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BLUE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT, THE
by Jonathon King
Dutton, March 2002
320 pages
$22.95
ISBN: 0525946438


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Max Freeman is an intriguing and mesmerizing protagonist. We learn a great deal about him through the course of this book, but much remains to be learned. He had been a cop in Philadelphia, one with little ambition, little desire for promotion, content with mediocrity. He married but then let his wife go. He quit after he killed a child in the course of a crime and was shot himself. The disability payment allowed him to walk away from the job.

He moved to Florida where ultimately, with the help of the son of one of his mother's friends who was now a lawyer, he ended up in a small shack on the edge of the Everglades. He spent his nights in his canoe paddling up the river and back. One night he found the body of a murdered child wedged into a tree. He raced back to the ranger station to report his find, but the police already knew about it. In fact this was one in a series of missing children who have been killed and the killer eventually tipped the police off to where the body is in a remote area of the Everglades. The task force assembled to find the murderer found Freeman most interesting. In fact he was the best suspect they have.

Reluctantly, unwillingly, Max began to search for the murderer fearing that he will be arrested and railroaded to prison. He knew how the cops think and work. His quest led him into the Everglades and into the culture of those who detest civilization, detest its intrusion into the purity of the Glades, and detest people like Freeman who are taking advantage of the environment while still a part of modern society. Will Freeman himself become a victim? Is he being framed for murder?

This is an exciting, riveting story about a reluctant sleuth, a man who just wants the world to let him alone but it will not. It is a compelling story, one that was very difficult for me to put down. The suspense is white-knuckle excitement, a carnival ride of ups and downs, of fear and then greater fear.

The sense of place is imposing. You find yourself in the Florida swamp, saw grass slashing at you as you move along, mosquitoes buzzing and flitting about your head, the humidity weighing you down. As part of the development of the location, we also learn a great deal painlessly about the history of Florida. His flashbacks to Philadelphia were just as gripping. The streets of Philly where the bad guys roam make us understand why he chose to leave.

I have already mentioned how multifaceted and completely developed the character of Max Freeman is. Billy Manchester, his lawyer and good friend, is an equally intriguing character. Billy is black, very wealthy as a result of his legal abilities, and unable to talk with anyone face to face without stuttering. The supporting characters, especially the police and the old-timers, are also well-drawn and three dimensional.

It is hard to believe that this is a first novel. It has all the characteristics that make a great book. I certainly hope this will be one of the short-listed best firsts for many prizes next year.

Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, June 2002

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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