Recommended reading - The New Mammoth Book of Pulp Fiction (2014):

The New Mammoth Book of Pulp Fiction

Edited by Maxim Jakubowski.

Paperback.

Published 2014.

Short story anthology.

Published by Running Press Adult.

ISBN 13: 9780762452217

ISBN 10: 0762452218

ASIN: 0762452218

Description:

Join shady operators, voluptuous molls, ruthless big-shots, and crooked cops in this massive collection filled with seven decades worth of pure, unadulterated pulp fiction. From Mickey Spillane to Dashiell Hammett, all the greatest writers are here – so watch your back!

Recommended reading - Murder Plus: True Crime Stories from the Masters of Detective Fiction (1992):

Murder Plus

True Crime Stories from the Masters of Detective Fiction

Edited by Marc Gerald

Paperback

Published 1992.

Published by Pharos Books.

ISBN 13: 9780886876623

ISBN 10: 0886876621

ASIN: 0886876621

Description:

A collection of twenty-five true crime stories culled from the pages of old pulp magazines features works by such masters of detective fiction as Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammett, Robert Bloch, Ellery Queen, Harlan Ellison, and others. Simultaneous.

Recommended reading - A Century of Noir: Thirty-two Classic Crime Stories (2002):

A Century of Noir: Thirty-two Classic Crime Stories

Edited by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins.

Published 2002.

ISBN-10: 0451205960

ISBN-13: 978-0451205964

Anthology of short stories.

Description:

Bleak streets and bleaker futures. Trapped heroes and desperate shreds of hope. Wicked women and broken dreams. Urban whirlpools and inexorable fates. Call it noir. Call it pulp. Call it black – and blue. It’s a tradition – tough, reckless, and uncompromising – born from the fierce imaginations of a century of writers with a unique talent for creating shadows out of words and turning raw emotion into pure poetry.

And this is noir at its incomparable best – thirty-two of the finest crime stories of the twentieth century, personally chosen by Shamus Award winner Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane, one of the true masters of hard-boiled fiction.

Recommended reading - The Gutter and the Grave (1958).

The Gutter and the Grave

By Ed McBain.

Published by Hard Case Crime.

First published 1958.

Complete and Unabridged.

ISBN-10: 0857683675

ISBN-13: 978-0857683670

Description:

Detective Matt Cordell was happily married once, and gainfully employed, and sober. But that was before he caught his wife cheating on him with one of his operatives and took it out on the man with the butt end of a .45.

Now Matt makes his home on the streets of New York and his only companions are the city’s bartenders. But trouble still knows how to find him, and when Johnny Bridges shows up from the old neighborhood, begging for Matt’s help, Cordell finds himself drawn into a case full of beautiful women and bloody murder. It’s just like the old days – only this time, when the beatings come, he may wind up on the receiving end...

Recommended reading - Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm (2024):

Phiction:
Tales from the World of Phantasm

By Don Coscarelli.

Illustrated by Aaron Lea.

Foreward by Joe R. Lansdale.

Paperback.

Published by Molotov Press.

Published 2024.

ASIN: B0D2QZ3MQK

ISBN-13: 979-8988243038

Description:

“Electrifyingly tense and gruesome… Horror fans and cult devotees of the classic horror series will find Coscarelli’s ingenuity a rare treat.” - Kirkus Reviews.

“It’s magnificent. An impressive collection of remarkable short-story horror fiction that I can proudly display on my bookshelf next to Poe, King, Dahl, Barker, Bradbury, and Lovecraft.” - Nick DiGilio, WGN Chicago.

In 1979, filmmaker Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-tep, The Beastmaster) wrote and directed what became one of the seminal sci-fi/horror films of that era, Phantasm. The film was a worldwide theatrical success and spawned four

acclaimed sequels.

For the first time in the history of horror cinema, a celebrated filmmaker of a cult-classic horror film series has continued the adventure by swapping mediums and personally authoring a series of fictional works exploring in detail the characters he originally created. Coscarelli has now returned to the world of Phantasm to tell more tales of these inspiring phantasmic heroes.

PHICTION comprises six stories set in the expansive Phantasm world that have never been told before:

In Life and Death in the 'Nam we explore the origin story of our favorite ice cream vendor/hero Reggie and his first encounter with the supernatural forces of evil in the jungles of the Vietnam war. It's a two-fisted tale of a young man enduring the horrors of war and at the same time facing down the horrors of the unknown.

In Behind the Mortuary Door we learn the secrets of the embalming trade from one of the most memorable characters from the original film.

In He Was Home Alone we revisit the young boy Tim, prior to the events from Phantasm Ill, and how, using only his wits and guile, he survives against unspeakable horrors.

In Tobe we follow the trail of one of Phantasm's forgotten characters as he witnesses the key events of that film from an entirely different perspective.

In The Rocky Road we track the events of one of the Phantasm saga's fan-favorite characters, the nunchuck-wielding Rocky as she's mustered out of the armed services and travels the backroads of the rural South in the early 90's. In a desperate search to find her family she encounters love, vengeance and horror, frequently reacting in the only way she knows how, with her fists and her feet.

And finally in Escape From New York we join another Phantasm fan-favorite character, the diminutive Chunk from Phantasm Ravager as he attempts to flee his home in the big city from the horror of an oncoming apocalypse. Along the way he bonds with some unexpected allies on a thrilling quest for survival.

In association with illustrator Aaron Lea (GHOST, Rob Zombie), Molotov Press now presents Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm.

Tales from the world of Phantasm.

Phiction conuures six stunning new tales from the world of the classic Phantasm film franchise. Acclaimed filmmaker, series creator and Master of Horror, Don Coscarelli, returns the reader to Morningside Mortuary with revelatory origin stories for some of the Phantasm saga’s most compelling characters including ice cream vendor/action hero Reggie, fan-favorite Rocky from Phantasm III and Chunk from Phantasm: Ravager.

Six Stories from the master of horror.

“You are in for a treat. As with the [Phantasm] films, these stories will give you what people call chicken skin, and others call Goosebumps. What [Phiction] will do above all else, is entertain. Dive in. The dark waters are fines.” – Joe R. Lansdale (best-selling author of Hap & Leonard, Cold in July and Bubba Ho-tep).

Recommended reading - The Fall of the House of Usher (2023):

The Fall of the House of Usher

And Other Stories That Inspired the Netflix Series

By Edgar Allan Poe.

Foreword by Mike Flanagan.

Published by Random House Worlds.

Media TV tie-in edition.

Published 2023.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0593725255

ISBN-13: 978-0593725252

Description:

A deluxe anthology of works by Edgar Allan Poe that inspired Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher, curated by series creator Mike Flanagan.

There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart – an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it – I paused to think – what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher?

Slip behind the bleak walls and vacant windows of Netflix’s reimagining of the mansion of doom in this anthology of works by Edgar Allan Poe that inspired the limited series The Fall of the House of Usher. From well-loved classics like The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart to lesser-known gems such as Tamerlane and The Murders in the Rue Morgue, these collected tales have withstood the test of time, haunting readers for nearly two hundred years.

With a foreword by series creator and horror maverick Mike Flanagan, this anthology is the perfect viewer’s companion to Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher.

Recommended reading – Get Shorty (1990):

Get Shorty

By Elmore Leonard.

First published 1990.

Published by Mariner Books.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062120255

ISBN-13: 978-0062120250

Description:

“The coolest, hottest writer in America.” – Chicago Tribune.

Mob-connected loan shark Chili Palmer is sick of the Miami grind – plus his “friends” have a bad habit of dying there. So when he chases a deadbeat client out to Hollywood, Chili figures he might like to stay. This town, with its dream-makers, glitter, hucksters, and liars – plus gorgeous, partially clad would-be starlets everywhere you look – seems ideal for an enterprising criminal with a taste for the cinematic. Besides, Chili’s got an idea for a killer movie, though it could very possibly kill him to get it made.

“The funniest crime thriller ever set among the hustlers and con artist of the movie colony.” – Wall Street Journal.

“A Hollywood hit…. Taut, inimitable prose and characters who could have only sprung from the mind of Elmore Leonard.”

– Detroit News.

“A terrific thriller…. The kind of entertainment that usually makes Hollywood types talk about selling their souls (or their mothers).” – Orlando Sentinel.

Recommended reading – Frozen Hell (2019):

Frozen Hell

By John W. Campbell Jr.

Published 2019.

Published by Wildside Press.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1479442828

ISBN-13: 978-1479442829

Description:

In 1938, acclaimed science fiction author John W. Campbell published the novella Who Goes There?, about a team of scientists in Antarctica who discover and are terrorized by a monstrous, shape-shifting alien entity. The story would later be adapted into John Carpenter's iconic movie The Thing (following an earlier film adaptation in 1951). The published novella was actually an abridged version of Campbell's original story, called Frozen Hell, which had to be shortened for publication.

The Frozen Hell manuscript remained unknown and unpublished for decades, and it was only recently rediscovered. Frozen Hell expands the Thing story dramatically, giving vital backstory and context to an already incredible tale. We are pleased and honored to offer Frozen Hell to you now, as Campbell intended it. You will be among the first people to ever read this completed version of the story.

Recommended reading - Moonwebs (1981):

Moonwebs: Journey into the Mind of a Cult

By Josh Freed.

Filmed as Ticket to Heaven (1981), directed by Ralph L. Thomas.

ISBN 13: 9780920528273

ISBN 10: 0920528279

ASIN: 0920528279

Published by Virgo.

First published 1981.

Paperback.

Description:

INSIDE THE MOONIES!

Benji Miller would still be entwined in the tentacles of the Unification Church, a victim of irresistible brainwashing techniques, if his friends as family had not risked thousands of dollars, criminal charges, and their own sanity, to kidnap Benji and ‘deprogram’ him. Author Josh Freed was with them.

He experienced the first stages of Moonie brainwashing and recounts in detail the harrowing techniques that thousands have fallen victim to. He described methods so powerful that anyone could succumb … your family … your friends … even you …

Praise for the book!

“…thought-provoking and persuasive…” – Books in Canada.

“… breathtaking and hilarious…” – Eve Drobot, The Globe and Mail.

“…this story is a valuable one…” – Quill and Quire.

“…one of the most frightening books on now on the market…” – Kitchener-Waterloo Record.

Praise for the movie!

“…riveting film …explosive depiction of a growing controversial issue.” – Rex Reed, New York Daily News.

“A first class social thriller.” – Variety.

“…completely absorbing…” – Chicago Sun-Times.

“…it is absorbing … touching on the chilling…” – Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun.

“An exciting, scary, psychological thriller.” – Martin Knelman, Toronto Life.

Moonwebs first appeared as a series of articles which won the National Newspaper Award as the best news story in Canada.

Recommended reading - The Philosophy of Film Noir (2005):

The Philosophy of Film Noir

Edited by Mark T. Conard.

Foreword by Robert Porfirio.

Published by University Press of Kentucky.

First published 2005.

Paperback.

ASIN: 0813191815

ISBN-10: 9780813191812

ISBN-13: 978-0813191812

Description:

A drifter with no name and no past, driven purely by desire, is convinced by a beautiful woman to murder her husband. A hard-drinking detective down on his luck becomes involved with a gang of criminals in pursuit of a priceless artifact. The stories are at once romantic, pessimistic, filled with anxiety and a sense of alienation, and they define the essence of film noir. Noir emerged as a prominent American film genre in the early 1940s, distinguishable by its use of unusual lighting, sinister plots, mysterious characters, and dark themes. From The Maltese Falcon (1941) to Touch of Evil (1958), films from this classic period reflect an atmosphere of corruption and social decay that attracted such accomplished directors as John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, and Orson Welles. The Philosophy of Film Noir is the first volume to focus exclusively on the philosophical underpinnings of these iconic films. Drawing on the work of diverse thinkers, from the French existentialist Albert Camus to the Frankurt school theorists Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, the volume connects film noir to the philosophical questions of a modern, often nihilistic, world. Opening with an examination of what constitutes noir cinema, the book interprets the philosophical elements consistently present in the films―themes such as moral ambiguity, reason versus passion, and pessimism. The contributors to the volume also argue that the essence and elements of noir have fundamentally influenced movies outside of the traditional noir period. Neo-noir films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Fight Club (1999), and Memento (2000) have reintroduced the genre to a contemporary audience. As they assess the concepts present in individual films, the contributors also illuminate and explore the philosophical themes that surface in popular culture. A close examination of one of the most significant artistic movements of the twentieth century, The Philosophy of Film Noir reinvigorates an intellectual discussion at the intersection of popular culture and philosophy.

"A satisfying book, as each of the authors brings a unique perspective to the discussion and they are able to isolate, identify, and explain some of the more subtle aspects of a genre which, on the surface, seems all about gangsters and pretty girls who done somebody wrong." – Blogcritics.

"Explores the philosophical underpinnings of movies from the classical noir period and . . . suggests that films aren't noir merely because they share a consistent tone, or certain visual conventions, with the likes of The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Double Indemnity." – Boston Globe.

"The essays work both as solid primers into philosophy, stretching from Aristotle to Schopenhauer, and as lucid excursions into the genre's dark, mean streets. . . . A fascinating, readable, and provocative book. . . . Highly recommended." – Choice.

"An intellectually seductive, hard-boiled romp through a world of moral murkiness, femme fatales, and desperately lonely protagonist." – Eric Bronson, editor of Baseball and Philosophy.

"The collection aims to achieve two goals: to introduce genuine philosophical problems and film noir characteristics, while providing sufficiently in-depth discussion that those familiar with either philosophical methods or film noir will not find the material too elementary. Although facing a difficult task, Conard has put together a collection that succeeds in both respects." – Intertexts.

"Dense and intriguing, the book suggests noir is best perceived as a slightly warped mirror held up to contemporary society." – Publishers Weekly.

"An excellent book, giving readers a very good sense of the rich philosophical resources in film noir." – Thomas Hibbs, author of Shows About Nothing.

"This collection of essays, delving into the films and elucidating their philosophical depths, is challenging and engaging. Read it and prepare to be provoked." – Les Reid, Philosophy Now.

Recommended reading - Marathon Man (1974):

Marathon Man

By William Goldman.

First published 1974.

Published by Random House Publishing Group.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0345439724

ISBN-13: 978-0345439727

Description:

William Goldman's remarkable career spans more than five decades, and his credentials run the gamut from bestselling novelist to Oscar-winning screenwriter to Hollywood raconteur. He's beloved by millions of readers as the author of the classic comic-romantic fantasy The Princess Bride. And he's notorious for creating the most harrowing visit to the dentist in literary and cinematic history – in one of the seminal thrillers of the twentieth century. . . .

MARATHON MAN

Tom "Babe" Levy is a runner in every sense: racing tirelessly toward his goals of athletic and academic excellence – and endlessly away from the specter of his famous father's scandal-driven suicide. But an unexpected visit from his beloved older brother will set in motion a chain of events that plunge Babe into a vortex of terror, treachery, and murder – and force him into a race for his life . . . and for the answer to the fateful question, "Is it safe?"

"Superb . . . One hell of a read." – The Washington Post.

“An exciting – often funny, often sad – chase … Goldman does a masterly job.” – Associated Press.

“Well-plotted, expertly characterized, and fast-paced." – Los Angeles Times.

Recommended reading - Monte Walsh (1963):

Monte Walsh

By Jack Schaefer.

First published 1963.

Published by University of New Mexico Press.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0826358578

ISBN-13: 978-0826358578

Description:

Originally published in 1963, Monte Walsh continues to delight readers as a Western classic and popular favorite. The novel explores the cowboy lives of Monte Walsh and Chet Rollins as they carouse, ride, and work at the Slash Y with Cal Brennan. As the West changes and their cowboy antics are challenged, the two must part ways to pursue new ways of life. Chet marries and goes on to become a successful merchant and then a politician, while Monte can only find solace in continuing the cowboy's way of life until the very end.

"Many consider Monte Walsh one of the best Westerns ever written." – True West.

Jack Schaefer was a journalist and writer known for his authentic and memorable characters set in the American West. Schaefer received the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award in 1975 and the Saddleman Award in 1986 from the Western Writers of America. His popular Western novels include Shane (1949) and Monte Walsh (1963).

Recommended reading - To Die For (1992):

To Die For

By Joyce Maynard.

First published 1992.

Published by Open Road Media.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1497643821

ISBN-13: 978-1497643826

Description:

“That’s the beauty of television. It’s like an eye that’s on you all the time…. Kind of like God, if you want to get heavy.”

Local weather reporter Suzanne Maretto craves nothing more than to transcend life at her suburban cable television news station and follow in the footsteps of her idol: Barbara Walters. When she concludes that her unglamorous husband is getting in the way of her dream of stardom, the solution seems obvious: Get rid of him. She seduces a fifteen-year-old admirer, Jimmy, and persuades him to do her dirty work. Mission accomplished, Suzanne takes to the airwaves in her new role as grieving widow, in search of a TV deal. If that means selling Jimmy down the river, she’s ready.

Maynard’s brilliant, funny, and groundbreaking novel – adapted by Gus Van Sant into the cult classic movie of the same name, starring Nicole Kidman – was first published in 1992 before the era of manufactured stardom and the phenomenon of televised murder trials as entertainment. The book still stands as a razor-sharp satire of celebrity-fixated culture and the American obsession with TV – a novel that imagined the phenomenon of reality television before its creation, with alternately bone-chilling and hilarious accuracy.

“A seductive page turner.” – The New York Times Book Review.

“A triumph.” – The Boston Globe.

“A powerful novel of murder and sexual obsession. . . .  Chilling.” – The Star-Ledger.

Recommended reading - The Fall of the House of Usher and the Other Major Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe (2023):

The Fall of the House of Usher and the Other Major Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

By Edgar Allan Poe.

Published by Reader's Library Classics.

Published 2023.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1954839480

ISBN-13: 978-1954839489

Description:

I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.

At the request of his good friend Roderick Usher, a visitor travels to the House of Usher where Roderick and his sister Madeline live. From the time the traveler first steps foot onto the Usher property, a mysterious and foreboding presence fills the air. Almost as if the house itself is alive.

Born in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer and poet best known for his tales of mystery and macabre. His short stories have long been entrenched in American pop culture, and he is regarded as one of the greatest inspirations to the modern horror and mystery genres. His fictional C. Auguste Dupin stories, all included in this collection, are widely considered the first modern detective story, and these stories would become a foundational influence to Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Poe's notable works include The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), The Tell-Tale Heart (1843), The Black Cat (1843), and The Raven (1845), among many others. He died in 1849.

The following 13 tales and 13 poems are included:

Tales: The Fall of the House of Usher; The Tell-Tale Heart; the Black Cat; The Cask of Amontillado; The Pit and the Pendulum; The Masque of the Red Death; The Oval Portrait; The Premature Burial; A Descent into the Maelström; Ligeia.

The C. Auguste Dupin Mysteries: The Murders in the Rue Morgue; The Mystery of Marie Rogêt; The Purloined Letter.

Poems: The Raven; Annabel Lee; Alone; Dream-Land; Eldorado; The Sleeper; Lenore; The City and the Sea; To Helen; The Bells; The Valley of Unrest; To One in Paradise; A Dream within a Dream.

Recommended reading - The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day (1959):

The Longest Day:
The Classic Epic of D-Day

By Cornelius Ryan.

First published 1959.

Published by Simon & Schuster.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0671890913

ISBN-13: 978-0671890919

Description:

The unparalleled, classic work of history that recreates the battle that changed World War II – the Allied invasion of Normandy.

The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan’s unsurpassed account of D-Day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany.

This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

Recommended reading - The Black Curtain (1941):

The Black Curtain

By Cornell Woolrich.

Filmed as Street of Chance (1942), directed by Jack Hively.

First published 1941.

Published by Centipede Press.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 1613471475

ISBN-13: 978-1613471470

Description:

A man is accused of a murder he cannot remember…

In a nightmare scenario, Frank Townsend has an apparently minor accident on his way home but he arrives to find his wife gone and doesn’t recognize his apartment. He had gone to work on a normal day but didn’t return for more than three years. Suffering from amnesia, he has to rediscover who he is, where he has been, and what he has done. A curtain has fallen to cut off all memories of his life.

First among the memories he wants to recover is whether he has committed the murder of which he has been accused. A mysterious stranger with a gun has been following him while he attempts to simultaneously understand what has happened in his past while doing all he can to extricate himself from a seemingly hopeless situation and regain his reputation. He does not yet know that he is in great jeopardy and there is no one he can trust to rescue him from the abyss.

The Black Curtain is the second of Cornell Woolrich’s celebrated “black” books, following The Bride Wore Black, which established his reputation as America’s greatest noir writer. It was adapted into film as the classic Street of Chance, starring Burgess Meredith and Claire Trevor.

Recommended reading - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1973):

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

By John Godey.

First published 1973.

Published by Penguin Publishing Group.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0425253309

ISBN-13: 978-0425253304

Description:

"Chillingly real." – Houston Chronicle.

"A cliff-hanger." – The New Yorker.

"Harrowing, terrifying, and so, so good." – Business Week.

THIS AFTERNOON IN NEW YORK CITY, AFTER A SUBWAY TRAIN LEFT THE PELHAM STATION AT 1:23 P.M., THE EVENTS OF THE DAY TOOK A TERRIFYING DETOUR…

“You will all remain seated. Anyone who tries to get up, or even moves, will be shot. There will be no further warning. If you move you will be killed…”

Four men, armed with submachine guns, have seized a New York City subway train, holding all seventeen passengers – and the entire city – hostage.

The identities of the hijackers are unknown.

Their demands seem impossible.

Their threats are real.

Their escape seems inconceivable.

Only one thing is certain: they aren’t stopping for anything.

Recommended reading - Glengarry Glen Ross: A Play (1983):

Glengarry Glen Ross: A Play

By David Mamet.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984.

Published by Grove Press.

First published 1983.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0802130917

ISBN-13: 978-0802130914

Description:

Comic Drama Characters: 7 males.

2 interior sets.

“Who needs caffeine when you’ve got Glengarry Glen Ross? … David Mamet’s play about a dog-eat-dog real estate office in Chicago feels like having espresso pumped directly into your bloodstream…. Mr. Mamet hears American scheming with an exactitude and delight still surpassed by any other dramatist.” – New York Times.

Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best American Play and the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best American Play and the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play, Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the most celebrated and widely performed plays of recent years. It is a scalding comedy is about small-time, cutthroat real esate salesmen trying to grind out a living by pushing plots of land onto reluctant buyers in a never-ending scramble for their fair share of the American dream. Here, Mamet is at his very best, writing with brutal power about the tough life of tough people who cajole, connive, wheel and deal for a piece of the action an existence where closing a sale can mean a brand-new Cadillac, but losing one can mean losing it everything.

“Wonderfully funny … a play to see, remember and cherish.” – New York Post.

Recommended reading - One Across, Two Down (1971):

One Across, Two Down

By Ruth Rendell.

Filmed as Diary of the Dead (1976), directed by Arvin Brown.

Published by Vintage Crime / Black Lizard.

First published 1971.

ASIN: 0375704949

ISBN-10: 9780375704949

ISBN-13: 978-0375704949

Description:

Two things interest Stanley Manning: crossword puzzles, and the substantial sum his wife Vera stands to inherit when his mother-in-law dies. Otherwise, life at 61 Lanchester Road is a living hell. For Mrs. Kinaway lives with them now – and she will stop at nothing to tear their marriage apart. One afternoon, Stanley sets aside his crossword puzzles and changes all their lives forever...

In One Across, Two Down, master crime writer Ruth Rendell describes a man whose strained sanity and stained reputation transform him from a witless loser into a killer afraid of his own shadow.  Mischievously plotted, smart, maddeningly entertaining, One Across, Two Down is a dark delight – classic Rendell.

"The best mystery writer in the English-speaking world." – Time.

Recommended reading - More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts (1998):

More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts

By James Naremore.

First published 1998.
Published by University of California Press.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 0520254023
ISBN-13: 978-0520254022

Description:

"Film noir" evokes memories of stylish, cynical, black-and-white movies from the 1940s and '50s―melodramas about private eyes, femmes fatales, criminal gangs, and lovers on the run. James Naremore's prize-winning book discusses these pictures, but also shows that the central term is more complex and paradoxical than we realize. It treats noir as a term in criticism, as an expression of artistic modernism, as a symptom of Hollywood censorship and politics, as a market strategy, as an evolving style, and as an idea that circulates through all the media. This new and expanded edition of More Than Night contains an additional chapter on film noir in the twenty-first century.