"Conspiracy thriller"
Postal Inspectors are the law enforcement branch of the US
Post office and have full police powers for cases within
their jurisdiction. Max Dombrowski is a Postal Inspector
who is forced to work in Internal Affairs by Constance
Barton, finding the dirt on people she wants out of the
service. He is forced to obey her orders because she has
something on him that if revealed could send him to jail. Connie sends Max to Norris, Montana for two reasons. A
postal worker and a customer were murdered in the rural
post office. Max serves as the lead investigator on the
case but he is also ordered to find some dirt on the
resident agent Gillian Loomis so Constance can legally fire
her. When Max arrives in Norris, the duo conduct their
investigation and find that there is information about the
sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 that someone doesn't want
to surface. Max and Gillian race against the killers to
see who can get their hands on the documents and in the
process two more innocents are murdered. Conspiracy buffs are going to love THE NATURE OF MIDNIGHT a
thriller that portrays a realistic scenario on how the
Germans knew where the Lusitania was located. Robert Rice
has plenty of action and chase scenes but what makes this
novel stand out in the crowd are the two protagonists who
make a great team despite the demons that are haunting
them. It is to be hoped that Mr. Rice will have more
novels starring this dynamic duo. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 10, 2003
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1915: A German torpedo sinks the British passenger liner,
RMS Lusitania. With almost 1,200 passengers drowned, the
attack is one of Germany's most vicious acts against
civilians. . . . 2000: A postal worker and a customer are found murdered in
a rural Montana post office. U.S. Postal Inspectors Gillian
Loomis and Max Dombrowski are ordered to investigate the
brutal crime. Max isn't thrilled. He'd rather be in a big
city than in the boondocks. And this Loomis person . . .
well, they say she killed someone by accident. Great. And
she doesn't seemed thrilled with him, either. But neither
has much choice. It's this or worse. When they start
looking for evidence, they work together all right,
uncovering the existence of three letters written in 1918
by a man named Sharpless Walker. Somehow, those letters are
connected to the murders.
As Gillian and Max follow the trail of the three letters,
searching for a motive for the murders, one by one the
enigmatic missives disappear, leaving violence and
destruction in their wake. Something about these letters is
bringing death to all who touch them. When Gillian and Max
locate the last letter, encrypted in WWI code, they realize
they have made themselves the next targets of whoever is
destroying the letters and those who hold them. Somehow, the letters are connected to the Lusitania, and so
is Sharpless Walker. Whatever dark secret was buried with
Walker won't stay buried. Gillian and Max just hope that
they can figure out the lethal connection of three letters,
a dead man, and the tragedy of the Lusitania before the two
of them become the final victims. In this fast-paced thriller, two unlikely heroes must
unravel a sinister conspiracy behind one the most shocking
acts of the early twentieth century.
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