Farewell, Black Orchid Bookshop

I wish I could say I’m surprised at the news, but I’m not. Still, only months after the shuttering of Murder Ink, the news that Black Orchid will close its E. 81st Street shop in September is a real blow, leaving me with a mixture of sadness, guilt and many, many fond memories of hours spent in the company of Bonnie and Joe, two of the most beloved people in the mystery community.

But September isn’t here yet, and the shop plans their 13th anniversary party nonetheless on August 16, starting at 6 PM. It may be farewell, but it’s also sure to be a hell of a party. And “even though we may no longer have a brick and mortar presence in the

mystery community,” write Bonnie and Joe on the store’s website, “we still plan to be around. So, for our song, may be

we follow the lead of another large-sized albeit fictional Italian, put

some money in the jukebox, and play Journey. We won’t stop believing

and just hold on to the feeling.”