Abe, K¯ob¯o. The Ruined Map, translated from the Japanese by E. Dale Saunders. (1993)

Mr. Nemuro, a respected salesman, disappeared over half a year ago, but only now does his alluring yet alcoholic wife hire a private eye. The nameless detective has but two clues: a photo and a matchbook. With these he embarks upon an ever more puzzling pursuit that leads him into the depths of Tokyo's dangerous underworld, where he begins to lose the boundaries of his own identity. Surreal, fast-paced, and hauntingly dreamlike, Abe's masterly novel delves into the unknowable mysteries of the human mind.

Atwood, Russell. East of A (1999)

Payton Sherwood, a novice private detective in New York's East Village, stumbles upon a murder that draws him into the dark and desperate underside of the city, in a neo-noir urban mystery.

Baer, Will Christopher. Kiss Me, Judas (1998)

A former police officer awakens after a night of sex with a strange woman to find that one of his kidneys has been removed, an event that sends him into a drugged-out underworld.

Baer, Will Christopher. Penny Dreadful (2000)

In the suspenseful sequel to Kiss Me, Judas , ex-cop Phineas Poe joins his old ally, Detective Moon, in the search for a missing officer, Jimmy Sky, a man who may not even exist, and becomes embroiled in a bizarre role-playing game involving sexual warfare, torture, paranoid visions, and multiple realities.

Bruen, Ken. The Guards (2003)

Stuck in a rut after his dismissal from the Irish police force and still grieving the death of his father, Jack Taylor finds renewal when an intriguing woman hires him based on his rumored talent for finding things, unaware of what his attractive client has in mind.

Bruen, Ken. Rilke On Black (1996)

In south London, an unlikely gang of kidnappers -- Nick, an ex-bouncer; Dex, a charismatic sociopath; and Lisa, a motormouth junkie femme fatale -- hatches a plot. Their prey is a powerful local businessman with an obsession for the poet Rilke. The thing is, each kidnapper has a very different agenda, which means it's only a matter of time before the joking stops and the violence takes over.

Bruen, Ken. The Hackman Blues (1997)

This violent, profane novel is also wickedly entertaining and, in places, quite funny. Tony Brady is hired by a would-be Gene Hackman look-alike to find his missing daughter. Sounds simple enough -- until Tony sees an opportunity to make a lot of money and starts improvising, thus complicating matters and winding up in the middle of a kidnapping. Fans of gritty, witty crime stories -- like those of Elmore Leonard -- will be thoroughly delighted by this twisted caper novel.

Bruen, Ken. Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice (1998)

Cooper had done his time in prison. Now on the outside, he'd set up a legitimate business with Doc, whom he'd met inside. They called themselves "Righteous Repo," and they even had an accountant. The repo firm did good business, but it wasn't anywhere near as exhilarating as the bank jobs they did on the side.

Cain, James M. Cain x 3: Three Novels by James M. Cain (1969)

James M. Cain is one of the most famous of the hard-boiled fiction writers who came to prominence in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. His place in history is further assured by the film adaptations of three of his novels, classics in film noir : Double Indemnity (1944, starring Barbara Stanwyck), about an insurance agent who schemes with a woman to murder her husband; Mildred Pierce (1945, starring Joan Crawford) which tells the story of sex, money, and snobbery in a divorcée's business, love, and family life; and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946, starring Lana Turner), about a drifter who has an affair with his boss's wife and then plots to murder him.

Cain, James M. The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction (1981)

Short stories from a master of hard-boiled fiction.

Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s (1997)

From The Library of America. Includes The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson; The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith; Pick-up by Charles Willeford; Down There by David Goodis; and The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes.

Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s (1997)

Includes The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain; They Shoot Horses, Don't They by Horace McCoy; Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson; The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing; Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham; and I Married a Dead Man by Cornell Woolrich. From The Library of America.

Caspary, Vera. Laura (1994)

Laura Hunt was the ideal modern woman: beautiful, elegant, highly ambitious, and utterly mysterious. No man could resist her charms -- not even the hardboiled NYPD detective sent to find out who turned her into a faceless corpse. As this tough cop probes the mystery of Laura's death, he becomes obsessed with her strange power. Soon he realizes he's been seduced by a dead woman -- or has he? Laura won lasting renown as an Academy Award-nominated 1944 film, the greatest noir romance of all time, starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, and Clifton Webb; and produced and directed by Otto Preminger.

Chang, Leonard. Over the Shoulder (2001)

In the wake of his partner's murder, a reluctant investigator, Korean-American bodyguard Allen Choice, follows a trail that leads him back in time to the death of his father twenty years earlier, and eventually to the true meaning and origin of the American dream.

Cooper, Clarence L. The Farm (1998)

A Dante-esque tour of the levels of hell to be found in a federal drug rehabilitation center and a powerful story of love growing in the most unnatural conditions.

Ellroy, James. The Cold Six Thousand (2001)

Arriving in 1963 Dallas, Vegas cop Wayne Tedrow Jr. becomes swept up in the cover-up conspiracy surrounding JFK's assassination, an event that marks the beginning of his association with Howard Hughes, the Klan, J. Edgar Hoover, Vietnam, and more.

Ellroy, James. L. A. Noir (1993)

A hardcover compendium of three detective novels by the author of L.A. Confidential , the basis of the motion picture, includes Blood on the Moon, Because the Night, and Suicide Hill.

Elrod, P. N. The Dark Sleep (1999)

A new volume in the popular series The Vampire Files , finds Chicago detective Jack Fleming, who also happens to be a vampire, coping with blackmail in high society, his partner being wounded, and a radio star chasing after Jack's girlfriend.

Goodis, David. The Moon in the Gutter (1953)

Another piece of pulp fiction, Goodis's 1953 noirish novel portrays the story of protagonist Bill Kerrigan, a poor street-hardened man who marries wealthy Loretta Channing. Kerrigan, however, soon learns that class is something you can't buy and once a street punk, always a street punk.

Gores, Joe. Cases (1999)

A recent graduate of Notre Dame, Pierce Duncan embarks on a cross-country odyssey across postwar America, a quest that leads to fateful encounters with a redneck chain-gang guard, a vicious killer, a corrupt LA cult leader, and a tough private eye. By the Edgar Award-winning author of Contract Null & Void.

Green, Norman. Shooting Dr. Jack (2001)

Three men -- Fat Tommy Roselli, Stoney, and Turco -- work out their various aggressions and redemptions on the unforgiving street.

Hendricks, Vicki. Voluntary Madness (2000)

Hendricks, the author of Miami Purity , perhaps the most impressive noir debut in the last decade, revisits the dark side with two short novels, “Iguana Love” and “Voluntary Madness,” reprising her favorite theme -- women in the grip of sexual obsession.

Himes, Chester. Yesterday Will Make You Cry (1937)

A restored edition of the author's 1937 autobiographical novel of Jimmy Monroe portrays an African-American prisoner who must endure racism, homosexuality, and prison corruption, all of which test the limits of his sanity, his capacity for suffering, and his definition of love.

Himes, Chester. Pinktoes (1961)

Mamie Mason, an influential Harlem society matron, hosts open sexual orgies in hopes of developing harmony between the races.

Himes, Chester. A Rage in Harlem (1957)

Goldy, Jackson's crafty twin brother, tries to help Jackson recover his life savings from the con man who cheated him.

Japrisot, Sebastien. The Lady in the Car With Glasses and a Gun, translated from the French by Helen Weaver (1967)

Intense noir, dealing with a woman joyriding into mystery.

Lansdale, Joe R. Bad Chili (1997)

Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, the popular Texas heroes of the best-selling The Two-Bear Mambo , embark on a picaresque adventure down South when Leonard is named the prime suspect in connection with the murder of a local good ol' boy.

Lansdale, Joe R. Captains Outrageous (2001)

Hap Collins and Leonard Pine head back to Mexico is seek revenge for the murder of a beautiful young lady, currently involved with a Mexican mobster and a practicing nudist, who, along with her elderly father, had rescued them both from armed attackers.

Lansdale, Joe R. Rumble Tumble (1998)

In the sequel to Bad Chili, Hap Collins puts his mid-life crisis on hold to join his best buddy, Leonard Pine, and his girlfriend, Brett, on a mission to rescue Brett's troubled daughter from the dangerous inhabitants of Hootie Hoot, Oklahoma.

Lansdale, Joe R. The Two-Bear Mambo (1995)

Ex-convict Hap Collins and his buddy, Leonard Pine tangle with redneck racists and a voodoo graveyard while trying to solve a grim mystery.

Lovell, Glenville. Too Beautiful to Die (2003)

At odds with the NYPD over an incident that ended his career and nearly his life, African-American former police officer Blades Overstreet is prevailed upon to help a soap-opera star find her missing father, a situation that turns dangerous when Blades is accused of murdering an FBI agent.

Manchette, Jean-Patrick. Three to Kill, translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith (1976)

Backed by a tremendous European reputation, one of the stars of Gallimard's Série Noire comes to America with a lean thriller, in a brilliant new translation. Manchette (1942-1995) did translations himself, as well as leftist political writing, potboilers and TV scripts, but his 10 crime novels composed between 1971 and 1982 are considered his masterworks. This 1976 title features the ordinary businessman Georges Gerfaut, drawn by chance into the net cast by two hit men, Carlo and Bastien, working on assignment for the mysterious "Mr. Taylor." For no reason Gerfaut can comprehend, the pair are suddenly trying to kill him, and he must flee for his life.

Nolan, William F. The Black Mask Boys: Masters in the Hard-Boiled School of Detective Fiction (1985)

A collection of vintage detective fiction gives tribute to many of the masters in the hard-boiled school of detective fiction and the legacy of the "Black Mask," the magazine that made them famous. Featuring classic fiction by: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Horace McCoy, Carroll John Daly, Frederick Nebel, Raoul Whitfield, and Paul Cain. Includes bibliographies.

Pelecanos George P. Shoedog (1994)

In a hardboiled noir mystery by the author of Nick's Trip, a Washington, D.C., liquor store heist shows a drifter named Constantine what it means to be a shoedog.

Pelecanos George P. Down By the River Where the Dead Men Go (1995)

Sleeping off a night of drinking in a public park, Nick Stefanos is awakened by a dull plopping sound and a quiet splash that turn out to be the murder of Calvin Jetter, and the beginning of a grim investigation.

Pelecanos George P. King Suckerman (1997)

In the summer of 1976, Clay and Kattas stumble onto a drug deal gone bad and end up with a heap of money that is not theirs, but when the dealers come for the cash, the unfortunate duo must take a stand, go straight, and get justice --- and revenge.

Pelecanos George P. Right As Rain (2001)

Ex-cop Derek Strange is hired by the mother of a slain police officer to investigate the killing and quickly stumbles across the guilty feelings of another cop involved in the incident.

Pelecanos George P. Shame the Devil (2000)

A restaurant robbery goes badly wrong in Washington, D.C., leaving a number of employees dead, the gunman's brother killed by police, and a young boy run over by the getaway car, a situation that rapidly worsens as the gunman vows to avenge his brother by killing every person involved in his death.

Pronzini, Bill and Jack Adrian, eds. Hard-Boiled: An Anthology of American Crime Stories (1995)

A bravura collection of hard-boiled stories including such authors as Dashiell Hammett, Raoul Whitfield, W.R. Burnett, Paul Cain, Daniel Mainwaring, Jim Thompson, Margaret Maron, Andrew Vachss, Ed Gorman, and many, many more.

Ridley, John. Love is a Racket (1998)

An alcoholic street hustler and failed screenwriter with a loan shark on his back, Jeffty Kittridge stumbles upon a beautiful, young homeless woman and cooks up the scheme of a lifetime, only to fall prey to love.

Shannon, Ray. Man Eater (2003)

Finding herself in trouble after interfering in a hired thug's attempt to reclaim stolen drug money, Hollywood executive Ronnie Deal finds assistance from ex-con and aspiring screenwriter Ellis Langford.

Stansberry, Domenic. Manifesto for the Dead (2000)

Nearing the end of his career, aging crime novelist Jim Thompson takes on a project from a small-time Hollywood producer and soon finds that he is being framed for the murder of a Hollywood starlet.

Starr, Jason. Nothing Personal (1998)

In debt to two bookies and a loan shark, compulsive gambler Joey DePino hatches a desperate plan to kidnap the young daughter of David and Leslie Sussman, a wealthy Upper East Side couple who are friends with Joey's wife. Enlisting a brain-damaged childhood friend as his accomplice, Joey sets his ill-conceived plan into motion.

Stone, Michael. Totally Dead (1999)

Ex-linebacker-turned-Denver P.I. Streeter battles a whole new set of low-lifes, when he represents a local restaurateur who lands in hot water with some major underworld figures and ends up in the middle of a pizza war.

Thompson, Jim. Bad Boy (1953)

In an outrageous autobiographical novel, suspense novelist Jim Thompson details his rich and bawdy youth, from birth to burgeoning manhood at age twenty-one, recalling his coming of age in the American Southwest during the 1920s.

Willeford, Charles Ray. New Hope for the Dead (1985)

Miami detective Hoke Moseley is impeded in his pursuit of a psychopathic killer by his superior, his two teenage daughters, and his Cuban partner.

Willeford, Charles Ray. The Way We Die Now (1988)

Miami homicide detective Holk Moseley is sent undercover to investigate rumors of slavery and murder at a migrant farm near Miami, while a murderer he once helped to convict decides to become his neighbor.

Woolrich, Cornell. Angels of Darkness (Stories) (1978)

Short stories from the noir master Woolrich, including “Johnny on the spot;” “ Waltz;” “The book that squealed;” “Meet me by the mannequin;” “Murder at mother's knee;” “Mind over murder;” “Death escapes the eye;” and “For the rest of her life.” With a introduction by Harlan Ellison and an afterword by F.M. Nevins Jr.

Woolrich, Cornell. The Cornell Woolrich Omnibus (1998)

This combines the complete text of Woolrich's noir masterworks Rear Window, I Married a Dead Man , and Waltz into Darkness, all originally published in the 1940s.

Woolrich, Cornell. Nightmare. (1956)

A jazz musician's nightmare about a murder turns into the real thing – and he's on the run for his life.

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