Immaculate Midnight: A Jane Lawless Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Where's the Mystery?
Review: "Immaculate Midnight" by Ellen Hunt is the first, and probably the last, novel I've read in the Jane Lawless Mystery Series. Hunt weaves a good story, one that is relaxed and attenuated by a meandering plot, one that ultimately satisfies only superficially. One can read the notes from above for information about the plot if they are interested, and it is a good story as far as a story can go. But it isn't much of a "mystery" -- even in the end. There's no point in guessing who the culprit is, because there isn't enough information on which to base any speculation. In the end there is no surprise, because there is no suspense leading up to who it might suddenly be. There was a glaring typo "alter" for "altar" and numerous run-on sentences, but otherwise the book is well edited.

Rating:
Summary: Closer to form of earlier books in the series
Review: I was a little tentative about reading this book only because Hart had begun highlighting Jane's weaknesses and depression so much in the last two books that the series itself was becoming depressing to read. Although Jane's character isn't a ray of sunshine in this book, the suspense is tighter than it has been for a while. There is also greater attention paid to Jane's father, brother, and sister-in-law so that the family relationship and dysfunctions (and yes, Jane's family has them) are fleshed out. Cordelia is returned to her larger-than-life dramatic self and Jane does manage some self-relevations such that some progress for personal improvement is made. All-in-all, a solid effort to a very good series.

Rating:
Summary: exciting amateur sleuth mystery
Review: The Midnight Man is an arsonist, who drugs his victims and then sets fires to their homes, making it look like it was an accidental death. All told there were five victims but the police linked Bobby Alto to two of them. Defense attorney Raymond Lawless thought he could get his client off but the jury found him guilty and he lost on appeal.

Alto's father Conrad blames Raymond for his son's conviction and swears to get even. Raymond, his son Peter and his daughter Jane receive in the mail tarot cards. When the Lawless family compare notes, they believe somebody in the Alto family has targeted them. Jane, who hates to feel helpless investigates the family, a move that saves her and her sister in law from a sociopath killer.

The Jane Lawless mysteries just keep on getting better and better. In IMMACULATE MIDNIGHT, readers are given a glimpse into the lives of Jane's immediate family and this makes the audience fail a connection to the protagonists. As a counterpoint to the caring Lawless family, the Alto's are a dysfunctional disunity that readers will pity and detest. Ellen Hart has written another exciting amateur sleuth mystery.

Harriet Klausner