Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan

I don't do a ton of research on books I read. I generally go based on recommendations and Goodreads rankings, but I try to avoid plot/topic synopses because I am a person who definitely makes a decision ahead of time about something if I know too much about it.  Once I have a preconceived notion, it's hard for me to shake it, so I try to just not know anything.

What I'm saying is that I actually didn't know what Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan was going to be about. Based on the peppy title of this book and the happy looking cover, I sort of assumed this would be a light-hearted beach read about antics at a bookstore that probably involved two people falling in love at the end.

Well, I was almost immediately relieved of those preconceived notions when there was a suicide in the novel within the first five pages. FIVE PAGES!

It's a mystery novel, my friends. We must figure out how the enigmatic suicide victim's last communications with Lydia, our protagonist, connect with Lydia's past.  It was a good mystery. I kept wanting to turn pages to see how it turned out. It's suspenseful and our main character is quirky, difficult, and seems exactly like some ladies I know.  I enjoyed watching the pieces weave together in a smart way.  But the book was much darker in tone than I had anticipated.  So beware. It's not all fun and games!