It Ends at Midnight

December 19, 2022
Deputy district judge Sylvie, the principal narrator of this tantalizing psychological thriller from Tyce (The Lies You Told), wants to focus on securing a position as a Crown Court judge and enjoying her new relationship with Edinburgh chef Gareth. Then Sylvie’s best friend, Tess, announces that she has brain cancer and asks Sylvie to help her with two things. The first is giving the bad news to her estranged husband, Marcus, so they can do a 20th anniversary renewal of wedding vows at Hogmanay (the Scottish New Year’s celebration), with Sylvie once again standing as sole bridesmaid. The other is finding and making amends to an old classmate of theirs, Linda, who served time for the death of Sylvie’s then boyfriend, largely on the basis of Tess and Sylvie’s false testimony. Scenes of tense interactions among Tess, Sylvie, Marcus, and Gareth alternate with Sylvie’s recollections of pivotal moments from their school days. Clues to what’s really going on are dropped at a perfect pace as Sylvie’s distrust of herself and others grows and the plot barrels toward its deadly conclusion at Hogmanay. Tyce is a writer to watch. Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Co.

June 1, 2023

Sylvie is well on her way to her dream job as a judge of the Crown Court and falling fast for her new beau, successful chef Gareth. However, it could all come crashing down when her best friend Tess is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and becomes determined to right a wrong that she and Sylvie committed in their youth. Struggling to maintain the delicate balance of her public and personal life, Sylvie agrees to track down the woman she and Tess wrongly sent to prison. Tyce (The Lies You Told) crafts compelling psychological suspense. The narrative begins with a dead body, followed by a combination of flashbacks and foreshadowing that yield a tumultuous, twisting timeline. Principal narrator Lucy Paterson builds an atmosphere of anxiety as she presents Sylvie's first-person perspective, from whispered to wailing, while George Weightman and Samara MacLaren voice multiple supporting roles, from BBC newscasts to the inner monologue of a fox. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a disturbing thriller with an intricate plot and an unreliable narrator. Recommended for fans of Gilly Macmillan, Mary Kubica, and Lisa Jewell.--Lauren Hackert

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.