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A review by gabsaldana
Still Midnight by Denise Mina
3.0
Mina’s introduction to the Alex Morrow series is an ambitious, cleverly crafted novel that dives into the world of crime — investigating not only criminals, but also imperfect “heroes”, victims, and all others attached. Still Midnight also expands on topics such as dark family secrets, religious and racial bias, and intricate group dynamics.
When an immigrant family’s home is invaded and the father is kidnapped, the criminals demand an impossibly large ransom, injure a young girl, and take off. DS Alex Morrow is not initially the primary detective on the case, but she commits completely to the job, aiming to deduce a logical reason for the crime despite the puzzling details.
What Mina does beautifully in this novel is blur the lines between good and evil. She changes the perspective of the narrative in nearly every chapter, so that the reader gets to know the family of the victim, the criminals who captured him, and the team of police working to put the pieces together. In some ways the seemingly “good guys” are brash, selfish, and unlikeable while the criminals are merciful and easy to sympathize with. All of the characters feel fully fleshed out and truly human with relatable faults. At first I had a difficult time connecting with Morrow herself as she is often gruff, moody, and self-centered (though sharp and competent at her job). But this changed by the end of the novel as her past was further revealed. I tend to be a fan of an author who can change my mind in such a short amount of time.
I would say my biggest problem with this book was the pacing. The first few chapters gripped me, but the pace slowed down significantly after that until about the last third of the book. However this seemed rather necessary since Mina is laying the groundwork for Morrow’s future cases. I also wish that the resolution was further expanded upon; I still had some lingering questions at the close.
Overall, despite the shortcomings in the story, I would definitely continue the series as I feel invested in Morrow and her life and I would like to see how she solves future cases.
When an immigrant family’s home is invaded and the father is kidnapped, the criminals demand an impossibly large ransom, injure a young girl, and take off. DS Alex Morrow is not initially the primary detective on the case, but she commits completely to the job, aiming to deduce a logical reason for the crime despite the puzzling details.
What Mina does beautifully in this novel is blur the lines between good and evil. She changes the perspective of the narrative in nearly every chapter, so that the reader gets to know the family of the victim, the criminals who captured him, and the team of police working to put the pieces together. In some ways the seemingly “good guys” are brash, selfish, and unlikeable while the criminals are merciful and easy to sympathize with. All of the characters feel fully fleshed out and truly human with relatable faults. At first I had a difficult time connecting with Morrow herself as she is often gruff, moody, and self-centered (though sharp and competent at her job). But this changed by the end of the novel as her past was further revealed. I tend to be a fan of an author who can change my mind in such a short amount of time.
I would say my biggest problem with this book was the pacing. The first few chapters gripped me, but the pace slowed down significantly after that until about the last third of the book. However this seemed rather necessary since Mina is laying the groundwork for Morrow’s future cases. I also wish that the resolution was further expanded upon; I still had some lingering questions at the close.
Overall, despite the shortcomings in the story, I would definitely continue the series as I feel invested in Morrow and her life and I would like to see how she solves future cases.