"Should be a romantic suspense to keep readers on the edges of their seats but never quite delivers"

Summer is a divorced young woman, formerly a model, who now cleans toilets for a living to make ends meet. Her biggest contract is with a local funeral parlor. When her cleaning crew bails on her, she is left to do the job herself. As if a funeral parlor in the middle of the night isn't creepy enough, finding a dead man who isn't really dead, and who takes her prisoner, is a terrifying experience for the young woman.

Steve is local hero, fallen on hard times as a result of one bad decision that tears his life apart. Now he is on the run from drug lords, dirty cops, and then some when he is attacked and left for dead in the funeral home. Believing Summer to be an accomplice to his assailants, he takes her hostage to make his escape. On the run from more bad guys than one can count, they take to the woods where staying hidden until the case is solved can mean their lives. Neither Summer nor Steve expect that in the middle of it all, a passion would blossom between them that they are unable to fight.

Walking After Midnight is a dark tale, filled with violence and conflict, but tempered with softer moments. Muffy the dog steals the show on more than one occasion, as does a certain ghost who pops up frequently. The plot is strong, with multiple threads seemingly unrelated that when woven together provide a surprisingly complex story. The romance however, doesn't quite live up to the expectations of readers. There is not enough development of Steve and Summer's relationship to make their new love feel believable, when all they do is whine and snipe at each other

This story should be a compelling romantic suspense to keep readers on the edges of their seats, but never quite delivers. Perhaps that is due to the medium here in which it was presented, and the narrator of the tale. Ms. Williams' performance left something to be desired. Summer's role is much better portrayed, and the narrative portions are very well done. However, the narrator seemed unable to master the masculine portions of the dialogue, making Steve sound rude and domineering, and completely full of himself.

However, loyal fans of Karen Robards will be sure to snap this book up and enjoy adding it to their collection.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2006. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Posted July 9, 2006