Recommended Mystery Sites on the Internet

Mysterious Press -- One of the best mystery lines going [now defunct]

Bantam/Doubleday/Dell -- One of the largest conglomerates with many mystery lines [big merger occurred with Random House -- go to RandomHouse.com to see what's available; the site listed here no longer exists]

Crippen & Landru -- Nice title for an imprint (hell, it could have been OJ & von Bulow); one of the best small publishers for specialty mystery short stories, thanks to Douglas G. Greene. (Also see reviews on this site.)

Poisoned Pen Press -- Good selection of 'house' authors, including Mary Reed and Eric Mayer's John the Eunuch historical mysteries set in Constantinople during the reign of Justinian, and James Anderson's nice Golden Age pastiches.

Rue Morgue Press -- Reprints of rare but once popular Golden Age Classic mystery novels. One of the best small publishers going along these lines.

Classic Mysteries -- A small publishing company located in Great Britain, with a good selection of Sherlock Holmes related information.

Avon Books -- Mysteries and some (not much) SF [now merged with Harpers]

Penguin Books -- Penguin does everything :: US / UK

Random House -- They own practically everything (Ballantine, etc.)

... and Some Specialty Bookstores

Partners in Crime -- A nice bookstore with knowledgeable assistants. It is on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Village.

Mysterious Bookshop -- The largest of its kind (now with stores in Hollywood and London in addition to the original NYC one behind Carnegie Hall). Run by Otto Penzler. Love it although it is outside my usual stomping grounds -- hate midtown! Note, however, that as of October 2005 the store has relocated to Tribeca, near the old WTC site: 58 Warren Street.

Murder Ink -- The original book store of its type and it set the ground rules for this sort of place. The store changed hands a few years ago; it was founded by Carol Brener. (Upper West Side is even more foreign to me than Midtown); used to go up there twice a year or so with friends on 'safari' and buy about $50 worth of books at a time that I couldn't find anywhere else. Located at 92nd St. & Broadway.

Murder One -- The premier mystery specialty book store in London, run by Maxim Jacobowski and others. It has a fine selection of British mysteries, especially reprints by House of Stratus, and is located near Foyle's on Charing Cross Road. (Foyle's is a fine bookstore, but its mystery section remains as eccentrically arranged as ever.)

[Many years ago, before they all disappeared under gentrification, lower Fourth Avenue in the East Village had a dozen or so used-book stores where you could get pristine copies of old Philo Vances (fold-out maps still included) for a couple of bucks and practically any other classic mystery you can bring to mind. Alas, no more....]

New and Second Hand Books on the Internet

Amazon (US) -- Largest and best on-line book store

Amazon UK -- Largest and best on-line book store

Barnes and Noble -- Not as good as Amazon, but very comprehensive

House of Stratus --Excellent new editions of mainly British detective-story authors

ABE Books -- The largest and best; is associated with most of the major second-hand book stores in the US and UK

Bookfinder -- Operates like ABE, but the books tend to be more expensive

E-Bay -- You can occasionally find what you are looking for on this auction site

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