A crossroad is a place where hunting trails cross, a place where criminals are executed, or a place where shrines are set up. This crossroad may be all three, but I have to be sure what we’re dealing with.” [p. 82]
A spate of suicides at the crossroads -- apparently random strangers, though it turns out they all have a connection -- heralds a darker conclusion to the Midnight trilogy. Fiji's ghastly sister Kiki shows up to patronise Fiji (and is, obviously, patronised by Mr Snuggly); Fiji decides to give up on Bobo; the Reeds' true agenda is revealed, as are Lemuel's origins and part of Joe and Chuy's stories; there are vampires, hordes of dead animals, ancient lore... and in the final few chapters, there is voyeuristic sex magic(k).
There were some really nice moments here, but overall Night Shift felt rushed and unpolished. At quite a few points it felt as though I was reading a rough draft -- with plot threads that fade out, hasty scenes, wafer-thin characterisation et cetera -- rather than a finished novel. And I really did not care for the sex magick: I would have much preferred the characters to find an alternate resolution.
On the plus side, there's one fewer white supremacist. And Mr Snuggly gets to be a lion, which was nice.
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