If you like getting to the bottom of a whodunit, the Mysterious Bookshop is a literary institution worth bookmarking.
Not only is it one of the best bookstores in NYC, but it’s the oldest mystery specialist bookshop in the country. For crime, suspense, and action-packed pages, there’s no better place to venture.
“You get a curated recommendation when you come to the Mysterious Bookshop,” says manager Ryan Gilbert. “We hand sell a lot of books, and people are interested in picking up a mystery, but it could be a little daunting. We all read these books — we keep up with the new stuff and the classics.”
Although founder Otto Penzler originally opened the shop in Midtown in 1979, it has since relocated to Tribeca in 2005. Regardless of location, the shop delivers the bookish charm shoppers have come to love: floor-to-ceiling shelves, wooden ladders, leather sofas… and a sign that reads, “Nobody shoplifts from a store that knows 3,214 ways to murder someone.” Think Tortured Poet’s Department for the mystery crowd.
Above the ambiance, the shop is focused on fostering a community through its personalized recs, list of events, rare editions, book clubs, and its annual roundup of best mystery stories of the year, edited by Penzler and Anthony Horowitz. Now that we’re approaching cozy season — despite the unusually warm Halloween slated for this year — you’ll absolutely want to kick back with The Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2024. After receiving over 3,000 submissions, the collection features work from Dan Pope, Annie Reed, Archer Sullivan, Fleur Bradley, and many others.
And what did they recommend to Secret NYC? Plenty of good stuff: Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater: “It’s fantastic,” Gilbert says. “It’s all about a bookseller who develops a dangerous obsession and it’s got a great skull on the cover. Great mystery, great character, twists and turns.” Plus, signed copies of Safe Enough: And Other Stories by Lee Child for those who venture in-store.
It would be a crime not to stop by! Should you want to take your literary-loving adventures on the road, stop by the Hobart Book Village in the Catskills for even more selections for your TBR pile.
📍 58 Warren Street
⏰ Monday–Saturday from 10am–7pm