The difference between Hard-boiled and Noir Mysteries is subtle: both feature violence, sex and have a rough and gritty tone. Hard-boiled mysteries usually focus on a Private Eye or a loner, ex-cop, while Noir Mysteries focus on the criminal or the victim.
The Devil Takes You Home by
This genre-defying, Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker award-winning thriller follows a father desperate to salvage what's left of his family--even if it means a descent into violence. Buried in debt due to his young daughter's illness, his marriage at the brink, Mario reluctantly takes a job as a hitman, surprising himself with his proclivity for violence. After tragedy destroys the life he knew, Mario agrees to one final job: hijack a cartel's cash shipment before it reaches Mexico. Along with an old friend and a cartel-insider named Juanca, Mario sets off on the near-suicidal mission, which will leave him with either a cool $200,000 or a bullet in the skull. But the path to reward or ruin is never as straight as it seems. As the three complicated men travel through the endless landscape of Texas, across the border and back, their hidden motivations are laid bare alongside nightmarish encounters that defy explanation. One thing is certain: even if Mario makes it out alive, he won't return the same.
The Cuckoo's Calling by
Published under a pseudonym, J. K. Rowling's brilliant debut mystery introduces Detective Cormoran Strike as he investigates a supermodel's suicide in "one of the best books of the year" (USA Today), the first novel in the brilliant series that inspired the acclaimed HBO Max series C.B. Strike. After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he's living in his office. Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry -- known to her friends as the Cuckoo -- famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man. You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.
Light of the World by
Louisiana Sherriff's Detective Dave Robicheaux and his longtime friend and partner Clete Purcel are vacationing in Montana's spectacular Big Sky country when a series of suspicious events leads them to believe their lives-and the lives of their families-are in danger. In contrast to the tranquil beauty of Flathead Lake and the colorful summertime larch and fir unspooling across unblemished ranchland, a venomous presence lurks in the caves and hills, intent on destroying innocent lives. First, Alafair Robicheaux is nearly killed by an arrow while hiking alone on a trail. Then Clete's daughter, Gretchen Horowitz, whom readers met in Burke's previous bestseller Creole Belle, runs afoul of a local cop, with dire consequences. Next, Alafair thinks she sees a familiar face following her around town-but how could convicted sadist and serial killer Asa Surette be loose on the streets of Montana? Surrette committed a string of heinous murders while capital punishment was outlawed in his home state of Kansas. Years ago, Alafair, a lawyer and novelist, interviewed Surette in prison, aiming to prove him guilty of other crimes and eligible for the death penalty. Recently, a prison transport van carrying Surette crashed and he is believed dead, but Alafair isn't so sure. Says The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), "Already designated a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, Burke should get another title, say, for sustained literary brilliance in his Dave Robicheaux series." Light of the World is a harrowing novel that examines the nature of evil and pits Dave Robicheaux against the most diabolical villain he has ever faced.
Devil's Garden by
From the critically acclaimed, award-nominated author comes a new noir crime classic about one of the most notorious trials in American history. Critics called Ace Atkins’s Wicked City“gripping, superb” (Library Journal), “stunning” (The Tampa Tribune), “terrific” (Associated Press), “riveting” (Kirkus Reviews), “wicked good” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram), and “Atkins’ best novel” (The Washington Post). But Devil’s Gardenis something else again. San Francisco, September 1921: Silent-screen comedy star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle is throwing a wild party in his suite at the St. Francis Hotel: girls, jazz, bootleg hooch . . . and a dead actress named Virginia Rappe. The D.A. says it was Arbuckle who killed her—crushing her under his weight—and brings him up on manslaughter charges. William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers stir up the public and demand a guilty verdict. But what really happened? Why do so many people at the party seem to have stories that conflict? Why is the prosecution hiding witnesses? Why are there body parts missing from the autopsied corpse? Why is Hearst so determined to see Fatty Arbuckle convicted? In desperation, Arbuckle’s defense team hires a Pinkerton agent to do an investigation of his own and, they hope, discover the truth. The agent’s name is Dashiell Hammett, and he’s the book’s narrator. What he discovers will change American legal history—and his own life—forever. “The historical accuracy isn’t what elevates Atkins’ prose to greatness,” said The Tampa Tribune. “It’s his ability to let these characters breathe in a way that few authors could ever imagine. He doesn’t so much write them as unleash them upon the page.” You will not soon forget the extraordinary characters and events in Devil’s Garden.
Black Water Rising by
Writing in the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Greg Iles, Attica Locke, a powerful new voice in American fiction, delivers a brilliant debut thriller that readers will not soon forget. Jay Porter is hardly the lawyer he set out to be. His most promising client is a low-rent call girl and he runs his fledgling law practice out of a dingy strip mall. But he's long since made peace with not living the American Dream and carefully tucked away his darkest sins: the guns, the FBI file, the trial that nearly destroyed him. Houston, Texas, 1981. It is here that Jay believes he can make a fresh start. That is, until the night in a boat out on the bayou when he impulsively saves a woman from drowning—and opens a Pandora's box. Her secrets put Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him his practice, his family, and even his life. But before he can get to the bottom of a tangled mystery that reaches into the upper echelons of Houston's corporate power brokers, Jay must confront the demons of his past. With pacing that captures the reader from the first scene through an exhilarating climax, Black Water Rising marks the arrival of an electrifying new talent.
Missing You by
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben, a heart-pounding thriller about the ties we have to our past...and the lies that bind us together. It's a profile, like all the others on the online dating site. But as NYPD Detective Kat Donovan focuses on the accompanying picture, she feels her whole world explode, as emotions she’s ignored for decades come crashing down on her. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who shattered her heart—and who she hasn’t seen in 18 years. Kat feels a spark, wondering if this might be the moment when past tragedies recede and a new world opens up to her. But when she reaches out to the man in the profile, her reawakened hope quickly darkens into suspicion and then terror as an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light, in which monsters prey upon the most vulnerable. As the body count mounts and Kat's hope for a second chance with Jeff grows more and more elusive, she is consumed by an investigation that challenges her feelings about everyone she ever loved—her former fiancé, her mother, and even her father, whose cruel murder so long ago has never been fully explained. With lives on the line, including her own, Kat must venture deeper into the darkness than she ever has before, and discover if she has the strength to survive what she finds there.
Still River by
It's not easy being named Oswald, not in the city where Lee Harvey grabbed his fifteen minutes of infamy and choked it to death. It's especially hard when half the town seems determined to kill you for reasons as murky as the river that splits the city in two. For Lee Henry Oswald, a private investigator, Gulf War vet, and terminal loner, it's just one more burden to face as he trudges through the gritty underbelly of the concrete and glass metropolis that is Dallas in the new millennium. A simple assignment turns deadly when Oswald asks the right questions in the wrong places, and finds himself drawn into a shadowy world of smooth-talking drug lords and double-dealing real estate developers. In the end, he learns that blood is not always thicker than water, especially the muddy tributaries of the Trinity River, where he confronts the deadly results of his own decisions as he races to save the life of his partner. Reminiscent of the tightly wrapped works of Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly, "Still River" is a startling debut mystery.
The Mike Hammer Collection, Volume I by
Introduction by Max Allan Collins A triple shot-collection from the undisputed master of detective fiction that brings back for your delection the first three novels featuring the legendary detective Mike Hammer - the no-holds-barred private detective who became homicide's hottest anti-hero. These novels rendered critics powerless, shocked intellectuals, inspired a new wave of pulp mayhem, and left the public hungry for more. One of the most successful series in publishing history rides again and it still has the power to deliver a knockout punch.
Austin Noir by
Featuring brand-new stories by: Gabino Iglesias, Ace Atkins, Amanda Moore, Jeff Abbott, Scott Montgomery, Richard Z. Santos, Alexandra Burt, Lee Thomas, Miriam Kuznets, Jacob Grovey, Chaitali Sen, Molly Odintz, Amy Gentry, and Andrew Hilbert. From the editors' introduction: 'You've probably heard of Austin. You may have been here for South by Southwest. Your best friend may have recently relocated here from California. You might have thought about moving here yourself, then decided it wasn't worth it to live in Texas. You may have moved to Austin decades ago. You may even have been born and raised in Austin, and now you're on the outskirts of San Antonio or (god forbid) Waco because you can't afford to buy a house anywhere else. Or you may be living in a shiny new building downtown, watching the final stages of a sleepy town's transformation into modern metropolis. One thing you'll hear from almost any Austin resident: it was better when they got here... 'As the city expands, construction never stops, struggling futilely to keep up with new demand. The running joke is that the city bird is the crane. Rents and property values keep climbing. We fear becoming Dallas...The writers contributing to this collection represent a kaleidoscopic view of the city-not just in where they set the stories, but in their different social, economic, and cultural perspectives.'
Brooklyn Noir 3 by
Brooklyn Noir is back, this time with a true-crime vengeance. Features brand new true crime stories by: Robert Leuci, Dennis R. Hawkins, Tim McLoughlin, Thomas Adcock, Adam Mansbach, Errol Louis, Denise Buffa, CJ Sullivan, Reed Farrel Coleman, Thane Rosenbaum, Aileen Gallagher, Christopher Musella, Robert Knightly, Jess Korman, Constance Casey, Rosemarie Yu and more. Tim McLoughlin was also the editor of Brooklyn Noir, first in the series, and Brooklyn Noir 2: The Classics.
Delhi Noir (Akashic Noir) by
Delhi Noir's 15 original stories are written by the best Indian writers alive today - the ones readers might not have yet heard of but should have. Features both veteran authors who have appeared on the Booker Prize shortlist and new talent. Delhi Noir is a world of sex in parks, male prostitution and vigilante rickshaw drivers. It is one plagued by religious riots, soulless corporate dons and murderous servants. This is India uncut.
Las Vegas Noir by
Las Vegas provides the classic sophistication and darkness necessary for a deadly noir story. Stylish, sultry, brimming with ambition and greed, the characters who populate this literary Las Vegas are pushed to the extremes of human experience. From the neon glitter of the Strip to the treacherous views of Red Rock Canyon and Boulder City, from the desperation of Naked City to the racial tensions of the Westside, no other location offers so many different avenues leading to serious trouble.
Los Angeles Noir 2: the Classics by
From Hollywood starlets to downtown taxi dancers, from Central Avenue speakeasies to clapboard Venice Beach shacks to Depression-era hobos riding the rails, this volume brings readers the masters of the genre, penning tales of love, lust and loss in the City of Angels. Some, like Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain, are literary lions. Others, like screenwriters Paul Cain and Leigh Brackett, whose hard-boiled prose shoots like bullets from a bootlegger's gun, are mainly known by cognoscenti. Sequel to Los Angeles Noir, the bestselling volume in the Akashic Noir series.
Trinidad Noir: the Classics by
Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. This volume showcases some of the best writing from Trinidad & Tobago's outstanding literary history. The collection starts with pre-Independence writing - dating all the way back to 1927 - and continues through the twentieth century and up to contemporary writers of recent years. The diversity of styles and cultures captured in Trinidad Noir: The Classics is a fascinating reflection of Trinidad.
The Maltese Falcon
Detective Sam Spade goes in search of a priceless statuette after the death of his partner.
Double Indemnity
An insurance salesman and an unhappy wife conspire to murder her husband and collect his insurance policy.
Blood Simple
A man hires a private investigator to kill his wife, who he thinks is cheating on him, and her lover, but the investigator has a plan of his own. A bad situation suddenly gets worse
Dragnet
A mysterious gangland slaying has taken place and it is up to Sergeant Joe Friday and the Los Angeles Police Department to put together the pieces. They enlist the services of a pretty and daring police woman to trap the devious mobsters and bring them to justice.
