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Otto Penzler

(b.1942)

Otto Penzler is the proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. He was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years. Mr. Penzler was the founder of The Mysterious Press, which has now become part of the Warner publishing empire; he also created the publishing firm of Otto Penzler Books, which is now an imprint at Carroll & Graf, and The Armchair Detective Library, a publishing house devoted to reprinting classic crime fiction for the collector and library markets.

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Historical Romance

New Books

September 2023

Best Crime Stories of the Year Volume 3
(Best Mystery Stories of the Year, book 3)

Anthology series

Pulp Fiction
   1. The Crimefighters (2006)
   2. The Villains (2007)
   3. The Dames (2008)

Vampire Archives
   The Vampire Archives (2009)
   1. Bloodsuckers (2010)
   2. Fangs (2010)

Anthologies edited

Non fiction

   Danger! White Water (1976)
   Hang Gliding: Riding the Wind (1976)
   Daredevils on Wheels (1976)
   Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection (1976) (with Chris Steinbrunner)
   Detectionary (1980) (with Marvin Lachman and Chris Steinbrunner)
   This Prize is Dangerous (1985)
   The Crown Crime Companion (1995) (with Mickey Friedman (Michael Jan Friedman))
   Scientific American Guide to Science on the Internet (2000)
   101 Greatest Films of Mystery & Suspense (2000)
   The Best American Crime Reporting 2007 (2007) (with Linda Fairstein)
   The Best American Crime Reporting 2008 (2008) (with Thomas H Cook and Jonathan Kellerman)
   The Best American Crime Reporting 2009 (2009) (with Thomas H Cook and Jeffrey Toobin)
   The Best American Crime Reporting 2010 (2010) (with Thomas H Cook and Stephen J Dubner)
   In Pursuit of Spenser (2012)

Series contributed to

Best Mystery Stories of the Year
   1. Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021 (2021) (with Lee Child)
     aka Best Crime Stories of the Year: 2021
   2. The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022 (2022) (with Sara Paretsky)
     aka Best Crime Stories of the Year Volume 2
   3. Best Crime Stories of the Year Volume 3 (2023) (with Amor Towles)

Otto Penzler recommends

Kill the Father (2017)
(Caselli and Torre, book 1)
Sandrone Dazieri
"A big psychological suspense novel that captures the reader from the first page…Shocks, surprises, horrors, twists, and revelations abound in this long, compelling thriller."

The Ways of the Dead (2014)
(Sully Carter, book 1)
Neely Tucker
"In a textured, wholly believable Washington, D.C., simultaneously near and far from the corridors of power, Neely Tucker, in his accomplished mystery debut, has created a gripping tale of secrets and lies, malice and mayhem . . . and very dead young women."

The Preservationist (2013)
Justin Kramon
"The Preservationist offers that rare alchemy of page-turning suspense and first-rate writing. I raced to the explosive conclusion, then found myself haunted by it. One of my favorite thrillers of the year, it's a book you don't want to miss."

We're in Trouble (2005)
Christopher Coake
"I've read more than a thousand stories a year for the past eight years and nothing, nothing, has surpassed the work of Mr. Coake. You will be stunned, you will have tears in your eyes, and you will remember these stories for the rest of your life."

The 25th Hour (2000)
David Benioff
"The 25th Hour is a wonderfully written first novel . . .[a] brilliant and disturbing story."

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