Review: Great psychological thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2014
Either Side of Midnight will keep you on the edge of your seat (or in the corner of your bed), with its ever-evolving cast of evil characters. Nothing is as it seems. A compelling psychological thriller that's a bit like Ten Little Indians where all the characters become suspects. I'll say no more about the intricately woven story as the charm lies in the arms of complex plot twists. It's a story of sisters, and of brothers, a story of loyalty, revenge and betrayal and a delve into the underworld.An amazing debut novel for Tori deClare. Kudus. The story begins slow, but Naomi, the protagonist, is a likable character. At first, I was put off by the religious theme with her cross--religious fiction is so utterly predictable. But, TG, a religious story, it's not. Either Side of Midnight is about duality. But because the story jumps from past to present tense via flashback, and is told in multiple point of views, it requires some effort to keep it all straight. It's hard to keep track of myriad characters introduced, or make sense of complex family relationships. As the plot thickens, the reader follows many false trails.Well written story in the noir style, but it needs some proofreading--there's one section where two characters are (accidentally?) conflated into one speaker--confusing. A few sentences are in need of unpacking, and a few well placed Oxford commas for clarity's sake, wouldn't hurt. Pacing is uneven, second half of the story seems rushed, glossed over, as if the author just wanted out of the manuscript. One reviewer noted that the female characters were unbelievable: an airhead twin, mealymouthed 19-year-olds without attitude, or an Irish girl with nothing to say. LOL!Not a romantic thriller--the naive heroine grows up, and ultimately saves herself. However, the conclusion, though satisfyingly grisly, was not quite believable.