In San Francisco private investigator Sharon McCone does not know which feeling rips her guts worse. Is it the guilt for not realizing how depressed her brother was or is the grief that Joey killed himself? Though reluctant to investigate the suicide of Roger Nagasawa, Sharon believes work is the best thing to keep her mind off of Joey even if there appears surface parallels.

Roger worked for a popular Internet magazine that highlighted the in happenings in the Bay area. Her inquiries lead Sharon to conclude Roger was going to expose the management of his magazine that is somehow failing in spite of strong loyalty and plenty of capital. However, Roger’s proof is missing. Other key players also have vanished as McCone works the West Coast to keep other participants from leaping off of a bridge.

In spite of the underlying suicide theme that is handled reasonably well though overkilled (bad taste pun), DEAD MIDNIGHT is a fun who-done-it for those readers who want a story line faster than a world class 100 yard dash or even a quarter horse race. McCone races faster than speeding Flash as she overcomes her feelings of inadequacy and self-culpability with Joey’s death to follow the clues. Marcia Muller furnishes an interesting McCone entry.

Harriet Klausner