Samia
If you're a true crime girlie who thinks you could absolutely get away with murder because you've binged enough podcasts, The Midnight Taxi is about to humble you real quick. Siriwathi is a 28-year-old Sri Lankan American taxi driver in New York whose last passenger ends up dead in her backseat, and she has five days to prove she didn't do it. What hooked me immediately was Siri's voice - her internal monologue is so blase and rambling and hilarious. She relates literally everything to the true crime podcasts she's obsessed with, and as someone who is constantly listening to Rotten Mango, I have never felt so called out by a character.
But beyond the humor, this book hit me personally. Siri is almost 30, unmarried, living with her parents, constantly getting commentary about not doing enough with her life. The way she talks about herself - calling herself old and unkempt - I've been there. I've had those exact thoughts. And as the daughter of immigrants who worked so hard to give me the life I have, seeing Siri's story play out here in New York City with characters who are being exploited while chasing that dream, it just resonated so deeply.
The mystery itself kept me hooked. I sort of had the killer on my suspect list, but the way the murder was actually done and who was involved? I was so shook. The pacing with that five-day countdown created such urgency - I had to keep reading because I needed to know how on earth this murder happened.
Siri's friendship with public defender Amaya Fernando is so genuine too. You can tell Amaya really cares about her defendants, and watching Siri kind of wear her down until she lets her in was such a joy. I would honestly love to see more of their dynamic, maybe even from Amaya's POV.
This whole book is suspenseful but also kind of cozy in a way. If you loved The Tainted Cup, this is like the contemporary version with so much humor and heart.
Author Yosha Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan American attorney who represents wrongfully convicted people and was a Manhattan public defender, so she knows this world intimately - and it shows in every page. I'm giving this five stars and genuinely think everyone should read this and support this incredible Sri Lankan debut author.
If you're a true crime girlie who thinks you could absolutely get away with murder because you've binged enough podcasts, The Midnight Taxi is about to humble you real quick. Siriwathi is a 28-year-old Sri Lankan American taxi driver in New York whose last passenger ends up dead in her backseat, and she has five days to prove she didn't do it. What hooked me immediately was Siri's voice - her internal monologue is so blase and rambling and hilarious. She relates literally everything to the true crime podcasts she's obsessed with, and as someone who is constantly listening to Rotten Mango, I have never felt so called out by a character.
But beyond the humor, this book hit me personally. Siri is almost 30, unmarried, living with her parents, constantly getting commentary about not doing enough with her life. The way she talks about herself - calling herself old and unkempt - I've been there. I've had those exact thoughts. And as the daughter of immigrants who worked so hard to give me the life I have, seeing Siri's story play out here in New York City with characters who are being exploited while chasing that dream, it just resonated so deeply.
The mystery itself kept me hooked. I sort of had the killer on my suspect list, but the way the murder was actually done and who was involved? I was so shook. The pacing with that five-day countdown created such urgency - I had to keep reading because I needed to know how on earth this murder happened.
Siri's friendship with public defender Amaya Fernando is so genuine too. You can tell Amaya really cares about her defendants, and watching Siri kind of wear her down until she lets her in was such a joy. I would honestly love to see more of their dynamic, maybe even from Amaya's POV.
This whole book is suspenseful but also kind of cozy in a way. If you loved The Tainted Cup, this is like the contemporary version with so much humor and heart.
Author Yosha Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan American attorney who represents wrongfully convicted people and was a Manhattan public defender, so she knows this world intimately - and it shows in every page. I'm giving this five stars and genuinely think everyone should read this and support this incredible Sri Lankan debut author.