Jim Huang

They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated and Forgotten Mystery Novels

Jim Huang

• 2003 Anthony-Critical winner
• 2003 Macavity-Nonfiction winner
• 2002 Agatha–Nonfiction winner
• Score: 30.53

Mystery Muses: 100 Classics That Inspire Today's Mystery Writers

Jim Huang, Austin Lugar

• 2007 Anthony-Critical winner
• 2007 Macavity-Nonfiction winner
• 2006 Agatha–Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 26.57

We asked 100 published writers: “Did a mystery set you on your path to being a writer? Is there a classic mystery that remains important to you today?” This book is the result.

The writers we contacted represent the entire spectrum of the mystery genre, from cozy to hardboiled, from acclaimed veterans to some of the field’s most intriguing newcomers. Young or old, each of these writers reminds us of a basic truism: great writers are great readers first. Their essays reveal the extent to which the discovery of these seminal texts was not just literary inspiration but a life-altering event.

We found it especially endearing to see how often contributors referred not just to a book’s text but to its literal form as well: a particular copy of a particular edition. We are reminded that the power of the printed word derives in part from the fact that it is printed and bound, fixed in both time and place.

In these essays, we’re also reminded of the power of the genre itself. For many writers, their classics represent more than just a bar against which to measure their own work,…

100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century

Jim Huang

• 2001 Anthony-Critical winner
• 2000 Agatha–Nonfiction winner
• 2001 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 26.51

The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association list of 100 favorite mysteries of the 20th century represents the accumulated wisdom of the most knowledgeable people in the business. These are the books we most enjoy, the books we present to our customers over and over again, and the books that we ourselves return to when we want to visit with cherished friends.

In this book, we journey through our list of 100, with essays contributed by bookselles across the United States and Canada. The book also features individual booksellers’ lists of titles that did not make the list of 100 but should have, insights about mysteries and what our favorites mean to us, a directory of independent booksellers specializing in mysteries and, finally, a shopping list with current publication information about our 100 favorites.

A late addition to this season’s publishing schedule, 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century is IMBA’s holiday gift to our friends in the mystery community.