I just heard that David Thompson from Murder by the Book in Houston died suddenly yesterday. He was in his late thirties and had been working at MBTB for 21 years.
MBTB is the place for mystery lovers in Houston. It’s pretty much the only bookstore I go to any more. They bring in all the big name authors for signings, lectures, and other events, but they’re also extremely supportive of the little folk, too. When I attended a Michael Connelly signing a few years back, I joked to Connelly that he was my editor (for a story in The Blue Religion). David overheard and immediately invited me to do a signing. That signing turned out to be one of the best events I’ve ever had.
There was a funny and fun story in the Houston Chronicle a while back about how David and the current MBTB owner, McKenna, transitioned from being friends and coworkers to dating to getting married. David always remembered me when I went into the store (which wasn’t more than once or twice a year), and he was one of the most enthusiastic and friendly guys I’ve ever met. I last saw him at the Edgar Award banquet earlier this year—a short story from one of his Busted Flush Press titles was nominated.
Terribly sad news.
