I like her style, her wit and her pace. The ending was a bit of a cop-out (see what you think) but it was certainly worth getting there. Arizona, illegal immigrants, an English family in the middle of nowhere, lots of emotional entanglements and full of the unexpected. I enjoyed it a lot. Her Hunting Unicorns was one of the early Richard and Judy Book Club choices, also highly recommended.
Similar this month: None but try Adrienne Dines.
Comparison: Leif Enger, Nicholas Evans, Joshilyn Jackson.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win a Copy of The Sisters of Hope Square by Faith Hogan and a Bucket List Scratch Book
Closing date: 04/07/2026
'To the south lies Mexico. To the North you can see the flat plains and snow tipped peaks of the Patagonia Mountains . . . and in between is a strange and wild landscape representing a freedom so great that for a long moment, I find it hard to breathe.'
On the run from her claustrophobic marriage in London, Alice Coleman moves her two small children to a ghost town in the Arizona desert – and there finds an escape she hadn't thought possible.
But the mythic southwest has room for more than one fugitive. In the dusty, alien atmosphere, it seems that everyone – from BenjamÃn, the town's loyal caretaker, to the laconic and mysterious Duval – has something to hide. And as winter moves to scorching summer, what seemed idyllic turns deadly as Alice is drawn deeper into an obsessive quest for revenge.
Vivid and compelling, Midnight Cactus explores the tensions between unrealized dreams and the pull of family, until finally, in a blistering climax Alice is forced to decide just what she is willing to sacrifice to hold on to her freedom.
Midnight Cactus features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Family Drama, General Fiction, Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Recommendations
Midnight Cactus is available in Ebook, Paperback, Hardback
Midnight Cactus was written by Bella Pollen and published by Pan Macmillan
Midnight Cactus has 448 pages
£16.19
