The first half of the book starts off giving background of Annie and Isaiah’s relationship and how they originally came together to become partners on the Midnight Assassin case. I enjoyed how the author presented the reader with this background information first as opposed to bringing up flashbacks throughout the book. I also like how the author combined fiction with history. Before I read this book I knew nothing about the Midnight Assassin.

Despite the fact that the story involved crime and detective work it didn’t have a lot of action in it, however, it was written in such a way that I was engaged for hours. The pacing was great which also contributed to that.

Overall, I don’t have anything bad to say about this book. It gave a unique spin on a real life situation, the pacing was smooth and I would recommend it to anybody who is into history or even crime novels.

I have mixed feelings about this story. Anyone at all familiar with Jack the Ripper knows that mystery shrouds the man who was an infamous murderer in London in the late 1880’s. There are rumors of a tie to a string of murders committed earlier, in Austin Texas.
The author weaves a lot of fiction around a few historical facts. It makes for an interesting, well written, and somewhat fanciful read. I guess I was expecting a more historical read but if you want to use your imagination, you should enjoy this tale.

I am just getting in to the true crime fiction and Kathleen has done a great job of keeping my interest. I loved how she brought Alice-Anne back to America this time with her great-grandmother's permission to get help from her friend and partner, Isaiah to help solve the killing spree on women dying in their beds. Anne and Isaiah had a previous affection for one another and now that they are back together it has sparked their hearts. Can they get her great-grandmother to approve of the two being together? Will the killer be found before more women die? Is the killer one of her relatives? This book kept me up at night reading to see who the killer was. I would highly recommend this book.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 3
Plot development: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 5

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Historical mysteries are a big hit. At least for me. I have been fascinated with the murders done by Jack the Ripper for a long time. So when I read the synopsis for The Black Midnight, I couldn't wait to read the story. While I like my mysteries to focus on the solving of the crime, The Black Midnight does that at times, but to me, it read more like a contemporary romance with a hint of the mystery. Not a lot of thrills. It did jump from London to Austin, Texas and ended up in London. I am obsessed with London and hope someday to visit, but for now, I visit through stories. I wanted some more of the setting too. It seemed to not be that important. Overall, the mystery is safe with plenty of romance. I just wanted a little more to satisfy my taste. I'm sure others will love this story.

I received a complimentary copy of The Black Midnight by Kathleen Y'Barbo from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Another sweet story from the True Colors series. The nature of the crimes, etc. is more "PG" than in the Blue Cloak (if that's what you prefer). I liked that the story was half past half present (at the time). I do feel that the wrap up between Annie and Ike was a little rushed at the end, as well as their solving the crime. I would have liked to see the final chapters be a little longer with details laid out more. Overall, I have enjoyed reading through this series and look forward to reading the next one!

There is a killer loose in London. Five women have been murdered in Whitechapel and more could be in danger. Queen Victoria asks her great-granddaughter, a former Pinkerton detective, to take the case. Alice Anne accepts, and travels to America to ask her former partner to help.

The last case she worked with Isaiah was a serial killer who was never caught. The Midnight Assassin killed eight people in Austin, Texas, before he disappeared, leaving the people scared. Alice Anne was called back to London, and the case went cold.

Now they must work quickly to find a killer before anyone else dies.

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting look at two separate unsolved crime sprees from the 1880's. Each new character introduced needed to be scrutinized to see if that person was capable of such violence.

The Black Midnight is a fantastic addition to the True Colors series.

The Jack the Ripper mystery is unsolved up to this day. Jack the Ripper is still on a rampage, so the Pinkerton Detective Agency is involved, and one of the agents, Anne, is Queen Victoria's great-granddaughter, and the other is Ike Joplin, an Austin, Texas attorney and former Pinkerton Detective.
A serial killer has been killing women and men in the Austin, Texas area, using Jack's signature trademark, an axe. Anne and Joplin are attracted to each other, but there are laws about who she can marry - will they catch Jack and each other?

I couldn't stomach this True Crime novel after all. Maybe it is the craziness going on everywhere with covid-19 but this would be too dark for me.

A good book for crime bluffs though, I'm sure!