The Midnight Before Christmas: A Holiday Thriller

William Bernhardt

Oct 2012 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

DIVOn Christmas Eve, a lawyer helps a battered wife search for her kidnapped son/divDIV
As ex-husbands go, they don’t get much worse than Carl. He’s violent, drunken, and possessive—and worst of all, he’s an ex-cop. Bonnie has remarried, and done everything she can to keep their son away from his father, but when Carl comes to terrorize them—stinking drunk on Christmas Eve—she cannot call the cops for help. After years of living in fear, she visits a legal aid office to arrange a restraining order. But by the time the lawyer starts the paperwork, it’s already too late: Carl has kidnapped their son. /divDIV /divDIVBonnie’s lawyer, an ex-priest named Megan McGee, has too much Christian spirit to turn the woman’s case over to the corrupt local police. Together they comb the city in search of the boy, racing to find him before his father’s affections become violent, and turn this white Christmas into a bloody one. /div

Ratings and reviews

BOTTOM-LINE: Surprisingly light story given the dark nature of the case . PLOT OR PREMISE: Megan McGee is a 30-something lawyer facing a quiet Christmas with her dog when a new crying client Bonnie Cantrell comes asking for a restraining order. . WHAT I LIKED: The restraining order is against an abusive ex, Carl, who's also an ex-cop, and Bonnie is worried for the safety of not only herself but also her son and her new lover. The story starts as a simple textbook case, but starts to morph as it becomes evident that while Carl is unhinged, perhaps Bonnie isn't telling the whole truth. . WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: A thread of Christmas presents runs through the story showing that sometimes little miracles do happen, but it's rather cliché. . DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him on social media.

About the author

DIVWilliam Bernhardt (b. 1960), a former attorney, is a bestselling thriller author. Born in Oklahoma, he began writing as a child, submitting a poem about the Oklahoma Land Run to Highlights—and receiving his first rejection letter—when he was eleven years old. Twenty years later, he had his first success, with the publication of Primary Justice (1991), the first novel in the long-running Ben Kincaid series./divDIV /divThe success of Primary Justice marked Bernhardt as a promising young talent, and he followed the book with seventeen more mysteries starring the idealistic defense attorney, including Murder One (2001) and Hate Crime (2004). Bernhardt’s other novels include Double Jeopardy (1995) and The Midnight Before Christmas (1998), a holiday-themed thriller. In 1999, Bernhardt founded Bernhardt Books (formerly HAWK Publishing Group) as a way to help boost the careers of struggling young writers. In addition to writing and publishing, Bernhardt teaches writing workshops around the country. He currently lives with his family in Oklahoma.