An electrifying thriller from an exciting new voice in crime fiction: One million viewers witness a popular TV presenter commit suicide live on air – so why is his twin brother convinced it was murder?
At 9.01 pm, TV presenter Sam Midford delivers the monologue for his popular current affairs show Midnight Tonight. He seems nervous and the crew are convinced he’s about to propose to his girlfriend live on air.
Instead, he pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the head.
Sam’s grief-stricken twin Harry is convinced his brother was murdered. But how can that be, when one million viewers witnessed Sam pull the trigger?
Only Jack Quick, a disgraced television producer in the last days of a prison sentence, is desperate enough to take Harry’s money to investigate.
But as Jack starts digging, he finds a mystery more complex than he first assumed. And if he’s not careful, he’ll find out first-hand that there’s more than one way to kill someone . . .
Read some 5 star reviews from our Preview readers here:
For a first-time author, Benjamin Stevenson weaves a sophisticated web of intrigue. Behind the bright lights and closely co-ordinated scripts of a popular evening TV show, lies a shocking incident. Jack Quick, a recently freed prisoner with his own debilitating demons, is persuaded to investigate. The reader is kept dangling from start to finish as scene upon scene is layered while long term plans unravel. Either Side of Midnight is a great read- not to be missed! – Steven, NSW, 5 Stars
This is the book you want to read if you like a good mystery, a good thrill and a great story. I loved it! From the start, I thought it would be just another murder mystery but by the time I’d finished I realised it was more about Jack, the person hired to investigate and get to the truth behind this suicide/murder, and the problems he encountered in his life. Jack Quick, a complex character with problems of his own, drawn into the very public suicide of Sam Midford, television presenter, one-half of the Midford twins. The other half, Harry Midford, the unsuccessful brother who hires Jack to investigate what he calls a murder. The story revolves around Jack and Harry and the troubles they have had in their lives but it then intertwines with the story of the twins’ lives, past and present. It is an intriguing story of twists and turns where you never really know what has happened until the end. My only complaint is the ending was a bit too drawn out for me and it leaves you hanging, not knowing but only assuming what does happen with the decision Jack has to make. – Donna, TAS, 5 Stars
Thank you for my free copy. When is suicide not suicide?? What a great plot for a book. Really enjoyed reading Either Side of Midnight. I really liked the straight forward sometimes cynical, sometimes satirical narrative from Jack’s point of view. I gained empathy for Harry as his character grew and developed throughout the book. Wouldn’t have picked the ending, what a great plot twist. Would love a sequel as the ending left me wanting more. Highly recommend. – Simone, WA, 5 Stars
This second novel by Benjamin Stevenson was kindly sent to me by Better Reading and starts with the conundrum that, if a person puts a gun in their mouth and pulls the trigger, live on TV, thus with many witnesses, could their death ever be anything other than suicide? Sam Midford, the host of a popular TV show “Midnight Tonight” dies in just this way, but his twin brother, Harry, born on the other side of midnight to Sam, believes it to be murder. Harry tasks the desperate, disgraced TV producer Jack Quick to investigate. Straight out of prison and battling an eating disorder plus coping with a moral conundrum of his own involving his brother, Liam, Jack accepts the challenge simply because he needs the money. Thus begins this twisting thriller which kept me totally engrossed throughout, not least because it explores the power of words and the devastating effects that others’ deaths have on people, including what some might argue are “living deaths”. I also loved the fact that this novel cast the male protagonist with an eating disorder which helps to break a stereotype. An ingenious, highly recommended book. – Pamela, VIC, 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and kept me guessing right to the end with plenty of twists and turns along the way and an ending was something I never saw coming – Nicky, NSW, 5 Stars
I absolutely loved Greenlight, the first book featuring Jack Quick. When I heard that Benjamin Stevenson had another book coming out I was excited to read it. And Either Side of Midnight was everything I hoped for, in fact, I think that I enjoyed it even more. Crime books are definitely one of my favourite genres to read and when it is written by an Aussie even better. And set in Sydney, my hometown! I spent a rainy Saturday reading it, start to finish. It was really hard to put it down. Sam Midford is a talk show host on one of Australia’s highest rating shows. So when he shoots himself on live TV, millions of people are witnesses. Surely it is suicide. But Sam’s estranged, twin brother Harry is not convinced and enlisted Jack Quick to help him investigate. Jack is sceptical at first, I mean could it really be murder? Jack is a damaged man, dealing with his own demons and he just wants to make some money. But the more they look, the more he starts to believe Harry. But can they prove it? Who wanted Sam dead and why? And how did they do it? This is a clever and twisty case that will keep you guessing until the end. A fantastic and original story. Thanks to Penguin Books Australia and Better Reading for my advanced copy of this book to read. – Mandy, NSW, 5 Stars
Either Side of Midnight will keep you up until midnight as it did me. The fast pace, the twists and turns, made it very difficult to put down. It also struck a chord with me as a parent of a young child wondering what unknown issues technological advances will bring through her teenage years. An enjoyable read that kept me guessing until the very end – an end I didn’t see coming. – Alice, NSW, 5 Stars
This story crept up on me. It started out good – but really hooked me after the first few chapters. The authors experience with show business and the media gave a real authenticity to the characters, which had me quite invested and reading wherever I could catch a spare moment- the bus, eating breakfast, even whilst cooking dinner! I loved the thrill of riding along the conspiracy theorist journey and feeling like I was behind the scenes of a true-crime podcast. There were some serious undertones of mental health to this story – this is not just a “who did it?” style crime novel, it explores eating disorders, suicidal ideation and clinical depression throughout multiple character arcs. It was multi-layered and dark at times, but with the underlying satirical humour that only a comedian/author could make look effortless. I will be looking out for Stevenson’s previous debut novel next time I am in the bookstore! – Michelle, SA, 5 Stars
Either Side of Midnight by Benjamin Stevenson was a great read. TV presenter Sam Midford shoots himself live on air during his television show. It was classed a suicide but his brother Harry does not agree. There are many twists and turns during the story, and as a reader, I was totally involved in the story. Just when I thought I had worked out what happened, the plot would change again. A great debut novel, I would certainly look for future books from this author. – Fay, VIC, 5 Stars
Either Side of Midnight was brilliant. A gripping read that had me page-turning and wishing I didn’t need to sleep. Extremely well written making it an effortless read. Readers of John Grisham and Dan Brown would enjoy this. – Danielle, VIC, 5 Stars
Well, what an absolute delight to read. Benjamin Stevenson’s novel Either Side of Midnight (of course I now understand the title! – it has so much depth and complexity to its meaning). Such a mature novel in the genre of Jeffery Deaver & Michael Connelly. Happily surprised. A very intriguing plot. This is an ‘I can’t put it down’ kind of book. I did wonder, as the story continued and suspense developed, where could it go without me being disappointed? I really enjoyed how Jack’s life and story had similarities to Sams, and both storylines helped unite the plot and climax to the ending, which I could not predict. Is it a crime if millions view it on TV? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out. But with Jack using his journalistic skills, he turns into a detective and ends up finding out more about himself and discovers more answers than any of the characters perhaps wanted to know. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Highly recommend. Best I’ve read in quite a while. – Tracey, VIC, 5 Stars
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