Brenda's Staff Picks

Brenda Jordan at Murder By The Book since 2009

After years of reading only True Crime, I slowly moved to mystery novels. Now, I primarily read British, Historical, Foreign and Espionage novels. From Peter James to Alan Bradley, Geraldine Brooks to Mark Pryor, Kate Morton to Amor Towles, Martin Walker to Daniel Silva, each author offers his/her unique ability to tell a story well. And, the well-written, well-told story is what I want!

Whether fast-paced, intense, poignant, charming— I know the story has “it” when I can’t get it out of my mind. What’s better than the anticipation of a new book by a favorite author, or the unexpected find of a great book by a new author? Nothing! That’s what it’s all about.
 

Brenda's 2023 Top Ten:

1.  The Quiet Tenant - Clemence Michallon
2.  Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes
3.  The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
4.  The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
5.  The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
6.  The Last Devil To Die by RichardOsman
7.  Homecoming by Kate Morton
8.  All That is Mine I Carry with Me by William Landay
9.  The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George
10. The Golden Gate by Amy Chua

Staff Pick Badge
The Quiet Tenant: A novel By Clémence Michallon Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593534649
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Knopf - June 20th, 2023

NATIONAL BEST SELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR • GMA BUZZ PICK • “A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying.” —James Patterson, #1 best-selling author


Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide By Rupert Holmes Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781451648218
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - February 21st, 2023

A New York Times bestseller!


Staff Pick Badge
The Last Remains: A British Cozy Mystery (Ruth Galloway Mysteries #15) By Elly Griffiths Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780358726487
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Mariner Books - April 25th, 2023

The discovery of a missing woman’s bones force Ruth and Nelson to finally confront their feelings for each other as they desperately work to exonerate one of their own in this not-to-be-missed Ruth Galloway mystery from USA Today bestselling author Elly Griffiths.


The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession By Michael Finkel Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780525657323
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Knopf - June 27th, 2023

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first century: the story of the world’s most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser. • “The Art Thief, like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timing."—The New Yorker


Staff Pick Badge
The Square of Sevens: A Novel By Laura Shepherd-Robinson Cover Image
$29.99
ISBN: 9781668031124
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Atria Books - September 5th, 2023

This “intricately plotted, epic” (The Times, London) international bestseller—in the vein of the vivid novels of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry—follows an orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England as she searches for answers about her long-dead mother.

Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living pred


The Last Devil to Die: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery By Richard Osman Cover Image
$29.00
ISBN: 9780593299425
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Pamela Dorman Books - September 19th, 2023

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman


It's rarely a quiet day for the Thursday Murder Club.


Homecoming: A Historical Mystery By Kate Morton Cover Image
$32.00
ISBN: 9780063020894
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Mariner Books - April 4th, 2023

The highly anticipated new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Clockmaker’s Daughter, a sweeping novel that begins with a shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations


All That Is Mine I Carry With Me: A Novel By William Landay Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9780345531841
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Bantam - March 7th, 2023

A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt. From the bestselling author of Defending Jacob. . . .
 
“Gripping . . . a masterly piece of writing.”—The New York Times


The Little Village of Book Lovers: A Novel By Nina George Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593157886
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Ballantine Books - July 25th, 2023

A young woman with the extraordinary power to bring soulmates together searches for her own true love in this tender, lyrical standalone novel inspired by the “bona fide international hit” (The New York Times Book Review) The Little Paris Bookshop


The Golden Gate: A Novel By Amy Chua Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781250903600
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Minotaur Books - September 19th, 2023

Amy Chua's debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.