Day Shift: Now a major new TV series: MIDNIGHT, TEXAS (Midnight, Texas, #2)

by Charlaine Harris

Welcome to Midnight, Texas.

It's a quiet little town, perched at the junction between Davy Road and Witch Light Road, and it's easy to miss. With its boarded-up windows, single traffic light and sleepy air, there's nothing special about Midnight . . . which is exactly how the residents like it.

So when the news comes that a new owner plans to renovate the run-down, abandoned old hotel in town, it's not met with pleasure. Who would want to come to Midnight, with its handful of shops, the Home Cookin diner, and quiet residents - and why?

But there are bigger problems in the air. When Manfred Bernado, the newest resident in town, is swept up in a deadly investigation suddenly the hotel and its residents are the least of the towns concern. The police, lawyers and journalists are all headed to Midnight, and it's the worst possible moment . . .

• ISBN10: 0575092882
• ISBN13: 9780575092884
• Publish Date: 7 May 2015 (first published 5 May 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Day Shift is the second novel in Charlaine Harris’ Midnight, Texas series. And it does not disappoint. Midnight, Texas is a strange place – the sort of place that collects misfit people with strange histories and powers.
Lately, the small town has been facing a lot of changes. First, a new person moved to town (see Midnight Crossroads). Now, one of their own has been wrapped up in a series of investigations, while other changes are also encroaching on the town. Changes that they’re not so sure how to feel about.
One thing is certain; if they keep up at this pace, it’s going to become next to impossible for the town to maintain the low profile that its residents have come to love and require.

“He feels unaccountably chilled by the advent of the new people, and he wants to be warm tonight.”

Day Shift was a fun and fast-paced read. It brought us back to the characters we’ve come to love – all the residents of Midnight, Texas. And with it came along a new and intense plotline. It’s already proving to be interesting to see how the small town is changing – despite their best efforts.
The plot for Day Shift was unusual. But in that sense, it actually sort of fits the town. After all, it really is a town of magical misfits. I love how there were several things in motion at once, and that they all seemed to circle around each other. It made for a fascinating read.
Perhaps what I loved the most about this book was that it felt like there were a lot of hints dropped. We got to learn more about several different residents – their backstories and the works. But it also feels like something bigger is building up. Though maybe that’s just me. But it’s always felt like there’s something more going on in this town – because there’s no way it should be able to function the way it does. And Day Shift made it feel like we got a glimpse of what was really going on. Or so I think. Only time (and more reading) will tell.
I also loved that more of the secondary characters got a chance to shine in this novel. Though perhaps shine isn’t the best word. We got to see and understand more of them, which I feel like was important to the story. Plus it sated my curiosity.
I do have one confession to make: until a certain cameo occurred in Day Shift, I had absolutely no idea that the Midnight, Texas series was set in the same world as the Sookie Stackhouse series. Mind blown! I feel a little silly for not noticing that sooner (in my defense, I still haven’t read the last few books of that series, so I clearly missed something there).
To my knowledge, there’s only one book left in the series. Which is actually a bit of a shame, since I really have been enjoying it. Maybe Charlaine Harris isn’t done writing for this world – hey! A girl can dream. But at least I know I still have Night Shift to read. I’m hoping it answers all of my questions.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[kimbacaffeinate]

Day Shift took us back to the odd little town of Midnight where Psychic Manfred Bernardo finds himself in trouble, a new hotel is opening and strange new residence bring trouble. Lots happening in this installment and it all begins outside of Midnight. Manfred is staying in a hotel where he has set up visits with clients for readings. Not only does he bump into someone from Midnight, but one of his clients ends up dead and her greedy son is claiming murder and theft. A new lawyer, Olivia and an assist from Fifi made for an interesting tale. Then we have the new hotel and a particular young boy who the townsfolk take under their wing. I devoured this. Despite, my frustration with a certain witch and a young man I had a good time. Really would someone lock them in a broom closet already. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

This is my first time reading Charlaine Harris' work. I heard great things about her Sookie Stackhouse series, but unfortunately I never had the chance to read it. When I found out she had a new series I was keen to give it a try as such I was glad to receive an advanced reader's copy through Penguin's First to Read program. When I received this title I had no idea that it was the second book in the Midnight, Texas series. Fortunately, it was easy for me to get into the story without feeling lost.
 
The story is set in Midnight, a small and quaint town in Texas. The residents of this town are rather unconventional. They like their town the way it is and as such was not keen on the changes that was about to come upon their town. These were changes they could not afford as they had secrets they did not wish the outside world to know.
 
In this installment the story focuses on Manfred a psychic. He does most of his readings via the telephone but there are times when he gives face to face readings. It was at one these readings that he found himself at the centre of a murder investigation. The investigation would open up the town to scrutiny which the residents could not afford and as such Manfred with the help of Olivia sought to clear his name.
 
For me the story was entertaining and interesting. The pace was perfect. At no point in the story did I find myself feeling bored. The story was told from a third person omniscient POV I loved the characters. Although they were different in nature and had their secrets they were very close. They all had one goal in common, that of protecting their town from outsiders. This story shows that working together as a team can lead to successful results.
 
I loved how Manfred and Olivia went about uncovering who the actual murderer is. Their attempts at times were funny. It was during this time that I learnt a lot about Olivia. She is definitely someone to watch out for.
 
Although I enjoyed the story, there were some things I had an issue with. For example, one of the changes that was to affect Midnight was the building of a hotel by a multinational company, however not much detail was provided on this. In addition, it was not clear what happened to the senior citizens who were residing at the hotel. What was the real purpose for them being there?
 
I enjoyed this book overall. After reading this installment, I am looking forward to the next book in the series as I can't wait to uncover the secrets of the town Midnight.