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 - 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 – 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 - 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 - 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.

Recommended reading - The Far Side of the Dollar (1965):

The Far Side of the Dollar

By Ross Macdonald.

Vintage Crime / Black Lizard.

First published 1965.

Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0679768653

ISBN-13: 978-0679768654

Description:

Crime fiction.

“Ross Macdonald must be ranked high amongst American thriller-writers.” – Times Literary Supplement (London).

In The Far Side of the Dollar, Archer is looking for an unstable rich kid who has run away from an exclusive reform school – and into the arms of kidnappers. Why are his desperate parents so loath to give Archer the information he needs to find him? And why do all trails lead to a derelict Hollywood hotel where starlets and sailors once rubbed elbows with two-bit grifters – and where the present clientele includes a brand-new corpse? The result is Macdonald at his most exciting, delivering 1,000-volt shocks to the nervous system while uncovering the venality and depravity at the heart of the case.

“Most mystery writers merely write about crime. Ross Macdonald writes about sin.” – The Atlantic.

Recommended reading - The Dime Detectives (1988):

The Dime Detectives

By Ron Goulart.

Published by Mysterious Press.

Published 1988.

First Edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0892961910

ISBN-13: 978-0892961917

Description:

A comprehensive history of the detective fiction pulps.

Traces the history of detective fiction pulp magazines from their origins in the nineteenth-century dime novels to their heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, profiling many pulp writers who went on to achieve greater fame.

Recommended reading - Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir (2023):

Eddie Muller's Noir Bar:
Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir

By Eddie Muller.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

ISBN-10: 0762480629

ISBN-13: 978-0762480623

Published 2023.

Hardcover.

Description:

Eddie Muller – host of TCM's Noir Alley, one of the world's leading authorities on film noir, and cocktail connoisseur – takes film buffs and drinks enthusiasts alike on a spirited tour through the "dark city" of film noir in this stylish book packed with equal parts great cocktail recipes and noir lore.

Eddie Muller's Noir Bar pairs carefully curated classic cocktails and modern noir-inspired libations with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights on 50 film noir favorites. Some of the cocktails are drawn directly from the films: If you've seen In a Lonely Place and wondered what’s in a “Horse’s Neck” – now you’ll know. If you’re watching Pickup on South Street you’ll find out what its director, Sam Fuller, actually drank off-screen. Didn’t know that Nightmare Alley’s Joan Blondell inspired a cocktail? It may become a new favorite. Meanwhile, Rita Hayworth is toasted with a "Sailor Beware," an original concoction which, like the film that inspired it (The Lady From Shanghai), is unique, complex, and packs a wallop.

​Featuring dozens of movie stills, poster art, behind-the-scenes imagery, and stunning cocktail photography, Noir Bar is both a stylish and exciting excursion through classic cinema’s most popular genre.

Recommended reading - Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories (1996)

Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories

Edited by Donald E Westlake and J. Madison Davis.

Published by Oxford University Press.

Published in 1996.

First Edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0195103211

ISBN-13: 978-0195103212

Description:

Since the inception of the detective short story with Edgar Allan Poe, various plotlines and common elements have become prevalent in the genre. Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories categorizes thirty-two suspenseful tales by formula, a unique and exceptional arrangement that illustrates how the detective story has evolved. Just as the “standards” of jazz become reinterpreted by new performers, basic story structures develop new and alluring twists in the hands of some of the best-known writers of detective fiction. From “I Confess!” to “The Armchair Detective” to “Over the Edge,” each variation on the theme will be fascinating reading for every fan of the genre.

Recommended reading - Pulp Fiction: The Dames (2008):

Pulp Fiction: The Dames

Omnibus.

Edited by Otto Penzler.

Introduced by Laura Lippman.

Published 2008.

Published by Quercus.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1847242316

ISBN-13: 978-1847242310

Description:

Laura Lippman introduces 23 dames, femmes fatales, avenging angels, broads, molls and dolls from the golden age of pulp fiction and the dawn of modern crime writing.

From Sally the Sleuth to The Girl Who Knew Too Much, these women knew how to steal a guy’s heart – or his gun – and they weren’t afraid to use their fists if their charms couldn’t get them what they wanted. Risking their lives and ending others, these dames are certain to set your heart racing, whether you’re a pulp novice or a hard-boiled fan.

With stories from Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich and Dashiell Hammett, and a strip cartoon from Adolphe Barreau, Pulp Fiction: The Dames shows that some writing has an edge that time just can’t dull.

Contents: Preface, by Otto Penzler; Introduction, by Laura Lippman; Angel Face, by Cornell Woolrich; Chosen to Die, by Leslie T. White; A Pinch of Snuff, by Eric Taylor; Killer in the Rain, by Raymond Chandler; Sally the Sleuth, by Adolphe Barreaux; A Shock for the Countess, by C. S. Montanye; Snowbound, by C. B. Yorke; The Girl Who Knew Too Much, by Randolph Barr; The Corpse in the Crystal, by D. B. McCandless; He Got What He Asked For, by D. B. McCandless; Gangster's Brand, by P. T. Luman; Dance Macabre, by Robert Reeves; The Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Dashiell Hammett; The Jane from Hell's Kitchen, by Perry Paul; The Duchess Pulls a Fast One, by Whitman Chambers; Mansion of Death, by Roger Torrey; Concealed Weapon, by Roger Torrey; The Devil's Bookkeeper, by Carlos Martinez; Black Legion, by Lars Anderson; Three Wise Men of Babylon, by Richard Sale; The Adventure of the Voodoo Moon, by Eugene Thomas; Brother Murder, by T. T. Flynn; Kindly Omit Flowers, by Stewart Sterling.

Recommended reading - Connecting Detectives: The Influence of 19th Century Sleuth Fiction on the Early Hard-Boileds (2014):

Connecting Detectives:
The Influence of 19th Century Sleuth Fiction on the Early Hard-Boileds

By Lewis D. Moore.

Published by McFarland.

Published 2014.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786477717

ISBN-13: 978-0786477715

Description:

A literary examination of the influence of 19th century sleuths on the early hard-boiled investigators, this book explores the importance of works by Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the development of detective series by Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Brett Halliday, Mickey Spillane, Thomas B. Dewey, John D. MacDonald, Ross Macdonald, Richard S. Prather and William Campbell Gault. Authors from the transitional (1964-1977) and modern periods (1979 to the present) are also discussed to show the ongoing influence of the 19th century detective writers.

Recommended reading - A Man Called Spade (1944):

A Man Called Spade

By Dashiell Hammett.

Published by Dell.
First Edition.
Paperback.
First published 1944.
ASIN: B000JWUE5A

Description:

Collection of short stories by this master writer of the Sam Spade detective series. Introduction by Ellery Queen. Dell Mapback #90. Sam Spade is featured in five short stories. The original hard-boiled American detective is featured in this vintage mapback edition.

Recommended reading - Pulp (1994):

Pulp

By Charles Bukowski.

Published by Ecco.

Published in 1994.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 9780876859261

ISBN-13: 978-0876859261

Description:

“Poet laureate of the down-and-out.” – LA Times.

Opening with the exotic Lady Death entering the gumshoe-writer's seedy office in pursuit of a writer named Cèline, this novel demonstrates Charles Bukowski's own brand of humor and realism, opening up a landscape of seamy Los Angeles.

Pulp is essential fiction from Buk himself.

Nicky Belane, private detective and career alcoholic, is a troubled man. He is plagued not just by broads, booze, lack of cash and a raging ego, but also by the surreal jobs he’s hired to do. Not only does he have to track down French classical author Cèline – who’s meant to be dead – but he also supposed to find the elusive Red Sparrow – which may or may not be real.

Pulp is Charles Bukowski’s brilliant, fantastical pastiche of a detective story.

Packed with wit, invention and Bukowski’s trademark lowlife adventures, it is the final novel by one of the most enjoyable and influential cult writers of the last century.

Recommended reading - The Chill (1963):

The Chill

By Ross Macdonald.

First published 1963.

Published by Vintage Crime / Black Lizard.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0679768076

ISBN-13: 978-0679768074

Description:

In The Chill a distraught young man hires Archer to track down his runaway bride. But no sooner has he found Dolly Kincaid than Archer finds himself entangled in two murders, one twenty years old, the other so recent that the blood is still wet. What ensues is a detective novel of nerve-racking suspense, desperately believable characters, and one of the most intricate plots ever spun by an American crime writer.

"The American private eye, immortalized by Hammett, refined by Chandler, brought to its zenith by MacDonald."

– The New York Times Book Review.

"The finest series of detective novels ever written by an American."

– The New York Times.

Recommended reading - Great Tales of Crime and Detection (1995):

Great Tales of Crime and Detection

Edited by Charles Ardai.

Published by Bbs Pub Corp.

Published in 1995.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0883657716

ISBN-13: 978-0883657713

Description:

A collection of mysteries from a host of best-selling mystery writers features tales by Dick Francis, Graham Greene, Lawrence Bloch, Sarah Paretsky, Loren D. Estleman, John Lutz, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and others.

Contents:

Introduction, by Robert Bloch; Foreword, by John Lutz; Out the window, by Lawrence Block; Major crimes, by Loren D. Estleman; Silent warning, by William J. Carroll, Jr.; The Third Man, by Graham Greene; The Cross of Lorraine, by Isaac Asimov; Nameless Enemy, by Miriam Allen DeFord; Tragedy of a Handkerchief, by Michael Innes; UNC Foils Show Foe, by John Jakes; Dangerows Widows, by Mignon G. Eberhardt; Ride the Lightning, by John Lutz; Till Tuesday, by Jeremiah Healy; The Day of the Losers, by Dick Francis; The Case of the Pietro Andromache, by Sara Paretsky; Susu and the 8:30 Ghost, by Lillian Jackson Braun; The Investigation of Things, by Charles Aardai; The Trailor Murder Mystery, by Abraham Lincoln; The Importance of Trifles, by Avram Davidson; The Double-Barrelled Detective Story, by Mark Twain; The Adventure of the Oval Window, by John H. Ddirckx; Your Appointment is Cancelled, by Antonia Fraser; Le Chateau de L'Arsenic, by Georges Simenon; The Nine Mile Walk, by Harry Kemelman; Crime in Rhyme, by Robert Bloch; The Purloined Letter, by Edgar Allan Poe; The Man with the Twisted Lip, by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Recommended reading - L.A. Noir: Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels (2008):

L.A. Noir:
Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels

By William Hare.

Published by McFarland & Company.

Published in 2008.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786437405

ISBN-13: 978-0786437405

Description:

Los Angeles is an ideal city for film noir for both economic and aesthetic reasons. The largest metropolitan area in the country, home to an ever-changing population of the disillusioned and in close proximity to city, mountains, ocean, and desert, the City of Angels became a center of American film noir.

This detailed discussion of nine films explores such topics as why certain settings are appropriate for film noir, why L.A. has been a favorite of authors such as Raymond Chandler, and relevant political developments in the area. The films are also examined in terms of story content as well as how they developed in the project stage. Utilizing a number of quotes from interviews, the work examines actors, directors, and others involved with the films, touching on their careers and details of their time in L.A. The major films covered are The Big Sleep, Criss Cross, D.O.A., In A Lonely Place, The Blue Gardenia, Kiss Me Deadly, The Killing, Chinatown, and L.A. Confidential.

Recommended reading - Jealous Woman (1950):

Jealous Woman

By James M. Cain.

First published in 1950.

Published by Black Lizard Books.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0887390889

ISBN-13: 978-0887390883

Description:

An ambitious Reno salesman. A wealthy would-be divorcée. An insurance policy. It’s a toxic combination in this noir thriller by an MWA Grand Master . . .

Jane Delvan had dark, red hair and plenty of shape of a nice, refined kind. To Ed Horner she was only a little fancy flirtation under the Nevada moon, but he found some peculiar circumstances developing when Jane’s husband, Tom Delavan, himself came to town, followed very shortly afterwards by his first wife, the beautiful but jealous Lady Sperry.

Ed wondered what kind of game Jane Delavan was playing with him, leading him on as she was? And why should Lady Sperry take a heated interest in him of a sudden? What were the cause of secret midnight callers roaming at will through hotel bedrooms? Suddenly Ed Horner found himself slowly being ringed about by a group of hard-hating, highly emotional people who all had motives that involved them in a case of murder and the Jealous Woman.

If Las Vegas is a city of lovers, in Reno, the business is divorce. Six weeks in Reno can erase the darkest marriages, and the only question is how to pass the time – craps or roulette? Jane Delavan is a roulette woman, a stately beauty from back East who is too classy for the motel where she’s shacked up. She’s come for a divorce, but her husband has other ideas. He wants an annulment, and in exchange offers to take out a $100,000 insurance policy on himself – just in case something happens to him before their paperwork goes through. Jane is cunning enough to make sure that if she wants something to happen, it will. Ed Horner is the insurance agent sent to settle the agreement, and it doesn’t take long for Jane to settle him. They fall in love over twenty-five-cent roulette and soon have a bigger score in mind. In the Biggest Little City in the World, a king-size scheme is brewing . . .

“Cleverly plotted.” – The New York Times.

“Swift and absorbing.” – The Wall Street Journal.

Recommended reading - Sleuths of the Century (2000):

Sleuths of the Century

Edited by Ed Gorman and John L. Breen.

Published in 2000.

Published by Carroll & Graf.

First Edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0786707097

ISBN-13: 978-0786707096

Description:

Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Lord Peter Wimsey and Hercule Poirot, Matt Scudder and Easy Rawlins, Spenser and Dalgliesh - they stand among the most popular of twentieth-century heroes. And now the award-winning mystery novelist Ed Gorman and novelist-critic Jon L. Breen present a full century of the world's favorite sleuths in tales by such classic writers as G. K. Chesterton, Ellery Queen, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie as well as contemporary giants like Sharyn McCrumb, Walter Mosley, Ed McBain, Lawrence Block, P. D. James, and Ruth Rendell. A hefty, handsome volume, Sleuths of the Century also offers serious suspense from Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, Tony Hillerman, Rex Stout, Donald E. Westlake, and John D. MacDonald. Crossing the decades with a gallery of sleuths impeccably styled for every generation, this collection provides exciting, literate tales of detection and danger that will keep the reader on tenterhooks well into the next century.