Benjamin Stevenson's first book featuring documentary maker Jack Quick was a revelation, particularly when considered again, in hindsight, from the viewpoint of the second novel in the series. Quoting from my own review of GREENLIGHT at the time:

"There's a something about GREENLIGHT that feels like a non-too-subtle dig at the commercialisation of true crime. There's always been a sub-set of true crime writing that's been about the crims, their exploits, personalities and too big to be believable criminal histories. Ranging from reflective and analytical in style, to tongue in cheek, many books and programs seem to have contributed to the rise of the "celebrity criminal".

It's no surprise then that the rise and rise of the true crime investigative journalist is increasingly leaking over into the crime fiction realm, with GREENLIGHT by debut Australian author Benjamin Stevenson introducing documentary maker Jack Quick doing a major TV program on the murder of Eliza Daley. "

Hinted at by me then, but discussed more succinctly by fellow AustCrime contributor Andrea Thompson is the central character of Jack Quick:

"The mental health issues raised in this novel are not often addressed in fiction in relation to the males of our species. This is quite enlightening to read of, as negotiating your everyday working life around a full blown eating disorder is just another difficulty to your day. Jack’s character and life outside of his career are fully fleshed, and the read is all the better for it."

Those mental health issues are explored more in EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT, from multiple perspectives, and it's the realisation that this is what's occurring that made this novel a serious page turner.

"At 9.01pm, 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."

First assumptions are obviously suicide, but it's Sam's twin brother Harry who is convinced his brother was murdered. Convinced enough to hire now disgraced TV producer Jack Quick to investigate. That investigation is intertwined with the story of two struggling families. The twin brothers (born either side of midnight / hence the title of the novel) who have had a fractious, difficult relationship, in part initially it seems because ... brothers; but something was triggered by an event in their teenage years which has come back to bite them big time in the present. The other family is Jack's own. There's enough in this novel to fill in some of the background to Jack's torment and his mental health and physical challenges, although the extent of the damage is even more understandable if you've read the first novel.

The truth of what happened in that TV studio, and why, goes to human behaviour that's had more attention in recent years, with some high profile cases in real life. Impossible to discuss here without major spoilers, there is a point at which the reader may very well work out the who and why, and even have some insight into the how, but the devastation, and destructive forces unleashed by this behaviour are part of what made this such a page turner.

Along the way there's yet more insight into the damage that unresolved, or unaddressed, mental health issues can cause. It's good to see this approached from a male perspective in this case, but there's plenty here to be learnt about the human condition overall.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/either-side-midnight-benjamin-stevenson ( )

“How can it be murder when the victim pulled the trigger?”

I somehow overlooked Benjamin Stevenson’s debut novel, Greenlight, shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction in 2018, which introduces true crime documentary producer, Jack Quick, but i was intrigued by the premise of Either Side of Midnight, and assured it could stand on its own.

It seems events in Greenlight didn’t go particularly well for Jack Quick. When he is introduced in Either Side of Midnight, Jack is in prison on multiple charges related to perverting the course of justice. Just before his release, he is visited by the identical twin brother of a TV presenter who had recently shot himself live on air. Despite the suicide being witnessed by millions of viewers, Harry Midford is convinced his brother was murdered, and offers Jack a substantial sum to prove it. Jack, who has his issues with his own brother, reluctantly agrees to investigate and begins by poking around the studio where ‘Mr Midnight’ was filmed and Sam killed himself. What he learns piques his interest, and as he digs deeper, Harry’s claim doesn’t seem so outlandish after all.

Inspired in part by a recent-ish landmark case in the US involving the use, or rather misuse, of technology, Stevenson presents a creative and intriguing plot, with an original twist on the ‘locked room’ mystery. I thought the storyline of Either Side of Midnight was very clever, I generally had no idea how the plot would unravel until the moment Stevenson intended it, with red herrings deftly distracting from the culprit and their motive. The action ramps up as Jack grows closer to understanding why Sam died, culminating in a exciting confrontation.

I do feel that in not having reading Greenlight, I may have missed some of the nuances of Jack’s character. He is certainly an interesting protagonist, with a unique vice. Traditionally male crime solvers tend to be alcoholics, or womanisers, or handy with their fists, or all three, Jack is bulimic. In Jack’s case the eating disorder was triggered in early adolescence by his brother’s accident, and I think the author’s representation of his illness, and his relationship with his brother, is portrayed sensitively.

Though Either Side of Midnight is set on Australia’s east coast, I didn’t think there was really a strong sense of place, which was a tiny bit disappointing.

An entertaining thriller with a complex lead and an original plot, I enjoyed Either Side of Midnight and I’ve added Greenlight to my WTR list. ( )