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There are currently 33 member reviews
for The Midnight Taxi
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Ruth K. (Greensboro, NC)
Another ok mystery
This was cozy, fun read about a female Sri Lankan NYC taxi driver, Siri, who discovers that her fare has been murdered on the way to the airport. Of course the cops don't believe her and arrest her, whereupon she calls the only lawyer she knows, another Sri Lankan, a public defender in Manhattan. They both go on a search for the truth after bail is posted by Alex, a wealthy male friend from Siri's school days and apparently her only friend.
The plot moves fairly quickly, but has a lot of weak spots. For instance, what NYC public defender would have the time to personally go on a mission to prove her client's innocence? And neither of the women seem to get any sleep in the five days allotted to solve the crime. Then there are Siri's over protective immigrant parents, the death of her brother, the favored sibling in medical school (of course!) years earlier, and Siri having to drop out of law school due to her father's failing health and job loss, and you have some basis for her frustration for her dead end life.
I didn't connect with any of the characters and found the story to be a rather average mystery with nothing new to set it apart from others. It's obviously meant to be a book series, but not interesting enough that I'll be reading any sequels. It's a mindless read for those days when you have nothing else to do. Fun, quick, and easy.
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Deborah C. (Highland Park, NJ)
Friendship and Mystery in Late-Night New York City
Thank you to BookBrowse, Berkley Mystery and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.
Siriwathi Perera (Siri) is a 28-year-old Sri Lankan, transplanted as a child with her family to New York City. Still grieving for her older brother, who died two years ago, she supports her elderly parents by driving a taxi.
Siri is a lonely, rather sad and somewhat immature character, but she also is warm and smart and clearly loves New York City. Her drives are accompanied by true-crime podcasts, the closest she gets to the law career she had hoped for.
Late one night, two fares change her life: first, public defender Amaya Fernando, also Sri Lankan, gets in Siri's cab and is delighted to find that Siri shares her background and love of food. As she leaves, she gives Siri her card.
Later still, a young man gets in the cab – but when Siri arrives at his destination, he is dead, stabbed in her locked taxi. The police assume she is the murderer, and she has just a few days to clear her name.
The plot is a bit improbable and complicated, but engaging; the writing is a little uneven, including sobering, graphic descriptions of a women's jail cell, but also sometimes confusing details of car chases and characters' relationships. There are many references to "Law and Order, Special Victim's Unit," with the assumption all readers will understand them.
However, it is a promising debut, and from the material at the arc's end, we can look forward to another outing for Siri and company.
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Kathy H. (Richmond, VA)
A Fun Read
I enjoyed #themidnighttaxi, graciously given to me by @bookbrowse in exchange for an honest review. While I did find the writing and dialogue to be quite juvenile, Siri and her friends - Amaya and Alex - are good characters, and it's fun "watching" them solve the mystery (think Scooby Doo). I also appreciated Siri's internal monologue, and the author gives her backstory as appropriate. We learn how her brother's death has affected her, her parents and their home lives. She didn't strike me as a plus 25 year old (again, the writing...) but it seems churlish to criticize a character so full of heart.
A quick, lighthearted (despite the subject matter) read.
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Mary K. (Borden, IN)
A Strong Voice, a Soft Mystery
Overall, I liked the book. It was interesting to read a story from a point of view you don't often encounter, and I appreciated the uniqueness of the narrator's voice. However, the mystery felt more like a side element and didn't pick up steam until about halfway through. It was also fairly easy to guess the culprit, and some of the circumstances surrounding the crime felt implausible. The main character's inner monologue and frequent flashbacks became distracting at times, and there was a lot of world-building that didn't always feel necessary.
On a positive note, the story wraps up quickly and doesn't rely on cliffhangers. If you enjoy a character-driven story (especially one with a rare perspective) and don't mind the mystery taking a backseat, I would recommend this as a quick, easy read. The writing is approachable, with occasional touches of humor.
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Rebecca G. (Havertown, PA)
Fun murder mystery
Siri is a taxi driver in NYC. It's not exactly how she wanted to spend her late twenties but sometimes life gets in the way. She makes her job easier by listening to true crime podcasts and imagining her parallel life as a lawyer. Then one night a man is murdered in her cab and she becomes the prime suspect. With the help of her best friend and a public defender she has just met she embarks on the journey to clear her name. It's a fun, easy book, with a twist at the end I never saw coming when I thought I had it all figured out. I did have some problems with her depictions of police officers and the judicial system but I also don't have brown skin so I have to take a step back. I did enjoy the authors obvious love of the city she lives in. Overall, it is a fun book to read
