ARC Review: The Midnight Taxi by Yoshi Gunasekera

The Midnight Taxi
Author: Yoshi Gunasekera
Publication: Berkley (February 10, 2026)

Description: When the last fare of the night turns up dead in her backseat, a Sri Lankan American taxi driver works off the clock to clear her name in this mystery novel by debut author Yosha Gunasekera.

Siriwathi Perera doesn’t quite know where she’s going in life. She never expected to be a taxicab driver in New York City, struggling to make ends meet and still living with her parents at twenty-eight. The true-crime podcasts that keep Siri company as she drives don’t do much to make up for the legal career she imagined for herself, or the brother she’s grieving.

When public defender Amaya Fernando gets into her cab, they make a quick connection through their shared Sri Lankan roots. Siri, whose social circle is limited to her grade-school best friend, Alex, thinks things might finally be looking up with this new potential friendship. But she’s suddenly dropped into her own true crime when she discovers her next passenger murdered in the backseat, and she has to call Amaya sooner than she’d expected.

Pinned as the obvious and only suspect, and desperate to clear her name, Siri chases down leads across the boroughs of New York City with Amaya’s help. But with her court date looming, they have just five days to find out who really killed the midnight passenger—or Siri’s life will be over before she can even truly live it.

My Thoughts: Siriwathi Perera is a cab driver in New York City. While she knows the city well, she doesn't know where she is going in her life. She's twenty-eight, lives at home with her parents, and is grieving the death of her older brother and the death of her dreams of law school. 

When one of her fares winds up dead with a knife in his heart when she goes to drop him off at the airport, her life changes dramatically. Luckily, one of her earlier fares is a public defender and fellow Sri Lankan. She's the one Siri calls when she discovers the body.

Siri listens to true crime while driving but never expected to see the justice system from the inside. She's bailed out by her best friend from her days at an exclusive private school. Now she and her attorney have just six days before the grand jury meets to find out who murdered the man in the cab's backseat.

I enjoyed the setting of this one. I liked Siri who is still trying to find herself and build a life after her beloved brother's death. She's smart and observant and very determined to stay out of jail. I liked the glimpse into Sri Lankan culture and also the glimpse into life in New York City. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.