Disclaimer: A Walk at Midnight was kindly gifted to me by Pan Macmillan SA in exchange for an honest review.
Book Description
Jane Ronson is the epitome of a dutiful, devoted wife and mother. She has, with grit and grace, supported her husband, Colin, through the scandals and setbacks that have dogged his career as the Governor of New York State. After years in her restrictive role as the governor’s wife, Jane achieves her own success as a writer, and is offered a publishing deal for her debut novel. This exciting news is overshadowed by Colin’s sudden death under mysterious circumstances that eerily echo events that unfold in Jane’s novel, making her the primary person of interest in the investigation.
As the police question the Ronson family to try to establish what happened on the night of Colin’s death, it becomes increasingly apparent that everyone is keeping secrets – some to protect Colin, some to protect themselves. All of them to protect the Ronson family name. As Jane’s and Colin’s pasts emerge in the course of the investigation, the truth becomes increasingly elusive and disturbing.
Review/Thoughts
A walk at Midnight is told in two different formats; present moment is told in a form of an interview session about the death of Jane’s husband (Colin) and we also get to follow events leading up to the present moment. I think the format worked pretty well for the story and I was engaged the whole time. Alex’s writing is amazing and I loved how everything tied up in the end.
In the story we get to follow these characters from when they’re young up until they’re old and married. This allowed me as a reader to get invested in these characters and fully understand how they act towards certain situations.
Overall, the story is based on the abuse of women by powerful men and how these men get away from the consequences of their actions (be aware of this if it’s something that triggers you). Alex amazingly articulated the events of these abuses, portraying how the society deals with such cases. These cases are things we are aware of or we’ve seen before. I don’t want to lie, it was an uncomfortable read a times because of certain events and I wanted to scream at some point 😂.
The topic of women being put down or required to push back their plans or career in order to support their husband’s career was a bit difficult to read because it was just painful and as a women I related to the characters.
Overall, this book was amazing, fast paced and I really enjoyed it. I’d highly recommend it to everyone.
Rating
Book Details
Title: A Walk at Midnight; Author: Alex Van Tonder; Genre: Suspense; Published: September 201; Publisher: Pan Macmillan SA; Pages: 316; Buy: here
Let me know your thoughts if you’ve read this book or planning to add it to your tbr.
Until next time
