Two Hours to Bedlam: A Route 66 Mystery

By J.G. MacDonald

Winner of the 2026 PenCraft Book Award for Best Fiction - Humor Spring 2026

Five Stars "The story is quirky, full of bizarre twists and turns and the mystery in the end is not what you expect. I promise If you crave something a little different, give this a try. You won't be sorry.." Verified Review

WELCOME TO BEDLAM
Population: questionable, possibly temporary.

Bedlam isn't on most maps - and some locals seem to prefer it that way.

When photographer Jane Dougherty reluctantly agrees to house-sit for her cousin, she expects two quiet weeks: feed the cat, water the plants, and maybe enjoy the desert sunsets.

Instead, she finds a town balanced somewhere between a mining relic and a mirage - complete with a boarding house full of strong personalities, a festival that shouldn't exist, and a body that raises far more questions than it answers.

As Jane lifts her camera, Bedlam begins to reveal itself in fragments: strange bees, humming earth, shifting property lines, and residents who seem far too comfortable with the unexplainable.

The deeper Jane looks, the clearer it becomes:

In Bedlam, the past isn't buried.
It's waiting.

And someone is determined to keep it that way.

The desert vibrates.
The air carries whispers.
And some echoes refuse to fade.

Two Hours to Bedlam is a sharply observed mystery layered with humor, atmosphere, and the kind of small-town secrets that refuse to stay hidden - perfect for readers who love offbeat communities, clever heroines, and stories where the setting is as unforgettable as the crime.

Welcome to Bedlam.

Stay curious.

Set in the same offbeat Route 66 world as the award-winning Atomic Sunset, this second mystery finds photographer Jane Dougherty pulled into another desert puzzle...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GMX5JZWV
• ISBN13: 9798292683438
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"