Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

A Novel

By: Matthew Sullivan

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby

When a beloved bookstore patron dies by suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this award-winning debut novel that is at once “shocking, charming, [and] thrilling” (Associated Press).

Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she leads a meticulously ordered existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day browsing the overwhelmed stacks.

But when a young BookFrog, Joey Molina, hangs himself in one of the upper rooms of the store, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Inside one of Joey’s pockets is a photograph of Lydia as a little girl. And when she flips through some of his books, she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. The more she goes over them, the more they seem to contain a hidden message for her about his final days. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia? As she follows the trail of puzzles Joey left behind, she uncovers long-buried secrets about her dark childhood, estranged family, and a violent crime that still casts shadows decades later.

With “ddball characters and [a] layered plot” (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review), Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is literary mystery and psychological thriller perfect for book lovers, book clubs, and fans of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, and Jess Walter.

No shopping at the Bright Ideas Bookstore for me!

The story was compelling at first. But the more I listened the more horrified I became. These characters lives were without hope or love. I do not like murder mystery but needed to read a book set in a bookstore. If you are a fan of this genre I would recommend.

Wonderful use of words, plot a bit clunky

basically a good book with entertaining choices of words but the plot is a little clunky the reader can figure out who done it well before the protagonist

Clever Storyline, ho-hum narration

Matthew Sullivan, the author, does a skillful job of leading the reader down a path that has the reader only asking why the heinous crime was committed not who committed it when suddenly things go a different direction, and the pace of the story picks up the momentum leading to a not so expected resolution. There are a few parts of the story I thought dragged a bit, but the book kept my attention until the end. Some of narrator Madeleine Mabby’s male voices are too emotionless and bland to the extent of being a distraction from the story. Overall I enjoyed the storyline and would recommend the book. A print version may be a better option if you are particular about narration quality.

Fantastic Story - Wonderful Narrator

Where does Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I don't really rank books, I judge them individually and this book falls into the "Would read again" category.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were "real", believable and they grew as the story progressed. Some grew for the better, others for the worse, but they all grew, one way or the other.

Have you listened to any of Madeleine Maby’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but I absolutely LOVED her and am looking to her other narrations to see if she has done anything else that I would like to read.

Watch Out for the Quiet One

This mystery story takes place in Colorado, mostly on Colfax Avenue in Denver. Lots of odd characters practically live at the Bright Ideas book store. A bit gruesome in spots but overall an entertaining novel.