The Midnight Shift

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran, read by Rosa Escoda

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.

Critics Review

Delightfully strange . . . Delves into the causes of human loneliness as methodically as a detective sifting clues . . . The characters’ emotional turmoil builds up so slowly that it is almost imperceptible, until it erupts in startling ways.
The Washington Post
Skillfully translated . . . Cheon’s novel is more than a queer paranormal mystery . . . it’s an eerie and bleak portrait of societal loneliness, isolation, and marginalization.
firstCLUE
[A]n intricate vampire mystery . . . Skillfully toggles between 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 . . . [Seon-Ran'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.
Publishers Weekly
A fast-moving mystery.
Booklist
There’s a deftly pulled-through thread about loneliness and some interesting philosophical riffing about a vampire’s justifications for murder.
Kirkus Reviews
A page-turning blend of gothic fantasy and murder mystery.
Buzz Magazine
Brings an entirely new flavor to the genre-noir-style, slow burn thriller.
United by Pop
Cheon transforms the familiar into a resonating meditation.
Booklist
So compelling. The supernatural slips into the everyday . . . grief, love, and the slow ache of isolation feel as haunting as any fanged figure.
Mochi Magazine
Translated with verve by Gene Png . . . Cheon Seon-Ran brings new blood to a centuries-old tale. Let the feeding frenzy begin.
Washington Independent Review of Books
[A] nuanced, compassionate meditation on loneliness, family, loyalty, and love . . . The intimacy between Violette and Lily – two lonely souls briefly finding companionship – fizzes with unspent desire.
Locus Magazine

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