Midnight

"Midnight" by Octavus Roy Cohen is a novel written in the early 20th century, specifically in the 1920s. The story begins with a young taxi driver named Spike Walters, who is working the late shift on a freezing December night. The narrative quickly plunges into mystery as Spike picks up a veiled woman at Union Station, only to discover moments later that a dead man has inexplicably appeared in his cab. The unfolding events suggest a deeper intrigue involving crime and deception, compelling readers to question the motivations of the characters involved. At the start of the narrative, Spike Walters is enduring the brutal cold while waiting for passengers. When a young woman enters his cab, she gives him an address and seemingly vanishes when they arrive, leaving behind only her suitcase and the body of a man named Roland Warren. The atmosphere thickens with suspense as Spike grapples with the alarming reality of the murder in his cab. As the police get involved, with the enigmatic detective David Carroll leading the investigation, the story hints at a tangled web of relationships involving jealousy, social stature, and potential motives tied to Warren's unexpected demise. This opening sets the stage for an engaging whodunit that blends elements of mystery and character drama. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Octavus Roy Cohen (1891–1959) was an early 20th-century American writer specializing in ethnic comedies. His dialect comedy stories about African Americans gained popularity after being published in the Saturday Evening Post and were adapted into a series of short films by Al Christie featuring actors Charles Olden, Spencer Williams Jr., Evelyn Preer, and Edward Thompson.