstory.
One I enjoyed but wish was longer was Cape May Murders. It gave me Christie vibes/old school who done it and I could easily see this one being reworked into a full length novel where the reader is given more time to get to know the characters and motives.
Who should read it: mystery/thriller fans check this one out to get a taste of a variety of authors.
dianacarmel's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
autiedragon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bajebookclub's review
medium-paced
4.0
Each of these authors were tasked with writing a story that surrounds the midnight hour and captures the readers attention….the mystery…the suspense….these authors did not disappoint. For just about all of these stories, I wanted more.
Special shoutout to Bajan 🇧🇧 Author, Callie Browning’s Dead Men Tell No Tales.
If you’re looking for a short story collection of mysteries, pick this one up.
Thank you Abby and authors
Special shoutout to Bajan 🇧🇧 Author, Callie Browning’s Dead Men Tell No Tales.
If you’re looking for a short story collection of mysteries, pick this one up.
Thank you Abby and authors