I loved Ms. McCulloch’s debut thriller, Breathless, so was thrilled to read her newest book. The plot takes a once in a lifetime voyage to end of the earth In Antarctica. An unbeatable location for a mystery, there’s literally no where or means to escape. It’s summer swelter here as I’m reading about icebergs. What a perfect way to chill!
Olivia works for an actuarial firm (I wasn’t very familiar with that business) and her boyfriend, Aaron, is a curator. The art world is fascinating and my appreciation is high, my wallet isn’t, which is why I can only read about it. The plot concept was great with a wide ranging group of passengers. The luxurious ship made me wish I didn’t get seasick just walking on the beach. Everything goes wrong for Olivia when Aaron doesn’t board the ship before they sail off without him. He was in charge of the art installation to be auctioned exclusively on this trip. Olivia is left to cover the event with no help from him. She can’t reach him and suspicious events begin to happen on the ship. There is more to be frightened about than rough seas and storms, someone doesn’t want Olivia to succeed, she’s in danger. All the while she’s dealing with quite the guilt complex, blaming herself for her father’s death. Her concerns about her missing boyfriend and strange occurrences are met with skepticism from the Captain and crew. Who can she really trust? She is totally isolated in an inhospitable environment.
I had various cabin mates and crew on my suspect list, the twists and turns still took me by surprise. In my quest to figure out ‘who did it’ I had narrowed down the who, not the why. Lots of action blew the ending out of the water!
A digital advance reader copy of “Midnight” by Amy McCulloch, published by Vintage Anchor Books, was provided by NetGalley. These are always my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

After years of dreaming about it, Olivia has the chance to set sail to Antarctica. Her boyfriend is a high-powered art dealer and is debuting an auction aboard a luxurious cruise liner, and Oliva gets to attend. When something happens and he misses the boat Olivia is all alone aboard. Things start to feel strange after a while. Shortly after, bodies are discovered. Olivia writes this off, but then more things start to happen, and Olivia is constantly checking over her shoulder. Will she be able to survive until the end of the trip?

After reading Breathless by Amy McCulloch, I knew I wanted to read more of her books, so when I saw she had written a new one based on a cruise to Antarctica I was hooked.

I was immediately drawn into this story, and it held my interest. The story is wonderfully paced, not too fast, and not too slow. Just the perfect speed for me. I loved the main characters. She was beautifully flawed, but a great heroine. I love the settings the author picks for her adult books. They are so fun and interesting, and the way she writes them is so vivid it makes me want to go. After Breathless I wanted to climb a mountain and after this one, I wanted to go on a cruise to Antarctica. Her writing just pulls you in and sets a beautiful stage. The twists on this one was good. Not as surprising as her previous work, but still entertaining. I really enjoyed this one.

If you are looking for a locked room thriller, then check this one out.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Vintage Anchor, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Additional links will be added closer to publication.

Great book with a storyline that I immediately found engaging. I liked how it resolved in the end. I'll look out for more from McCulloch and recommend this to thriller readers as well.

This is the second book I’ve read by Amy McCulloch and, just like the first one, Midnight delivers an excellent, fast-paced storyline. I was hooked from the get-go, the unique setting of a cruise to the Arctic Circle combined with intrigue and mystery making for a perfect thriller. The main character is likeable, and there were plenty of suspicious people to go around. Overall, Midnight is a wonderful thriller to get lost in, with a plot twist I didn’t see coming!

I liked Amy McCullochs first book and and I enjoyed this one too but it was very very similar to her first one. I liked the setting a lot so it didn’t bother me that the beats were all very similar.

Well that was a bit different from what I usually read! What an interesting read! Great book! This book had a bit of everything! It had high suspense, intrigue, action, murder, revenge, a great who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was so very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Olivia is offered a second shot at her career when she meets high flying Aaron. He has big dreams as an art dealer and has put together a one-of-a-kind show on a cruise to the Antarctic.
Olivia wants to support him in every way she can, especially after the mistake she made a few months ago, but her fear of boats and water after a childhood tragedy make it difficult.
When the cruise sets sail, multiple things go wrong almost immediately. Olivia has to face her fears and try to determine if someone is out to get her and why.
Amy McCulloch is the author of Breathless, an all-time favorite snow-horror story. I think she made a concerted effort to hold back in this story and keep it more mainstream. There were certainly enough moments that could have been incredibly scary but instead stayed in the lite-thriller genre.
The pieces of the story didn't come together as easily as I would have hoped and I think more detail in some cases might have helped to persuade me. All in all, I enjoyed this cruise to the end of the world and I know you will too! If you like a cruise-gone-wrong, a locked-room style story or are just ready to take a trip to Antarctica, Midnight is for you!

I wasn't a huge fan of Breathless, but the synopsis of this was really interesting. But I have to say, I really really didn't like this. It took until about 60 to 65% through for anything to actually happen. One or two deaths sort of (???) happen off screen and we really focus on that even though it really doesn't help push the plot forward in any way. I also think that a lot of the plot points, and mystery aspects were super super obvious. I don't know, I just didn't like this: boring main character, awful love interest that I was glad missed the boat, slow as all get out plot, not taking advantage of the scenery or the setting at all for the mystery, etc. I got sucked in once more by the interesting plot, only to be super let down by the execution.

Olivia is offered a second shot at her career when she meets high flying Aaron. He has big dreams as an art dealer and has put together a one-of-a-kind show on a cruise to the Antarctic. Olivia wants to support him in every way she can, especially after the mistake she made a few months ago, but her fear of boats and water after a childhood tragedy make it difficult. When the cruise sets sail, multiple things go wrong almost immediately. Olivia has to face her fears and try to determine if someone is out to get her and why.

Amy McCulloch is the author of Breathless, an all-time favorite snow-horror story. I think she made a concerted effort to hold back in this story and keep it more mainstream. There were certainly enough moments that could have been incredibly scary but instead stayed in the lite-thriller genre. The pieces of the story didn't come together as easily as I would have hoped and I think more detail in some cases might have helped to persuade me. All in all, I enjoyed this cruise to the end of the world and I know you will too! If you like a cruise-gone-wrong, a locked-room style story or are just ready to take a trip to Antarctica, Midnight is for you!
#vintageanchor #Vintage #netgalley #Midnight #Amymcculloch #Breathless

Olivia leads a rather staid life as an actuary, but her life changes when she gets a chance to realize her dream – visiting the Antarctic. Her boyfriend plans a no holds barred voyage aboard a luxury yacht to Antarctica, where he intends to hold a game-changing auction. The wealthy passengers coexist uneasily with the crew until someone ends up dead. Olivia’s dream has become a nightmare. A creepy, atmospheric thriller