Bellevue Book Club

Join us for this month's Thursday Thriller at Mercury Coffee in Bellevue off of Northup Way.
Book of the month: Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicized search followed but her body was never found. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger.

Ethan Hall, a former renegade detective turned ER doctor, left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the kid crime division. But on the tenth anniversary of Callie’s disappearance, his former partner, Pete Kramer, makes a desperate request. Pete is the veteran detective who originally investigated the case. Now he’s dying, and to ease his conscience and get closure for the Jones family, he needs Ethan to return to the haunting work he left behind—and solve what happened to Callie, once and for all.

Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. Amid a sweltering heatwave, Ethan’s investigation gains momentum, but reexamining old evidence won’t be enough. He needs a new way into the case, no matter how dangerous or unconventional. And it comes from the least likely of sources—an inmate in a maximum-security prison.

Soon Ethan’s methods draw him deeper into a twisted psychological game. Because there is much more to the nightmare of Callie’s disappearance than he imagined, including a connection with his own dark past . . . and secrets that are still worth killing for.

* Please be considerate of other members and only RSVP if you are able to make it to the meeting.

📘 Book of the Month (July): The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

📍 Tentative Location:
Bellevue Downton Park or Bellevue Library
Weather dependent: Should the weather forecast indicate dry conditions, we will proceed with an outdoor picnic at Bellevue Downtown Park. Further updates will be provided.

Exact seating area pin will be shared in comments or look for a group with picnic blankets with Bellevue Book Club painting easel next to them.

Bring your own picnic blanket, chair or mat to sit on - we’ll also have a few extras to share. Dress for the weather.

🥐🥗🍥 Optional: Bring snacks to share

Join us for our July Bellevue Book Club Meetup as we dive into a lyrical and moving story about love, loss, memory, and identity set against the backdrop of conflict and displacement. Whether you’ve finished the book, read a few chapters, or just want to listen in, you’re warmly welcome.

📝 Brief Book Summary (from Goodreads):
The Island of Missing Trees follows two teenagers - one Greek Cypriot and one Turkish Cypriot - who meet and fall in love on the divided island of Cyprus. Years later, their story is carried forward by their daughter in London, alongside an unusual narrator: a fig tree that bears witness to generations of love, trauma, and resilience. The novel beautifully explores themes of belonging, war, exile, and the healing power of nature and storytelling.

🗓 Agenda
11:00 – 11:30 AM: Meet & Greet
11:30 – 12:30 PM: Book discussion
12:30 – 1:00 PM: Socialize and connect with fellow members

🚗 Parking Options

• Free parking nearyby

🚉 Public Transport

• Light rail to Bellevue Downtown and then walk or take BellHop shuttle
• Sound Transit buses

Please be considerate of members in the waitlist and update your RSVP if you’re unable to attend.