Midnight, by Kevin Egan (release date July 3, 2013 by amazon, May by Tor)

There are some nights when insomnia actually pays off.

I received an AR copy of Midnight yesterday, and, thanks to a convenient break in my reading line-up, could slip it in right away. The premise is Judge Alvin Carter happens to die in his chambers on December 31. While that might seem a tidy way to end a year, it puts his law clerk and his secretary in a bit of a bind; by the traditions of the New York County Courthouse their jobs would be safe until the end of the year a seated judge dies, but the end of the year is only hours away. Not much help for a financially strapped single mom and a fellow up to his ears in gambling debts. What to do? Simple. Make it look like the good Justice kicked off on January 1 instead.

The plot gets convoluted --  ham-fisted loan sharks, crooked politicians, nasty enforcers, even an ex-boyfriend. Plus, the dead judge goes on a bit of a walk-about.

The author has spent his career in the New York law system, so the scenarios and specifics of the culture rang true. There were only a few moments where my attention wandered because of small details.

So, when I found myself wide awake at half past stupid last night, rather than struggle to resume sleeping, I crept downstairs, made a nice cup of herbal tea, wrapped myself in an afghan, and finished the book. Like Carol and Tom, I tried to turn a losing proposition into a winning one. Only my case was much less of a struggle.