Electric Midnight (Paradox P.I. #2) by Nathan Van Coops

Electric Midnight (Paradox P.I. #2) Reviews

• 
  Sarah Michelle Bush

  If you enjoyed Book 1 in this series you will be thrilled to pick up more insights into the world of Greyson Travers, P.I. and to learn more about some of his other familiar and also new associates. However, if this is your first introduction to our wise-cracking detective you will easily find the story and concepts explained and get caught up in the mystery as a stand alone read. What I really enjoy is the way a chapter ends and I find myself talking out loud about what I think I know and what may be just around the corner on the following pages. You may have that familiar urge to read just one more chapter and have difficulty putting it down. For those of us who enjoy some suspense as well as wit and a bit of romance mixed in, the book is a fun and yet realistic read of a potential future we can all relate to with the rise of technology and social media influencing our lives. Rather than feeling dark and dystopian, this book has some seedy characters but still gives hope to those of us that have nostalgia for the days of the past when computers and phones and smart devices did not rule our behaviors. There are interesting twists and multiple challenges faced by our protagonist and his ability to time travel out of difficult situations is not always the simple answer. You will enjoy the interactions with the people and non-humans he encounters in his quest to close a case and see the common thread to present-day mirrored in a future where it feels we may in fact be headed toward. In the meantime, the humor and self-deprecation lends itself to having a likable hero we can all root for to uncover what is really happening behind the scenes and hoping that he can get back to a good meal and a drink to celebrate afterward in whatever time and place he may find himself next.
• 
  Maria

  4.5 stars
  
  This series is so much fun! A real new favourite and I can't wait for the next book!
  
  The style reminds me of Dresden Files mixed with Doctor Who - both on a really good day - and it fits me like a glove.
  I don't always enjoy time travel so I was very pleased when I found it most delightful in here.
  
  This is time travel done right, in a most entertaining way. The timeline is mind-bending, but still perfectly logical, if you ask me. I enjoyed it so much!
  
  The only thing knocking my rating down a bit is that I once again spotted "the bad guy" way prematurely. In fact, I guessed the villain as soon as they first entered the 'effing room.
  I was like: "Wooooah, hold on! They can't be that easy to guess, surely?"
  But ... yup. They were the villain. And for the very reason I guessed (early!) too.
  
  However (and this is a big thing) I found the story very enjoyable in spite of feeling like I had solved the entire thing much faster than the detective.
  This is normally something I never do. I'm usually a bit, very, extremely annoyed with the detective when I'm way ahead of them in the case solving, but Greyson has so many things going for him aside from all the usual (fun) P.I. tropes that I'm simply rooting for him anyway.
  
  For me, that's a first, I think.
  I really don't operate like that on a regular basis.
  So that says a lot to me about how inventive and fun the storytelling and character development and settings are in this book.
  
  I'm also seriously envious of Greyson's career. Being a time travelling detective seems ideal.
  
  I would 1000% binge this series if there were like ... I don't know ... TWELVE books out, or something!
  So now I will curse the fact that I can't travel into the future and get my hands on book three. (And four and five?)
  
  Ah, well... The wait begins.
• 
  Maarja Kruusmets

  Nathan Van Coops has done it again! It has been an awfully long time since I last got to read one of his books, but after all this waiting Electric Midnight did not disappoint. Actually, I think it may be the author's best work yet. With every book his storytelling ability gets even better, the storylines deeper with meaning.
  I love the way Electric Midnight weaves a classic detective story in a futuristic world - a story filled with humour and witty dialogues, plot twists that keep you guessing all through the book, colourful and relatable characters, and a serious ethical question to ponder about on top of all that. Several times I had to force myself to put the book down in order to get some work done. I just hope that there will be more stories in this series. They sure are worth the wait.
• 
  Bethany Cousins

  Greyson Travers is on the case again... The witty private investigator is back in the thick of it as he takes on the challenge of solving the murder of his own client. Science fiction meets noir detective mystery in this new installment of the Paradox P.I. series.
  
  Quick and punchy, Electric Midnight is a brilliant mind-game. Nathan Van Coops' world-building is at an all time high in this futuristic setting, and this is complemented by the full, memorable characters that he has become known for creating. From Greyson's wise-cracking sidekick AI, Waldo, to mysterious and possibly lethal new strangers that they encounter on the way, these are some of his best works yet.
  
  In this dark and fast-paced tale Nathan has perfected the art of mixing just the right amount of humour into the most intense action scenes. There were so many moments in this story that had my heart racing while I chuckled under my breath at the same time.
  Electric Midnight is an intriguing detective novel with a good dose of sci-fi that'll keep you guessing and keep the pages turning.
• 
  Marilyn

  I read the first book in the series, Time of Death and am hooked on our daring P.I. Greyson Travers. I love time travel stories and PI stories so this book is a wonderful mix of both. I was impressed by the vivid descriptions in the book. Nathan has some fantastic settings and his eye for detail puts you right there. One also gets a feel for where we are headed electronically and we better be careful of all the smart phones and digital data systems available to us now and in the future. This book is totally enjoyable, has great humor, is a fun read, keeps you turning the pages and keeps you interested every chapter of the way. I highly recommend it for every time travel reader and P.I. reader.
• 
  Ginelle Blanch

  Witty banter sprinkled liberally throughout the story takes this book from a bit heavy to pretty fun for the reader! I love Grey's snark but, his mouth tends to land him in puddles of trouble.
  
  Lots of action, this book kept me on my toes and kept me guessing.
  
  Excellent secondary characters. This author never disappoints with his ability to create impressionable friendships and characters who are...just really "good".
  
  Full range of emotions. An ending that ties all things up nicely but, with the hope of there being something more to look forward to.
  
  Fun and fast paced read
• 
  One Man Book Club

  
  Check out my blog, One Man Book Club
  
  The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
  
  Time of Death (Paradox P.I., #1)
  Electric Midnight (Paradox P.I., #2)
  The Clockwork Game (Paradox P.I., #3)
  Tomorrow Detective (Paradox P.I., #4)
  By: Nathan Van Coops
  My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
  Best for: 18 and up
  
  THIS is how you write time travel...
  
  There are all kinds of stories about time travel. I was going to list some for you, but then the list started getting really big. Just Google "books about time travel" and you find some. Tragically, there will be one author missing from Google's algorithm-based search results that favor popularity: Nathan Van Coops. Tragic, because he's the one who does it best.
  
  His first books were a series called In Times Like These, which started good and grew to great. One thing I love about discovering new authors is seeing their growth. Nathan Van Coops is doing a fantastic job. Buy his books, the guy deserves to be read.
  
  This series, Paradox P.I., is about the son of the main character from In Times Like These. It's related, but not necessary to read first. In fact, my reading journey went like this. I read In Times Like These originally back in 2016, but didn't finish the series. Instead, I read some of Nathan Van Coops other stuff: Kingdom of Engines (cool!) and Faster Than Falling (even cooler!). It wasn't until 2023 that I jumped back into his time travel books, and realized quickly I'd been missing out on some really great stories. But instead of finishing In Times Like These, I read Paradox P.I. Loved it. And then went back to In Times Like These. It's been a perfect way to jump around.
  
  Okay, now you know my history, and hopefully that will inform you when you jump in too.
  
  Let's talk about Paradox P.I.
  
  These stores are little bit Doctor Who, some Thursday Next, a sprinkling of Agatha Christie, and big splash of Knight Rider. In this world, time travel is a reality. It was invented in the 1980s. Over time, it's use became common place, the future is full of time travelers who can travel back to our past and get into all kinds of fun trouble.
  
  I enjoyed the plausible scientific rules for time travel in these books. That's why they stand out to me. This isn't Back to the Future--in these books changing the past splits the time stream, and that's serious business. Creating a time paradox should be avoided!
  
  Don't make a jump through time unless you have an anchor to get you exactly where you want to go. After all, the Earth is constantly moving! You can't jump from one place in time to another and expect to magically end up the same spatial location. If you jump to a place that is currently occupied by something else, that thing becomes part of you...and that isn't pretty.
  
  Follow the rules, and you should be safe. Don't, and you'll be dead.
  
  Our main character is a time traveling detective who uses his unique skill set in SUPER creative ways to solve the crimes and catch the bad guys. He's super smart and has cool tech, including a wise-cracking AI in his car and home bases set up in multiple time streams in multiple years, past and present. He's super complicated--he's a paradox. Something happened in his past that split his time stream, so there's two of him. One who holds a place with his famous time-traveling family, and the extra one. Being the extra adds all kinds of drama, and following along with him as he comes to peace with his past is a big part of our adventure.
  
  Mix up all that: the time travel, the gadgets, the wise-cracking AI, the mysteries, the past that needs to be dealt with, and the crimes to solve, and Nathan Van Coops has created a brilliantly fun character with endless stories to be told. It's ready made for an excellent TV series!
  
  There's some language, but no other significant content concerns or triggers. Because of the language, I'll say this series is best for adults.
  
  You're going to love time travel.
  
  Happy Reading!
• 
  Mark Hale

  Following on from Time of Death, Electric midnight is about a time travelling PI in a world full of AI. Brilliant storyline and action packed from start to finish. I read this as part of the Beta group and ended up reading from start to finish in a day as it was incredibly difficult to put down. Like all other books from Nathan, the worlds he creates are extremely vivid and his attention to detail ensures there are no gaping holes in the plot, leaving the reader to quickly become immersed in the storyline and literally loose track of time. Plenty of humour with many twists and turns as well as making the reader think about the various implications of time travel. While this is the second in the Greyson Travers PI series it can easily stand on its own, although you would be missing some great action if you didn't read the previous book and the others in his series.
• 
  Mark Lucas-Taylor

  Paradox P. I.
  
  These (the Paradox P.I. Books) are a sci-fi twist on the hard boiled Detective Noir style and the do itvery cleverly. Each story gradgives hints and very gradual reveals to Grayson Travers and both his background and his family.
  Nathan has written very convoluted themes into his stories, some of which will leave you puzzling, others will make you think., something I personally really appreciate in a good story. I also appreciate that the main protagonist learns at the same rate as the reader and we are not subjected to a Deus Ex Machina where the protagonist is aware of pertinent facts and/or details before us (the reader).
  Go ahead try them you won’t be disappointed.
• 
  Alison

  Loved reading this book. I have really enjoyed the situations Greyson Travers seems to find himself in.
  
  This story is longer than the first, but still just as brilliant. I would definitely recommend it for a read if you read and enjoyed the first. I wouldn't say you really need to read the first book, to know what's going on in this book, as they are different stories. However, there are some small links to the first book.
  
  I loved how there was little subtle links to the other time travel series, written by this author (which I would also highly recommend).
  
  Can't wait to read the final in this series, although I will be sad to finish them.
• 
  Karen

  I’m a fan of Nathan Van Coops’ In Times Like These (ITLT) series, and am fortunate to now receive ARC copies of his books. This spinoff detective series in the ITLT universe doesn’t disappoint. In fact, this second book in the series may be even better than the first, and that one was great. I recommend starting with the ITLT series to get a full understanding of the time travel concepts and equipment, and also because it is one of my favorite time travel series. These stories do stand on their own so no worries if you start with these and work your way to the others.
• 
  Angela Whitmore

  Electric Midnight
  
  This is the second Grayson Travers mystery but it can be read as a standalone.
  A synthetic human begs for help as he believes he is being hunted but Travers turns down the job because synths shouldn't show emotion , and this one seems a little strange.
  Trouble is, as soon as the synth leaves Travers' office, he is slashed apart and left dead on the pavement.
  Well that does it and now Travers feels duty bound to find the killer and their motive.
  He's a born time traveller so you'd think it would be a lot tpeasuraæ
  
• 
  D.S. Mac

  “Remember, we didn’t have this conversation?” Stella said. “Who is this? How’d you get this number?” I asked.
  
  Greyson Travers is on another job. Hired by the biggest synth company in Port Nyongo. He's tasked with tracking down stolen synth parts, a synth murdered and is dragged into a conspiracy to change time.
  With thugs, synths and the time police after him, can he save the timeline.
  
  Greysons wit makes this such a fun read, while also being a tad darker than the In Times Like These series. Fantastically written, amazing characters and I cannot wait for more... please let there be more!!
• 
  Shaun

  
  
  
  Electric Midnight is a solid second outing. Van Coops introduces some complex themes here, exploring identity and loss -- along with a time-traveling inn where P.I. Grayson Travers himself underwent a key life experience. The P.I. takes on the case of a murdered android, and finds himself enmeshed in a classic conspiracy, with layers of secrets.
  
  7/10 (3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)
• 
  Leo

  Another fun read
  
  I like how the author wove in advance synthetic humanoids and their struggle to become more lifelike. I like the interactions between most of the characters in the book, with the exception of Charles King, his characters was a bit flat. Not sure if Charles blandness was on purpose, i just know it was obvious he was involved, but the way his character was written felt off.
  
  Overall, im liking this series, and will promptly move onto the next book. Might even read the prequel series to Paradox PI.
• 
  mad searles

  Electric Midnight has everything! The second novel in Van Coops’ Time Travel P.I series, it perfectly complements the first. A page turner for sure, filled with suspense, humor, romance, and time travel— what more could you want? The character development is so fascinating to follow, as I think this is his best book yet! I am always eager to read what comes next for Van Coops and this has definitely got me excited for the third book in the series!
• 
  Trish R.

  I do so enjoy these books on the Paradox P.I. series. Greyson is a funny private investigator who never knows when to keep his mouth shut when he's on-the-job. Wilder was a singer in a night club that Greyson slept with and Heavens was the woman he thought was the most beautiful he'd ever seen, and wanted to sleep with her too. LOL
  
  Fade-to-black sex and the F-bomb was used 7 times.
  
  As for the narration: Stacy Carolan did a great job on the voices and the emotions when he read.
• 
  Mariangeles

  Me sigue gustando y entreteniendo esta saga. Ahora nos trasladamos a una época más futurista, en donde Greyson tiene dos frentes abiertos: un asesinato de un cliente que parece que nadie conoce, y con una criptomoneda como única pista, y que una corporación quiere financiar su trabajo.
  
  La historia es entretenida, diferente y muy ágil. Deseando ya ver qué le deparará a Greyson en el siguiente libro.
• 
  Lisa

  What a fun ride! This book starts out with a mystery that sucks you in and doesn’t let go. Greyson Travers is such a compelling main character. What really makes the book stand out are the supporting characters. If you are looking for a smart, fun, and immersive book that opens up a new world, pick this up. You do not have to read the first book to enjoy this one, which is a rare treat!