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
International Bestseller
"This lively whodunit keeps you guessing until the end." —People
“Utterly bewitching…As unforgettable as it is original.” —A.J.$26.99ISBN: 9780062698162Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Harper - October 1st, 2019“A heartbreaking, finger-gnawing, and yet ultimately hopeful novel by the amazing Rene Denfeld.” —Margaret Atwood, via Twitter
$26.99ISBN: 9781250205711Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Minotaur Books - December 3rd, 2019An IndieNext Pick!
"Gripping...Blanchard keeps the tension high." - Associated Press$26.99ISBN: 9781250178367Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Minotaur Books - June 4th, 2019"A delightful immersion in the period and personalities, with that touch of depth that transforms a good series to a great one." —Laurie R. King
$26.99ISBN: 9781250293947Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Minotaur Books - August 6th, 2019"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$26.99ISBN: 9781635060157Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: MacLehose Press - April 2nd, 2019Officer Anne Capestan and her squad of misfits must turn their attention to a more personal case--the murder of Capestan's ex-husband's father, a lifelong member of the Paris police force who had no shortage of enemies.
$27.00ISBN: 9781524761509Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Crown - May 7th, 2019“The most clever plot twist of the year.”—Washington Post
“I nominate Kate Moore, the protagonist of Chris Pavone’s sizzling new thriller The Paris Diversion, for patron saint of working wives and mothers everywhere.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review$27.99ISBN: 9781501188770Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Gallery/Scout Press - August 6th, 2019INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, and The Death of Mrs. Westaway comes Ruth Ware’s highly anticipated fifth novel.
When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely.$26.99ISBN: 9781250148872Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Minotaur Books - March 12th, 2019From Christi Daugherty, author of The Echo Killing, comes another pulse-pounding suspenseful thriller featuring crime reporter Harper McClain.
For a woman, being killed by someone who claims to love her is the most ordinary murder of all.
$26.99ISBN: 9780062869852Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Harper - February 19th, 2019The first entry in a clever, lighthearted mystery series set in modern Provence—a delightful blend of Agatha Christie and Peter Mayle—featuring the irrepressible Penelope Kite, a young-at-heart divorcee with a knack for stumbling across dead bodies.
It’s love at first sight when Penelope Kite sees Le Chant d’Eau—The Song of Water—the stone f
