Midnight Bayou is the newest book by Nora Roberts. The book is currently available only in hardback. This is the second hardback book by Nora Roberts released this year. She writes several books every year. It is nice that I don't have to wait as long between her new books, but she has written so many, I feel like I'll never get to them all.

For anyone who doesn't know, Nora Roberts is J.D. Robb, the author of the In Death series of books. This book contains some supernatural elements, so it seems fitting that the book was released in October, in time for Halloween. There is the possibility of a ghost, or ghosts, haunting a house in Midnight Bayou. Nora Roberts has had some other supernatural elements in other books, but I don't think ghosts have shown up in her books before. At least they haven't in any of the books I have read, but I haven't read all of her books.

The book begins with a short prologue, describing the bayou. The first chapter begins in Manet Hall, a huge mansion in Louisiana, on December 30, 1899. Abigail heard her baby, Marie Rose, crying and got up to feed her. Her husband was away from home, and Abigail was missing him. She used to be a servant in the house, but she was now married to Lucian Manet. His family, especially his mother Josephine, didn't approve of the marriage. Abigail was from the bayou, and the rest of Lucian's family considered her to be trash. Lucian's twin brother, Julian tried to have his way with Abigail more than once. Julian always wanted everything his brother had, including women. Abigail was still with the baby when Julian showed up in the nursery, drunk. He decided he was finally going to have Abigail. He attacked and killed her. Josephine shows up and helps Julian clean up the mess. She takes over. They dump Abigail's body in the bayou. They start a story that she ran off with another man she had been having an affair with.

The book jumps forward to Junuary 2002, again in Manet Hall. Declan Fitzgerald, a lawyer from Boston, just arrived during a rain storm. He bough Manet Hall with plans of restoring it. He first saw it eleven years before. Ever since then, Declan was drawn to the house, and he jumped at the chance to buy it. The house was in worse condition than he remembered - it had been six years since he last saw he house. He was having some second thoughts about buying the house then. Declan went in and started to explore. He already had ideas for things he wanted to do in the house. He came to a bedroom that was fully furnished. He was annoyed because he thought the movers messed up and put his bedroom furniture in the wrong room. Then he realized it wasn't his furniture. Just as he realized that, the furniture vanished, and the room was empty. He couldn't make himself go into the room.

Declan continued his exploring, making his way to the third floor. He started to open a door, and was overcome with fear. The doorknob became freezing cold under his hand. A draft filled the hallway. He was terrified of going into that room. He decided he wasn't going to explore any more that day. Then his friend Remy showed up, scaring him half to death. The two men go downstairs, eat pizza, drink, and catch up. Remy was an attorney in New Orleans.

Declan starts working on the house. He starts on the kitchen first. He is building the new cabinets himself. He spends time with Remy and meets the woman he is engaged to, Effie. Declan notices some other strange things happening in the house. Doors open and close in empty rooms. Other doors slam. Declan hears a baby crying at times. He sees the furniture in the empty bedroom again. Cold drafts would fill rooms, hallways. He was still scared to go into the room on the third floor. At times, he seemed to have visions of Abigail and Lucian. Declan starts sleepwalking and ends up in different areas of the house, sometimes out on the grounds. One day when Remy and Effie were visiting, she saw the furniture, and a body, in the empty bedroom.

Declan meets Angelina at the night club she owns. He was meeting Remy and Effie there. Lena and Remy are cousins. Lena's grandmother, Miss. Odette, is Declan's neighbor. He becomes friends with her, and starts dropping in to visit her, making sure she is ok and doesn't need anything. Declan is attracted to Lena the first time he sees her. He starts courting her. Lena is attracted to him too, but she doesn't want to get involved. She thinks he could hurt her. She never lets any relationship get serious. She is always the one to end things. She does become involved with Declan. She tries to keep him at a distance, but he won't let her. Lena spends some time at Manet Hall, and she notices some of the strange things too, like the baby crying. She and Declan are the only people who hear the baby. She later comes up with a few ideas about what is happening in the house.

The plot mainly focuses on the restoration of Manet House, the strange things that are happening in the house, and how Declan is trying to figure out what is happening and why it is happening. Is the house haunted? If it is who is the ghost? Why is the ghost haunting the house? Is there anything else going on in the house? Or is Declan just losing his mind? All of those questions are answered in the book. There are several other things that happen in the book too. Lena's mother drops in for a surprise visit. Remy and Effie are busy planning their upcoming wedding and have a crisis to deal with. Declan ends up involved with the planning.

Midnight Bayou is a mystery with some romance in it. The mystery concerns the strange things happening at Manet House and why they are happening. Declan is also trying to solve the mystery of just what did happen to Abigail when she disapperaed. The reader knows what happened to her, but Josephine and Julian were the only characters in the book that knew what happened, and they didn't tell anyone. There are supernatural elements that tie into what is happening in the house. Declan begins to think his house is haunted. Voodoo is mentioned a few times in the book. The romance aspects of the book deal with the relationship between Declan and Lena, and at times, the one between Remy and Effie. There are also some funny scenes in the book, like when Declan is hiding from Effie's mom or after Remy's bachelor party and both men are very drunk.

This is a very well written, descriptive book, like all Nora Roberts books. I could easily picture what was happening, and what the settings looked like, especially Manet House and the restoration work. There are some predictable things that happen in the book, but there a lot of things that happen that I didn't expect. Those things did make sense in the story, I just didn't expect them. Since this is a romance, there are some sexual situations in the book. So if those types of scenes offend you, or you just don't like them, this isn't the book for you. There is some swearing in the book, including some appearances of a certain four letter word that rhymes with luck. It isn't used excessively, like in some books and movies, but it does show up every once in a while.

The character of Declan is very well developed. He is the main character in the book, and he is the most developed character. A lot about his life in Boston is learned throughout the book. Lena is fairly well developed, and things about her past are learned too. Some things from her past explain why she is does certain things. Remy, Effie, and Miss Odette aren't in as much of the book, but they show up in several scenes and are developed enough for the scenes they are in.

CHARACTERS

Declan Fitzgerald - An attorney in Boston. He buys Manet House and moves to Louisiana. He plans to restore the house. He has always enjoyed carpentry work, and did some work on a town house in Boston. He was very unhappy being an attorney, and was ready for a change. He notices some strange things happening in the house and he comes to believe it is haunted. He likes antiques and love shopping for them. His friends call him Dec.

Angelina Simone - Everyone calls her Lena. She owns a night club in New Orleans. She is Remy's cousin. Her grandmother, Miss Odette, is Declan's neighbor. Lena was raised by her grandmother, and remains very close to her. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother. She doesn't want to be involved with anyone. She always ended relationships before things got to serious in the past.

Remy - Declan's best friend. He is an attorney in New Orleans. The men went to law school together and explored the Manet House one night during Mardi Gras when they were both drunk. They remained friends even though they lived so far apart. Remy told Declan that the house was for sale, and handled things related to the purchase for Declan. He is engaged to Effie.

Effie - Engaged to Remy. She is a librarian. She likes Declan the first time she meets him. She says she doesn't believe in supernatural things, but then one day, she seen furniture and a body in an empty bedroom at Manet House. She has a crisis to deal with concerning the upcoming wedding.

Miss Odette - Lena's grandmother. She is Declan's neighbor. She likes Declan when she meets him, and seems pleased that he is interested in Lena. She raised Lena. She lets her daughter, Lena's mother, stay with her when she suddenly shows up for a visit. That causes some friction between her and Lena.

Midnight Bayou is a wonderful book. Fans of Nora Roberts should definitely read it. Fans of mystery romances should also enjoy this book. If you hate mysteries, romances, or both, you should probably avoid this book.

www.noraroberts.com

Nora Roberts Book Reviews
Dance Upon the Air ~ Heaven & Earth ~ Face the Fire ~ Reflections ~ Dance of Dreams ~ Hidden Star ~ Captive Star ~ Secret Star ~ Night Shift ~ Night Shadow ~ Night Smoke ~ Night Shield ~ Cordina's Crown Jewel ~ Cordina's Royal Family ~ Once More With Feeling ~ Three Fates ~ The Villa ~ Sweet Revenge ~ Genuine Lies ~ Chesapeake Blue ~ Birthright ~ Engaging the Enemy ~ Remember When ~

In Death Reviews
Seduction in Death ~ Reunion in Death ~ Purity in Death ~ Portrait in Death ~ Imitation in Death ~

Recommended: Yes