Customer Reviews

The Blue Edge of Midnight

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Max Freeman is desperately trying to get his previous life as a police officer in Philadelphia behind him. Hiding out in one of the last solitary places on Earth, the Florida Everglades, Max has finally found some peace. Still haunted by his shooting on a nasty night as well as the aftermath, Max has learned to cope by canoeing through the dark hours from midnight to dawn when he can't sleep. The dreams don't come as often anymore but as the book opens, his inability to sleep has driven him once more into the night. His quest for peace this night ends when he finds a child's body in the roots of a tree just down river from his home.

Not only does this dead child bring his past to life once again internally for Max, it also brings him to the attention of a task force. A task force chasing a child killer who has killed before and of which Max knew nothing about thanks to his self imposed exile. Already considered a suspect because of what happened in Philadelphia along with his finding the body, Max soon finds that the killer is planting additional clues, all pointed towards Max. The killer seems to have target Max as the fall guy and begins to manipulate him toward a violet confrontation.

This is a first novel by this author and was simply an incredible read. Using very descriptive language in the style of James Lee Burke to create intense imagery, along with strong characters, and steady pacing, this author works all the angles for the enjoyment of his readers. Missing the flaws that often weaken a first novel, this book at 259 pages becomes a fast intense read and well worth the effort. There are not too many books that get me to stay up late to finish and this was the first one in a very long time.

The author has created a sequel featuring Max Freeman entitled " A Visible Darkness." If as good as the original, this author has created a new series well worth reading. I will be reading and reviewing this book soon.

Former Philadelphia police officer, Max Freeman, is in his canoe on a river in South Florida and sees something that doesn't look right. When he gets closer, he finds the body of a dead little girl.

Max has been living with the memory of a child he shot in self defense while on duty in Philadelphia. His motivation to be a cop ended with the remorse he felt be taking the life of a twelve-year-old. Seeing the girl's body brings back all the memories.

Max learns that the body he found is that of six-year-old, Melissa Marks, who had been abducted and killed. Realizing that the police always look closely at the person reporting a crime, Max touches base with his attorney and is ready for any tough questions. His attorney tells him that other children have been abducted, killed, and their bodies left in remote areas like where Max lives.

He gives his statement and his thoughts to the police, and, soon after, learns that another child is abducted. When this happens, the police don't hide their suspicions that there are too many coincidences and he becomes a possible suspect.

The author maintains the tension at a high level as we see Max attempting to investigate the abductions but at the same time, looking like a suspect to the authorities.

This is a well plotted debut novel with intriguing characters and a believable story. Max is easy to sympathize with after his bad experiences return to haunt him. He's honest, intelligent and determined in his search for the people who are guilty for the crimes against the children.

It was also interesting to meet characters like Nate Brown, a man who lives by nature and wants to be left alone but still do the right thing. I could visualize him in the days of the old West, directing a wagon train through a safe path in Indian territory.

Max Freeman was a lackluster cop in Philadelphia when he shot and killed a 12-year old boy who was committing an armed robbery. Unable to get over causing the death of one so young, Freeman retired from the force and moved south to Florida, taking up residence in an abandoned shack on the edge of the Everglades.

Max is trying to lose the demons that plague him and regain some semblance of a healthy psyche, but that hope is shattered when he discovers the body of a young girl wrapped in cloth and dumped in his river.

Debut author Jonathon King is a veteran journalist, having written for newspapers in both Philadelphia and Florida, so he definitely knows the territory. As is common in the books of fellow Florida writer and newspaperman Carl Hiaasen, the lush, varied environment of the state is a prominent fixture in "The Blue Edge of Midnight," as is the danger that lies in the destruction of that environment.

"The Blue Edge of Midnight" is the best debut mystery of 2002 so far...

The Blue Edge of Midnight has it all. This taut, fast-paced debut is certain to put Jonathon King on high on the crime series favorite lists. This is one of those thrillers where time just flies by and pages turn effortlessly.

Max Freeman is an ex-cop from the gritty streets of Philadelphia. Caught in a life-or-death shootout, his career ended at the same moment a bullet from his service weapon ended the life of a twelve-year-old suspect. Taking a lump-sum payment to leave the force, Max lives to the life of a hermit in an isolated shack in the middle of the Florida Everglades. He's made himself so far removed from people that he must paddle his canoe through canals and streams to get to the nearest civilization - an Everglades ranger station.

But Max's world is turned upside-down as he finds the corpse of a child on his river. The demons he's beaten back return to push Max to find the killer(s). King is a master at mixing and matching the high-tech world of helicopters and GPS systems with good old boy Florida gator poachers. The book keeps you guessing `till the end and is filled with just the right amount of twists and turns.

Jonathon King is a new novelist to watch. He earned a "starred review" from Publishers Weekly for this book, which should get him noticed.

Max Freeman, damaged cop, flees Philadelphia for the tranquility and solitude of the Everglades. His pursuit of privacy is short-lived as his discovery of a child's body draws him in as an investigator, crime victim, and sometime subject into the pursuit of a cunning serial killer working on the marge of civilization and Everglades.

In a much darker sense this impressive first novel is reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen's early classic Tourist Season, and like it pits development against nature with the bad guys on the side of nature. Even as the frantic chase to catch the shadowy foe quickens, Freeman's own grim past returns to haunt him and confuse the investigators.

It is not hard to see why Jonathan Kind won an Edgar for this novel. If the others in the series are as good, he should have a pair of Raven bookends in no time.

While James Lee Burke writes very atmosphericly about Louisiana, Jonathon King writes less so, but just enough so, about the Everglades of Florida. His descriptions are just right to create the proper image and mood in the reader's mind. The story moves along well and engages the reader in a mystery that bodes well for an ongoing series.
What started to confuse me was the author's use of owls to create a mood a few times: "...the moon broke through a gap in the clouds...a barred owl let out a double set of notes. HOO. HOO. It was the first time I'd heard that species on the river." Me too. There's even a reference to a painting by 17th century Flemish painter Hieronymous Bosch on the wall of the hero's lawyer. I thought for a minute I was re-reading Michael Connelly's "A Darkness More Than Night". But the use of owls doesn't go anywhere after a few trys and doesn't contribute to the story or it's mood as I thought might happen.
The best line is about a woman, described like a femme fatale, drinking a glass of wine: "She was oddly standing on one foot, her other brought up behind her like one of those 1950s movie starlets during a kiss. I guess she liked her wine."
Good writing and a good start to a new series with this first novel. I look forward to a sequel with just a few rough "edges" smoothed out.

One of the year's most polished debuts concerns a retired Philadelphia police officer, Max Freeman. Freeman was responsible for gunning down a black youth during a robbery attempt. In spite of the fact that he was almost killed, he lives with the guilt and retires from the police force. He decides to flee civilization and travels to the Florida Everglades where he purchases a desolate house in the midst of the swamp. One day, as he canoes along the waterway, he discovers the body of a missing child who was abducted from home. It appears a serial killer is on the loose kidnapping and killing children in the new developments bordering the Everglades. Of course, with his unstable past, suspicion is initially thrown on Max who finds he getting closer and closer to the crimes. He must solve them himself or he might very well go down for the murders.

In reading a first novel such as THE BLUE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT, one is immediately struck by the strong sure style of writing that is quite reminiscent of an individual who makes a living using language. Jonathon King is a journalist and has been for over twenty years. It almost isn't fair to compare the beauty of these smooth flowing passages to other debut authors who do not write for a living. King may remind the reader of another journalist who decided to pursue a writing career through the crime fiction genre, Michael Connelly. Yes, he is that good. The description of the locale lends it a great deal of immediacy. The characters are true to life and their dialogue quite natural. However, the most important thing is Mr. King knows how to tell a compelling story and does so without very much filler material. The book is the length it must be-no shorter and no longer. The reader must truly appreciate that. This is one of the best debuts I have read so far this year.

I've added Jonathon King to my pantheon of favorite mystery writers, alongside C.J.Box, Michael McGarrity, Michael Connelly, and Jon Talton.

Apparently, "The Blue Edge of Midnight" was King's first effort, although I read his subsequent novels ("A Visible Darkness", "A Killing Night", "Eye of Vengeance", and "Acts of Nature") before I read his first novel. You might think, then, that this book would be anti-climatic for me, given that I read his later novels beforehand. That wasn't the case. King is such a compelling writer that it didn't make any difference to me that I was already familiar with some of the characters.

His protagonist, Max Freeman, is one of the more multi-layered private detectives I've ever read. And, no one can evoke the sights and smells of the primordial Everglades any better than King. "The Blue Edge of Midnight" was an auspicious beginning, a vivid and suspenseful novel.

It seems profane to use the word `lovely' when discussing a book about a serial murderer of children, but Jonathan King brings to this subject precisely the right elegiac tone, a mood of wounded sorrow, that permits in the end a lasting sense of genuine humanity and, ultimately, grace. That he does so while still fashioning a compelling tale of a desperate hunt for a sadistic menace testifies to his expert handle on his craft. The story follows a damaged man needing both to scour his own conscience and prove himself innocent of the worst of crimes. It manages to effortlessly move back and forth between past and present, following not just the actions played out in its eerie and sumptuous Everglades locale, but also the far darker corridors of the human heart. All the while, King leads the reader along with such deft assurance and calm confidence that the effect becomes hypnotic and irresistible. His characters have weight and wit, his details are telling and right, his pacing perfect both in moving the action along and in never forgetting its steamy south Florida setting. Not just a great debut, a great book. Read this.

Opinion only -no story spoilers.

I liked this book, but had trouble deciding on 3 or 4 stars because I think his writing gets better as the series progresses and this is a good introduction to the main series characters, but on its own, I think the book only rates 3 stars. Freeman was a lackluster cop and King's development of him comes across as a lackluster character, which is my only real criticism of the book. The resourceful friend and love interest characters, though somewhat cliche, are standard components of the genre and should just be accepted as they are.

King does paint a vivid picture of the area in his writing, easily allowing your mind to paint the landscape as you read. Whether you are in the glades or stuck in 10 lanes of I-95, he captures the image and feeling of the situation without the background overshadowing the characters. Freeman is a believable character as the flawed hero in this story.

The level of writing compares with other newer writers in this genre such as Steve Hamilton and C.J. Box, in terms of length of story and ease of read. I find his style very close to that of Hamilton, in terms of the reluctant hero living in a remote location to escape his past; and like Hamilton he paints an accurate and realistic backdrop to the story that is somewhat different than the norm for this type of story.

If you like murder/mystery/suspense character series, than this is worth picking up.