The Black Midnight Book Blog Tour, Review, and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit

Reviewing a mystery and not spoiling the plot is a challenge! Especially given the true crime nature of the cases of Jack the Ripper and the Midnight Assassin remain unsolved to this date. Luckily for us, Ms. Y’Barbo has provided us with great plot and writing, excellent characters, and a sweet romance to discuss instead!

The Black Midnight is a mix of historical fiction, true crime, and romantic suspense. On the historical fiction side, we have two Pinkerton detectives trying to solve murders in both Austin, Texas, and London, England, during the 1880s. The true crime aspect of the novel is that these murders are committed by the Midnight Assassin or the Servant Girl Annihilator in Austin and Jack the Ripper in London. The romantic suspense aspect is the question of will our two intrepid detectives solve the crimes or fall in love first? I’m not a real aficionado, or really even remotely knowledgeable, about either of these serial murder cases outside of what I’ve gleaned from popular culture. Even with my limited knowledge, I could appreciate the research that Ms. Y’Barbo applied to this novel. Historic figures like Temple and Laura Houston, not to mention Queen Victoria, pepper the novel. The background and setting are vibrant, with carriages, telegrams, and the construction of the Texas state capital. I found the scene where a man brings the crime scene evidence on floorboards and fence post into the police station by literally cutting apart the boards and post significant of the historic police procedures. I could easily imagine how different processing a crime scene is now versus the 1880s! I especially enjoyed the Author’s Note at the end of the novel in regard to the historic aspects of the novel. Ms. Y’Barbo explains what inspired the novel, but more importantly, how she “bent history” for the story. I just love that term! It’s very visual, and a great example of Ms. Y’Barbo’s writing style. The known history is in the novel, but it’s the bends that make the story more interesting for me.

The characters in The Black Midnight are appealing and well-developed. The heroine of the book is Alice Anne von Wetting, or as we know her in American, Annie Walters. She’s determined to make her own way in life, solving crimes, even if she has to hide some aspects of her career from her family. Or hide her family from her coworkers. She’s a strong female lead character, confident and intelligent.

I appreciate the fact that in America, Annie can really be her own self!

Our hero is Ike Joplin, a Texan through and through. Cowboy boots in the palace and all! In addition to being intelligent like Annie, his local knowledge of the people and places in Austin aid in solving the crimes. We get a real sense of Austin through Ike’s eyes.

In addition to the main characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the secondary characters in the novel, especially Miss Hattie, Ike’s Housekeeper, Queen Victoria, Annie’s great-grandmother, and Lucy, the store clerk who helps with some last-minute Christmas shopping. Miss Hattie’s sassiness, Queen Victoria’s bluntness, and Lucy’s helpfulness stand out among so many great characters within the novel.

The romance between Annie and Ike develops through mutual respect and admiration, friendship even. The back and forth banter while these characters work out the details of the crimes is quick witted, flirty, and a joy to read.

The ending of the novel left me wanting more, which is always a sign of a good book. I especially want more of Annie and Ike, bantering and solving crimes.

Thanks to author Kathleen Y’Barbo and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity to review The Black Midnight. I received the novel free in exchange for my honest review.