The Other Side of Midnight

Simone St. James — 2015

London, 1925. Glamorous medium Gloria Sutter made her fortune helping the bereaved contact loved ones killed during the Great War. Now she's been murdered at one of her own seances, after leaving a message requesting the help of her former friend and sole rival, Ellie Winter. Ellie must delve into Gloria's secrets. Worse, she cannot shake the attentions of handsome James Hawley, a damaged war veteran who has dedicated himself to debunking psychics. As Ellie's partnership with James turns dangerously intimate, an insidious evil force begins to undermine their quest for clues.

Reviews

Colleen@mirificmoxie

Sep 12, 2023

A moody, suspenseful story of a physic caught up in murderous intrigue

I was so delighted when I discovered Simone St. James and have been happily working my way through her works. Sadly, with my completion of The Other Side of Midnight I have now officially read all of her published books.

In London, 1925, psychic medium Ellie Winter keeps as low a profile as possible using her skills to find lost objects but refusing to contact the dead. But when a rival medium / former friend is murdered and her last act was to leave a note tasking Ellie to find her killer. Ellie’s wish for a quiet life is swept away as she finds herself entangled with handsome veteran turned supernatural debunker James Hawley and a Mycroft Holmes-type government man searching for a serial killer.

“The devil is coming…He is coming for you. He is coming for me. He is coming for everyone.”

The setting was atmospheric and haunting – no pun intended. I loved the focus on the aftereffects of the Great War instead of the glitzy Roaring Twenties emphasis that books set in this time period usually have. It was a period of so many societal clashes, and St. James captured that well.

The story did start slowly, with lots of veiled references to the characters’ past interactions and secrets. I’m never a fan of secrets that are repeatedly referenced but not revealed. But it was never enough to make me dislike the story. The mystery, suspense, and hint of romance all kept me engaged. I won’t get into the details of the story to avoid spoilers, but this was another great example of how talented this author is. I had no problem reading this in one day. But now I sadly have to wait for her next book to be published.

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Jana Pashovska@infernno

Aug 29, 2021

Another one of my 'light vacation reads'. Not as charming as the rest of the books I've read by this author, but held my attention to the end. It seems I am currently on a binge to read everything Simone St.James has written and I am definitely not complaining. Murders, ghosts, a bit of romance - again, the perfect read for keeping your reading passion alive but simultaneously relaxing your faculties.