Comments (55)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 55 items
Jan 15, 2024lcvoth23 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I wasn't sure what to expect from this one--mystery? Thriller? A book about books? Basically, it was all three, plus a healthy dose of heart wrenching backstory and analysis of the lengths people will go for the ones they love.
Mar 30, 2023JGFistere rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A new author for me, really enjoyed the writing. Complex plot but not confusing to follow like some authors, and made sense in the end. I also like a heroine that I can like and admire. I'll look for more by this author.
Sep 19, 2022ReadWme2 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Sad but hopeful account of tragedy in childhood brought on by shallow adults and how it affects us all
Aug 17, 2022staffomr rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I read this back in August of 2018. At least that's what I wrote in my book journal, but I don't remember it. I remembered the very beginning but as I got towards the middle, I didn't remember any of it, so I must have gotten bored with it…
Apr 13, 2021
Lydia Smith has always found her escape in reading, and she needs it. A terrifying event in her childhood defined the rest of her life and left her isolated and lonely. Now a young woman working in a bookshop filled with aimless…
Feb 06, 2021littlezildjian rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, though it won't be one I come back to again. It was an interesting story with chapters that weaved present-day and years-ago stories together until they crashed into each other in the final pages. I'm always a little…
Jan 25, 2021delphimo rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore evokes pain and suffering and sadness. The story begins with a terrible death of one of the dispirited customers. Joey Molina hangs himself in the bookstore just before closing time and of course,…
Jul 20, 2020Petehere99 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Part mystery, part love letter to books, booksellers, and book lovers alike (and even includes a shout out to the gang back in receiving), Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is a very clever mystery about a suicide, a triple murder,…
Jan 22, 2020theojones41 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I liked this story about am underacheiving bookseller still suffering some PTSD from a childhood trauma. Closing her bookstore one night, she discovers a suicide in the history section...a young man she knew only as a regular at the…
Nov 06, 2019MissAnnie rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This one is a little more graphic and grizzly than I typically enjoy; however, the plot unfolds beautifully and Lydia and Raj are a sympathetic pair.
Oct 27, 2019vkreads rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
2.5 stars The plot did not engage my interest; I felt minimal connection of interest toward the main characters because the author created too much enigma and "shadowed silence" too early in the story....and...Lydia's story... rather…
Sep 25, 2019allysunsun24 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
So I don't read a lot of mystery/thriller books but this one hooked me in. I was kept guessing until the end and even then there were twists I never could have predicted. Less of the bookstore then I would have liked but that's okay! Thank…
Aug 03, 2019WhidbeyIslander rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
An OK read, but the bookstore setting has little to do with the plot. I thought of giving up a few times, but stuck with it to see if the astounding co-incidence that sets up the whole plot was explained as more than just an astounding…
Jul 29, 2019MrsZimmLovesBooks rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Its been awhile since I've read a mystery and wasn't disappointed. Was able to figure out the ending about 2/3rds through, but still enjoyed how the story played out.
May 24, 2019iversl rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book made me consider reading more mysteries. Great read.
Mar 05, 2019Kristen MERKE rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
While I loved the idea, this novel falls flat in terms of it's endless attempts at "plot twists." It's certainly not as dark as some reviewers describe, in fact at times elements such as the name "Hammerman" I feel undercut any sort of…
Feb 23, 2019
The main character, Lydia, was believable and, from my vantage point, well fleshed out. The author gives her an inner life which I found realistic. Male authors sometimes find female characters a bit tricky in my experience. (I wonder…
Feb 08, 2019ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
So satisfying the way all the plot lines come together. Interesting characters and a great setting - Denver and the mountains!
Jan 23, 2019NVMercer rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Lydia works at the Bright Ideas Bookstore in a gentrifying area of Denver. She is the queen of customer service, building relationships and experiences with the regular customers, whom she refers to as “BookFrogs”. Her life is fine and…
Nov 28, 2018hombredjj rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed the book and believe its strength was in taking us into the world of bookstore personalities and quirky patrons. The author nicely integrated Denver settings into the story and kept up the who-done-it suspense until near the end.…
Oct 31, 2018c_tingstad rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
There are certain engaging elements to this book. The setting reads as lived-in and authentic, though I've never been to Denver so I don't know if it lines up well to reality. The plot is compelling and the characters are intriguing.…
Sep 19, 2018
If you do you want to wait to read this book, try a similar title and plot, The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson. Mostly a good read, a bit predictable toward the end.
Jul 25, 2018dhuli rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Have no idea why this book gets such good ratings. A dreary read about dreary peoples' dreary unhappy lives. Gave it 1 star for the interesting plot idea of the coded messages but not a book that extends your vocabulary or your knowledge…
Sansha
Jun 12, 2018Sansha rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I loved this book. It had all the elements I love. The setting was in and around a bookshop with bookish people. There was murder, suspense and intrigue. Together with a code made out of second-hand books, the book was fabulous.
Jun 11, 2018JenniferG_OshLib rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
For some reason I didn't expect this to be as much of a dark mystery as it was. Lydia was a very sympathetic, realistic character. There were a few elements of the story that were somewhat unrealistic and a bit too coincidental for me, but…