Another great story in the true colors series. Each one just seems to get better and better. The fact that they are inspired by true historical crime makes it even more fun to read and learn. And each story has author notes in the back giving what’s real facts vs bent truth.
The Black Midnight is set in the late 1800s. The story begins in Austin Texas where women are being murdered. Then progresses to London a few years later where more are being murdered. The question on Annie and Isaiah’s minds is who is doing this and are they in any way connected although an ocean apart. These two very likable characters are working together as Pinkerton detectives. As they get deeper into the mystery, their romance grows as well. Austin dubs the killer as The Midnight Assassin and London’s is named Jack the Ripper. Reading along I tried to figure out what I thought was happening but the clues and mystery continued throughout. A very great read but just be advised to not be reading it after midnight.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit but was not required to write a review.

Reading another installment in Barbour’s True Colors series never fails to be an exciting experience. In recent years, I haven’t read much true crime, although the investigations and forensics have always interested me, so this series has rounded out my reading in a sense. What I appreciate most, though, is that it is Christian-based. While I do not recall any specific mention of God in this story, it is a clean read, which is quite an achievement given the subject matter. It’s refreshing to be able to read an (albeit fictionalized) account of historical crimes that includes enough detail to get the point across without devolving into vulgarity. The fact that this segment of the story is built around a personal connection between the fictional main characters ups the ante.

Because the focus of this series is American crime, almost 70% of Kathleen Y’Barbo’s “The Black Midnight” centers on the serial killer active in Austin, Texas from December 1884-December 1885 and known to history as the Midnight Assassin or the Servant Girl Annihilator. This part of the narrative is told as a flashback, flanked by an investigation into the infamous Whitechapel murders of 1888. Usually I am not fond of this technique, but Y’Barbo makes it work here. She drops enough hints in the beginning to raise interest in the backstory of Alice Anne (Annie) von Wettin and Isaiah Joplin, both former Pinkerton detectives. At the behest of Queen Victoria herself, they investigate the Jack the Ripper killings, taking the reader first back to their initial partnership in Texas. There is enough suspense to intrigue without delving into the realm of horror, at least in my opinion, and with such unique character backgrounds, Y’Barbo explores a range of possibilities regarding the crimes themselves.

Not being very familiar with the Midnight Assassin case, learning about the speculated connection between it and the Whitechapel murders captured my interest. Y’Barbo does a fine job of weaving together fact and fiction in a compelling narrative about two intelligent individuals with a complicated past, one which involves the British monarchy and a mysterious secret society. I will not give away whether or not a culprit is discovered, but I did enjoy reading the author’s notes at the end of the book, in which she discusses how and where she twisted the historical record for the purpose of the story. These are found in each book of this enthralling series, and I always greatly appreciate them. As long as the true identity of the perpetrators (or perpetrator) remains a real-life mystery, there will be plenty of material for series such as this one, just as there will always be a light of faith shining in the darkness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

All I knew about this book going into it was that is was a Christian Historical Fiction Crime Novel that was surrounding a time period that I am interested in. I did not know that this was a book in a series of companion novels. But I was able to read this book and not feel like I was missing anything, though I am sure there were probably some fun easter eggs floating around that I missed out on.

This story took a little known true crime and used it to create an interesting functional story. In this case tying murders in Austin Texas with the Jack the Ripper killings in London. Overall, this was a very interesting story that had me interested from beginning to end.

This is the 4th book that I have read in the True Colors series. I have really liked the other books that I read, so I thought I was going to love this story. The author incorporated 3 different cities into it making you feel like you were in each one.

I always like to read about The Pinkerton Detective agency, and how they solved crimes back in the 1800’s before there were DNA samples available. I am not going to give any spoilers here, but I was disappointed in several aspects of the story. While it started out, as a great book in one city, it suddenly shifts to 4 years later, and then stays in that time frame for almost the entire book until the very end.

Then, something happens with the 2 main characters which I found very hard to believe, and just when I thought something interesting was going to happen the story feels very rushed and it ends.

Sadly, I think this needed a few more chapters so that I would have known the rest of the story.

I received a Net Galley Copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, and was under no obligation to post a review

I am really enjoying this series and love finding new historical facts that enhance the stories. Each book is a stand alone but I encourage you to read each one. I had no idea about the murders in Austin during the late 1880s. I am a Texan so I thought I was well versed in our history, but to my surprise there had been grizzly murders taking place in Austin. The murders became known as The Midnight Assassin . The details were gruesome and it is hard to believe that someone was capable of such a crime.
I instantly liked Annie and loved reading about her royal background. Being a detective was something Annie kept from the Queen and I thought it added an element of mystery to the story. When Annie teams up with Isaiah to investigate the murders in Austin the story begins to take shape. The author delivers a riveting account of what happened as a murderer was lose. The author gives us clues as to who the guilty person could be. It is sad to know that the crime has never been solved. I can’t image after all these years someone was able to get away with murder.
I enjoyed how the author incorporates the famous Jack the Ripper murders into this story. The question does arise that could the same person be guilty of both crimes? The notes at the end of the book are well worth reading. It gives facts about both crimes and the author explains some of the liberties she took in writing this fictional account of a true crime.
There is romance in the book which at times I wished wasn’t so highlighted. I liked how the author develops the relationship but I think it took a bit away from the story. At the end of the story it felt a little rushed as Annie is summoned back to England and Isaiah travels there as well. I understand that the author needed to remedy their relationship but perhaps it was rushed a bit more for my taste. Overall the story is good and the details kept me interested in the story.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

This is a great read for any fan of historic fiction or mysteries. The characters are well set and quite honestly made to be loved by the reader. Annie is amazing - strong, intelligent and confident. Love seeing well written characters.

The narrative build around the crimes happening in Texas and London fits perfectly and the added author's notes about the inspiration and real live events provides great insight.


I felt like the ending as a bit abrupt, I was really expecting a few more chapters of a cat and mouse chase before the story was wrapped up. Nevertheless I highly recommend this book, it's not too long and it's quite fast paced and easy to read.

This is a story I would revisit again in a year or so!


*** Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Barbour Publishing, Inc. for providing me with an electronic ARC of The Black Midnight in exchange of my honest review.***

As I started the Black Midnight, #7, True Colors, by Kathleen Y’Barbo, I was shaking in my boots. What kind of grisly murder story was I in for this time? The True Colors series has been very interesting, as different authors take turns spinning factual historical crimes into a fascinating, but often gruesome story. The inclusion of a romantic thread often collides against the seriousness of the crimes.
Y’Barbo has taken on the story of “The Servant Girl Killer“ which occurred in Austin, Texas in 1884-1888 added it to the story of Jack the Ripper in England, starting in 1888.
I was glued to the pages as Annie, a distant royal and a Pinkerton, tried to keep her sleuthing job hidden from her Granny, the Queen. Ike, also a Pinkerton, is obviously in love with Annie, but can the two locate the killer in Austin while falling in love?
Y’Barbo did a tremendous amount of research and it was so neat that she shared so much of it with us in fiction form, including a certain room in the Palace, crime scenes, and the many varied rumors about the possible perpetrators of the murders. I found my reading speed increasing as the story wound up, my heart beating way too fast. There are author notes at the end that separate fact from fiction and allow the reader to be doubly educated. For those who enjoy mysteries and crime thrillers with a touch of romance, The Black Midnight is a good choice. But be loyal and have your other society member’s backs!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher through Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

When I first started reading this series I didn’t love it, but the last three or four I have devoured so I have kept reading them. Each book is written by a different author so, of course, you are going to have different styles of writing.

This was an interesting book but it was one I found easy to walk away from. I felt like it was much more focused on the relationships in the book and not the crime and I read these books for the suspension. I felt like conversations about the crime were thrown in and then quickly dropped to develop the relationship between Isaiah and Annie.

However, if I was reading it for more of a romance element this book would have fit the bill nicely. I was still well done, just not what I was looking for after reading the last few books.

A copy of this book was given to me through the Celebrate Lit Team. All opinions are my own.

The granddaughter of Queen Victoria is a Pinkerton detective. She is working in Austin, TX trying to help solve a string of murders. She's called home (and away from her very inappropriate partner/boyfriend) to help solve the Jack the Ripper killings.

I loved the setting -- Victorian London and 1800s Austin -- not your usual historical fiction setting. Y'Barbo pulled her plot from the real stories of a killer in Austin and (later) London and uses a little known theory that the killer(s) were actually the same person. Unfortunately, though the mystery is intriguing, most of the book is really a star-crossed lover romance and a commentary on life in Victorian times for an aristocratic lady. I wanted so much more. I found it terribly predictable and, honestly, not that interesting. Not poorly written, just ordinary.

On the plus side, there is no gratuitous violence despite the focus on a serial killer, no profanity, and only the chastest of sexual content. For those readers looking for historical fiction and romance with a bit of mystery and a happy ever after ending, this is the book for you, just don't expect Pulitzer prize writing or a solution to the Jack the Ripper story. .

So far, I've read every book in this series and loved each of them for different reasons.
I'll reassure you, first of all, that while this book has the history of serial killers as the plot, it is not a book that I would call gruesome. Considering the material covered, The Black Midnight is incredibly well done in regards to the victims while allowing for a bit of fiction and romance.
I thoroughly enjoyed the addition of Annie's and Ike's stories, and watching them navigate old lies and a never disappearing love brought light and life to a bleak tale in history.
I did expect more danger, all things considered, but I am happy with how everything turned out in the book. The bit of secondary romance and the Christmas Annie spent with Ike and his family was my favorite part of the story.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I get that there is some playing with history so that is not an issue. Although, who the Ripper was does cause many an animated discussion so I shall not touch upon that.
Who the killer was turned out to be quite obvious almost from when we first met him and he accused Isaiah's father. The story was well written and read quite quickly, I would have been done sooner if life did not intrude on my reading. I would have liked for the story to have been more evenly split between Austin and London. After a while in Austin I was thinking, enough. I would also have liked to have more on the crime scenes. Instead of the budding romance I would have preferred more detail on the murders at the scene. Then there is the ending. It went too fast. He jumps out of the closet and then it is over. How about a chase through the castle? Will she live or not? Will the Queen? I just felt that it was suddenly over and that was that. It left me wanting. Overall, the book was brilliant. Enjoyable, captivating, a great concept. I would like to see the characters in another book, what the crime would be I am not sure but there were plenty of murders aside from the Ripper, maybe they could go to Chicago and meet Holmes.

The Black Midnight is a part of Barbour's True Colors Series telling of historical romance and American history. I have really enjoyed this series and this was no exception. In this story we have Alice Anne (Annie), Queen Victoria's granddaughter, who's an excellent Pinkerton agent. She loves solving crime and is quite good at it. When a killer comes to England, the queen asks Annie to look into it...but not alone. So Annie must find her former Pinkerton partner, Ike, and convince him to help her. I really enjoyed this part of the story. Annie is a believable character with strength and growth. I liked her personality and gumption. Ike was also a fun character. He obviously loves Annie and has great compassion for her. I really enjoyed following their relationship. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a hard book to review. I either disliked it or loved it (at different times). It did seem to drag and didn't call to me to come read a little more. I've read others by Kathleen Y'Barbo that I enjoyed more. However, the implication that a series of murders in Austin, TX might be related to Jack the Ripper's in London was intriguing. The author took a few liberties, but what great liberties they were!

The fact that I lived in Austin for several years and that during my many visits to London have studied some of the history (like Queen Victoria who figures rather prominently in this story) made it considerably more entertaining to me.

I have been reading and reviewing the "based on true cases" crime series by Barbour Books. This is my third and I think it is my favorite. I am a true crime junkie and this book revived my interest in the Jack the Ripper crimes by linking them to some crimes in Texas that happened a little before. I did not know about the crimes in Austin, so I was very drawn in. Also, although I am not a fan of romance novels, I have loved the romantic stories in all three of the books I have read. This romance, in particular, charmed me with the banter between the two Pinkerton detectives. Y'Barbo did an excellent job of enveloping us in the time period and it was always jolting to have to put this book down. I can't wait to read more of her books. I wish this particular one was going to have a sequel, as I miss the protagonist and her beau.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Are the murders in London in 1889 related to unsolved murders in Austin, Texas, 1884? Queen Victoria wants to know and asks her granddaughter Annie—who left the queen’s good graces by going off to America to become a Pinkerton agent—to quietly look for any connection. The catch is the queen doesn’t want her to do it alone. Annie must find Isaiah, her former Pinkerton agent partner and now an attorney in Austin, and enlist him in the hunt. As the pair get closer to finding their suspect, their lives become endangered, but they refuse to be intimidated. Can this case be solved?
Author Kathleen Y'Barbo does a good job of weaving historical facts into this fiction book. And she shares many of these facts and resource materials at the end of the book. It's a fast, easy read that's also engaging. I appreciated the insight into crime-solving during the late 1800s and the relationship between detectives, police, and reporters.
The book is heavy on the romance and light on crime, though. I'm not a big romance fan and skimmed quite a bit of the book that related to romance between Annie and Isaiah and other characters.
Fans of romantic true crime books will like "The Black Midnight." It's a clean book with a positive ending.
Note: mild violence, murder, physical assault

With the popularity of so much true crime programming on cable and network TV, it's no surprise that a series on historical crimes in America would be a topic of interest. The Black Midnight examines the potential connection between a series of murders in Austin, Texas and the later murders committed by Jack the Ripper in Englad. Knowing that the crimes by Ripper in England were never solved, the reader knows there will not be a final resolution to the book.

Readers who relish books detailing history and the day to day lives of people in the past with historical tidbits sprinkled throughout, may not mind the lack of resolution. I learned some about the famed Pinkerton detectives and the inclusion of a female detective was an interesting one (although not sure how realistic). I also learned about some of the popular theories about the perpetrator(s)--jury is still out on whether the same person was resonsible for crimes in US and England during that time.

There was a bit of romantic thread which felt a bit predictable and Harlequin-like (not my favorite genre). Beyond that, the book did offer an interesting perspective on policing methods in the latter 1800's as well as a timeline for some of the crimes. The book may prompt some readers to do a bit more research into the crimes. Given the mature nature of the book and crimes described, I would recommend it for adult audiences. I was grateful the relationships stayed moral and there was no foul language and the violence was not gratuitous (the crimes, however, were quite grisly so those with weak stomachs be forewarned).

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of The Black Midnight from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

The Black Midnight by Kathleen Y’Barbo is a fascinating read. The author takes two real life crimes and ties them together in a fictional setting. I was not aware of the The Midnight Assassin Austin serial killer which was very interesting.

The characters are very likable. Annie was member of British royalty but went to the US to be a Pinkerton agent. She was a piece of cake and I absolutely loved her.

Isaiah Joplin was her Pinkerton partner when they were working The Midnight Assassin case. They were perfect for each other. Their bantering was a great release from all of the murder scenes. The scenes between Isaiah and her grandmother were fun.

Three years after they worked the Austin case, Annie asked Isaiah to help with the Jack the Ripper case in London.

I would highly recommend this book. Although a book about serial killers it is not disturbing. The author did a wonderful job of balancing the story.

This was part of the true color series which has absolutely been phenomenal. It’s where an author takes real life stories and putting them in a fictional setting.

Don’t miss the author’s notes in the back.

Sexual content was a one for kissing. Violence would be a three. Nothing graphic but there were several conversations about the serial killings of both Jack the Ripper and the serial killer in Austin Texas.

The Black Midnight is the latest in the True Colors series which features true crimes in history. By using two timelines that follow two similar murder sprees, Y’Barbo explores the possibility that the unsolved cases may be connected, even if they’re a continent apart.

The story begins in 1889, then goes back four years in the third chapter. At first, this jump backward confused me. But when the time jumped forward again, I began to realize why Y’Barbo chose this. She drops hints about the main characters in the first two chapters, and by taking you back in time, you see what actually happened between them. This isn’t just smart from a romance perspective but a mystery perspective as well.

While I wasn’t completely sold on the dialogue, I was sold on the characters. Stories about female Pinkerton agents are not new. But English ones? That’s an idea that’s fresh and intriguing. I enjoyed watching Annie and Isaiah work together. They’re a wonderfully matched couple on the page, and their relationship shined from the beginning.

As I mentioned before, though, the dialogue lost me at times. While Annie had the ability to be witty, and Isaiah could equally counter her, that didn’t always come through.

My only other complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed. Not that it doesn’t wrap the romance and the mystery up. But I think more time could have been spent on the resolution.

Overall, The Black Midnight is a good novel that romance lovers and suspense readers alike will enjoy.

(Note: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.)

I loved this true crime, true colors story. Even the title and cover looked and sounded intriguing to this reader. The color black seems mysterious anyway. And midnight the hour in which it is very dark and thoughts of evil may occur.

THE BLACK MIDNIGHT, by Kathleen Y'Barbo. Is a murder mystery that will keep you guessing, who done it? until the very end. I know it did me. I just have one question to this inquiry. How did this certain person know where and when two certain people would be at all times? Did this certain person have these two followed? If so, why? A sticky situation right? A plot with a few twists and turns, but just enough to keep the reader interested, and on his/her toes, when it comes to ways on how to solve this mysterious tale of intrigue. And amazing characters to add a little romance along the way.

There were some frightening parts throughout the story, but there was one part in particular that stood out and caused this reader to take notice toward the end. That part made me read faster to see what the outcome would be. You know how scary it is to look out into the darkness, and you cannot see your hand in front of your face? Now, the scary part. In that inky blackness you have a feeling that something is there but you don't know what it could be? The author painted that picture, and the scene was in Buckingham Palace. You have to read it to find out what happened.

We lead off with how Alice Anne Von Wettin got her start in this story, to try and catch the perpetrator or perpetrators in these puzzling crime events as it all began in London, in February, in 1889, in Buckingham Palace, with Queen Victoria and her great-granddaughter. I loved this story, and highly recommend it!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review."

"The Black Midnight" by Kathleen Y'Barbo is an interesting read bringing together historical crimes from two different continents into one story. I, like so many others, have been intrigued by the story of Jack the Ripper, but had not heard of the Midnight Assassin in Austin, Texas.

In this story, Annie Walters, the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and a Pinkerton agent, is requested by her great-grandmother to find the killer, Jack the Ripper. More specifically, to clear the name of her uncle, Prince Eddy. To do that, Annie travels to Austin, Texas, to enlist the help of Isaiah "Ike" Joplin, a former associate and love interest.

This story is intriguing, especially given that it is based on true life crimes and moves along at a good pace. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and especially one based on true crimes. (I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.)