Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose Series: Romantic Suspense #26
Published by Berkley on August 26, 2022
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 608
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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After completing her tours with the Marines in Iraq, Molly Sutton knew she could take down any bad guy she met. But when her law enforcement agency in North Carolina turned against her, she joined up with her former CO Burke Broussard, who left New Orleans PD to set up a private investigative service for people who couldn't find justice elsewhere.
Gabe Hebert saw the toll that working for the NOPD took on his dad and decided instead to make a name for himself as one of the best young chefs in the French Quarter. But when his father's death is ruled a suicide after a deliberately botched investigation by his former captain, Gabe knows his dad stumbled onto a truth that someone wants silenced.
Gabe goes to his father's best friend, Burke, for help. Burke assigns the toughest member of his team, Molly, to the case. Molly can't believe she's being asked to work with the smoking hot chef whose chocolate cake is not the only thing that makes her mouth water. Sparks fly as they follow the leads Gabe's dad left them, unraveling a web of crimes, corruption, and murder that runs all the way to the top.
I love the Romantic Suspense series. I’ve read them all. I started the series with the first Cincinnati book, with Faith and Deacon. It was actually #16 overall. Then I went back and read the previous 15 books. I would not jump into this in the middle of the series. One could start at the beginning of a city since those stories connect well, and they seem to be labelled on Goodreads.
The Romantic Suspense books are long, about double the size of a normal book but the author uses every word to our pleasure. Her development of a world and its characters is masterful. Quarter to Midnight is the first in a new city – New Orleans. So it is only the beginning of this story arc.
In New Orleans, our core group, is a private detective agency filled with former law enforcement officers, so also well-connected to many law enforcement officers. They know there is corruption in the department and some of them have been subject to discrimination because they were honest. Honest cops are a threat to those on the take.
The case here is a former cop’s death being covered up as a suicide when it is not. The cop was investigating a cold case murder and interestingly everyone around that cold case keeps dying. His son, Gabe hires the PI firm to find out what happened to his father. Burke, the head of the PI firm, was his father’s old partner. It becomes a master class in security and witness protection as the criminals try to kill everyone who might know anything including the PIs and their families.
I love how realistic the characters are. They are not perfect but they have authentic feelings and work so hard, but they have some flaws which sometimes gets them hurt. Luckily, the bad guys are also realistic and don’t make perfect choices either, which helps to get them caught. The course of the investigation is brutal with its life and death consequences and suspenseful because true to life, not everyone makes it out alive. Overall, the strategies are smart and the operatives are competent.
This grim, fast-paced evil is balanced by the compassion and relationships between the “good guys” and their families. I love the pieces of black, white, gray in a flow of the events over the course of the investigation. There is also the romance here between the son, Gabe, who is a restauranteur and pastry chef, and Molly, the main PI assigned to his case and protection. He goes from being suspicious of her and her abilities to respecting and loving her.
About Karen Rose
Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn’t concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”
Her debut suspense novel, DON’T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Her novels, I’M WATCHING YOU and SILENT SCREAM, received the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005 and 2011. Five of her other books have been RITA finalists. To date, her books have been translated into twenty-four languages.
A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than twenty years, her two daughters, two dogs, and a cat.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
This series sounds so good! The length would make me hesitate but if done right those longer books fly by because the author is great at pacing.
Exactly Tammy. They don’t seem long because the pacing and the story are so engaging.
I always hesitate before I read her books because of the size and then once reading, I don’t notice a thing. They are so great that I barely notice the pages. I liked the set up with the new town and new crew that are trained, but in the private sector.
Yes, they don’t seem like long books, just amazing books. I’m always surprised but after so many I shouldn’t be.
Oh, how I’m dying to get back to this series. I’m about four books behind so I had to skim your review but take serious note of your strong rating. I switched to audio many books ago so I’m waiting for my library to add. So glad to see you’re a fan, too, Anne💜
I know exactly how you feel. I hate when I get behind or can’t read something in a timely way. These are the best of the best in romantic suspense.
I completely agree! I love that they’re big books but they’re hard to schedule.
Gotta love a good cast of realistic characters.
It’s key to all the books I love most.
Sounds great, thanks for sharing your review, Anne!
Thank you for visiting Eva. It is an amazing series. I highly recommend it.
I do enjoy a well written romantic suspense and it sounds as though this gives a good amount of time to develop BOTH aspects. Definitely one to add to the TBR.
Thank you Louise. You could start here or with any city. Me I always want to start at the beginning and read them all. I will say they are flavored with the current world so this one has a theme of people in power corrupted. Earlier books will be a bit the product of their time also. I highly recommend them all.
If the story is strong enough to hold my attention, then size doesn’t affect me. This is from someone who is used to reading Stephen King novels.
Exactly so. I find it doesn’t even seem long if I am enjoying the book.
Wow, that’s a lot of books in this series, and I’m so impressed that you have read them all.
Thanks Wendy. There are many series with more than 20 books I have read but some of them started in the 1980s. But even ones like In Death series by JD Robb with more than 50 books, I have read every single one.
This sounds like a fantastic series. I think the length of the books might initially put me off but it sounds like the pages just fly by with all of that suspense driving the story. Glad this series continues to be such a hit for you. 🙂
This series is an excellent one in the genre and lots of books to read.
Yes, these books are long, but it doesn’t feel that way when I’m reading. I enjoyed this one, too!
They really don’t seem long because they are SO good, even tho they are 1.5-2 book length.