For fans of historical fiction, suspense and true crimes
The Black Midnight mixes historical fiction, romance and suspense into an intriguing novel. Anne Walters is a Pinkerton detective by day, but is secretly a British royal. She wants to live her life outside of family obligations. She gets assigned to Texas to work with Isaiah Joplin to hunt down a serial killer.
I’m typically not a fan of the 1800’s or romance themes. But I enjoyed everything about this novel. First – the suspense. The murders in Austin, TX become linked to a series of murders in England, which eventually leads to the hunt for Jack the Ripper. Anne and Isaiah work to connect the string of murders between the two continents. Also, Anne is a female Pinkerton detective, which was rare for women during this time period, not to mention someone with a royal background. Anne takes a strong lead in this novel, as a detective and as she stands up to her family.
As far as the romance, I enjoyed Anne and Isaiah discovering their feelings for each other. Of course it falls into the forbidden love category as Anne could never marry someone who wasn’t a royal and chosen by her family. Her desire to be independent and work as a detective clashes with the desire to please her family. And Isaiah appreciates Anne’s investigation skills and sees her for so much more than the roles women of this time period traditionally held.
I found this story intriguing from the historical aspect. I didn’t know much about Jack the Ripper, and I liked the author’s notes in the end with the research details. Kathleen Y’Barbo tacked a big topic and created a suspenseful story with heartwarming characters that will keep readers hooked until the very last page.
Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)
I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.