Murder by the Book

(1982) Killers lurk in corners. Innocent Bystanders have a place reserved for them between Hard Boiled Detectives and Soft Boiled Sleuths. Mystery book fans have begun to ferret out Murder by the Book, where they can find a wall-to-wall selection of stories of mayhem and the macabre.

"I can never find enough murder mysteries to read," said proprietor Jill Hinckley. "Mystery fans are a dedicated group, and they like to read a lot," she said. Open since April, the bookstore has more than 5000 new and used titles, arranged in the small store front at 3729 S.E. Hawthorne Boulevard. Browsers and buyers are guided to their favorite authors or subjects by Hinckley's distinctive classification system. 

Some shelves contain "Yard Birds" or "Cops and Killers." Others are labeled "Cherchez La Femme," "Cries and Whispers," "Young and Restless," and "In a Far Away Land." Prolific authors such as Ian Fleming, Rex Stout, Helen MacInnes and Ross MacDonald have their own sections. An overstuffed couch and two armchairs in the back room provide a place to read and relax.

A former land-use planner for the Metropolitan Service District and the city of Portland, Hinckley quit her job a year ago to write a novel, which is now in its second draft. "Every fan is a closet writer," she said. "I've always had a dream of having my own bookstore. It's fun talking with other people who like mysteries."