Annoyed because she was stood up and feeling she has nothing to lose, Willie corners her tail in the men’s room of a local bar. Sam claims he is a private investigator hired by Willie’s missing date’s wife, to prove he was having an affair. Willie is surprised that her date was married, but even more surprised at how attracted she feels to Sam and he to her. The two become immediately inseparable, Willie even working part time for Sam.

On the night Willie gives Sam the key to her condo, she is kept late in the studio. When she arrives home, her condo has been ransacked and someone rushes out past her. She tries to call Sam, only to learn that Sam has been murdered earlier in the evening, possibly during a similar break-in.

Willie can’t imagine who would want to hurt Sam, or what they could have been looking for. The chance discovery of some cassette tapes and mysterious messages alluding to the date, 7-25-78 make Willie wonder what Sam could have been working on that could have been connected to events that occurred over twenty years ago. Several attempts on Willie’s life and some strange people always appearing at odd times make Willie madder and more determined to get to the bottom of Sam’s case before she, too, is killed.

Midnight Hour is a strong and appealing first mystery. Willie is a head-strong, feisty heroine who takes control of her life when she is down and even though it sends her spiraling further down, never gives up the fight to get control back. The three women who are Willie’s closest friends find they are unable to stand behind Willie when their careers are threatened, but Willie puts them behind her, realizing she needs to be true to herself first. Douglas Anne, one of Sam’s clients is a memorable character, a colorful Southern belle who always appears in the strangest places when Willie least expects her.

The mystery is gripping, with several unexpected twists and turns, but not so complex as to lose the reader in many layers with too many obvious, red herrings. The end of the book was a little disappointing -- there were hints that one more surprise might occur, but it never materialized. Overall, though, Midnight Hour is a first-rate mystery with a lead character worthy of her own series.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry