This year’s reading program got underway with last year’s newcomer to the library shelf,  Night Shift by Charlaine Harris.  At the time, I must embarrassingly confess, I was not familiar with the author, or her book.  I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I was drawn to the book first, because of the village map, which appeared in color inside the book’s cover.  I’m  a sucker for books that include maps and/or structural plans inside their covers or first few pages.  I know this has become pretty much routine for books in the fantasy genre, but it occurs in other genres as well.  In the past, the inclusion of this device has pulled me into much interesting reading.  It was the map that first attracted me to the books of Terry Brooks, Jan Karon, and to many individual titles like Mexican Village (Niggli), Ledger of the Lying Dog (Weekley), and Comes the Comrade! (Orme), just to mention a few enjoyable reads in the past.  Now, as I opened Night Shift, I was intrigued by the village of Midnight, that was laid out before me in that map.  What stories would unfold in those little houses that were identified?  What activities would transpire in the stores and streets of this small Texas town?  I was hooked by the map and anxious to start reading!  And what a rewarding read it was!  Not only did I learn a lot about the interesting characters that inhabited Midnight, but I quickly realized what a masterful storyteller, Charlaine Harris is.  Upon finishing this novel, I learned that Night Shift is the third novel of a trilogy (Midnight Crossroad and Day Shift are the other two).  After such an enjoyable read as Night Shift, I most definitely shall add the other two to my my future reading list.  Now, I know much more about Charlaine Harris as well.  She is a prodigious writer and the author of many mystery series, including the Snookie Stackhouse novels and the Aurora Teagarden series, currently serialized on television.  Speaking of television, I should also note that the Midnight, Texas trilogy has premiered as a television series this fall.

The village of Midnight exists in an isolated spot of Texas ranch land, where Witch Light Road crosses the Davey highway.  At that precise point in “downtown” Midnight, there is a hanging traffic signal, under which much of the book’s action takes place.  It is within a few yards of this central crossroads that the quirky inhabitants of this village live out the drama of their lives.  I say “quirky” because we quickly learn that these citizens of Midnight are not really ordinary people living ordinary lives.  Very early in the book we are introduced to most of the townspeople, among whom are a witch (with a cat who talks!), a strange psychic, two were-tigers, a vampire, and other assorted mysterious and secretive characters.

These denizens of this strange, isolated Texas town have a major problem, which we learn about on page one: outsiders are coming to their town to commit suicide!  Not only that, they are performing their act of self-destruction in the center of town under the hanging traffic light.  These acts are very upsetting to the inhabitants, who, understandably, do not want any undue outside attention paid to their little village or to themselves.

How the villagers confront this problem and how they all interact to solve it is the subject of Night Shift.  It is also what makes this book very enjoyable to read.  The out-of-the-ordinary characters are very well developed by the author and their interactions are quite believable the way she tells her story.  Upon reaching the fascinating end of this mystery, the reader is rewarded with an imaginative tale that is both fun and creepy.  I really enjoyed this escape into fantasy, my first with this particular genre and with this particular author.  I am so pleased I spotted the map and was stimulated to read about this little town in Texas and its supernatural citizens.  After reading one book of the trilogy, I am definitely ready to read more about Midnight and more from this author.