Discount Price: $7.99
Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780446612524
ISBN number: 0446612529
Label: Grand Central Publishing
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 336
Printing Date: July 01, 2003
Publishing house: Grand Central Publishing
Sale Popularity Level: 66274
Studio: Grand Central Publishing
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Sharon McCone, Marcia Muller's street-smart, San Francisco PI, is stilldealing with the emotional aftermath of her brother Joey's suicide when she'shired by Roger Nagasawa's parents to prove that their son died of overwork, andthat he was driven to kill himself by the brutal, high-pressure atmosphere atInsite, the hip online magazine that employed him. Enlisting the help of herreporter friend J.D., McCone learns that the magazine is failing, despite themillions in venture capital that's supposedly financing it. The mystery deepenswhen she retrieves deleted files from Roger's computer suggesting that he knewwho was sabotaging the magazine and shared that information, which hecharacterized as 'insurance,' with Jody Houston, a close friend, before hejumped off the Bay Bridge. Tracking Houston to an isolated cabin on the Oregoncoast, McCone stumbles over the dead body of her friend J.D., and then findsherself framed for his murder. By the time she uncovers the truth about Roger'ssuicide and unmasks J.D.'s killer, she's confronted her remorse over Joey'sdeath and put a painful part of her own past behind her. As usual, Muller turnsin a solidly plotted, well-paced mystery with a heroine who grows inself-awareness and complexity with every new adventure. --Jane Adams
Amazon.com Review:
Sharon McCone, Marcia Muller's street-smart, San Francisco PI, is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of her brother Joey's suicide when she's hired by Roger Nagasawa's parents to prove that their son died of overwork, and that he was driven to kill himself by the brutal, high-pressure atmosphere at Insite, the hip online magazine that employed him. Enlisting the help of her reporter friend J.D., McCone learns that the magazine is failing, despite the millions in venture capital that's supposedly financing it. The mystery deepens when she retrieves deleted files from Roger's computer suggesting that he knew who was sabotaging the magazine and shared that information, which he characterized as 'insurance,' with Jody Houston, a close friend, before he jumped off the Bay Bridge. Tracking Houston to an isolated cabin on the Oregon coast, McCone stumbles over the dead body of her friend J.D., and then finds herself framed for his murder. By the time she uncovers the truth about Roger's suicide and unmasks J.D.'s killer, she's confronted her remorse over Joey's death and put a painful part of her own past behind her. As usual, Muller turns in a solidly plotted, well-paced mystery with a heroine who grows in self-awareness and complexity with every new adventure. --Jane Adams
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
Dead Midnight by Marcia Muller is another Sharon McCone mystery that I don't think measures up to her best in this series. Maybe it's Muller, or maybe it's the fact that I have read about six of them in a short period of time.
Private investigator, Sharon McCone, is asked by a lawyer friend to do him a favor. His godson, Roger Nagasawa, has committed suicide. His family wants to file a wrongful-death suit against the high-tech, fast-paced online magazine that their son worked for. McCone's job is to find proof that the company, InSite, worked Roger to death. The fact that she would even take on such a case is a very big stretch.
As with A Walk Through the Fire, there is just way too much going on in terms of plot. As usual with McCone books, there is quite a bit underneath the surface that McCone must sort through. On top of everything else, McCone is still dealing with the suicide of her own brother, Joey.
I have yet to read all Muller's works, but after two so-so books, I think I'll give them a rest for awhile.
Rated by buyers 
-
Sorry, as a former Bay Area resident I KNOW the difference between the Bay Bridge (which Roger jumped) and the Golden Gate (which is on the cover of the book!) I know the GG is the much more recognizable landmark, but still. . . Roger chose the Bay Bridge for a reason.
but otherwise, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Very easy to read with very engaging characters and good dialogue. It's the very first Sharon McCone I've read and I will be reading more.
Rated by buyers 
-
I just finished reading this book and it took me a month. I kept expecting it to get better but it never did. I would put it down for days before I would pick it back up. I even read another book during that time.
Marcia Muller is a good author but this one just doesn't cut it.
Sorry Marcia
Rated by buyers 
-
Not only does Muller not allow her series to become stale, I really am of the opinion that each successive book in the Sharon McCone series is better than the last. McCone is a satisfying heroine who has grown into her sucess as the head of her own investigative agency in San Francisco. Unmarried, McCone has not fallen prey to the lack of family ties and relationships that many other females in detective series seem to have in common. McCone's family is large and seems to be in a state of crisis, as most real families are.
In Dead Midnight, Sharon must investigate a suicide before she has fully recovered from her reaction to her own brother Joey's suicide just one week before. The Nagasawa family has decided to open an inquiry into the apparent suicide of their son Roger, some two months after his death. Their actions are provoked by a friend of Roger's, Jody Houston, who claims Roger's employers at dot.com magazine "InSite" were somehow entwined with the reasons Roger's life was ended.
Through Roger's journal and the eyes of his family and friends, McCone comes to know a self-absorbed young man who is over his head in the secrets that permeate the Insite company. Working with investigative reporter and friend J.D. Smith, McCone unveils unethical business practices, petty office hierarchies and eventually, the reason for Roger's death. Along the way, brief appearances from McCone's cast of comrades (Hy, Ricky and Rae, Charlotte and Mick, and the gang) help her stay grounded while narrowing the search, and trying not to shoulder the blame for Joey's death.
A lot of the bitterness and loneliness that invades the female private detective stereotype is not present in McCone, who has taken a lot in stride, both professionally and personally, throughout the long tenure of the popular series. McCone seems to gather wisdom and strength from the bumps in her particular road, much as real women do in middle age. Lastly, the identity of Roger's enemy continues to be a mystery, right up until the very end, keeping the reader engrossed far into the night! At novel's end, McCone is able to come to terms with her own loss and move on with her life.
Marcia Muller is an award-winning author because her timing, plotline, and ability to weave familial story lines into police procedurals are unique and satisfying. Dead Midnight leaves you hungry for more! If you haven't read Muller, it's worth a trip back to see a much younger (and more "unwise") McCone in the very first novel of the series "Edwin of the Iron Shoes".
Rated by buyers -
Regret over the past has always been a major theme in Sharon McCone novels. Some of the regret is due to things she has done; while some is due to events she could not control but yet feels responsible for. The same is true in her recent offering, Dead Midnight.
As the book opens, Sharon has just discovered that her brother Joey has committed suicide. Joey went his own way, different from the family and because of various events detailed in earlier novels, Sharon was never close to him. Yet, he was her brother and she feels tremendous guilt over not being able to see the signs and prevent his death.
With that fresh in her mind, she is asked by a good friend who also happens to a lawyer who throws a lot of work her way, to investigate another suicide. This is the last thing she wants to do but finds it impossible to follow through on her initial refusal. Glen Solomon is a hotshot lawyer in San Francisco and he has been hired by the parents of Roger Nagasaw who was the suicide. Roger has committed suicide and the family using a new tactic that has recently succeeded in Japan want to sue his employer, Insite. Insite is an online magazine that purported to chronicle what was new and hip in the bay area and in so doing, the employees worked tremendous amounts of hours as well as being abused by the magazine's management. The question becomes did overwork drive him to suicide as the family alleges, or was something going on internally that pushed him to leap off a local bridge?
Sharon takes the case out of a sense of guilt and regret and soon finds that Insite is much worse than she ever dreamed. Without Hy at her side, Sharon is unprepared to deal with the various problems of the case as well as the emotional loss of her very distant brother.
This is another fast and enjoyable read from Marcia Muller. While little new ground has been plowed in this novel regarding Sharon, Marcia Muller seems to be in the process of elevating a minor character, Julia, into a major character. Because of her complicated back-story, it should be interesting to see if she remains a force in the Sharon McCone novels or matures to the point of going her own way in a separate series. In the meantime, all the usual folks have been brought back for another round and despite the severe melancholy that plagues almost half of the work, the overall effect is another enjoyable read in this series.
Find other books like this one:
