Megan Abbott Books

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Megan Abbott is an American author that writes crime fiction. Born in 1971, Megan was initially known for her analysis of hardboiled crime fiction. But then she made the jump to writing and publishing full-length novels and short stories and that put her on the map.

The author was born in Detroit. Her father was a Wayne State professor and an author. Her mother did some writing but it was largely a hobby she only pursued on the side. Megan’s household loved books.

The family took every opportunity they could find to go to the bookstore. As a child, the author loved movies in the crime genre from the 1930s and 1940s and that influenced her reading habits.

Her parents took note of her interest in true crime literature. They allowed her to experiment with the genre despite her age. She remembers being terrified by some of the books she stumbled upon. But over time she adapted to the stories and eventually moved on to mysteries by authors like Agatha Christie.

It wasn’t long before Megan Abbott stumbled upon the likes of Raymond Chandler. The author’s desire to write was sparked when she got to college. Megan initially wanted to study psychology.

But then a desire to make movies struck, though it did not last and she eventually landed an English course. Megan currently has a Bachelor’s Degree (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) and a PhD. in Literature (New York University).

The Ph.D. has a special place in Megan’s heart because it gave her an excuse to spend years of her life reading crime noir. It was while the author worked on her dissertation as an undergrad that the idea of writing noir came to her.

She attended a few workshops and realized that she had the skills to pull her writing dream off. It took her a few years before she was able to produce novels like Die a Little’ and Queenpin’.

Megan Abbott did such a great job of delivering hard-boiled crime fiction set in the mid-19th Century that her fans were quite surprised when she switched to contemporary settings and started to publish books like Dare Me’ which took readers back to high school.

A few critics took offense with Megan’s decision to give up noir for the sake of churning out stories about mean girls in high school. But most literary professionals received Megan’s transformation with open arms.

The author has a penchant for creating seemingly innocent characters who take unexpected and sometimes violent actions when they are cornered.

Megan Abbott Awards

Megan has been nominated for Anthony, Macavity, and Thriller Awards for books like Bury me Deep, Dare Me, Die a Little, The End of Everything, The Fever, The Little Men, Queenpin, and You Will Know Me.

The author won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Queenpin’ in 2008. She also won the Thriller Award for The Fever in 2015.

Best Megan Abbott Books

Megan Abbott has been writing and publishing fiction since 2005, with some of the best titles in her bibliography including:

You Will Know Me: Devon is the only thing that matters. The 15-year-old is a gymnast and she is pretty good at the sport. In fact, some might call her a prodigy. If all goes well, the little girl could find her way to the Olympics one day.

Katie and Eric Knox are determined to see their daughter scale the tallest mountains in the sport. They have dedicated their lives to her success. As such, a violent death in their close-knit sporting community leaves the whole family shaken.

An important competition is just a few weeks away and Devon needs to stay focused. But that might prove difficult now that rumors have begun to spread. Everyone is talking about a hidden plot.

Cracks are forming in the community and suddenly allegiances matter more than ever. Katie believes that it is up to her to keep the family together. However, she also cannot help but feel drawn to the crime in question. Katie knows that there are secrets in the dark places of the gymnastics community and she is curious to see what happens when they are finally revealed.

Queenpin: Gloria was a mob luminary at a time when names like Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano were all anyone could talk about. Gloria Denton is happy to take a young woman under her wing.

Initially hired to keep the books at a nightclub, Gloria opens the young woman’s eyes to a world of racetracks, gambling and big money. The young woman reaches a place where she realizes that everything she has ever wanted is finally within her grasp and all she has to do to keep it is to not fall for the wrong guy.

When Does The Next Megan Abbott book come out?

Megan Abbott doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Beware the Woman and was released on May, 30th 2023.

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