Greeat bookstore with lots of mysteries, some signed. They have a small science fantasy section and some used books.

Beautiful atmosphere, very cozy feeling inside!Even though we were just looking around the staff were very friendly :)

This place is so cute I love to buy my thrillers here & support this amazing indie bookstore ! I’ve been in a few times & John is always so kind as well the other staff !

A wonderful indie bookstore with a deep selection of mysteries and thrillers. A knowledgeable and helpful staff can make recommendations for books youll enjoy based on what youve loved in the past.

Really great selection of mystery books - I found a bunch of Agatha Christie’s I hadn’t read yet. Definitely worth a visit if your a fan of mystery novels or want to see what the genre has to offer.

Absolutely loved the store atmosphere! This was my first time visiting but it will not be the last

Coolest bookstore in town if you love Thrillers. Love this place. Great staff and incredible opportunities to pick up autographed booksTimothy Sojka, Author Payback Jack

Great bookstore with knowledgeable and friendly staff. Always worth returning to for the latest books.

Such an amazing collection of murder mystery books! And then they had the newest Miss Fisher mystery!!!!

I went to Houston for an author visit to Murder By the Book. It was charming, and the staff was very friendly. An independent bookstore has a certain enchantment to it.

Everyone loves what they do there. Such good service. A Houston institution.

Very friendly and helpful staff. Loved the vibe and appreciated the care they took to make the environment safe and clean. Cant wait to be a regular!

Great Book Store! Great Employees! Buy Local, Buy Indie!!!

Look for the staff recommendation cards; Ive found many new favorites that way!

MBTB is far and away my favorite bookstore

I went down to Houston to Murder By the Book for an author visit. I found it charming with very pleasant staff. There is something magic about an independent book store.

Everyone wore masks and it felt very safe COVID-wise.The staff/owner put recommendations on different shelves for books which I thought was very effective.

Love this book store! This afternoon listening to my favorite author Daniel Silva and getting his new book signed.

Great book store!!! Loved the selections

Such an awesome place! I would come back and recommend this place to my friends.

Staff is very helpful.

The bookstore is awesome. It is well organized and clean. The staff is friendly and can make helpful suggestions and recommendations for new book ideas and/or variety. The frequent book signings are awesome and insightful. This is a must see bookstore. Highly recommend visiting the store and attending a book signing if you get a chance.

Very attentive and capable staff.

Reasonably good selection although they didnt have the book I was looking for (offered to order it but I was leaving town). They did make alternative suggestions and I bought them both. One was OK, the other quite depressing. Im not sure the person assisting me understood what I was looking for. Would go back.

Whenever I visit Houston, I try to swing by Murder By The Book. It has a great personality and feels so much nicer than the generic, corporate bookstores. The staff really knows they stuff and can find you something great to read in no time flat. And lets not forget the frequent signings from all kinds of authors. Do yourself a favor and stop by today!

Adheres to covid safety precautions and gets orders made online ready for pickup pretty quickly.

Fun little bookstore that specializes in mysteries. Well organized by authors nationality and alphabetized.All the books are brand new and they have excellent editions.There are no used books. I add that caveat in case that is what you are looking for.

Quirky little bookstore that must be protected for future generations. I wish I came here as a child, I wouldve been absolutely enchanted.

Good selection of books, patient and knowledgeable staff, and excellent weekly events. Love the place!

Friendly, large selection of books & is an independent bookseller. We need to support these stores as everyone has character.Always helpful with terrific author signings.

One of the few remaining independent booksellers that I know of in Houston. If you love mysteries this is the place to be. Selections from all over the world and every subgenre you could hope for. Friendly staff is happy to help or leave you alone to browse the day away!

A favorite place for mysteries. Many well- known writers have appeared to promote their books. Fun!

This place is awesome! I was just visiting Houston and stumbled upon this place when looking for cool shops to check out. I am so glad I went! They had an amazing selection and hand-written reviews by the staff. I ended up getting The Final Girl, by Riley Sager, based on the staff picks wall. It was a great read! I finished it in 24 hours!

I like this place. A lot. I like the way the books are organized, and I love the selection. It sells things for book lovers AND people who simply want to enjoy whimsical knock-knacks. Workers are also friendly. :)

I love THIS cozy little place more than any bookstore i have ever visited. The staff knows their stuff. If they dont have the book you want, they will order it, or perhaps send you a block down the street to another cozy place that has your book in stock! Authors respect this place because they got a part or all of their start here. You will never see the array of famous people MBTB has at their signings in any Barnes & Noble! Support independent bookstores!

If you are a murder mystery fan you should make a trip here because they have all sorts of mystery and crime novels, true crime books. They even have used books and bargain books for$1. All the books are organized into sub-categories which helps to find your favorite type, and the staff are voracious readers and put post-its on the books telling you their personal favorites. Its a one of a kind mom and pop style store...the kind that have almost completely vanished thanks to the big dealers and Amazon. Its worth paying a little more to have this kind of fun place to go and just grab a book on a whim.

The second I walked in I fell in love. Warm atmosphere, friendly staff, books beautifully on display, little reading books...I could have stayed all day!

I love coming here for the authors they bring in! They definitely know what theyre doing! Atmosphere is warm and the staff welcoming.

This book store is amazing. Parking isnt all that great, but dont let that stop you. If you are into murder, noir, and the macabre, give it a visit!

Every avid reader should, at sometime in their lives, have a relationship with a book store like Murder By The Book. Mine was many years ago, in my youth. I can still recognize it in the owner, staff and the ambiance of this gem. A culture entire in a few hundred square feet. All joy to the readers.

Best indie bookstore in Houston

Its a cool book shop specializing in, but not limited to, murder mysteries. They also do numerous book signing with some famous authors.

An example of what bookstores were about. Just saw 1 employee but he was knowledgeable, cordial & ready to listen & respond to my questions. Store specializes in mysteries & suspense books. Has a steady stream of authors doing book talks there.

One of the best bookstores Ive ever patronized. Just outstanding. Every member of the staff has an astounding knowledge of their inventory, along with knowledge of authors and even plots of certain books. A great selection of used books and new. My wife and I stop here every time were in Houston. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by how bookselling should be.

An amazing mystery bookstore with people who appreciate and take care of their customers. Great live events with authors, but get there early for those events!

Quaint bookstore with a great atmosphere!

What can I say - this has been my favorite place since I lived near Houston in the 1990s. Its a must stop every time Im in the area. Everyone has a great knowledge of books and they never fail to recommend yet another good author. Check out their event list as they always bring quality authors in for talks and book signings.

Amazing people work there, and I was introduced to a quaint, mystery focused bookstore.

Okay, Ive only physically visited the bookstore once and was blown away by the knowledgeable staff and the breadth of their mystery book stock. However, Ive been buying books from them via email for over 10 years. I live in California and any time I see something of interest in their wonderful newsletter, I email them. I always get a response back and the item is sent immediately after ordering (or after signing) usually having a protective cover over the dust jacket. If it werent for the weather here, Id move to Houston just for this bookstore.

Wonderful bookstore for mystery/thriller lovers. If mystery is your thing, you owe it to yourself to visit this shop.

Ive been here a few times for book signings. Last time I went was for James Rollins. Lovely book store. Lots of selection. One of the last little guys. Nice to support local!

Love this store! I have to stop by every time I am in town. The staff really knows their stuff and are so helpful at recommending great books.

Small personal book store. Heavy on mystery. Lots of cool events and book signings

Great selection of mystery books and they have frequent events and author book signings.

Im always looking for new little bookshops in our area. This place is great for all things murder mystery.

Very cozy and comfortable little independent book store, with user-friendly displays of all the current and recent novels. Not just murder mysteries, either! Located in the best part of Bissonnet, too, just west of Greenbrier. Check them out!

My all-time favorite bookstore!!

These events are fabulous. We are avid readers and the staff here is so knowledge. Craig Johnson author of the Longmire Series was very engaging.

Came for a signing by Brandon Sanderson. The staff was nice and helpful and the signing went well even though 200 people is a bit much for a store this small they made it work. If coming for a signing my suggestion is buy your book early from them to get a good number and get to the signing early if a seat is important to you.

Great bookstore with greater people!

Wonderful little out of the way bookstore! Has fabulous writers (that come and do book signings) all of the time.

One of the best niche bookstores in Houston. Staff is extremely helpful, but not in a way that would stop you from enjoying a pleasant browse.

Went there to see Kevin Hearne. They let us bring our dog we named after a character in his book. Very cool!

What a marvelous bookshop. Its cozy with friendly, helpful staff. I visited for the first time this week for an author event and look forward to returning again soon.

This is a specialty local independent book store with staff that knows the product. Theyve helped me find gifts for my mom and dad that surprised and delighted them based on what I know of what my parents like to read. So far theyve beaten the Amazon algorithms by a lot.Theyve got author signings that are fun to attend and a great way to get your book signed.Believe it or not theyve also got a decent YA section (with a mystery and espionage focus of course). And theyve got a decent amount of Rick Riordans Percy Jackson books.Finally, its my favorite place to take friends when they come to town. So far Ive made 2 out of 3 converts...

Huge selection of crime and murder mysteries. Love meeting the authors on tour with their new releases. New authors every week.

I love the store but am allergic to dogs so I cant stay there more than 15 minutes. This became apparent when I attended a book signing event -- after I paid for a book in anticipation of having the author sign it.I would love to support the store (buy books) but I cant justify it when I cant breathe inside.

Reasonable price and a large selection of book

I have been to this location multiple times and this time was by far the roughest. Had my baby with me to see one of my favorite authors and get a book signed. We stepped outside because she was getting fussy and the woman behind the counter was very rude about it. She came and told us to go to the front of the line so we can go home. She in no way made me feel wanted in the store.

I always enjoy my shopping at Murder By The Book. Bring a friend with you, its more fun to share the experience.:)

The store itself is cute and cozy but for the Brandon Sanderson signing it was definitely not the ideal place to be. More than half the fans were lined up outside because there wasnt enough room inside.

VERY NICE INTERESTING PLACE WITH AN ORIGINAL NAME! MY SWEET DAUGTHERR LIVE HER BOOK ABOUT NAUGHTY NANA

Just a great store. Very well-read staff who can steer you to new authors. Lots of authors come by for signings. So glad they are in my part of town.

Unbelievably good bookstore, with regular readings from well known authors. Way better browsing experience than youll ever get online

I like. Its nice. Overwhelming with floor-to-ceiling Murder by the Book , yes. But just until you choose a section, select a read or two and find a window seat on the 2nd level (floor or chair). Then youll settle in with a bottomless cup of caffeine that cost less than $2 and be just fine.Just dont -- whatever you do, just DONT -- have any dealings with a cell phone. Not by accident, not for an emergency, not for anything in the world.

Great. We attended a book signing for Brad Thor. He is very personable.

They really know their books. I always enjoy coming here to see whats new.

Great little store. Attended a book signing by Craig Johnson and it was very well run.

Neat place. Went with some people really into murder mysteries and they found a lot to buy and the staff answered all their questions. Im not so much into mystery but i found one book that im really enjoying so maybe this was a start!

One of the best bookstores imaginable. They truly know their stuff here. Every time my mom visits they have a huge stack of books waiting based on her likes and dislikes. They also have various parefenalia relating to the theme of the store, like murder mystery games, book themed candles, and wonderfully painted matchboxes that look like the covers of classic mysteries. Besides mysteries the store also has some sci-fi and fantasy. They carry new works and classics. It would be impossible not to recommend this store, with its quirky facade of a book shaped roof and its marvelous selection.

The best resource for mystery books! Pleasant & helpful employees. Meet all my wants & needs.

Best book store in town! Ive been shopping here for many years. Highly recommend it.

You know that feeling you get when you go in a place and youre the only minority there and you see the white customers getting the best customer service with a smile and friendly walk around the store bc it wasnt busy and then when you are there the workers barely acknowledge you not one smile and when you leave not one goodbye even though you were literally at that point the only person in the store and BOTH workers were at the counter doing nothing. So yeah this is a WHITES ONLY place which sucks because there are mystery lovers of all shades. I will just leave my business to Amazon.

Great book store, awesome customer service, and reasonablely priced books. I look forward to returning.

Great! The staff is excellent and kept things at the book signing moving along briskly....

Came for both the Sanderson and Harkness book signings and am consistently impressed - Murder By The Book has passionate ownership, great orginzation, wonderful staff, and a fabulous selection of books while youre waiting. Were a ways away, but will definitely be back.

Great selection and knowledgeable staff that are always ready to help and make yesterday

A paradise for all the lovers of fiction.

Wonderful place full of great books and fabulous authors.

Five stars for being such an excellent niche shop. Frequent author appearances, huge selection. Not much outside the genre (but thats the point).

Great place to get signed editions and meet authors.

My first time ever being here and it was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to come back here again

We go for free to meet authors and have books signed. Small book store focussed on mysteries

One of the two or three best bookstores in the city and the best of its type (mystery) in the country.

Book selection was best in class; not so much the help.

Small, cute. Excellent staff. All bookstores should be like this.

Great experience at Joe R. Lansdale reading/signing. MbtB is a great bookstore and are great hosts!

Very atmospheric, cozy bookstore that specializes in mystery, suspense, thrillers and some fantasy. Staff is friendly and accommodating.

A real gem. Passionate staff have a great knowledge of the books they sell.

Quaint little books store with kind knowledgeable staff. They have reviews on the shelf for the books. They have a long standing tradition of hosting authors.