Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Author/Guide: Matthew Sullivan

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: A mystery solved through clues in books

ISBN: 978-1785151422
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

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What you need to know before your trail

Lydia Smith works as a proud and dedicated bookseller at the Bright Ideas Bookstore in Denver. She enjoys the work and the atmosphere of what is essentially a book haven, chatting to the regulars and the not so regulars who pop in to browse.

One day however, she notices that one of her regulars who likes to browse, hasn’t come down that day and she’s about to shut up shop. She goes upstairs to remind him it’s closing time only to find him dead.

Feeling sorry for him, Lydia starts to look into who he really was, regretting that she never got to know him. She visits his landlady who gives him some books he had in his apartment. The books seem to have some sort of code carved into their pages. She sets about solving the codes and slowly builds up a picture of Joey’s story – and it;s not what she was expecting at all.
This is a book she wishes she’d never opened.

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Travel Guide

Denver

The Bright Ideas Bookshop

Not just a bookstore but a book haven…

“Lydia’s skills as a bookseller came mainly, she believed, from her ability to listen. A raging case of bibliophilia certainly helped, as did limited financial needs, but it was her capacity to be politely trapped by others that really sealed her professional fate. From bus stops to parties to the floors of the store, Lydia was the model of a Good Listener—a sounding board for one and all. Strangers and acquaintances and the occasional friend unloaded on her by the hour…”

There are lots of lovely descriptions of books and the nuances of bookstores – the creaking stairs, the racks of novels, the indoor ladders, the staircase that is likened to a fattened spine. The people who browse sitting on the floor or who perch on chairs to find their next read are referred to as book frogs which is just adorable.

Imagine finding clues in book that lead to you trying to solve a mystery? Every book lover’s dream – the receipts and shopping lists don’t really cut it. When the clues start to point to Lydia herself, it’s shocking that a customer, someone you see almost everyday can be someone you don’t know at all.

For a really bright idea and a bookstore mentioned in the author’s thanks visit Brookline Booksmith in Boston – it has a secret used book cellar!

Booktrailer Review

Susan: @thebooktrailer
This is a really unique read – not sure what genre you would call it since it’s a mystery, a poignant read, a hunt for the truth, a lesson of friendship and more. The love of books filters through but the title is a bit deceptive as to me as it suggest something more fluffy and whimsical yet this is has a serious issue of suicide and hidden secrets from the get go.

This is a book for book lovers everywhere mind – you can smell the books, the shop, feel the joy of being in the store. I loved learning about the nooks and crannies of the shop, the book frogs who perch to browse -and I felt I’d found my people 😉

And finding clues in books to follow – well that has to be the ultimate dream. Beats shopping lists and discarded ikea tape measures any day. Or maybe they were clues and I missed them?

The book deals with some heartbreaking issues so it’s not a bookish love fest – it’s much more with hidden secrets, running from your past, and suicide to name but three. I found it really moving in parts, really surprising and I felt I’d been in the Bright Ideas bookshop, browsing, thinking, revelling in the pleasure of reading but also having spent time realising about other people’s hidden lives, their secrets and friendships. You see a person everyday yet don’t know the first thing about them. There were some sad moments but it will make you think.
Oh but for the love of books, this is a very special read.