Published By: Michael Joseph
Pages: 384
Released On: 22/06/2023
With her life back in London falling apart, Olivia cannot believe her luck when she’s invited on a once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic cruise with her boyfriend, Aaron.
Olivia has never been anywhere so spectacular: huge cliffs of ice loom high on the horizon, penguins dive through the sparkling sea, and above it all, the sun never sets in the eerie twilight sky.
And then Aaron disappears. And a body is discovered on board.
Surrounded by strangers, Olivia has no idea who she can trust.
And if she can’t figure it out soon, she won’t make it back alive…
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I absolutely adored Amy’s book Breathless, and practically leapt at the chance to read Midnight. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to get the same kind of tense, claustrophobic, bone chilling thriller that she got with Breathless but she totally did.
Not only is this book set in the coldest, most inhospitable environment on the planet, you never know who or what to trust, even your own mind. It’s multilayered and well rounded and there’s flies that you don’t even know are clues threaded through it and it’s just brilliantly written.
I felt this one started a bit slower than Breathless. But keep in mind that’s not a negative thing. It’s not all guns blazing right from the off. It’s this gentle introduction, dripping in little suggestions, just enough to make you uncertain and keep you on the edge of your seat – something that doesn’t fade.
I devoured this book in one day. Apart from getting up to use the loo, get food, or let the dog in the garden, I was curled up under a blanket absolutely absorbed in this frightening world Amy has created. It’s the true definition of a page turner. You won’t be able to get anything else done once you’ve got this in your hands.
I love it when I read about authors visiting a place they want to set their book in, or buying all the books to research, or talking to a real-life person influencing a character – but Amy does this on an unbelievable scale. Not many authors would choose to go on a trip to Antarctica, go into the water and onto the ice, but you can really tell that she did so. It’s not just come from a book, or just her imagination. There’s a detail here, a passion here that only comes with experience and it’s amazing. You can tell she’s lived it. Hopefully not the murdery side of it, but she’s seen every danger and that comes through with every scene.
This is the second cruise-based disaster thriller story I’ve read this year. I’m starting to have second thoughts about my desire to go on one.
Both this and Breathless would make excellent movies, and yet, there’s part of me that doesn’t want them to, in a way. I think a whole lot of the terror comes from the not seeing, not knowing. And I feel a big screen might miss that.
People often say books are chilling and spine tingling, but this definitely, is in every possible way.
I thought Breathless would be hard to equal, but she’s done it, which bodes well for the next offering. It’s safe to say there will be Amy McCulloch shelves on bookcases around the world.
Books By Your Bedside 