Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
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 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.
