The Bay at Midnight Paperback – August 22, 2006

Loved this book, couldn’t put it down! Bottom line: this author has multiple characters that are very interesting and her writing is so easy to read but more than that, you never know what coming next! I only recently started reading her books and I’m hooked!

About a third of the way through I couldn't put it down. The Bay At Midnight was very well written. I could tell the author was a female and loved the way she told the story in first person. I too became close to the characters and will miss them now that I'm done with the book. The suspense is great. I highly recommend.

She is SUCH a good writer! I can't wait to see what she is coming up with next. Every book is different - and every one just has these unexpected twists and turns that keep you reading longer than you intended to.... like when you need sleep.The characters in this one are just wonderful. My favorite was Maria - the grandmother, 'though most of the story is told by one of her daughters, Julie, a writer of mystery novels, who was 12 when her sister dies and feels responsible for her part in her sisters death.The story goes from present day back and forth to 1962 where Maria's loses her daughter Izzy in a tragedy at the age of 17 at Bay Head Shores, in New Jersey - the family summer site. The story revolves around two families that lived next door to each other and spent their summers together at the Bay.Now, over 40 years have passed and an apparent note left by a dying man (who was the victims boyfriend when she died) indicates that a man prosecuted for murdering Izzy may have been innocent and so the case is reopened, and so are all the memories and scars of that fateful night that the tragedy occured for everyone at the Bay, and how it affected all their lives.There are a few other stories going on here, be prepared to stay up late. Diane flawlessly crafts her characters so you won't easily forget them once you've finished this. I read this in two days, I wanted to savor it a bit longer, but just could not put it down, like many others of her novels. Loved it and highly recommend it.

Diane Chamberlain does not disappoint with this story I could not put down! Each chapter ends with you wanting more until you are so wrapped up in this amazing story that you feel you are in it.

Bought the book as I had heard it was based in the neighborhood in which we live but, aside from the familiar references, was a great read!

I absolutely love the way Diane writes. She develops the characters so beautifully that you can dream about them and feel like they're "real" and part of your life. And you hate to see the story end. As always when I'm reading her novels, I lose sleep trying to finish the book when it's too exciting to put down. I loved the mystery, the love story, the single mom point of view and the humor as well. It has it all----as Diane's stories always do. She's one of the best. I always look forward to her next book and know that I will enjoy it thoroughly. I always do. She never disappoints me. She just keeps getting better and better----when I think she's already the best. She thinks like a social worker and her stories show that part of her past life. Another great read from a truly wonderful woman.

I have read 22 books by Diane Chamberlain and have loved every one. This one about three generations, the loves, secrets that shaped theirlives. The sudden death of a teen aged and the years it took to get to the truth, kept one reading.

I normally read stories about detectives or former seals. It was so refreshing to read about normal people with normal emotions and problems. The mystery was only a subplot but with a surprise ending.

This is the 2nd book by this author that I have read, having previously read "Summer's Child". The location in both cases is a group of holiday homes located by a beach at a quite remote location in America. The story is a classic Whodunnit which moves backwards and forwards between 1962 and the 2000s. The situation is that in 1962 a teenage girl was murdered and a local black teenager was convicted of the murder and sent to prison. He subsequently died in prison. The underlying implication is that the black teenager was a convenient scapegoat at a time when civil rights were virtually non-existent. 40 years after the murder, a local man who had lived next door to the murdered teenage, dies and in his possessions is found a letter addressed to the local police saying that he had evidence regarding the murder. Unfortunately this man died before he could reveal the evidence which he possessed. The letter is passed to the police who, 40 years after the event, start to re-investigate. This is the crux of the story. We follow the investigation and as the police talk to everyone involved, the real story regarding the murder starts to emerge. I enjoyed this book although I worked out the ending about 3/4 of the way through. Nevertheless it is well written with well drawn, believable characters. The location is also idyllic. A great holiday read (or any time really!)

The impact of a truly traumatic event that took place nearly forty years ago on a family - this is the kind of thing that Diane Chamberlain does brilliantly. This time, it was the murder of an older sister, and forty years later, evidence of a false conviction.What I loved about this, as ever, was the exploration of how the past affects the present, how events define us emotionally, and how they can radically change the path of our lives in doing so. I loved that the main characters were so realistically drawn, flaws and all, and I loved the way the emotional impact of Isabella's death is shown through three separate generations.What didn't work so well for me was the first person narrative. If it wasn't for the labelling at the head of the chapters, I don't think I'd have been able to tell which voice was speaking - two sisters and mother. I think it might have been better to stick with one voice, and maybe to give the alternating POVs through third person - but I hesitate to suggest it, because frankly I'm in awe of Ms Chamberlain's ability to tell so many, so different stores.As ever, this was a page turner. I was not mad keen on the epilogue, which tied things up too nicely, but this is again a trademark of Ms Chamberlain's that clearly lots and lots and lots of other people love. And yes, I'll definitely be going back for more.

This is a really good, "curl up and spoil yourself" read. It is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it just a much as The Lost Daughter.Diane Chamberlain's style of writing has a lovely flow to it which held my attention, and her characters really do come alive on the page. Her background in psychotherapy is quite obvious, as she displays a really in-depth insight into the way people think, react and behave, and I found I could identify with the imperfect way her characters handle the situations she creates on the page.This story alternates between 1962 when Isabel was killed in the bay, at midnight, and 40 years later when her family, and others who were close to her, are still trying to come to terms with their loss. Not everyone has told the full truth about what really happened that fateful night, or the events that led up to it, and now it appears possible that blame was not laid at the door of those responsible. Secrets figure quite a lot in this story, and so do the dynamics of the relationships between parents and children, especially mothers and daughters. The way these patterns of relating get passed down from generation to generation is demonstrated really well.There was a part of the mystery which I guessed quite early on, but that did not distract from my enjoyment, as there was much more I needed to know that kept me turning the pages. The plot construction is detailed but not overcomplicated, and I found I really liked and cared about the characters especially Julie, Lucy, and Maria. I could relate to them all in different ways.I really love this author's work. It has romance, intrigue, brilliant characterisation, and good storytelling. The perfect combination.

I enjoyed this book to some degree because it literally ticked along, I worked it all out about 50% of the way through. Switching from era to era and character to character was fine, it kept me interested. Once I finished reading I didn't necessarily think about it again until I picked it up again, that's a measure that it was a story of fairly little importance to me. I will read another by this author I'm sure, but I feel it will be when I'm at a a loose end. The authors writing was very descriptive and that was quite refreshing, there was psychology, emotion, family life, love and sadness with a fair dollop of intrigue. I guess this sort of book would suit well as a holiday/beach read

Another enjoyable book by Diane Chamberlain. It probably is a little long, especially the 1962 sections but I do like the way the book goes back and forth through the years. I wasn't convinced by the changes in Maria's character from teenager to strict mum to McDonald's employee, but the book does make an interesting observation of motherhood.