Midnight Caller [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Hey, to be honest, I'm generally leery of books from MIRA, finding many from that publisher to be formulaic and overly romantic. However, this one pleasantly surprised me with a strong, no nonsense, beginning that plunges right into the story. Having once worked at a small radio station, I especially appreciated the background of a midnight talk show and was a bit disappointed when the story veered away from the initial setting.

The author does have a feeling for dysfunctional families and does well describing such.

Now, this following observation is quite unimportant, but I do wonder about the author's obsession with the initial D. The main lady character's deceased mother, her former boy friend, her murderous stalker, and even her cat all have names with that initial.

Final observation: This is the first of a trilogy, but judging from the advertisement of the 2nd book, MIDNIGHT FEAR, the sequel doesn't bring back any of the first book's characters, nor does it have the same geographical setting. The two main characters again appear to be a lady psychoanalyst and a male FBI agent, but with no other connection to this book.

I don't normally read thrillers, but this one sucked me right in. Stayed up well past midnight last night to finish it. Lots of twists and turns and well-thought out characters. New Orleans provides an apt backdrop for this dark tale that ultimately winds up with a very satisfying ending. I hear this is the first in a trilogy by Tentler. I'll be watching for book two!Midnight Caller

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Readers who love romantic suspense (RS) may like this, but it was too ordinary for me - things that have been said and done before. There was no "wow" or surprise. There is a long, drawn out investigation with various clues, different things happening, and a major crisis/conflict at the end. It's a complicated plot with some parts that needed to be tied in better. There are two sex scenes. When I read them I thought "nice sex scenes." The book could have used more of that and something more interesting between the main characters. This is her debut book.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

There is a mystery about the age and physical condition of the killer. Author does not answer it which bothered me. It felt unfinished. I wanted to know more about how blood and other things affected the killer's body. It was a perfect subject for creativity, but the author didn't go into it.

"Someone" helped the killer get victims. The story about "someone" was never explained. I wanted to know why, what, and how "someone" did what they did.

The killer knows Trevor is the FBI agent working the case. Why does the killer leave personal messages for Trevor after each murder? The answer that came to me was "that's what they all do" - per many of the RS books I've read. I would have liked some reasons for this one.

It dragged a bit in the beginning.

In the final conflict scene, the killer's shooting and stabbing actions did not make sense to me.

TOO MUCH STUPIDITY:

Rain does stupid things.
Trevor asked Rain to list the people who knew the password to her home security system. She told him everyone except one. There was no reason to withhold that name. Her thinking was that she didn't think that person was involved.

Rain is the target of a serial killer. Police are staying with her 24 hours a day to protect her. She wants to talk with Trevor's brother about Trevor's past, so she sneaks out of the house to go visit him? Trevor had just told her to take the policeman with her if she wanted to go anywhere.

Trevor does stupid things.
He is supposed to be guarding Rain. He leaves five minutes before the next policeman arrives. She is unprotected for those few minutes. Of course something bad happens.

Rain is kidnapped and the killer tells Trevor to come alone. Trevor does not follow procedure. He is an FBI agent! He goes alone and is harmed as soon as he arrives. If he had brought a sniper to hide nearby in the trees, the sniper could easily have taken out the killer. Trevor went alone because he feared his fellow officers couldn't use stealth or keep their presence a secret? I doubt that.

STORY BRIEF:
A serial killer slices women in multiple places. They bleed to death. This happens in various states, with the most recent in New Orleans. Trevor is the FBI agent working the case. He comes to New Orleans to investigate. More killings happen in the area causing him to stay. Trevor grew up in New Orleans with an abusive father. Trevor moved away years ago. Now that he is back, Trevor is revisiting memories and interacting with his siblings and father (a secondary story).

Rain is a psychologist with a radio talk show. She is popular with young people in the Goth community. The killer calls and talks to her on-air during the show.

DATA:
Story length: 402 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 4. Setting: mostly New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright: 2011. Genre: romantic suspense.