Olivia gets the opportunity to go on an Antarctic Cruise, set up by her art dealing boyfriend. The catch is to try to sell the art to the cruise patrons. Basically a locked room mystery that underwhelms.

This was a great story. Very suspenseful mystery and an interesting setting…on board a ship going to Antarctica. I kind of suspected who was involved fairly early which might have been intentional.

A claustrophobic thriller set in a fascinating location - aboard an expedition cruise set for the icy splendor of Antarctica. In this case, before the ship has even set sail, sinister and unexplained happenings are afoot. When a man is kidnapped enroute to boarding for the soon-to-depart cruise, it is clear that there is plenty of mystery brewing, and it will be up to the reader to put the clues together.

As the plot develops, the story behind the story of our main protagonist unfolds. Olivia Campbell, an almost-actuary, loves her ailing mother as well as her glamorous boyfriend Aaron, an art dealer who operates at the highest levels of society.

Olivia is still reeling from the trauma of her role in the accidental death of her father, a yachting superstar, more than a decade ago, whose untimely end by drowning, and her part in the happenings, left Olivia terrified of boats, of any kind, as well as open water. A not auspicious start to her prescribed role beside Aaron at an ocean liner auction of the fine art of Aaron’s top client, backdropped by the magnificent Antarctic setting afforded by a fourteen day cruise.

As if all that is not enough, it soon becomes apparent (to Olivia at least) that all is not as it seems on her seafaring excursion. As bodies accumulate and Olivia comes to feel she may in fact be next, the plot winds with twists and suspense amidst the magnificent setting, which quickly exposes the deadly potential of this ice-laden, dangerous and remote landscape.

With icebergs calving unexpectedly, terrifying splits that threaten to overturn kayaks or leave ice hikers stranded (or worse) this is an unusual, exotic and highly visual environment, (one that few people have experienced), that contributes greatly to an already tense and oppressive ship-bound setting.

An enjoyable read, somewhat slow moving, with action, excitement and a mystery to solve. This is a recommended read for those who enjoy adventure and the vicarious experience of this wondrous and easily-turned-deadly setting.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
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An Antarctic cruise, killer on the loose, and time is running out! Olivia, an anxious home-body, goes on a once of a life time trip. But when her partner is missing from the ship, things start to go wrong. So the bodies start piling up and Olivia needs to keep herself alive long enough to figure out what’s going wrong.

I really enjoyed the pacing and writing style of this book. If you enjoy a good suspense thriller and have read her last title “Breathless”, then Midnight is a must read!

3.5 stars

Midnight is a locked room mystery that takes place on board a ship that has set off for the Antartic.

The description of the voyage and the surroundings, the ice bergs, the cold all were written so well you will feel you are on board with Olivia.

She and her boyfriend Aaron are hosting an onboard auction of art work .

When the ship is about to depart Aaron is nowhere to be found.

Bodies start to pile up and Olivia seems to always at the edge of things.

Who can she trust .

So many suspects.

Midnight is well worth the read for the atmosphere and the whodunit.

Chillingly good.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Viking for a page turning read.

A twisty, multilayered thriller that sees a social media influencer stuck on an Antarctic cruise where people keep turning up dead and she can't escape the fact that she may be the intended target. Good on audio and perfect for fans of books like Will Dean's The last one or Louise Candish's The other passenger. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I very much enjoyed the thrilling ride that was Midnight by Amy McCulloch with its tension and fear inducing moments. I found myself needing to read more to get answers about what was really going on, why insidious things were happening to Olivia, and what were boyfriend was really involved in that has him disappear on her. Add to that the location being on a ship in the middle of the water with nowhere to go, and you have the perfect recipe for a claustrophobic thriller that will have these feelings leaking into the reader.

Olivia is set to join her boyfriend on the cruise of a lifetime to the Antarctic. However, it’s not all pleasure as the venture is intended to auction off the artwork of an artist Aaron had represented before his untimely passing. For Olivia, the trip isn’t so simple however, as she has been afraid of being out on the water since her father’s death when she was a teenager. She has to fight through these fears in order to support her boyfriend, and herself as she recently lost her job due to mental health and this is her chance to redeem herself and get a paycheck again.

However, when Aaron misses the launch of the boat, things take a strange and potentially dangerous turn. Olivia tries to figure out why he didn’t make the boat, and what was going on behind the scenes with the artist he represented and the auction taking place on the cruise. All the while she has to watch her back as it begins to seem like she might be targeted for reasons she is unable to understand without any of the essential details.

I felt the pacing of Midnight was great, with the next event taking place to hook the reader in anew just when you think things might be slowing down. From Olivia being potentially attacked, to passengers with sometimes insidious or obscure goals in mind, she doesn’t know who to trust and the air of paranoia really infected the story, and I found it even got to me. Even I started second guessing who to trust and was kept on edge wondering what was going to happen next and who was in danger.

I really enjoyed the characters in this thriller as well. Olivia was smart and brave trying to figure out what was going on for herself and diving in to her investigation. She was also a character easy to relate to and empathize with, particularly with her fear and her struggling mental health from overwork. Her fear of the water and being on a boat was so visceral and her backstory really drew me in to her character. The side characters were also very engaging and I was super invested in them and loved when they were around, particularly Olivia’s roommates. The quick bond they all developed and the closeness between them was so pure and so wholesome and such a highlight for me.

The way certain plot lines came together from both past and present was also well done and interesting. Ot all made the conclusion very satisfying and the journey to get there made the book hard to put down. I definitely recommend Midnight as it is a great thriller and an overall paranoia inducing, claustrophobic read that keeps the reader hooked.

I loved Breathless and was looking forward to Midnight but didn't find that McCulloch's second novel was as strong as her first. There are a lot of the same engaging ingredients -- murders, mystery and an expedition holiday -- but the story bogged down. That said, anyone wanting to vicariously take a luxury expedition Antarctica cruise will love the authenticity of her setting.

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Review to Come. There were the bones of a good story here, but it feel short and needed more time in the editing process.

Boy oh boy do I love a good locked room mystery! The antarctic setting was also a big hit for me, and the glacier descriptions were truly terrifying but also really sad. Hearing about the increased melt and shrinking, and the description of the wildlife. Beautiful.

About 50% of the way through I did feel the book dragging a bit, everything a little too mysterious with too few answers, but the anxiety I felt over the ship leaving at the start and the heebie jeebies I got over the stuff with the rooms kept me going until the end portion picked up the pace.

I was a little dissatisfied with certain elements of the conclusion but I'd say the rest of the book made up for most of it.

Overall I'd say 3.5 stars!

A thriller set on a cruise ship heading to Antarctica sounds like a book I would love, but unfortunately, this book really didn’t work for me. I had many issues with this book. First, the writing style. This book was very poorly written, very basic and boring. The author would try to inject these profound moments into the book, which just didn’t work in a book that is supposed to be a thriller. My next big issue was the main character. Olivia was incredibly naive and annoying. She was either constantly panicking and freaking out, or having no reaction to things she should have had a strong reaction too. It took her FOREVER to figure out incredibly obvious things, such as the fact that her boyfriend had more red flags than a carnival, and who the villain was in the book. Besides Olivia, we get introduced to a ton of characters, none of whom feel like real people and all of whom are easily confused for one another. I confused the villain of the book with another character the entire time because no one felt like a unique character. The story behind the murders and what was happening on the boat was incredibly dumb and silly and seemed very contrived. My final issue was that this book was entirely too long, and at the end were a bunch of silly, action movie type sequences that were a slog to get through. I really did not enjoy this book, and don’t plan to read more by the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review,

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
❄️ wintery thrillers
❄️ short chapters
❄️ slow burn

This book starts out the way I most like in a thriller: it starts with the very height of action right from the very beginning and then works the story back from there. I love this format because it’s literally impossible not to get sucked into the story immediately!
This was definitely more of a slow burn thrillers that’s for sure, but the ending was action-packed and filled with suspense. I did not see the end coming which I always appreciate in a mystery story!
I really enjoyed this novel and I can’t wait to continue reading more from Amy McCullough!