Midnight Crossroad: Now a major TV series: MIDNIGHT, TEXAS Paperback – 9 April 2015

This is a gloriously unusual fantasy read set in a small (VERY small) Texas town where most (if not all) the inhabitants are of the paranormal persuasion. Manfred Bernardo who is a minor character in the Harper Connelly books by the same author moves to the town following the death of his grandmother to set up his psychic business. As the books develops he meets his neighbours - the owner of the pawnshop (Bobo Winthrop from the Lily Bard books), his lodgers who only go out at night, the resident witch and her cat, the very strange minister who has a pet cemetery, and the other inhabitants. There is a slow beginning but the author needs the time to introduce her characters and to hint at their secrets.After a time the body of Bobo's missing girlfriend is discovered and it appears that she has been murdered. The inhabitants of the town and the local sheriff (I recognised him from the Aurora Teagarden novels) investigate and the town which has seemed twee and safe is suddenly revealed to have some very dark secrets and some people dedicated to keeping them hidden.This is a clever and engaging book. It seems on the surface to be a fun story of magical folk but it actually has a lot of depth. The theme of the book is diversity and living together as exemplified in the various characters in the town but there is also an examination of bigotry and hate. The ending of the story is truly shocking and you certainly cannot see it coming from the gentle beginning - I am very much looking forward to seeing where the author takes us in subsequent novels.

I bought this one because I'm a huge fan of Charlaine Harris and I loved her Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly books. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who downloads ebooks and then promptly forgets I've bought them, so it was only when I saw the trailers for the TV series (Midnight, Texas) based on this book that I remembered I had it!Midnight Crossroad is the first book in a trilogy. The others are Day Shift and Night Shift, although I did see an interview with Charlaine where she said she might write more. Psychic Manfred Bernardo has just moved to to the town of Midnight in Texas, which is basically just a few run-down stores around an intersection with one set of traffic lights. His new neighbours seem friendly enough, if a little ... strange ... but he's sure he's going to fit in just fine. He's right about that, because while Manfred has a few secrets in his past, it's nothing compared to those of his new friends.Midnight Crossroad is basically a cosy mystery crossed with a paranormal. There was a lot I enjoyed. I loved the characters, particularly Manfred, Fiji and Mr Snuggly. I loved the murder mystery, the clever twists and the left-of-field final denouement. I loved the idea of this mysterious town where every inhabitant has a secret, not revealed all at once (unlike the TV series). I liked the fact that it was a quite leisurely read, taking the time to build up the characters, but unfortunately it was a little bit too leisurely at times. There was an awful lot of detail about the way the characters had decorated their houses, what Fiji had planted in her garden, and what was on the menu at Home Cookin'. There are also a lot of characters introduced very quickly and I got a little confused as to who was who.I wavered between giving this a four or a five star, and settled on four - even though that ending blew me away, and I've just bought the next two books. So I'm feeling a bit mean.Recommended, but only if you like your cosy mysteries with a gentle pace and supernatural characters - and bear in mind it's a lot different to the TV series.

I never thought I'd say it but I've just read a Charlaine Harris book. Don't get me wrong, I've heard she's a very good author, it's just that I very rarely read YA books. Probably the last one was Harry Potter.I was looking for something good and I'm a sucker for paranormal, which you might or might not know, when I read that Charlaine Harris had an adult book out. It was on my Kindle within second and...wow.Have any of you read "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café" by Fannie Flagg? It's one of my favorite books and I'm probably going to get into trouble for this, but if I say "Midnight Crossroad" is a similar type of story but with paranormal thrown in, would you believe me? You should.Midnight Crossroad is populated by very few, but those that do live there make up for a million. Amongst them are a rather pale, lympid vampire who lives below the pawn shop, a witch with a large heart (not physically, if you see what I mean) lives nearby, a young man who has recently taken up residence has a few psychic powers, a woman who also lives at the pawn shop sounds like a Marvel heroine.Charlaine Harris is obviously a very successful and talented writer and she manages to make all these wonderful characteristics secondary to the main story of a crime needing solving. The paranormal side is almost just a minor slant but that is no means disappointing. Her writing is so clean and easy. A pure joy to read. I recommend it and can't wait for the second book in the trilogy.

Really enjoyed reading this

Good world- building and excellent atmosphere.

Loved the TV show so I wanted to see how it all started. I bought the trilogy as a b-day gift for myself. It is a great read. .

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris is a fantastic read. This book is the first that I have read of Ms. Harris. The story, the characters, the little town of Midnight were all so superbly crafted that immediately you feel like you are part of the town and friends with everyone.However, the one thing that I found challenging is the constantly changing point of view. It does work with this story though.MidnightMidnight Texas is just a town that grew up and almost died at a crossroad. I have driven through many little towns like this and people only stop when they have to as it is not a destination to visit.The residents of Midnight, Texas are the type of people that don’t want to share their personal lives with anyone. Heck, they seem to have an unspoken motto: Don’t ask and we won’t tell. The town is filled with supernaturals of one type or another and a hand full of actual humans. They all seem to get along just fine.The only bad things happening in town are due to human issues. There is a whole white supremacy part of the storyline and murder that have nothing to do with the paranormal side. It’s nice to see the two worlds existing together.My favorite charactersSo, I have two favorite characters. You know how it is. Who doesn’t love a talking cat?Mr. SnugglyMr. Snuggly is my number one favorite. He is adorable and yet, Ms. Harris has accurately portrayed what a cat would be thinking. At least what I think my cat would have been saying if he had spoken English.I adored the part where Mr. Snuggly traipses through the rain to find help for Fiji. He is pretty funny.Olivia CharityOlivia is my second favorite character. I feel like she has a fantastic backstory and is always true to herself. Olivia also seems to have so much confidence and personality.I love the way she handles herself and watches out for her friends. Aren’t she and Lemuel just adorable? I am looking forward to learning more about her in the next book.5 Stars for Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine HarrisMy rating for Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris is five stars. I love the combination of paranormal and human worlds, along with these fascinating characters.I have watched the television series, which I like but I thought the book is better and very different.This Guest Review is for Baroness' Book Trove. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book on your site.~JenIf you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

I really liked it. The story was nothing like I expected it to be and there was an interesting twist in the end.