Gone by Midnight is the third book in the Crimson Lake thriller series.
When eight-year-old Richie goes missing while in a room with three other young boys, his mother Sara asks for discredited private detective Ted to assist the police in finding her son. Ted brings in his wild “don’t call her crazy” partner Amanda.
First off, I love the comprehensive backstories of the main characters, private detectives Amanda and Ted. Ted was convicted in the small town of Crimson Lake in the public’s mind of raping and murdering teenage Claire even though he was released because of lack of evidence by the New South Wales Police. Amanda accidentally killed a classmate and was mauled by a crocodile before reaching adulthood. Things only got worse from there what with her friendship with local “bikies” (motorcycle gang). I can’t imagine what our Californian gangs like the Hell’s Angels would do if anyone called them “bikies”.
Speaking of bikies, there are many Australian slang words in this book. Luckily, my Kindle defined them all. I particularly liked sprog for Ted’s toddler daughter. It’s the name of Mad Max’ son. I also can’t imagine living right next to crocodiles.
But the plot is the shining star of Gone by Midnight. The twisty mystery of what happened to Richie will keep you reading until well into the night. I had no idea where the plot was going most of the time. It felt like riding an unfamiliar rollercoaster with a blindfold on. It’s exhilarating! 4.5 stars! Now, I’m stuck impatiently waiting for the next book in the series.
Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.