Wow - I adored Breathless but Midnights was in an entirely different league. I loved the setting - the perfect claustrophobic setup for a locked room thriller. Amy McCulloch is the queen of the female led adventure mystery!

I absolutely loved Breathless by Amy and when I found out she was releasing a new book I knew I had to read it. Midnight definitely didn't disappoint. It had Amy's signature tension and intrigue, the characters were brilliant and the storyline was fantastic. Would definitely recommend!

. I am not the biggest fan of the sea, so being on a here someone icruise ship where someone is tryingto kill me sounds like my worst nightmare. Olivia the main character was a little to trusting and was hard to relate to. I also found the book slightly dragged and the ending was written in a hurry, A good read overall but sadly the ending let it down

The setting on a cruise ship made me think I would love this thriller but unfortunately I wasn’t thrilled at all. If the story telling was deliberately slow in a way of adding tension then it had the opposite effect. So rather disappointing overall.

Right from the beginning, I couldn't put this book down! I don't know if it's my fear of the open ocean, but I had a huge feeling if unease from the second everyone boarded the boat!

Olivia is going on a cruise to the antarctic with her partner. Aaron, in order to present and sell artwork. However, just before departure Aaron receives an urgent message and leaves the ship, promising to be back before they set sail.... but he doesn't make it back. Olivia is left alone to conquer her fear of boats and take care of the business side of the trip alone. Quickly into the trip she realises that someone on board is targeting and trying to kill her!

Now I love a good Thriller and this was no exception. I didn't figure out who the culprit was until about 75% of the way through the book. The writing was fantastic and I found it to be so atmospheric! Thoroughly enjoyed this and I will be looking for more from this author!

*REVIEW* #Midnight by Amy McCulloch

Olivia is invited to help her boyfriend Aaron with an art exhibition set on a luxury cruise through the Antarctic – a once in a lifetime opportunity. With her life in London falling apart, it’s the perfect chance to get away. However, the troubles of home are never far away, and when Aaron goes missing, Olivia is surrounded by strangers. Who can she trust?

A tense and suffocating read, McCulloch is skilled at bringing this barren, icy landscape to life. The setting of this book is as important a character as Olivia herself. Looming icebergs, shattering glaciers and minimal connectivity to the rest of the world all add to the isolation of Olivia and increase her vulnerability.

I found it hard to connect to Olivia and wasn’t as invested in this story as I was with McCulloch’s debut, Breathless, but this was still a page-turner. I found the ‘villain reveal’ to be predictable; I guessed who was responsible, but this didn’t take away too much of my enjoyment.

Despite not connecting to Olivia, I did appreciate her backstory; her guilt added a layer of interest and allows us to understand her reactions. Her past highlighted her sailing ability, making this a believable part of the narrative and not a convenient add-on, showing how well plotted this story was.

A key theme of this book is deception, with characters hiding much of themselves away, be it due to grief or loss. We learn not to take characters at face value, and this is hinted at in the narrative with this great line,

“People were like icebergs, weren’t they? Only allowing the tips of their personalities, their histories, to rise above the surface. Everything else was hidden beneath, masked from view.”

I found the story to be a bit of a slow burn, with the plot teasingly drawn out, which was equally as enjoyable as it was frustrating. Ultimately though, this story didn’t stand out as much as other thrillers in the genre. It was still a worthy read and gripping story.

I found the book a bit difficult to engage with. A bit slow for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

A bit of a slow start , but once you get into it you really can't put it down!
Olivia is due to go on an Antarctic cruise with her art dealer boyfriend Aaron ( who is heading up.an auction of an upcoming artist!) The problem is Aaron gets called back ashore for urgent business and unfortunately doesn't make it back before the ship sets sail.
Olivia isn't sure what to do, she needs Aaron there to be her guide and safety net - after her past experience with the water and boats! She has to stay on board and deal with th he people on there who have come for the auction. But then things start to happen and Olivia begins to wonder if she's being targeted and why it is she looking her mind? Starting with a strange man she saw the night before the trip staring at her and Aaron, he's now in the ship.and is part of the crew! But who is is and what does he want?
Loved the tension in the book especially when the passengers are out on excursions!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book and will be looking out for Amy's next book!

I found Midnight to be a bit of a slow burner but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. I loved the setting of this one, a cruise ship on the Antarctic and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

A locked room mystery thriller set on a cruise ship in Antarctica. While I love these types I found this to have a very slow start and the arty side of things bored me. I guessed the murdered quite early on aswell. Sadly, I wanted more. It was just OK for me.

Olivia is due to join her boyfriend, Aaron, on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to the Antarctic. Aaron is due to host an onboard auction of works by an up & coming artist who was recently tragically killed on the cusp of stardom. The night before they embark on the trip, they attend a dinner with some of the exclusive guests & Olivia sees her boyfriend arguing with a man she has never seen before. The next day, after just boarding the luxurious ship Aaron says that he has received bad news about another project & needs to nip quickly back ashore to sort it out. Olivia remains onboard & when the ship sets sail she is looking forward to relaxing with her boyfriend, but Aaron is nowhere to be found. After making desperate enquiries, it seems that Aaron has been left behind & Olivia now faces a two week cruise on her own.

She graciously swaps cabins with a newly wed couple & bunks in with three other women: Patty, Annaliese, & Janine. She tries to contact Aaron by email as his phone is going to voicemail only but the wifi signal is poor. Suddenly Olivia thinks she sees the strange man from the night before who was arguing with Aaron, he seems to be a staff member onboard the ship, but she feels uneasy about him. A trip to the ship's medical bay following a fall in bad weather conditions sees Olivia overhear the doctors talking about a poisoning onboard the ship & it seems the unlucky ones were the newly wed couple that Olivia swapped cabins with. Other incidents also start to happen & Olivia wonders if there is a killer onboard & if she is the target.

This was rather slow to get going & I never really felt a sense of unease or menace, in fact the plot seemed to drag on. Olivia as the main character was okay but she was rather 'beige' with nothing about her really standing out & she seemed a bit lacklustre at times. There were also a lot of minor or incidental characters who became a distraction from the main plot & not in a good way. Overall, I was rather disappointed with it compared to how much I enjoyed one of the author's previous books 'Breathless'. Verdict: the slow pace, a distinct lack of tension, & a rather boring main character make this one a miss for me I'm afraid.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I couldn’t put this book down! A really interesting concept to have a thriller set on the confines of a ship in such a stark and isolated location at the ends of the earth. You have to really appreciate the knowledge and research the author has put into the location, it was immersive and the setting painted a clear picture that added to the tension and build up of the thriller aspect of the novel. Altogether a suspenseful and tense read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Another stunning novel from the excellent Amy McCulloch. Having endured the highs and lows of mountain climbing in her debut, we are now trapped in a ship bound for the Antarctic and the tension is incredible. The author uses her knowledge to provide splendid detail with vivid description, and the plot is terrific. I was hooked from start to finish.

A great read with a little bit of nan Agatha Christie feel. A group of people on an Antarctic Cruise which is hosting a unique art exhibition should be Olivia's once in a lifetime experience. When her boyfriend misses the ships sailing, Olivia is left to help host the exhibition. After swtiching cabins with a couple on their honeymoon Olivia soon discovers that they have been poisoned from a bottle of champagne which was put in the cabin for her and Aaron.
Olivia realises that she cannot trust anyone on board.
An exhilarating read that is hard to put down. Thrilling, tense and full of twists and turns.
Would highly recommend

Worst nightmare but brilliant book. Fast paced and a great read. I thought the characterisation was brilliant. Will look up the authors back catalogue if there are any but really enjoyed it. In fact I Loved it!

This is a bit of a slow burner but once it gets going, it's a good read.
Olivia is about to head off to Antarctica with her boyfriend, Aaron who is promoting some artwork.
Just before the ship is due to leave, Aaron gets a call and needs to head back to dry land quickly.
Olivia expects him back but when the ship leaves without him she starts to panic.
Whilst in the medical bay Olivia overhears that someone has been poisoned and becomes concerned.
With other incidents happening to her, she wonders what is going on and fears for her life.
This is a gripping thriller where there really is nowhere to hide.
Thanks to Michael Joseph books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Right from the go, Midnight is breathtaking and chilling. The setting accompanies the storyline perfectly. Amy really knows how to create an atmosphere through her characters and location. I found it the perfect read for this very rainy day!

I have never read from Amy McCulloch before however, I have Breathless on my shelf waiting to be read. Even though I didn’t love this book (I really wanted to) I will pick up from the author again.

The story follows Olivia, the main character, who finds herself in a locked room mystery when she is given the chance of a lifetime to sail on a cruise to Antarctica with her boyfriend and business partner, Aaron. However, she finds herself alone on the cruise when Aaron misses the sail away and is haunted by past and present as someone is out to get her.

This story was a really slow build. I enjoyed the atmosphere and character of Olivia. I wished the story delved more into descriptions of settings and the environment and was a little more faster paced and shorter as my version was 374 pages. We find out one reveal quite soon into the book and then 200+ pages later nothing is really happening. The build up was exciting but then very anticlimactic when “twists” were revealed. Although I liked Olivia, I found myself questioning why was she not more suspicious of things and just accepted them as they were (e.g without spoilers the letter she received)?? I didn’t guess the twist at the end but it was like said before, very anticlimactic in my opinion.

What a brilliant setting for a number of murders,set in the cold and icy waters of the antarctic on a cruise ship with no escape,1 passenger finds themselves in a dire situation,who to trust if anybody,who wants to do them harm or even dead.
A spine-chilling read,gripping and fast paced with twists and turns a dramatic ending to the story.
I loved it!

This is a book that genuinely blew me away. I rarely read a story that describes a voyage to Antarctica in such a proper way. I almost felt that I was one of the passengers participating in such an extraordinary adventure. Of course, this is primarily a thriller, a mystery that is suspenseful, chaotic, unsettling and, all in all, very simple. We get to know Olivia quickly. A woman with a problematic past, professional burnout and fear of being on a ship.
Meanwhile, her fiancé Aaron, who is to run a significant art auction, leaves the cruiser and does not return. Olivia is left alone. And with her, a suspicious type who wants to hurt her...
I liked this story for its atmosphere and original idea for a set.