Ruth Cornier is the Reverend James Cornier's daughter in Bottom Springs, Louisiana, where you keep your neighbors close and your secrets even closer. I hesitate to say more than that, because going into this book largely in the dark was the best decision.

What I've come to appreciate most about Winstead is her complete aesthetic buy-in with her writing. This book is like a soap opera, from its dramatic revelations to Ruth's obsession with Twilight, and Winstead's writing reflects that. Whether or not it was intentional, Midnight Is the Darkest Hour evokes the best aspects of David Lynch's iconic Twin Peaks: a small town and a crime, which leads to labyrinthine discoveries of more crimes, more secrets, and of man's capacity of evil. Though Winstead's book is not explicitly supernatural like Twin Peaks is, there is always the barest hint that it might be. And despite each new reveal being slightly more ludicrous than the last, you are on the hook until the book's final, gasp-inducing moment.

But most like Lynch's masterpiece, there is harsh truth and believability within the melodramatic confines of the story. Inside of Winstead's haunting swamp setting is a story about women's pain and subjugation, about religious trauma and the evil lurking among society's most respected figures. It is brilliant because it borders on the absurd--but every reader will recognize the frightening realities buried in each secret.

I am always here for the Twilight renaissance. Ashley Winstead is a great storyteller. A little quirky, but I love it.

Bottom Springs, Louisiana is a small southern town steeped in both the word of the Lord and the creepy stories about a vampire/ghoul, said to stalk the parish. Librarian Ruth Cornier may have been born there, but she’s never felt like she belonged. When a human skull carved with strange symbols is unearthed the town and its inhabitants reach their tipping point, and Ruth teams up with fellow local and odd man out, Everett, to try to uncover the real source of evil in Bottom Springs. A literate Southern Gothic

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead from Sourcebooks via NetGalley as part of the C2E2 Book Club. I'm not normally a book club person, but I have a ticket to C2E2 and figured why not get a free book to read.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour was a really good choice for me. It's very gothic with earth magic, strange symbols, and rituals. I like stories of tiny religious sects and alternative Christian groups. Is there something supernatural wreaking havoc on a devoutly Christian town, or is the answer something far more sinister? Was there a deal with the Devil? What makes a monster? The answer may surprise you. Fans of Twilight may appreciate the love that series gets in this book. If you aren't a Twilight fan, don't worry, it is not so much to distract from the rest of the story.

Bonus points for putting the trigger warnings right at the front of the book for people who need them.