Book Review: Day Shift by Charlaine Harris
As the second installment of the Midnight, TX series begins, psychic Manfred Bernardo is on a working weekend in Dallas when he spots fellow resident, Olivia Charity in the same hotel he's staying at. He acknowledges her but is shot down immediately by the secretive Olivia.
Since no one in town knows what Olivia's career is (the residents think she may be a prostitute) Manfred decides to let her be until he spots her in the hotel restaurant with a couple. When the couple leaves, Olivia follows shortly and Manfred ignores her actions.
The next day, the couple is found dead in the hotel and Manfred sets about doing his in person readings. That is until one of his regular clients, Rachel Goldthorpe, dies during the reading.
Manfred is high on the suspect list since Rachel's son, Lewis, accuses of him stealing her jewelry. Olivia begins to help him out in his quest to clear his name and prove his innocence but her involvement will also come at a price.
Besides the main plot of Rachel's death, the residents also learn that the abandoned hotel is being reopened as an experimental hotel/ short term care facility. Four elderly people have been chosen from an apartment building in Las Vegas. Two of them become pawns in Manfred and Olivia's plans.
If this weren't enough, a mysterious man has left his son in the care of Reverend Emilio Sheehan. The residents can't figure this out or what is happening to the boy. The only thing they know is they have to stay indoors at night for the next few nights during the full moon.
With so much going on in this installment, Harris has created another hit. The three plots flow smoothly which creates another page turner. In fact, I had started reading this installment about an hour after finishing the first book and found myself about a third of the way into this installment before calling it a night. The characters and story are still floating through my mind.
My only problem (and biggest fear) did come true, however.
With so many past novels to her credit, Harris does bring Barry Horowitz and John Quinn into the story. If you're familiar with these characters, then you'll know who they are. Since I'm not familiar with them, I'm debating whether to go back and start the Sookie Stackhouse series. I don't think it should be a problem for people who want to embark on this journey to Midnight.
Many more secrets begin to emerge with this installment and it does make for a good day or night of reading.
I'm pretty sure that you, too, will enjoy your trip to Midnight.
