The Midnight Shift

A bestseller in Korea, a biting, fast-paced vampire murder mystery exploring sapphic love and the consequences of loneliness.

On the lonely outskirts of Seoul, reports come in of a series of suicides at a hospital. The strange and bloodless nature of the elderly victims is dismissed by most, but not Detective Suyeon.

As Suyeon begins her investigation, a mysterious woman named Violette appears at the crime scene and gives Suyeon the answer: a vampire did it.

The two women begin the hunt for an ancient, supernatural culprit which, in turn, reveals a landscape of modern isolation in a dark, nocturnal Seoul. But as the investigation unfurls, past and present romance and loneliness intertwine it becomes increasingly clear that they, too, are being hunted.

Sometimes the monsters we seek are less frightening than being alone.

The Midnight Shift is a gripping mystery, overflowing with commentary about societal isolation and loneliness, the sharp knife of grief, and the effects of marginalisation, perfect for readers of Cursed Bunny, Woman, Eating and A Certain Hunger.

Review

Delightfully strange . . . Delves into the causes of human loneliness as methodically as a detective sifting clues . . . The characters' emotional turmoil builds up so slowly that it is almost imperceptible, until it erupts in startling ways. ― The Washington Post

Skillfully translated . . . Cheon's novel is more than a queer paranormal mystery . . . it's an eerie and bleak portrait of societal loneliness, isolation, and marginalization. ― firstCLUE

[A]n intricate vampire mystery . . . Skillfully toggles between three heroines, building impressive emotional depth through their interwoven narration. The darkly romantic flashbacks to 1980s France-highlighting Violette's formative experiences with Lily, a charismatic vampire-are particularly mesmerizing, echoing classic gothic tales with a fresh, queer twist . . . [Seon-Ran's] nuanced exploration of loneliness and isolation resonates. K-drama fans, especially those drawn to moody supernatural thrillers and complex, character-driven plots, will eagerly devour this genre-blurring tale. ― Publishers Weekly

A fast-moving mystery. ― Booklist

There's a deftly pulled-through thread about loneliness and some interesting philosophical riffing about a vampire's justifications for murder. ― Kirkus Reviews

A page-turning blend of gothic fantasy and murder mystery. ― Buzz Magazine

Brings an entirely new flavor to the genre-noir-style, slow burn thriller. ― United by Pop

Cheon transforms the familiar into a resonating meditation. ― Booklist

So compelling. The supernatural slips into the everyday . . . grief, love, and the slow ache of isolation feel as haunting as any fanged figure. ― Mochi Magazine

Translated with verve by Gene Png . . . Cheon Seon-Ran brings new blood to a centuries-old tale. Let the feeding frenzy begin. ― Washington Independent Review of Books

[A] nuanced, compassionate meditation on loneliness, family, loyalty, and love . . . The intimacy between Violette and Lily - two lonely souls briefly finding companionship - fizzes with unspent desire. ― Locus Magazine

About the Author

A lover of sci-fi always dreaming of the universe and waiting for aliens, Cheon Seon Ran made her debut with BROKEN BRIDGE in 2019. She was awarded the Grand Prize in the 4th Korea Sci-Fi Literature Awards for her novel A THOUSAND BLUES. She's continued writing novels since.

Gene Png is a literary translator and illustrator based in Seoul. She was awarded the Grand Prize in Poetry at the 53rd The Korea Times' Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards and is a mentee of Anton Hur (translator of I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki).