The Midnight Shift
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
A bestseller in Korea, a biting, fast-paced vampire murder mystery exploring queer love and the consequences of loneliness.
When four isolated elderly people die back-to-back at the same hospital by jumping out of the sixth-floor window, Su-Yeon doesn't understand why she's the only one at her precinct that seems to care. But her colleagues at the police force dismiss the case as a series of unfortunate suicides due to the patients' loneliness. But Su-Yeon doesn't have the privilege of looking away: her dearest friend, Grandma Eun-Shim, lives on the sixth floor, and Su-Yeon is terrified that something will happen to her next.
As Su-Yeon begins her investigation alone, she runs into a mysterious woman named Violette at the crime scene. Violette claims to be a vampire hunter, searching for her ex-lover, Lily, and is insistent that a vampire is behind the mysterious deaths. Su-Yeon is skeptical at first, but when a fifth victim jumps from the window, her investigation reveals the body was completely drained of blood. Desperate to discover the cause of the deaths, Su-Yeon considers Violette's explanation-that something supernatural is involved.
The Midnight Shift is a gripping mystery, overflowing with commentary about societal isolation and loneliness, the sharp knife of grief, and the effects of marginalization, perfect for readers of Cursed Bunny; Woman, Eating; and A Certain Hunger.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Seon-ran (A Thousand Blues) crafts an intricate vampire mystery set in contemporary Korea that explores profound themes of loneliness, queer desire, and moral ambiguity. Detective Suyeon finds herself disturbingly alone in investigating a series of apparent suicides at a dilapidated rehabilitation hospital in Incheon. Her suspicions of foul play grow when she repeatedly runs into the enigmatic Violette at the crime scene. A Korean adoptee raised in France and now attempting to reclaim her heritage, Violette purports to be hunting the vampire that, she insists, murdered the elderly victims. Meanwhile, Nanju, a nurse struggling with debt, becomes dangerously entangled with the very monster Suyeon seeks. As bodies drained of blood continue to pile up, Suyeon and Violette must uncover the truth while confronting their own hidden traumas and desires. Cheon skillfully toggles between her three heroines, building impressive emotional depth through their interwoven narration. The darkly romantic flashbacks to 1980s France—highlighting Violette's formative experiences with Lily, a charismatic vampire—are particularly mesmerizing, echoing classic gothic tales with a fresh, queer twist. Though the worldbuilding occasionally feels inconsistent, Cheon's nuanced exploration of loneliness and isolation resonates. K-drama fans, especially those drawn to moody supernatural thrillers and complex, character-driven plots, will eagerly devour this genre-blurring tale.
