I’ve read a lot of noir since I was fourteen; it has influenced everything I’ve written. The imperfect flawed characters, the atmosphere, the similes, and the wrong choices made for the right reasons—my heroes, male or female, always have something to hide and a broken part of them that makes their triumph that much sweeter.
Of the two, “fathers of noir”, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, it was Chandler who I first read, and got a taste, perhaps an addiction, for noir. I cannot remember what led me there, but I do remember at age fourteen I checked out Farewell, My Lovely from the public library.
I swiftly followed with all his remaining novels; Chandler died in 1959 four years before my birth. The characters, the settings, and the turn of phrase still work today—the similes especially, Marlowe’s cynical observations often bring a wry smile or an outright chuckle.
I still read Chandler, I’ve read all his novels, and his essays on writing; but am still looking for his short stories, a lot of which the novels were based on. Chandler focused more on being as real as he could get with his characters and dialogue without worrying too much about the plot, which were inevitably highly complicated.
The renowned novel from crime fiction master Raymond Chandler, with the "quintessential urban private eye" (Los Angeles Times), Philip Marlowe • Featuring the iconic character that inspired the forthcoming film Marlowe, starring Liam Neeson
Philip Marlowe's about to give up on a completely routine case when he finds himself in the wrong place at the right time to get caught up in a murder that leads to a ring of jewel thieves, another murder, a fortune-teller, a couple more murders, and more corruption than your average graveyard.
Crumley, is vastly underrated as a writer, perhaps because he can tend to ramble a bit, actually a lot, and for people looking for plots and events, sometimes they’re nowhere to be found, just a whole lot of rambling—but that’s what I love about Crumley. He’s not in a hurry and the rambling has gems in plain sight lying there just ready to be picked up. So, don’t try to hurry, just ramble along with it and before you know it, you’ll have been for a hell of a ride.
'As sweetly profane a poet as American noir could have asked for' Ian Rankin
'A friggin' masterpiece' Dennis Lehane
'The stunner that reinvigorated the genre and jacked up a generation of future crime novelists' George Pelecanos
Meet Private Detective C. W. Sughrue.
Private detectives are supposed to find missing persons and solve crimes. But more often than not Sughrue is the one committing the crimes - everything from grand theft auto to criminal stupidity. All washed down with a hearty dose of whiskey and regret.
At the end of a three-week hunt for a runaway bestselling author, Sughrue winds up…
A novel from a guy who is still writing for a change up. I’ve always enjoyed stories where ordinary flawed people get placed in extraordinary circumstances. It may be that those are the consequences of choices they’ve made, but often it’s just stuff that happens in life.
Weird stuff can happen—I know this to be true; how you deal with stuff is what makes you, you.
*GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLERS OF 2020* *LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER 2020*
'BLACKTOP WASTELAND may be the book of the year.' MICHAEL CONNELLY 'Sensationally good' LEE CHILD 'I loved BLACKTOP WASTELAND' STEPHEN KING 'Stunning. Can't remember the last time I read such a powerful crime novel' MARK BILLINGHAM
"Bug" Montage: honest mechanic, loving family man. He's no longer the criminal he was - the sharpest wheelman east of the Mississippi.
But when his respectable life crumbles, a shady associate comes calling with a one-time job promising a huge payout. Inexorably drawn to the driver's seat - and haunted by…
I love Elmore Leonard for the switches and the dialog. By switches I mean, you think it’s going one way, but it goes the other. Swag is great because it seems so plausible. From the meeting of the two protagonists to their bonding and then the events that follow—it all seems natural while you’re in it—but step back, take a birds-eye view, and you see instantly how wacky it is.
Elmore Leonard is 'the man other crime writers call the Boss' DAILY TELEGRAPH.
There aren't any textbooks on armed robbery. The only way to learn is through experience, and small-time crooks Frank and Stick are determined to do as much learning on the job as possible.
In 1970s' Detroit they embark on a crime spree, holding up liquor stores and supermarkets. They invent their 'Ten Golden Rules for Successful Armed Robbery' and for a short time the cash is rolling in. But then they bend their own rules, and it looks like trouble is heading their way...
I love heroes you can root for who are not perfect people. Easy Rawlings the primary character in the novel is such a guy. Far from perfect, solidly flawed even, we still want him to win. Again the writing is superb. Mosley is like Crumley, and maybe, just maybe, S. A. Cosby has taken some of his inspiration from here, but who knows; dive in and find out for yourself.
Devil in a Blue Dress honors the tradition of the classic American detective novel by bestowing on it a vivid social canvas and the freshest new voice in crime writing in years, mixing the hard-boiled poetry of Raymond Chandler with the racial realism of Richard Wright to explosive effect.
Bangkok Burn: Gritty, hard-boiled, noir, crime fiction about a Bangkok mafia family.
A war is taking place on the streets of Bangkok as political cliques fire bullets and rockets at each other. Mysterious 'Men in Black' snipe combatants from both sides. It is a good time to settle old scores.
Take a walk on the dark side with Chance. An enigma: family-orientated, loyal and loving... and a cold-blooded killer....This chilling, high-octane thriller takes you to parts of Bangkok no tourist should ever go, a world where life is cheap and morality non-existent.
Writer, reader, editor, reviewer, publisher… those are all parts of me. With a lifetime of experience in the “words” industry, I have a pretty good handle on what makes a book not just good, but hot. I say this with the understanding that each reader brings their own histories to the reading experience, and what one person may like, another may not. Nonetheless, I offer you my professional and personal favorites in the mystery/thriller/suspense categories. It is my sincere hope that you find these books as addictive as I’d found them. Superb and clever writing, engaging characters, unpredictable plots—yes, please! Though I occasionally step outside my comfort zone, I'm consistently drawn back to these categories.
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own. A friend murdered. A business in trouble. A marriage struggling to survive. And that’s just the beginning.
When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own.
A friend murdered.
A business in trouble.
A marriage struggling to survive.
And that’s just the beginning.
When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…
