Rating: 
Summary: Suicides haunt Sharon McCone
Review: Sharon McCone's brother Joey has not been heard of for some time, and when his suicide is discovered, the mystery of his disappearance is tragically solved. Shortly thereafter Sharon is asked to investigate another suicide, that of a young man named Roger Nagasawa. He worked for an online magazine and his parents are attempting to prove that the stresses of his job led to his tragic death. When Sharon begins to investigate, she finds that there are many irregularities in the company's finances, and the executives are treating their employees very poorly. A close friend of Sharon's is killed and her investigation intensifies. This is a typical well-written Sharon McCone mystery and it shows us even more facets of a character which has endured since the late 70's. Marcia Muller continues to write quality books and is to be commended for the consistency of her writing over many years, and the fresh insights she gives us about her main character.
Rating:
Summary: Suicides haunt Sharon McCone
Review: Sharon McCone's brother Joey has not been heard of for some time, and when his suicide is discovered, the mystery of his disappearance is tragically solved. Shortly thereafter Sharon is asked to investigate another suicide, that of a young man named Roger Nagasawa. He worked for an online magazine and his parents are attempting to prove that the stresses of his job led to his tragic death. When Sharon begins to investigate, she finds that there are many irregularities in the company's finances, and the executives are treating their employees very poorly. A close friend of Sharon's is killed and her investigation intensifies. This is a typical well-written Sharon McCone mystery and it shows us even more facets of a character which has endured since the late 70's. Marcia Muller continues to write quality books and is to be commended for the consistency of her writing over many years, and the fresh insights she gives us about her main character.
Rating: 
Summary: COPING WITH LOSSES
Review: Suicide leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of those who are left behind. Sharon Mccone finds herself dealing with the suicide completion of her brother Joey but a new case calls for her attention. Ironically, it too involves a completed suicide of a young man destined for great things. Roger Nagasawa was a driven young man who worked for an on-line magazine. He was determined to be the best at his game after countless failure but something drove him over the edge. His god-father and parents believe that his company somehow is responsible for putting so much pressure on him until he broke. They hire McCone to investigate. Whatever information she can find may be of use in a possible lawsuit. She uncovers siblings who are angry about Roger's actions and colleagues at work who love to play mind games. These mind games are supposidly played for creative stimulation but wind up leading to a murder. Enter into the world of Dot Coms where your on-line company is at its peak at one moment and then goes bust the next. Such is the case at Nagasawa's job where staff is treated like crap but those in the top echelons are in a feeding frenzy. What did Roger discover about the company that drove him to end his life? Sharon is on top of this case in attempting to find some answers. Dead Midnight takes us through the corruption of on-line companies, failed dreams and guilt ridden families. As Sharon uncovers the layers of anger and guilt in Nagasawa's family she finds out she must deal with her own. The deeper she probes the more dangerous it becomes to the point of putting her journalist friend J.D. in peril. McCone makes us deal with the issues of suicide, trust and unbridled greed that permeates itself in our lives. You will find yourself glued to every word of this thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Better than last
Review: This was okay. Not my favorite, not the most engrossing. I was totally disappointed in the last Sharon McCone mystery (the one set in Hawaii) and felt totally ripped off. "Wolf in the Shadows" remains my favorite, and in my opinion one of her best offerings ever.
Rating: 
Summary: easy
Review: Yes, this is an easy-reading book from Muller, so it will appeal
to many readers, but her writing about P.I. Sharon McCone
has become almost a formula-like exercise.
One review has referred to McCone being a "socially conscious"
character, but writer Muller pushes that theme so far, it is
almost laughable that her heroine makes such a point of
including among her friends every conceiveable representative
of race, color, sexual orientation, social set and criminal
background. The writer now is more interested in promoting her
"socially conscious" views than in writing an engaging mystery.
In this outing, McCone gets hired to investigate a suicide,
because the parents are pushing some far-out theory about
civil liability by a corporation who pushes employees too hard,
and she dives into that inquiry full bore. Murder and mayhem
ensue, and McCone manages to help solve a mystery, all
while promoting even more personal interrelationships with
such a varied cast of "diverse" people, it's difficult for some
readers to keep the mystery in mind.
Writer Muller spends so much effort pushing this diverse cast
of people at us, making each one from a different background,
she doesn't give full credit to the concept of a mystery.
For good mystery reading, Muller's earlier stuff is much better
and more readable and entertaining.
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