After browsing through all the selections at Netgalley, I was attracted to this book because of it’s cover. I must admit that I love books about librarians, books, bookstores and authors. In my opinion, this book had a lot going for it in that department, and when you add in in a mystery—well, I am hooked.

The author does an outstanding job of setting the stage for the events that follow. There are so many details about the characters that I couldn’t help but feel the author, Matthew Sullivan, has taken the time to really delve deep into the psyche of individuals he has met through life. The details are places are so clear that I can see them in my mind.

Moreover, the plot kept me reading until the very last page, and I was surprised by the ending.

The only thing that detracted from the book for me was the cursing. I don’t care if an author adds a few curse, just don’t bring God and Jesus into it.

Although it's undoubtedly due to the advance reading copy I had, I found the clues Joey left in his books to be very difficult to read-- so difficult that I took the coward's way out and just let Lydia deal with them. But that takes nothing away from the powerful debut novel that Matthew Sullivan has written. Sullivan brings to life a very special bookstore along with its woven-together family of employees and customers. It's a place I could spend hours in, which mean I'd probably join the family, too.

Lydia is a strong and uncommon main character. Being the sole survivor of The Hammerman is something that would live with a person forever, and it has certainly changed Lydia in many ways. I was enjoying this book, but not mentally singing its praises until chapter eight. Chapter eight is when "Hammer Night" is described. I do not scare easily, and I'm not squeamish, but that chapter made my blood run cold. Sullivan put me inside the skin of little Lydia so completely that I saw everything she saw and felt everything that she felt. By chapter's end, I was crying for that little girl. This is a masterful piece of writing, and if any of you are worried, it's not graphic. Sullivan does what the best writers do-- let readers' imaginations fill in the details.

The mystery is also a good one as one character after another appears to be guilty. The identity of The Hammerman didn't occur to me until a few pages before the reveal, which is always a bonus.

If you're in the mood for a scary, well-written mystery that makes you sit with your back against the wall so no one can sneak up on you, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore may be just the book for you.

Lydia Smith has had a difficult childhood, brought up in isolation in the mountains by her father after she survived the mass killing of her friend and family during a sleepover. Now she has the job of her dreams, working as a bookseller at The Bright Ideas Bookstore. She loves books and loves the job and loves the people she calls Bookfrogs, the eccentric or homeless who inhabit the store all day settling down in comfy chairs to read. Her favourite Bookfrog is Joey, a bright young man who loves to read but one night she makes the shocking discovery that he has hanged himself amongst the bookshelves.

Lydia is surprised to find that Joey has left her his meagre belongings and is even more surprised that he has a photo of herself as a child with her best friend Raj. She also discovers that Joey has mutilated all his books, cutting words and letters out of them. Trying to understand if Joey is sending her a cryptic messge she starts to look into his background and life to try to make sense of the tragedy and discovers links with her own past.

This is a very absorbing mystery full of great characters and an interesting plot with frequent surprises and a creative use of code. I did not guess the solution to either Lydia's or Joey's mystery but had to rely on Mr Sullivan to carefully guide me there. An excellent debut novel.

The suicide in the bookstore is what really drew me to this book. Had Joey MGinty killed himself anywhere else I may not have been interested. I liked that the suicide triggered a part of Lydia's past that she had buried and run away from. But while the plot sounded intriguing, I felt the book fell a bit flat. There were some big coincidences and the murder mystery from Lydia's past was easy to figure out. I knew who did it right away if not why.

I would have enjoyed the book more if I had found the characters more likable. While Lydia wasn't unlikable, I really didn't like some things that she did. I did like her boyfriend David, but he was mostly just a background character, and I disliked the way Lydia ended up treating him. I could sympathize with Lydia's father in the beginning but that changed later in the book. Raj was just ok and honestly came off a little creepy the way he fixated on Lydia so much. And the things that some of the people did in this book were pretty awful and sad. For the most part this was a book full of unhappy people, and that was just sort of depressing. In the end it left me feeling kind of blah.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Scribner for giving me a copy of this book.

I fit in with all the other reviewers who said they can't pass by a novel set in a bookstore. And I fell for the cover (it worked design people)! So, did it work? Yes, this debut novel is written deftly and with so much suspense about who did what to whom, and when, that I could hardly put it down. The story is about something that happens in the present in that bookstore that leads to events in the past from Lydia's life. Lydia is a sales clerk in the bookstore and she is an interesting character who pulled empathy out of me. She is another character in a novel who had a tough childhood, extraordinarily traumatic. Lydia has a nice flow to her life in the bookstore and at home with her boyfriend, David. She is kind to her 'book frogs' who hang out in the store and tries to help them out. When tragedy occurs on her watch, her world gets tipped and everything she has built is up for grabs. Sullivan keeps the story going at a steady pace with graceful writing and care for his characters.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Scribner (June 13th 2017).

At its heart a mystery, this book was something much, much more. The characters, the interwoven relationships, the sadness and despair of someone who just wants to find a place to belong....I recommend this one highly!

This book had me at the mystery at a bookstore. Perfect premise in a perfect setting. And well done on top of it. There was a delightful old fashioned quality to the story much in tune with its analog milieu. This isn't a book that requires modern technology, internet or smart phones to work. It's built at a different level is puzzled out accordingly. This is genuinely a book for book lovers and about book lovers. The protagonist works at a pretty awesome bookstore in CO with a stunningly (unbelievably, actually) lax policy on the dispossessed, eccentric and other garden variety bums, all of whom are apparently (unbelievably, again) are actually lovely colorful characters. Obviously this aspect of the book is either a rainbow flavored delusion or the author simply never visited, say, some of the large east coast cities. Anyway...when one of these colorful characters commits a suicide in the bookstore, his favorite bookseller (our intrepid protagonist) Lydia finds his body along with a childhood photo of her and sets off to unravel the mysteries of his death only to find them entangled with some dark secrets of her own past, conveniently stored in the unvisited attic of her memory until now. It's a very engaging exciting story and the suspense is sustained throughout right up until a nice twist in the end. It deals with some very heavy and dark subjects, but it somehow avoids being depressing and oppressively bleak, instead maintaining a perfectly appropriate mysterious atmosphere that'll have you turning pages with excitement and consistent interest. The story engages so easily and reads so enjoyably...no small feat for a debut novel. Loved it from cover to cover. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I had no idea of the treat I was in for when I began reading this debut novel by Matthew Sullivan. I admit the word “bookstore” in the title was what caught my attention. I was pleasantly surprised by how the story played out with the bookstore, a library and books being central to the setting.

The story begins with a young man’s suicide. Lydia, an employee of the bookstore, soon becomes drawn into a trail of messages he has left for her to solve. The story gets even more interesting as Lydia realizes that his messages have something to do with her past as well.

Lydia had survived a traumatic event as a child, and as the story unfolds, we learn that the things from the past were never resolved. Her search to decipher the messages reveals the truth about why the young man committed suicide, as well as the truth about what really happened to Lydia many years ago.

This one kept me guessing as to what would be revealed. It was also a bit creepy/scary at one point. There are some serious topics involved, but the writing is not dark. The story has some interesting characters, most especially Lydia’s father, who is a former librarian.

I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for book clubs or anyone who loves books, and mysteries. Great debut novel!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't normally read a lot of mysteries and I have no idea why because I usually end up really enjoying them. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore was no exception.  I loved that the crime took place in a bookstore and that the main character was a book seller.  There were many references to other books in the story which I think makes the story seem more real.  Lydia finds one of her patrons, Joey, dead with a photograph of her at the age of ten in his pocket.  This leads to many questions and clues that she must investigate.  Unfortunately, this means that Lydia has to find her father and relive the memory of watching her best friend be brutally murdered, a murder that was never solved.  The author does a fabulous job unraveling these two murder mysteries and each of the characters is so well written that I could relate to most of them, even the flawed ones.  A definite read for mystery lovers.

Like everyone else here, I was drawn to this book because the title made us think it was about a bookstore and who doesn’t love those! BUT…it really wasn’t about the store. And I also wouldn’t call it a mystery even though we do walk with each of the characters as they uncover the mysterious circumstances behind the suicide of a young man. They each discover that they were connected to him in more ways than they can imagine.

There was no disappointment that it wasn’t what I expected because it was a totally compelling book that captures your attention right away. It was completely character driven and had a great amount of depth. So much so, that I was surprised to find out it was a debut novel. I will definitely be looking for another of Sullivan’s books in the future and I highly recommend this one. 4.5 stars rounding up since it was a great first effort!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am such a sucker for any book with the word "book" in the title. Hear that publishing world? I think they know that already as there are so many. HA!

I loved this book. It starts right off the bat with a man hanging himself on the 3rd floor of the Bright Ideas Bookstore. The reasons why take a while to come together as there are many pieces. However, Lydia, who works in the bookstore is a big part of this secret and she doesn't even know it. Lydia is focused on another secret she keeps. One that is both chilling and real.

A great read that truly entertained me. Kudos to the author!

Thanks to Scribner and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Great mystery with interesting characters and a book theme. Lydia is a likable protagonist and the mystery was satisfying.

He was a shattered young man, Lydia often thought, haunted but harmless— a dust bunny blowing through the corners of the store. She liked having him around. “Joey?” The third floor was dim and peaceful. Lydia stepped into a familiar warren of tall wooden shelves and followed their angles and branches into different alcoves and sections, each holding a chair or a couch, a table or a bench: Psychology, Self-Help, Religion, Travel, History. Something squeaked.

At the end of a late-night shift at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, Lydia does one final sweep through the store to make sure any lingering customers, in particular those from the scruffy hodgepodge group she has deemed her BookFrogs, make their way out before closing time. What she discovers brings forth the trauma of her childhood and what follows is an enigmatic journey through her past and the life of one troubled BookFrog, Joey Molina.

When she stepped into the Western History alcove, she could feel her eyes trying to shut out what she was seeing: Joey, hovering in the air, swinging like a pendulum. A long ratcheted strap was threaded over a ceiling beam and looped around his neck. Lydia’s body sprung with terror, but instead of running away she was suddenly running toward him, toward Joey, and hugging his lanky legs and trying to hoist him up. She heard someone’s scream curdle through the store and realized it was her own.

Lydia’s BookFrogs is a group of regular customers- intelligent, often homeless, directionless and lonely simply looking for comradery in the book stacks and fellowship in a community of bibliophiles. She took extra care to secure their well-being while they resided at Bright Ideas so when Joey is found dead, suspended from the ceiling, she questions her role in his decision and what she could have done to prevent it.

“He would’ve found a way,” Plath said, “with or without you. Suicides are persistent like that.”

It quickly becomes clear that Lydia was more to Joey than a bookseller and a friendly face. She is entrusted with the entirety of his worldly possessions and an intelligently crafted puzzle through which he shares his story.

You found me again, Lydia

It starts with a book, a cypher, left for Lydia to decode and when she does the true Joey shines through his words from beyond the grave.

“I found him once when he was hanging,” she said, “and again when I figured out his messages. I found his voice, I guess.” “His last words,” Lyle said.

His story is a troubled one full of mistakes and loss. Joey was a lonely boy searching for acceptance, for direction and for family. He found a substitute for these needs at Bright Ideas, with Lydia and the other BookFrogs, but when his search comes to a desperate end, Lydia is left to pick up the pieces.

It occurred to Lydia that he may have hanged himself because he’d spent his whole life trying in vain to find a place that, for him, was never allowed to exist.

Along the way, Lydia’s past begins to force its way through the careful wall she has built. It is a horrific experience that runs jaggedly through the tale, adding depth to Lydia’s character and providing all the right twists and turns to set-up the final reveal.

She looked up from the sink and stared at David for a sign that her father had told, that David now knew who she really was: Little Lydia. The bloody-faced girl beneath the sink, the survivor from the evening news. Because no one from her present life knew. No one could know.

When a person from Lydia’s past reappears, she is forced to dig deeper into the truth of her memories. What she discovers in tandem with Joey’s epic riddle is both shocking and heartbreaking in equal measure. As it all unfolds, the need for answers keeps the pages turning at an increasingly rapid pace.

Peppered with thought-provoking lines about books, love and family, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is an intriguing thriller with character depth and literary insight that elevates it far beyond the average mystery.

His whole life he had turned to books as his only solace, so it made sense that in preparing to undo himself he would do the same: fall into their pages, disappear into their windows, expose his soul on his way out of life.

A young man hangs himself at a local bookstore and sets this tale of murder, lies, and general mayhem in motion. Why did Joey do it? Why did he leave everything to Lydia, a girl who in her youth was involved with the killing of her best friend and their parents?

Such is the premise of this debut novel by Matthew Sullivan. Lydia had been scarred by her presence at these murders. She tries to ferret herself away later as an adult working at the Bright Ideas bookstore where she and the other Bookfrogs converge in peace with their books. Joey is one of the bookfrogs that has come to be a regular at the store. One night, he mysteriously hangs himself and Lydia then embarks on a search through the clues left by Joey to reason why he would take his life.

The story flits back and forth between Lydia's former life and her relationship with her father and also includes her friendship with a young boy named Raj. The murderer, who killed three members of a family, has never been found and through the use of the murder weapon he becomes the Hammerman. He haunts Lydia's dreams and she makes every effort to hide that past from all those who know her. However, as things often do, the past comes roaring back and Lydia again finds herself embroiled in the mystery of the Hammerman.

This was a tale that was different, but one also the seemed to meander and left a lot of things that just didn't seem to hold true in the storyline. This novel had a lot going for it and though the ending was ever so weak, it managed to capture this reader's attention through most of the novel's pages. Who would ever imagine one would kill themselves within the confines of a bookstore?

Thank you NetGallery and Scribner for an advanced copy of this novel for an unbiased review.

This is the perfect summer read for people who like their fun books with a side of darkness. Lydia is happy working in a bookstore and not drawing much attention to herself, but when one of the bookstore regulars commits suicide in the store, Lydia is sucked into a mystery that involves a lot more than just finding out why her friend ended his life. Fair warning, this book is pretty sad--after all, when it starts with a suicide, you know there’s no way it’s going to magically turn out sunshine and roses. If that kinda thing will harsh your seasonal mellow, you may want to steer clear, but if you can handle the tough stuff, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore brings a lot of heart along with it, plus it has that gotta-keep-turning-pages addictive quality required for summer reading.

With regards to Scribner and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale June 13th!

** spoiler alert ** MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE BY MATTHEW SULLIVAN

When I was reading the acknowledgements section, among the many different people and entities Matthew Sullivan thanked was to my shock my very own favorite bookstores the Brookline Booksmith. So this one is for you Dana Brigham who among too many to mention I have met many Pulitzer prize winners such as Michael Chabon, Richard Russo, Richard Ford etc. We on Good Reads all love bookstores, at least I know I do. When I requested this book I thought it was going to be a fairly light read about eccentric customers who frequent their favorite bookstore.

I am pleasantly surprised that I went in to this novel blind either because I forgot what my favorite reviewers had written about it, or what I had originally read about it because I didn't get approved until three days ago. I totally LOVED THIS BOOK! At times I was so heartbroken for poor Joey. I also felt badly for the O'Toole family. It was Joey who stole my heart. Matthew Sullivan, I so admire you that you were able to write such a multi-faceted, clever, page turning debut novel that has so much to offer everybody.

I was fooled into not solving the pieces of the puzzle of which I appreciated very much. I loved Lydia the main character because she was so honest even in the event it could make a person uncomfortable to tell the absolute truth. I do think Lydia was a strong person and had a right not to share every single detail about her past. I believe that she turned out to be a kind and loving person even though the text states that she keeps relationships at a certain arm's length. For example when the employees at The Bright Ideas Bookstore banned Hi Joe she went out into the freezing cold night looking for him and wrapped him up in blankets and placed him over a heating grate.

The kindness that Lydia showed Joey while he was alive and the lengths she went to decode his encrypted books, looking into his adoption at the Vital Statistical records with Irene shows her love and compassion for Joey. I loved what Lydia said to Mrs. Patel about how NO SPOILERS HERE ...!!!
I thought Lydia was especially loving towards Joey when she spoke to Mrs. Patel.

What I didn't like about the book:
What Lydia does with SPOILER ALERT a very special item that can never be replaced. By the time you read the book you will have read past it and therefore I pray I did not give anything away. I can promise you that I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely book from cover to cover and I didn't think I would. It surpassed my high expectations especially for a debut novel. I won't lie parts of it are very sad, it is a mystery, their is friendship, there is love, it will teach us to all be a lot more tolerant to others especially those who we view as different then ourselves, estrangement between parent and offspring, childhood trauma, PTSD, murder, suicide, books, a lovely bookstore

A Very Special Thank You to Net Galley, Matthew Sullivan may you have a prosperous career. I can't wait to read what you write next and Scribners---The pleasure was all mine.

I was expecting more of a cutesy bookstore centered story and this book is not that! It is so much more! It's a page turner and keeps you guessing and a bit freaked out. Very engaging. Good character development.

This was a unique mystery, which I really enjoyed. The story twists and weaves, carrying us back in time to when Lydia was the sole survivor of the murder of her friend Carol and Carol's parents. The flow is great and I enjoyed the way the author told the story. A good read.

COULD NOT PUT DOWN. This is a thrilling page turner from Sullivan who is so in tune with his characters that they are so vivid they seem almost 3 dimensional.

Prepare to be creeped out! Ok, a graphic suicide in the first chapter does not set this up to be an cozy mystery. Sullivan keeps ratcheting up the tension on every page as the suicide turns into a cryptogram, turns into a retrospective on a murder, turns into a …

Great book. Do not read in a dark house alone!