”With Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, Matthew Sullivan has written a smart, twisty crime novel filled with compelling characters set in a world that book-lovers will adore.”
– JESS WALTER, author of the New York Times Bestselling Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions
- An IndieBound Indie Next pick and Indie Bookstore Bestseller.
- A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick.
- Winner of the Colorado Book Award, General Fiction.
- Goodreads’ Debut Author of the Month and Choice Award for Debut Novel, Final Round
- A Library-Reads pick.
- Tattered Cover Book Store’s Very Impressive Book pick.
- SUSPENSE Magazine’s Best Books of the Year Award, Debut Novel
- Seattle Public Library’s Top Ten Novels of the Year
- Reader’s Advisory Board/ALA Year’s Best Genre Fiction, Mystery, shortlist.
A free Reading Guide is available here (click, then scroll down to Reading Guide).
Some Bright Ideas editions and publicity:
A Bright Ideas book trailer from Brazil:
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is Book One in The Midnight Cycle, a series of stand-alone, thematically linked novels. Book Two is coming in 2025, and Book Three is in the works!
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is available or forthcoming in the U.S. from Scribner, in Italian from Longanesi, in German from Goldmann Verlag/Random House, in Portuguese from Grupo Editorial Record (Brazil), in Hebrew from Matar Publishing House (Israel), in Korean from NamuBench, in Bulgarian from Soft Press, in Large Print from Gale/Thorndike Press, and throughout the UK from William Heinemann (Penguin UK).
Reviews…
“This book ticked all the boxes for me: an engaging heroine, an intriguing premise, interesting characters and a plot that involved books, readers, and the very darkest human passions. A fantastic, assured debut.” —Elly Griffiths, author of The Crossing Places
“There is a clever, erudite puzzle plot in this bookish mystery, along with whip-smart writing. Matthew Sullivan’s debut is stylish and entertaining.” —Ellen Crosby, author of The Champagne Conspiracy
“Personally, I couldn’t resist Matthew Sullivan’s Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, an appealing first novel….The oddball characters and layered plot make this puzzle mystery both charming and challenging.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
“A strong debut. . . powerful, intricate tale of broken friendship and family loyalties.” —The Seattle Times
“Twisty and dark, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is a remarkable debut that will leave readers unsettled and probably yearning to pay a visit to their local bookstore.” —BookPage
“Shocking, charming and thrilling . . . With compelling characters and rich descriptions, Sullivan’s writing is spot-on. Sullivan nails it, delivering a captivating conflict plus masterfully executed prose.” —Associated Press
“An intriguingly dark, twisty story and eccentric characters make this book a standout.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Quirky characters and a keen sense of place distinguish this multi-generational tale of abandonment, desperation, and betrayal . . . inventive and intricately plotted.” —Publishers Weekly
“This quirky debut novel will have particular appeal for puzzle solvers and booklovers.” —Booklist
“Though darker than other beloved novels set in bookstores, this story will appeal to fans of Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Katarina Bivald’s The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. Mystery readers will also appreciate the clever connections between the characters and the crimes.” —Library Journal
