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Books about Noir
Red Harvest
by Dashiell Hammett
A private detective infiltrates a corrupt town to clean up the crime and corruption.
The Continental Op is called to Personville (known as "Poisonville" to the locals) by the newspaper publisher Donald Willsson, who is murdered before the Op has a chance to meet with him. The Op ... (Wikipedia)
The Lady in the Lake
by Raymond Chandler
Private investigator Phillip Marlowe investigates the disappearance of a young woman, uncovering a sinister plot.
Derace Kingsley, a wealthy businessman, hires Marlowe to find his estranged wife, Crystal. Kingsley had received a telegram from Crystal about two weeks before stating that she was divorcing him and ... (Wikipedia)
The High Window
by Raymond Chandler
Private detective's desperate hunt for a stolen gem and the mystery behind it.
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy widow Elizabeth Bright Murdock to recover a missing Brasher Doubloon , a rare and valuable coin. Mrs. Murdock suspects it was stolen by her ... (Wikipedia)
Motherless Brooklyn
by Jonathan Lethem
A detective investigates a powerful crime syndicate in New York City.
Lionel Essrog is Brooklyn’s very own self-appointed Human Freakshow, an orphan whose Tourettic impulses drive him to bark, count, and rip apart our language in the most startling and original ways. ... (Goodreads)
Trouble Is My Business
by Raymond Chandler
Private detective Philip Marlowe takes on a series of cases that lead him into the dark underworld of Los Angeles.
In the four long stories in this collection, Marlowe is hired to protect a rich old guy from a gold digger, runs afoul of crooked politicos, gets a line on some stolen jewels with a reward attached, ... (Goodreads)
L.A. Confidential
by James Ellroy
An epic crime noir set in 1950s Los Angeles, exploring the dark underbelly of the city.
The story is about several Los Angeles Police Department officers in the early 1950s who become embroiled in a mix of sex, corruption and murder following a massacre at the Nite Owl coffee shop. The ... (Wikipedia)
White Jazz
by James Ellroy
A gritty and violent crime novel set in 1950s Los Angeles, following a corrupt cop's descent into madness and murder.
Dave Klein is a lieutenant in the LAPD 's vice unit . He has a sister named Meg, with whom he shares an incestuous attraction, and performs contract killings for the mob to cover the costs for law ... (Wikipedia)
The Black Dahlia
by James Ellroy
A 1940s Los Angeles detective story, exploring the depths of a gruesome unsolved murder.
On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia—and so begins the greatest manhunt in California ... (Goodreads)
The Redeemer
by Jo Nesbø
Private detective Harry Hole investigates a murder and uncovers a sinister conspiracy.
In 1991, at a youth camp run by the Norwegian Salvation Army , the 14-year-old daughter of a senior Salvationist official is raped in a public toilet . Because of the Salvation Army's strict ... (Wikipedia)
The Big Sleep
by Raymond Chandler
Private eye investigates a complex case involving a wealthy family and blackmail.
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is called to the home of the wealthy and elderly General Sternwood, in the month of October. He wants Marlowe to deal with an attempt by a bookseller named Arthur ... (Wikipedia)
The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
Detective Sam Spade must solve a mysterious case involving a precious artifact and a deadly trio of criminals.
‘Sam’ Spade is a private detective in San Francisco , in partnership with Miles Archer. The beautiful "Miss Wonderley" hires them to follow Floyd Thursby, who has run off with her sister. Archer ... (Wikipedia)
Mucho Mojo
by Joe R. Lansdale
Hap and Leonard investigate a murder in their hometown, uncovering dark secrets and facing dangerous foes.
This story revolves around the death of Leonard Pine's Uncle Chester who happens to live next to a crack house . Under the floorboards of his uncle's house the two discover the skeleton of an infant ... (Wikipedia)
Heaven's Prisoners
by James Lee Burke
Ex-cop Dave Robicheaux is pulled back into the world of crime when he rescues a young girl from a plane crash.
Once an officer for the New Orleans Police Department and before that a U.S. Army infantry lieutenant who fought in the Vietnam War , , Robicheaux is living a quiet life in the swamplands of ... (Wikipedia)
The Thin Man
by Dashiell Hammett
A retired detective called to investigate a mysterious murder.
The story is set in New York City in December 1932, in the last days of Prohibition. The main characters are a former private detective , Nick Charles and Nora, his clever young wife. Nick, son of a ... (Wikipedia)
The Long Goodbye
by Raymond Chandler
A hard-boiled detective's journey to unravel the truth behind a mysterious disappearance.
The novel opens outside a club called the Dancers. It is late October or early November. No year is given for the events but internal evidence and the publication date of the novel place them between ... (Wikipedia)
Farewell, My Lovely
by Raymond Chandler
A hard-boiled detective's adventures as he investigates a complex case of murder and corruption.
Private detective Philip Marlowe is investigating a dead-end missing person case when he sees a felon, Moose Malloy, barging into a nightclub called Florian's, looking for his ex-girlfriend Velma ... (Wikipedia)
The Big Nowhere
by James Ellroy
A crime noir set in 1950s Los Angeles, unraveling a web of corruption and violence.
The plot is about three characters; L.A. Deputy Sheriff Danny Upshaw investigates a brutal sex murder which becomes a string of killings, working outside the law in his efforts to catch him. Turner ... (Wikipedia)
Sin City, Vol. 4: That Yellow Bastard
by Frank Miller
Dark, gritty crime thriller set in a corrupt city, focused on a cop's pursuit of a brutal murderer.
In a Sin City short story, "The Babe Wore Red," Frank Miller deviated from his stark black-and-white artwork by adding tiny bits of color throughout the story. The girl's dress was red, her lips were ... (Goodreads)
Blacksad
by Juan Díaz Canales
Hard-boiled detective stories set in a world of anthropomorphic animals. Blacksad solves crimes and navigates the complexities of society.
Meet John Blacksad, a cat in the shadows. Imagine New York as a city of criminal rats, jazz-playing gorillas and rhino thugs. Enter a mystery where the suspects have tails. Find out why comics' ... (Goodreads)
Sin City, Vol. 7: Hell and Back
by Frank Miller
A man searches for his lost love in the seedy underworld of Sin City, encountering danger and corruption at every turn.
In the Town Without Pity, good men are hard to find. Enter Wallace, a man of mystery. He's a nice guy who's very good at killing people. Out for an evening drive along the beach, he meets the woman ... (Goodreads)
52 Pickup
by Elmore Leonard
A wealthy businessman's affair is exposed, leading to blackmail and a violent game of cat-and-mouse.
Harry Mitchell ( Roy Scheider ) is a successful businessman with mechanical aptitude living in the suburbs of Los Angeles whose wife Barbara ( Ann-Margret ) is running for city council. Harry is ... (Wikipedia)
The Neon Rain
by James Lee Burke
A detective's search for justice in a crime-ridden city, uncovering long-buried truths.
While fishing on a back country bayou New Orleans Police Department officer Dave Robicheaux finds a body. Robicheaux, once a U.S. Army infantry lieutenant who fought in the Vietnam War , , becomes ... (Wikipedia)
Sin City, Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For
by Frank Miller
Dark and gritty tale of crime and revenge set in a corrupted city.
The second volume of Frank Miller's signature series is now planned as the lead story in the upcoming Sin City 2! This newly redesigned edition sports a new cover by Miller - some of his first comics ... (Goodreads)
Sin City, Vol. 6: Booze, Broads, and Bullets
by Frank Miller
A collection of dark and gritty noir stories set in the corrupt and violent Sin City.
Collecting classics like "Just Another Saturday Night" and "Silent Night," both starring the iconic big lug with a condition, Marv; "The Customer Is Always Right," featured in the Sin City film; and ... (Goodreads)
The Continental Op
by Dashiell Hammett
A collection of short stories featuring the Continental Op, a private detective who solves crimes in San Francisco and beyond.
Dashiell Hammett is the true inventor of modern detective fiction and the creator of the private eye, the isolated hero in a world where treachery is the norm. The Continental Op was his great first ... (Goodreads)
The Fade Out, Act One
by Ed Brubaker
A murder mystery set in 1940s Hollywood, where a screenwriter tries to solve the crime while navigating the corrupt film industry.
Charlie Parish, a Hollywood screenwriter suffering from PTSD , is fronting for his blacklisted best friend, Gil. When Charlie wakes from a blackout in the same room as a murdered starlet, he and Gil ... (Wikipedia)
The Simple Art of Murder
by Raymond Chandler
A collection of hard-boiled detective stories featuring private investigator Philip Marlowe.
Contains Chandler's essay on the art of detective stories and a collection of 8 classic Chandler mysteries. ... (Goodreads)
Sin City, Vol. 3: The Big Fat Kill
by Frank Miller
Dark, crime-filled cityscape in a noir-style story of revenge, justice and morality.
One of "Sin City's" most fascinatingly conflicted characters, Dwight, returns in "The Big Fat Kill", the third volume of Frank Miller's seminal noir comic and the inspiration for one of the segments ... (Goodreads)
Fatale, Vol. 1: Death Chases Me
by Ed Brubaker
A mysterious woman with a dangerous power draws men into her web of intrigue and violence. Noir meets horror in this thrilling graphic novel.
Fatale chronicles the life of Josephine, or "Jo", an archetypal femme fatale who is seemingly immortal, having survived from the 1930s to the modern day unaged, and also has a supernatural ability to ... (Wikipedia)
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