This is a nicely written historical fiction. That's not a genre I like despite trying to like it. I didn't like All the Light We Cannot See so probably I'm an idiot.

Family secrets don't stay buried forever

When Maggie Parker was just seventeen her glamorous mother Dee Dee walked out the front door of their Notting Hill home, When Dee Dee failed to return, Maggie had no choice but to take charge of her adopted younger brother Kit and find a way for the two of them to survive. She befriended Wolf, someone who like her was doing what he could to get by without any family support and what started as a friendship blossomed into something more...until she discovered something terrible had happened and both her house and Wolf were involved. Twenty one years later Maggie is a writer living under a different name in Paris, but the new life she has worked so hard to create is going to be undone when she receives a phone call. Someone has bought her old house in Notting Hill and is doing work in the basement there...they may not know what is hidden down there, but Maggie does, and it could ruin everything.
The Midnight Hour is a mystery set during two different timelines, with chapters bouncing back and forth between 1998 and 2019. As the plot unfolds against the atmospheric settings of late 1990's Notting Hill, with its air of artistic glamour, and modern day Paris, author Eve Chase explores themes of family, identity, loss and forgiveness. Maggie journeys from a teen struggling with adult responsibilities as she does her best to protect her younger brother to an adult who has, she thought, left all that happened in Notting Hill all those years ago behind. With elements of mystery (both that of Dee Dee's disappearance and that of the secrets which have been buried in the basement at Notting Hill), romance and family drama, I found it a novel of beautiful writing, emotional depth and moody atmosphere. Readers of Kate Morton, Claire Douglas and Lisa Jewell would likely find this a story worth picking up; some have even likened it to Daphne du Maurier, though I'm not sure I endorse that wholeheartedly. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Ballantine Books for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Eve Chase has long been a favorite author of mine, so I was thrilled to receive a copy of The Midnight Hour.

2019 -Maggie is a novelist living her dream life in Paris when she gets a mysterious phone call from a person from her past. She is informed that the house where she lived in Notting Hill as a teenager is having renovations done on the cellar. This causes panic and dread in Maggie. In 1998 Maggie was living in the house in Notting Hill, pre-gentrification, with her widowed, glamorous ex-model mother and kid brother Kit. One evening her mother went out and did not return. Maggie afraid to contact social services takes on the task of taking care of her little brother and trying to figure out what became of her mother. She has the assistance of a young man named Wolf and the ragtag group of her mother’s friends to help her. The chapters jump between the two time-lines and jump between Maggie and Kit’s POV. There are gothic undertones to the story as is the case with most of Eve Chase’s novels, but ultimately the novel is about the devastating repercussions of family secrets.

Another great read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine and the author for the chance to read and review this ARC.

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase is a mystery thriller told in two time periods. This book will keep returning to your thoughts days after you read the last word. I could not decide what was really going on until the end. Mystery and rabbit holes all through the story. I’m a big fan of Eve Chase and never miss reading her latest book as soon as it’s available. I enjoy her writing because it is always unusual and fresh.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 + Stars

4.5 enchanting stars

This was a fun read! This author consistently delivers atmospheric mysteries that swirl around families. Luckily, I had time to read it all in one day, so I think I especially enjoyed it. What’s not to love about Notting Hill and Paris settings? Throw in some secrets, long buried, and you have a winning recipe.

Maggie is our main character in this one. She’s got a glamorous model mother, Dee Dee, and a precocious six-year-old brother. They live in Notting Hill, one of the best neighborhoods in London.

All is well until one night when DeeDee doesn’t come home. Maggie steps in to care for her brother and becomes increasingly worried about her mother. A chance encounter with a handsome young man, Wolf, opens up a whole new world and a blossoming romance. Wolf works in an antiques store, and both Maggie and her brother Kit are enchanted with the shop.

Strangers keep showing up looking for her mother, and Maggie fears for the worst.

The alternating timeline is in the future, where Maggie is a promising writer, living in Paris. One day, she gets a concerning phone call from Wolf, and her world comes crashing down again. The new owners at the house in Notting Hill are digging a basement, and there’s something hidden there that Maggie and Wolf are terrified about unearthing.

This one was the perfect combination of mystery, family, romance, and the allure of antiques. I loved all the references to the film “Notting Hill” too!

Maggie ( 17) and Kit (6 ) are left alone when DeeDee, their supermodel mother, goes out for the evening. When she doesn't return, their world comes apart. Maggie is scared to report her mother missing. Her father is dead, Kit is adopted and Maggie is sure that Kit will be put in care if the authorities find that her mother is gone. The book is written in two timelines. The past, when DeeDee goes missing and the present, approximately 15-20 years later-- be sure to check the dates at the top of the chapters to avoid confusion. DeeDee's disappearance has impacts on Kit and Maggie that follow them into the present. I was so scared for Kit at one point that I couldn't take my eyes off the book--standing at the kitchen counter eating a salad that was going everywhere. The biggest underlying theme that I found was about adoption--what if you don't want to know your biological parents but they look for you? Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complementary digital ARC. I am honored to have been given the chance to be an early reader. This review is my own opinion,

Chase has crafted a suspense novel brimming with family secrets and deception. Maggie lives in Paris in 2019, writing historical fiction and leaving behind her past in England, especially a dark secret in Notting Hill. Twenty years ago, Maggie was seventeen, disoriented by her father’s death and her family’s move to London, when her mother didn't come home from a night out. Maggie and her six-year-old brother, Kit, were on their own. The consequences of their mother’s disappearance reverberate through the years until one day Maggie receives a phone call in Paris warning that their former home in Notting Hill is being renovated, including excavating the basement and possibly revealing a secret from all those years ago, a secret potentially changing the lives of Maggie and Kit forever.

Telling the story in chapters alternating between 1998 and 2019, Chase ratchets up the tension and the revelation of secrets and surprises. Deception to avoid conflict is a family tradition for Maggie and Kit, a tradition that threatens to blow up their lives. Readers will follow the trail to the very satisfying ending, gaining new fans for Chase as well as pleasing her devoted readers.

I always look forward to Eve Chase’s novels. I wish she’d write them faster. “The Midnight Hour” was no exception. She’s one of my favorite authors for a suspenseful, yet well written, low burn mystery.

I found this book to be slow. While the first chapter ends with us finding out Maggie has a secret hidden in the house she lived in at 18, it isn't until chapter 12 that we start to see the mystery unravel. Between the dual apOV and dual timeline, I found it hard to keep track of where I was. While the story was good, I don't think it would be one I would recommend regularly.

The Midnight Hour is such a rich read full of longing, resilience, and the fragile hope of closure.

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase is a real page turner and not easy to put down.
The mystery is interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle.
A fun and exciting read. I honestly can’t wait read more of Eve’s work.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC.

I thought this book was confusing and difficult to follow.
I was half way through before I figured out what was going on. There’s some surprises and twists along the way. I struggled to finish this book

Might seem simple when you start it but oh my does this have twists and surprises! This moves between Maggie narrating in 1998 and a variety of third person observers in 2019 when the garden of a house Maggie lived in is dug up. Her mother, Dede, a model, left one night in 1998 and didn't come back, making 17 year old Maggie responsible for 6 year old Kit. Maggie meets Wolf, who changes the path of both her life and that of Kit who, in the present is an antique dealer. But what, or who, is in the garden? Maggie comes rocketing back from Paris, where she's been living, even as Kit meets a new client. And they both look for Wolf but for different reasons. This is very layered and even when you think you know the answers, you won't be correct (or at least I wasn't) right up to the end. It needs to be read without spoilers to fully appreciate the tangled tale of secrets and lies that Chase has created. She's a terrific storyteller and this kept me fully engaged and entertained. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A great read I really enjoyed.

I loved this story! The secrets, romance, and mystery will have you flying through the pages.

The dual timelines were cleverly written and add so much suspense .

I am excited to read more by Eve Chase. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

This is a dual-timeline book, starting with 38-year-old Maggie in Paris in 2019, and looking back to 1998 London—Notting Hill to be more specific—and the tumultuous events of Maggie’s life back then. The reader is clued in to the central mystery of the book quickly, when Maggie gets a phone call from someone she hasn’t heard from in years, and he tells her that the current owner of Maggie’s mother’s house in Notting Hill has unexpectedly received planning permission for a downward expansion, which means digging up the cellar. Uh oh.

Back we go to 1990s London, where we learn about Maggie’s life as a teenager, living with her much younger handful of a brother, Kit, and her glamorous mother, Dee Dee, who was once a famous model and actress. When Dee Dee disappears, Maggie is desperate to find her, but also feels that she needs to keep away from the authorities, because she is only 17 and fears she and Kit will be taken into care. She looks to Dee Dee’s coterie of eccentric friends for help, as well as a new friend, Wolf, a boy from the wrong side of the city whom she meets by accident.

As a result of events in London after Dee Dee’s disappearance, Maggie’s Aunt Cora takes her and Kit to Paris, where Maggie remains in 2019, having established herself as a novelist. This phone call takes her back to London, back to all the issues of her childhood and possible repercussions of the events of 1998. There is a central mystery in the book, but I wouldn’t categorize this book as a mystery. It’s more of a coming-of-age story with suspenseful elements. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but that time allows us to get to know the characters better and revel in the vivid descriptions of Notting Hill in the 1990s, including of the antique business that Wolf worked at and that intrigues Kit.

This is an intriguing story, told with atmosphere and feeling.

This is the story of Maggie and Kit . Growing up in Notting Hill one night their Mother Disappears . Maggie is left to care for Kit. Will Their mother return? Filled with twists and turns , an unbreakable and family secrets you will be reading this way past midnight

At first, Eve Chase's tendency to overuse purple prose put me off, but once I became more familiar with her writing style, I was able to sink into the narrative. The mystery at the story's core is compelling one, and the way she slowly dolles out clues kept me coming back to the book. I found the romantic elements a little less compelling, though. I think this is because I never completely sympathized with Maggie or Dee as characters. Maggie is a bad mother, and Dee- Well, I might not be the target demographic there. Which I admit is more about me than it is the character but it was still a hurdle and colored my appreciation for The Midnight Hour.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

I wish I could rate it higher; The plot is excellent, and the story compelling, but some of the characters just fell flat, preventing me from giving it more stars.

I’ve tried to sit down and read this twice and I just cannot for the life of me get into it. It’s overly written and too fully of time jumps and storylines. It feels like an absolute chore to read

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book had so much mystery! Maggie (love her by the way) searched for her mom who seemingly walked out, while looking after her little brother still. She befriends Wolf who I also adore, and he tries to help her. They discover some unsettling things and jumping 21 years ahead - Maggie (now thriving) finds herself revisiting her past when something is literally unearthed. I loved the then and now of each chapter and I really loved how this plot developed along the way. This book will have you on edge and devouring every page!

We start in May 2019 when Maggie, an author living in Paris, gets a call from London. This call brings the news she has been dreading. Work is being done on the Notting Hill home she lived in as a child.
We then go back to the 90s when Dee, former model and mother to two children, leaves for a night out but does not return. Her teenage daughter Maggie is left looking after younger brother Kit. An excursion takes them out on a walk where they bump into Wolf, a young man who works at an antique shop. They strike up a good friendship and he helps them, as well as opening Maggie's eyes up to the world! But this friendship, and the lack of a mother figure, soon also brings about some darkness, eventually leading to them fleeing to stay with Aunt Cora in Paris...
All a little convoluted and busy... well yes it is a bit, but no more than I could handle. There are also quite a few incidental characters who all have their parts to play, all of whom are well crafted and do their jobs well. But you do have to have your wits about you as the story meanders in the present with excerpts from the past brilliantly inserted for clarity, illustration, and progression of the main narrative.
The story is compelling and contains just enough obfuscation to keep my attention nicely as well as adding a healthy layer of intrigue along the way. We have family secrets as well as lies and more than enough dysfunctional behaviour to keep me guessing all the way through. OK so some of the characters and their behaviour were a bit annoying and I did roll my eyes on the odd occasion but, given their upbringing, I can easily forgive. And it did make them feel more real if that makes sense. Their truth, as it was exposed, peeling back the layers, well... at the end of the day, when it was all laid bare, it left me wholly satisfied. All quite emotional on occasion too.
All in all, another winner from an author who, if you have not already read, also has an impressive back catalogue for you to discover after you have read this one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.