March 1, 2025
Sullivan (Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, 2017) returns with the second book in the Midnight Cycle. Soap Lake is a tiny town in Washington that boasts two landmarks: the lake itself and the World's Largest Lava Lamp. Though the lava lamp was never finished, people come from all over the country to experience the lake's healing power. Abigail agrees to move there when her husband, a limnologist who studies bodies of water, receives a grant to analyze the lake's unique composition. However, it isn't long until he receives a grant to study in Poland instead, and suddenly, Abigail is alone. When she is out for a walk one evening, she discovers a lonely and crying small boy whose mother has been brutally murdered. Abigail can't leave the boy, and she is drawn into the murder case. At the same time, the boy's mother, Esme, narrates from the past to fill in the gaps of the story. This is a fascinating mystery with small-town intrigue and a magical, scientific angle based on a real place.
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