"No one mixes romance, mystery, and that faint, spine-tingling sense of the supernatural, that curtain lifting in a breeze that isn't there, the hair prickling on the back of your neck, like Simone St. James. Her novels are the perfect combination of classic ghost story, historical fiction, and romantic suspense."--Lauren WilligLondon, 1925. Glamorous medium Gloria Sutter made her fortune helping the bereaved contact loved ones killed during the Great War. Now she's been murdered at one of her own s ances, after leaving a message requesting the help of her former friend and sole rival, Ellie Winter. Ellie doesn't contact the dead--at least, not anymore. She specializes in miraculously finding lost items. Still, she can't refuse the final request of the only other true psychic she has known. Now Ellie must delve into Gloria's secrets and plunge back into the world of hucksters, lowlifes, and fakes. Worse, she cannot shake the attentions of handsome James Hawley, a damaged war veteran who has dedicated himself to debunking psychics. As Ellie and James uncover the sinister mysteries of Gloria's life and death, Ellie is tormented by nightmarish visions that herald the grisly murders of those in Gloria's circle. And as Ellie's uneasy partnership with James turns dangerously intimate, an insidious evil force begins to undermine their quest for clues, a force determined to bury the truth, and whoever seeks to expose it...
I expected three things from this novel. 1) Ellie was likely to fall in love with one of the male characters in the novel, since two were taken it of course had to be James. 2) The killer would be someone no one in the investigation would have expected, typically it's also a complete surprise. 3) Ellie would find peace with her past and present, and after finding the truth about who killed her friend, she would also be at peace with who she was.
All of this did occur in a beautiful way. I was left stunned to discover that the Scottland yard Inspector was Drew from the novel, An Inquiry into Love and Death. Nice to see what he was up to while he was working up the courage to propose to Jillian while she was at Oxford. I knew his name was familiar but I just couldn't place it until almost the end. The name Jillian should have been a big clue but I'm embarrassed to say that for me it wasn't. I was clueless until the end.
Really A Strong 4.5
Published by Linda Demaree , 1 year ago
The Other Side of Midnight is a deviation from what Simone St James usually writes because it is more about mediums and psychics than it is about ghosts, and yet, there are some ghostly appearances in it. Some reviewers felt like this was not as good as some of her other novels, but I found it to be a very entertaining read. Admittedly, some of the characters were not as likeable as characters in her other novels, but I did like Ellie and I liked how she added Scotland Yard Inspector Drew Merriken from An Inquiry Into Love and Death into this story as well. I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Side of Midnight as much as all the other Simone St James novels I have already read. She is my new favorite author.
I wonder how the author came up with this story. Great yarn with totally original plot and characters. I couldn't put it down!
Amazing!!!
Published by Chelle , 4 years ago
This is a fantastic novel that has a hint of the paranormal, a hint of romance and a ton of mystery! LOVED IT! I can’t wait to read more from this author!
The closest writer to Mary Stewart I have found
Published by Cassandra Mortmain , 5 years ago
I loved The Haunting of Maddy Clare— and this was every bit as good, in fact, I would say she is really hitting her stride here. She deftly brings to life the post war years in England, and her characters are compelling, her heroine resourceful and brave, but human. I loved the spooky supernatural side of the story—reminded me of Touch Not the Cat in the way she made you accept her world.
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