Whispers at Midnight

Rating:
Summary: COMPELLING LISTENING
Review: Acclaimed for her performances both on and off Broadway, voice artist Kate Forbes gives a compelling reading to the latest from bestselling author Karen Robards. At times suspense laden, at other moments seductive the Forbes voice is always supremely listenable.

Following a divorce that left her emotionally black and blue, Carly Linton returns to her tiny hometown, Benton, Georgia. She brings with her a master cook, Sandra, and plans to open a b & b in an old Victorian mansion bequeathed to her by her grandmother.

Their midnight arrival is less than auspicious - there is no electricity and it looks very much like the house has been burglarized. That's not all the bad news - a dead body is unearthed on the property.

There is some good news in the person of great looking Sheriff Matt Converse. He's someone Carly has never forgotten - her high school crush with whom she shared a memorable prom night.

Matt, it seems, has forgotten Carly but must protect her from whoever broke into her home and try to solve the mystery of the suddenly appearing body. Carly's not satisfied just to be spending time with Matt; she wants more - much more.

The plot simmers to a boil, and so does their relationship.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE!!!!
Review: I am not going to get into the storyline of WHISPERS AT MIDNIGHT. It's already been said in many of the reviews here. I would rather let you know how this book made me feel. Wonderful! The dialogue between the Carly and Matt had me laughing aloud, as well as much of their silent thoughts about each other! And some of the situations were absolutely hysterical!!! This is the first book I've read by Robards that had so much humor in it. I was reading it during my son's orchestra rehearsal and tried my best not to guffaw in the auditorium ... so I sat silently reading with a foolish grin on my face! Not only did this book have great humor, but you really believed Carly and Matt had it bad for each other! There was sizzling sexual chemistry between them, hot sensual lovemaking scenes, and an evil twisted murderer who gave me the creeps, not to mention suspenseful scenes that had me on the edge of my seat! LOL ... and through it all, poor Matt was totally overwhelmed, outnumbered and surrounded by females ... 3 sisters, Carly and her friend Sandra all packed into his little house. Not to mention the adorable cat Hugo and dog Annie who also added to the smile/laugh factor. WHISPERS AT MIDNIGHT was a throughly enjoyable read!!! A definite keeper!!!

Rating:
Summary: Good story, bad writing
Review: I enjoyed this book but as other reviewers have commented, the writing is not up to her usual standards. The story, which is typical Karen Robards, is good and the character development great. Ocassionally I was horrified by her usage of trite phrases and slang. I'm not a literary high brow but this clearly was below even my standards. Even though it was an enjoyable read I will temporarily avoid Karen Robards writing for a while because of this book.

Rating:
Summary: good fast paced read
Review: I thought this book was a good read and I can't remember laughing throughout a book more than I did with this one. Yeah okay so it was a little far fetched in some respects but it delivered in everything I wanted it to. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced and fun
Review: This is one of Karen Robards better novels. She gets better with time. The romance is sweet not sticky. The dialogue is humorous and realistic. It's a great, fast-paced story, and the characters: Matt and Carly are so very likable. I especially sympathized with Matt, a womanizer saddled with two lovely sisters, and now an equally lovely and surgically enhanced ex "girl" friend.

Robards writes a good story with a contemporary voice. I prefer her contemporary novels to her historical novels. Along with this book, I also recommend: Walking After Midnight, To Trust a Stranger, and Hunter's Moon.

Rating:
Summary: Too much!
Review: While reading this book (my third Robards novel), I felt confused and annoyed. Was I reading a mystery? A police procedural? A romance novel? Serious women's fiction?

On track one, Ms. Robards appears to be writing a mystery novel concerning the disappearance of an abused woman; on track two, though, we have Carly and Sandra, two divorcees who team their respective talents to open a b-and-b in the Georgia countryside; on track three, we have several couples moving in and out of relationships; and on track four, we have the too-young Sheriff Matt attempting to solve a woman's disappearance, Carly's stalking, and his department's personnel problems while playing head of the family to a trio of sisters and avoiding the snares of the tritely-drawn Shelby. And I realize that Matt is young, but why would even the most inexperienced law enforcement officer begin tearing up the grounds surrounding a mansion before completing a thorough search of the indoors (including the unused freezer in the basement)? It makes no sense!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the other Robards novels I've read and may try another. But this novel was too forced and overcrowded with both subplots and characters who could have been deleted.

Recommended only to die-hard Robards fans. For others, I suggest Robards' Hunter's Moon--a fine, coherent read.