McKenna Jordan, Store Owner at Murder By The Book since 2003
Having read crime fiction almost exclusively for the last fifteen years at MBTB, this “staff stack” was incredibly challenging to narrow down. I decided to go with an approach of which books represent both my reading taste as well as my history - to this point - with the bookstore. Every one of this holds a special place in my heart and has a story to go along with it.
I have a real respect for the genre and its icons, and I love unique characters. That’s basically all I can find as a thread of similarity throughout my reading taste. I’m happy to read across the genre as long as it’s well-written, and there’s nothing that beats a fresh new voice that grabs you from the first line.
McKenna's 2019 Top 10:
1. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
2. The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld
3. The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair
4. Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard
5. City of Windows by Robert Pobi
6. Stick Together by Sophie Henaff
7. The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone
8. Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
9. A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty
10. Death in Provence by Serena Kent
Check out McKenna's Recommendation Playlist on the MBTB YouTube Channel.
"Getting the job done" for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It.
One of "The Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2021" —Parade
One of "The Most Anticipated Debuts of 2021" —Bustle
One of "The Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021" —Goodreads
One of "The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2021" —Crimereads
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BOOKS WE RECOMMEND THIS WEEK--The New York Times
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST CRIME FICTION OF 2020 BY OPEN, THE MAGAZINE
In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm.
One of Buzzfeed's Most Anticipated Books of 2021.
"This trailblazing work of fiction is notable for its depiction of Harlem's African American society and culture in the 1930s" -Bookpage
"City of Windows is moving, breathtaking—a great entertainment." —The Wall Street Journal
“A tough, wise, knowing narrative voice, a great plot, a great setting, and even better characters — I loved this.” —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author
Named Most Anticipated Book by Time, Newsweek, and O, The Oprah Magazine
"Funny, eerie, tender, haunting and unsettling, smokily atmospheric, and fantastically enjoyable." —Helen MacDonald, author of Vesper Flights