Midnight Rain

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: A coming of age tale... told in the vein of The Body... blah blah yadda yadda - whatever! This is an amazing novel that transports readers back to their own childhood and into the lives, turmoil, and tramas of the characters and town itself, without exertion or assumption. And it warrants blurbage unique to it, not comparison to other works.

The story itself IS a coming of age tale, but it's much more than that. Kyle is not only dealing with the loss of his childhood because of a witnessed murder, but is also tortured by burden upon burden as he tries to figure out what to do - and the situation just keeps getting worse! Everything from trust that is lost to further victims, causes guilt, anxiety, and hopeless that follows Kyle like a rain cloud in a Warner Bros. cartoon.

The atmosphere is simply sublime! The clever sprinkling of actual historical events, and other subtle nuances, bring you right back to your own childhood. Nothing feels forced or even seriously attempted, it just flows and sucks you right in.

The characters are perfect; flawed, natural, and described in enough detail that you can see them, but vague enough for you to replace them with figures from your own past. Pace and style are something akin to a carnival ride. Anticipation, excitement, and nail biting action are delivered in a casual, personal manner that keeps your attention and makes you part of the town.

Did I like it? Well I absorbed it in no time flat and then told all my friends and some lady at the grocery store that they needed to read it. I didn't like it, I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Best Novel of 2004!
Review: An underground horror writer making his mass-publication debut with a "serious literature" mystery suspense/novel?!

"No way," I thought.

Well, instincts aren't always right. With MIDNIGHT RAIN, James Newman puts the others to shame. This is one of the most unpretentious, sincere, and enjoyable books I have read in a while.

The first hand narration of Kyle Mackey, recalling his life as a 12-year old who had the misfortune of being the sole witness to a heinous murder, takes the reader to Midnight, NC circa 1975.

Kyle Mackey, an unassuming, sensitive boy takes his bike to his "secret spot," an abandoned shack in the middle of the woods. It is there he witnesses a gruesome murder. A mystery follows, as Kyle finds not only is there noone he can confide in, but things are not as they seem. A poignant tale of the loss of innocence is woven in.

That's as far as I'll go with the plot. I'd like to proclaim James Newman as a major player in the realm of fiction. His sheer story telling talent is obvious throughout, the charcters are real, the tone is consistent, this is just a hard one to put down. This is what fiction is all about-- entertainment without cheating the reader. There is no "literary snobbiness" here, just a born storyteller doing what he does best.

A MUST-READ for all mystery/suspense, and even horror fans!

Rating:
Summary: Got a few hours to spare?
Review: Got a few free hours to spare? You're going to need them with James Newman's first novel. I read the entire thing in one sitting, not necessarily out of choice or having that much free time, but because it was impossible to stop once I began. I don't think I have ever torn through a book this fast before.

In the vein of McCammon's Boys Life, Newman's Midnight Rain is one of those books that so perfectly captures what it is to be young and what it means when that innocence ends. A dark-toned thriller about a horrible secret a young boy has no choice but to keep and deal with himself.

Keep your eyes peeled for the horror cinema and author references. It is obvious that Newman is a huge fan of the horror genre and pays homage to a number of the genre's finest authors with tributes ranging from character names to drive-in theatres. A very nice touch.

If his first novel is any indication, we can expect a powerful new voice in dark fiction for years to come.

Books like Midnight Rain are the reason I read.

Rating:
Summary: MIDNIGHT RAIN - A Review
Review: I ought to hit the ground fast. This book does, and doesn't let up on the pace one bit. A tight fun read, fans of BOY'S LIFE by R. Mccammon and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury, or IT by Steve King, or THE BOTTOMS by Joe Lansdale ought to enjoy this book. It's a warm comfortable yarn, with a smooth accesible voice that tugs you closer to the fire and begs you to make yourself comfortable. There's darkness here, and nostalgia, and the scent of wet pine needles. The rot of the forest, the creaking of old boards in an abandoned farmhouse. The notion that darkness can hide in any corner, and sometimes even in broad daylight. The midnight rain falls all day long for some of us. It'll teach you creeping paranoia, and make you wonder about your neighbours. If you enjoyed TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, you're going to love MIDNIGHT RAIN. I recommend it highly. This author is going to go places and you'll be in on his first novel.

I give it a howling yowza and a thumbs up from the wild wet wilderness.

Yours in horror,
Steve Vernon
(author of LONG HORN, BIG SHAGGY - a tale of back-from-the-dead mountainmen, time travelling mad scientists, and zombified buffalo)

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: Jame's Newman's debut mass-market novel is a fantastic beginning to what's sure to be a stellar career for this fine talent. Told through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy, this coming-of-age tale should be enjoyed most by fans of Robert McCammon's Boy's Life and Stephen King's "The Body", though the expert storytelling and razor-wire tension maintained throughout the narrative make this a good choice for anyone looking for a good, relentlessly compelling suspense tale.

Rating:
Summary: A Coming of Age Mystery
Review: The novel, "Midnight Rain" is an excellent novel written through the eyes of a twelve year old boy. The novel centers around Kyle Mackey, a twelve year old loner whose idol is his brother, Dan. Living with a widowed, alchoholic Mother, his life rocks along uneventfully until he witnesses the murder of a sixteen year old girl. The book unfolds as Kyle determines what he should do and who he should trust. Full of scenes that harken us back to 1977, this book is a fast read with an interesting twist in the plot.

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: This was a little different than your normal fiction but a wonderful read. I could not put it down. I had to read the whole thing in one setting. It just kept shocking me. I loved it.