Day Shift (Midnight, Texas, #2)

by Charlaine Harris

[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.

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