MBTB's GOAT

You can see the huge number of books MBTB has treasured over the years. First owners, Jill and Carolyn, started putting stars on books they really liked. Other staff members put in their two cents, too, and a list was born. Towards the end of MBTB's run, everybody chipped in their stars. It gathered dust after the physical store's closing in 2013, but here it is, dusted off, updated, and raring to go. It represents 40+ years of deep thinking about what constitutes a good mystery. The conclusion? It depends on the reader's mood, tolerance of style and/or plot slippage, cover design (yes, we did judge books by their covers, sometimes), and whether there was an intriguing character. There were 20+ people over the years contributing their opinions, so the variety is keen and expansive.

MBTB's Favorite Books Through the Years