Comments on: FROM THOSE WONDERFUL FOLKS WHO GAVE YOU LUST, GREED, AND DEATH.

By: Joyce Ann

Joyce Ann — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:32:04 +0000

Oh good grief! You have to start with Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky).

By: Mysti Berry

Mysti Berry — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:41:17 +0000

I’m a little late, but Cornell Woolrich short story collection came out a year or two ago — most (all?) not previously avalable since the pulp days. I highly recommend it!
Title: Night and Fear

there are other collections of his stories that include the ones that became movies like Rear Window, search amazon for those. Nght & Fear stories are mostly from the 30s.

By: Charlie Stella

Charlie Stella — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:51:40 +0000

Eddie Coyle is 73, I think … but it’s the bestist ever.

By: Mike Dennis

Mike Dennis — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:05:11 +0000

Glenn–
Woolrich, Willeford, The Friends Of Eddie Coyle, all the rest of them…certainly deserved inclusion. All great.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:17:06 +0000

The Library of America’s 2-volume Crime Novels set is a great place to start on classic noir. 10 novels, including Cain, Thompson, Willeford, Chester Himes, Edward Anderson, Woolrich, Patricia Highsmith.

A personal favorite is Ted Lewis’ Jack’s Return Home (Get Carter).

And finally, I’d suggest an early Travis McGee novel and maybe The Friends of Eddie Coyle, by George V. Higgins.

GRP

By: Mike Dennis

Mike Dennis — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:35:29 +0000

Dana–I haven’t read RED HARVEST, but I found THE BIG SLEEP a little too plot-heavy. POSTMAN, as you say, is very good, too.

Cullen–The Bardin Omnibus sounds great. I’ll have to check it out.

Chris–You’re right. Stark/Westlake belongs on any such list. My error of omission.

Charlie–I read MILDRED PIERCE, too, and it was sensational. Cain could tell a story as well as anybody. And speaking of stories, I loved “Dead Man’s Prerogative”, which appeared in Out Of The Gutter #5. Well done.

By: Charlie Stella

Charlie Stella — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:39:53 +0000

Nothing hardboiled about it, but Cain’s Mildred Pierce rocked my boat (as did Postman and DI).

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:55:26 +0000

I dug deep into Jim Thompson this year myself — even visited his home town — so good call! If I made a list like that, it’s hard for me to imagine not putting at least one Stark/Westlake title on it; I’d go with The Hunter (1962) at least, for sure.

By: Cullen Gallagher

Cullen Gallagher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:26:08 +0000

Can’t argue with anything on the list, all classics! An eye-opening book for me was the John Franklin Bardin Omnibus, which collects his first three novels from the late 1940s. Really bizarre, psychological crime stories. “The Deadly Percheron” is quite funny, reminded me of Fredric Brown. “The Last of Philip Banter” is also quite good. My favorite, however, was “Devil Take The Blue-Tail Fly,” which is really terrifying.

By: Dana King

Dana King — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:20:50 +0000

I hate to double up on writers (because someone else would have to slip) but THE BIG SLEEP and RED HARVEST are awfully good.

Good call on Cain. POSTMAN is good, but DOUBLE INDEMNITY is better.