Bedlam Earns Its First 5-Star Editorial Review
Posted by BackPack Books on
I’m honored to share that Two Hours to Bedlam has received a 5-star editorial review from Readers’ Favorite.
Reviewed by Mimie Odigwe for Readers' Favorite
Jane Dougherty did not expect housesitting for her cousin, Elizabeth, to go awry in Two Hours To Bedlam, a Route 66 Mystery by J.G. Macdonald. Yet, she finds herself in a mystery far deeper than expected. When a body is discovered in a sulfur pond, a closer inspection reveals it to be a stolen mannequin. But the bees that emerge from it are anything but ordinary. They are purposely and terrifyingly coordinated. As strange events escalate, Jane realizes that Bedlam isn't what it claims to be. With the help of a nervous deputy, a cryptic psychic, a determined coroner, and two remarkably intelligent children, Jane must explore the tunnels beneath her feet and unearth the secrets buried in the town.
The characters are the pillars of this book; they are well-written, quirky, and unforgettable. From Dexter, a precocious thirteen-year-old with impeccable manners, to his younger sister, Poppy, an eight-year-old self-proclaimed pirate captain whose fearlessness and adventurousness make her endearing, we meet a varied cast whose eccentricity and quirks make this story more engaging. The combination of dark humor, a compelling voice, and the puzzling mystery makes Two Hours to Bedlam a darkly comic, strange blend of desert small-town shenanigans and government secrets. Bedlam was built on a failed government experiment that cost a life to keep secret. The town's willingness to cover up the truth, the tunnels erased from official maps, and the way history gets rewritten set the foundation for a conspiracy thriller that unfolds naturally through the children's discoveries, the surveyor's investigation, and their landlady's cryptic revelations.
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