Partners & Crime

Partners & Crime will close on September 20, 2012 — until then, they’re having a THANK YOU sale so stop on by, find that rare book you always meant to read, reminisce and say farewell…

Both new and used mysteries (interpreted fairly broadly), arranged in useful and intriguing ways (Scandinavia, first in a great series, etc). This bookstore does just what a great bookstore should do, by selecting and displaying enough books to explore and few enough that you can make decisions relatively easily. Worth visiting by any mystery reader, resident or visitor to NYC.

YES. THIS IS WHAT I CAME TO NYC FOR.
This place sets my literary loins on fire. I’m a bibliophile, but more specifically, a self-​proclaimed mysteriophile. Nothing piques my interest more in a story than when it revolves around some sort of mystery or intriguing unanswered question (which is why Lost appealed to me so strongly before it’s donkeyfuck of an ending), and the fact that there’s a bookstore specifically devoted to this much maligned and oft-​overlooked genre is too good to be true. Mystery novels are the perfect vehicle for delivering all the ‘high brow’ agendas of literature to the reader — whether to convey a strong sense of time or place, delve into a particular historical period or event, or serve as a fascinating character study — yet within an intriguing, propulsive narrative form that keeps the audience captive long enough to absorb all that juicy stuff along the way to the final solution. Cheap airport paperbacks have done much to damage this genre’s rep, which is why bookstores like these are so important.
Anyway, irrelevant rant aside, this place is a gem. Incredible selection that is conveniently split into different sub-​genres — foreign (Boris Akunin), wartime (Alan Furst), political (John le Carre), hard-​boiled (Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammet), puzzle (Umberto Eco and co.), Victorian era (Wilkie Collins), etc, and there’s an inviting set of couches to crash on with your selections with some dimly-​lit candelabra to enhance the mood. Most importantly, one of the original founders was there to assist me with my selection, and she knew everything about every major and minor mystery author imaginable. They have a wall of staff picks for the 100 best mystery novels ever written, which I’m told is constantly updated as the original founders of the store argue and change their minds. That’s awesome, and it speaks to the passion for the genre that so thoroughly imbues this bookstore.
If you’re a fan of literature in general, consider stopping by. And if you have even a passing interest in giants like Christie, Conan Doyle, or hell, even Stieg Larsson, you owe it to yourself to visit and keep places like this in business. Highly recommended.

I’ll preface this review by saying that this is a tucked away, quaint neighborhood bookstore. For some reason, I’m not sure I’d be a regular here if I lived in this area. The titles were not purely mystery/​thriller and I even saw a couple titles from the Twilight saga. There was a shelf of $ 6 out of print paperbacks that I perused in the hopes of stumbling across any undiscovered yet soon-​to-​be-​favorite titles.
My mom wound up with a couple of titles, but she is always skilled at ferreting out good reads. I could see liking this bookshop more if I wanted to browse and wasn’t looking around for any specific titles.

Quality bookstore. Staff know what they’re talking about and the selection of mystery books is great! Makes me want to read more and more

More bookstores need to be like this.
Initially, the selection is overwhelming so much so that I had to do a lap or 2 around before I even decided on anything. On top of that they had a whole section devoted to one of my favorites, DIck Francis!
And it’s the type of store that you can tell the employees love working there — they even take the time to hand write little blurbs about books they enjoy!
Finally, it’s the type of place that they just let you browse for hours if you want and never once do they bother you! And when you go to check out they typically have a story or two related to the authors of the books you are purchasing.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
And the Greenwich Tree House is on the list of bars to visit :)

My first trip to NY and you think I would be out partying it up and all that jazz on a beautiful day but no. me and my girlfriends went out vintage shopping and I spotted this place from one of the stores across the street! I love to read mystery and fiction and when I saw this place I ditched all my friends and literally ran there! I was in book heaven. It has a larger selection than barnes and noble and it’s only one genre. can you guess what it is? I bought 5 books that day. and even though it’s all mystery and crime, they have their own sub-​sections so it’s easy to find what you want.
The guy that was working there was very knowledgeable about what they have and helped me find books real easily. he was very sweet and helpful.
I would definitely recommend this place. If you are in the area and love books, stop on in. I bet you’ll walk out with something you love.

This is how bookselling should be done. Friendly, professional, knowledgeable, comprehensive – the customer service here is superb.
You don’t have to love crime fiction to appreciate the excellence of this store itself. Not only is the stock in great shape and the interior well-​organized and comfortable, but the staff goes to the trouble write up engaging hang-​tags to draw attention to hidden gems. There’s also a nice display of their «100 Best.» I came in for one book and left with six.
These folks are tops with recommendations. I spent some time talking to Maggie Topkis (one of the owners and also the publisher of Felony & Mayhem, which resurrects out-​of-​print mysteries, among other things). Bubbly and full of intelligent chatter, she clearly sets the tone for this sociable spot.
Plenty of signed volumes for when you need a gift. Apparently, lots of authors stop by, and the store regularly plays host to mystery-​related events. What a gem.

We had a fabulous time there this past weekend at the radio show. My daughter now lives in NY and took us there when we showed up to visit from SF. This is a wonderful, professional show in a warm, small theater behind the bookcase at the back of the shop. Part of the cast doubles as ticket and reservation taker, very courteous, friendly, and we felt completely at home and had a great time. I can’t recommend this more — a total bargain and a very fun time. Great voices, sound effects, scripts. Way thumbs up. Great bar right next door, too, for before or after the show. If I didn’t have suitcase room restrictions I would have done Christmas shopping in the bookstore, too — tons of mystery books with staff recommendations. Thanks, Partners & Crime — we’ll see you when we get back to NY!

I love this book store. Not only does it have a wonderful selection but it also has a lot of heart. I published a wonderful detective novel written by Jack Rosenblatt, who unfortunately died before he could get it published, Neighborhood Boys Who Ran. Before it came out, I got some preview copies and took 2 down to Partner’s & Crime. I told the woman behind the counter the story and immediately she agreed to take 2 books and reorder. She even wrote up a card explaining the story of how the book got published and put the book in her featured books section facing the door. I will always remember her kindness

This is my favorite mystery bookstore in NYC. The events are really fun and the owners are wonnnnnnnderful! Almost impossible to find if you don’t take a cab or live in Greenwich Village. Be sure you look down as you walk down the street. Lots of good places to eat before or after a signing and great book selection. They even publish their own books for authors that they have loved in the past and are out of print. Really quiet most of the time, but lots of authors just drop by at signings; Lee Child, Megan Abbott, Jasper Fford, they all wander through and chat. And only 5 – 6 blocks from the Belgium Beer Bar. Yah!

I love reading, and this place gives me fuel for fire. simply the best in New york.

Why have I never seen this place before??? What a beautiful hidden gem… and a true mystery reader’s paradise! This is the most incredible store if you have a passion for spy and espionage, crime novels or basic mystery and intrigue. As you walk through the store, you’ll find handwritten slips of paper in front of certain book series and certain authors describing the premise or the author’s writing style… drawing you in to peruse and delve into new page-​turning territories!
I’m planning an afternoon to return soon to find some fresh flights of imaginations.

there need to be more specialty bookstores like this, with funny, ironic names. this is my cure for when I leave the strand feeling unfulfilled. i’m assuming the owner/​guy behind the counter has read almost every book they sell, b. c i go in here and ask for books with really obscure topics and he starts listing off authors.
also, in non-​related review info: there is always some chick writing at a desk near the back shelves, and I want to know WHY. is she writing a suspense novel, is she in hiding?!, is she there to add to the obscurity of the store?

I can’t speak to their book selection, but I do know that they have a great old-​timey radio show that they do in a room hidden behind some of the bookcases. I’ve been to it several times. They do great old stuff like The Shadow and War of the Worlds. A while back I saw A Christmas Tale there and then when we stepped outside, it was the first snowfall of winter. Pretty magical place!

Not that I ever need a reason for a road trip to NY… but I often use Partners & Crime as another good reason why… Great, great, great selection of mysteries – including specialty mysteries, and hard-​to-​find categories. Their display of the 100 (I think) of their recommended mysteries is great. They are also great at suggesting books based upon your interests. I was there last summer, right before a beach vacation, and the owner was fantabulous – recommended three or four books she thought I would enjoy – and she was right. They were riveting. I was there this winter – and the owner, again, did an excellent job of pointing out some «Not to be missed» up and coming writers. Great place. I’m due for another trip.

when i was in college i worked at a bookstore. before i was interviewed i was given a questionnaire. it asked a lot of strange personal questions that seemed to mostly pertain to ethics on a form i was given. i found it odd that there was only one book-​related question in with all of these questions. the question was:
«do you read a lot of mysteries /​detective novels?»
i did read some, but not enough to call it ‘a lot’ so i checked ‘no’. later on i learned that the company thought the people that read a lot of these types of books were more likely to steal or run scams on the company. i didn’t agree with it, and found it kind of funny.
partners & crime has, as far as i know, the best selection of mystery novels in ny. none of the people that work there seem to arouse suspicion or seem shifty. sometimes i think it would be more fun if they did.

If you’re a mystery reader, this is your shop — and stop.
If you’re an _​everything reader_​, like I am, the proprietor will sell you your paperback of William Gibson’s «Pattern Recognition» and then explain that it’s one of the few non-​mysteries they sell.
Smart buyers, and smart selection. Go there.

Every now and then, when I feel dorkier than usual, I come here wearing shades and a black top hat and pretend that I’m a private dick on a case, a la Bogart in The Big Sleep. I discreetly browse around until someone reminds me of reality. Then I leave.
I’ve never brought anything here because I’m not into mystery books, but I like the people here because they always put up with my pathetic charades.

Nestled just below street level, this is a cool specialty bookstore. If I were planning a jewel-​heist, I would definitely ask the friendly, knowledgable staff here what novels I should read to learn cool techniques for avoiding detection. If I were planning a birthday present for a mystery lover, I might do the same thing, but with a lower budget and less urgency.