Mystery - Hardboiled - Christchurch City LibrariesLike this list

23 items

• The Big Nowhere

  Ellroy, James, 1948-

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  Considered one of the modern masters of hard boiled crime, Ellroy is back at it again in The Big Nowhere. Set in Los Angeles in the 1950's, three men are plunged into a grimy underground of Communist witch hunts and violence. Ellroy's novels are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Glass Rainbow

  Burke, James Lee, 1936-

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  James Lee Burke's novels are set in the bayou near New Orleans and in New Orleans itself - a ready made noir setting which he makes the best of with evocative descriptions. His long running and award winning series about Dave Robicheaux is something…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Raylan

  Leonard, Elmore, 1925-2013

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  Eccentric characters are central to Elmore Leonard's stories, and it's no different here. They drive the action and their extraordinary and beautifully captured dialogue define them. His protagonists tend to be ordinary people who find themselves in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Cut

  Pelecanos, George P.

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  Pelecanos writes about the Washington you don't see on TV - the multi-racial working man's city. His characters are street smart inhabitants of the inner city. An ensemble of believable characters and heroes inhabit his books, keeping them fresh. He…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• In the Galway Silence

  Bruen, Ken, 1951-

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  This award-winning series features the hard-living and jaded private-eye (and former disgraced police officer) Jack Taylor. The books are set in Galway which Bruen says he treats as a character itself in the books. Bruen is much admired for his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Breakers

  Muller, Marcia, 1944-

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  Hard edged private eye Sharon McCone is one of the most popular modern female detectives in the Hardboiled sub-genre. Appearing first in 1977, she is considered to be the prototype for a whole spate of books featuring professional female detectives.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When the Thrill Is Gone

  Mosley, Walter, 1952-

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  Master detective story writer Walter Mosley's series about the complex and shrewd African-American detective Easy Rawlins, are classic hard-boiled detective stories, set in black Los Angeles from the 40s to the 60s. He is sometimes compared to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Split Image

  Parker, Robert B., 1932-2010

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  Slick dialogue and clever wise cracking from his tough, cynical PI Spenser, along with vivid descriptions of both location and people, make these books an entertaining read. When this best-selling author died he was lauded as a master novelist who…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Exit Music

  Rankin, Ian, 1960-

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  Inspector Rebus is your classic loner detective, a rebel and a thorn in the side of all his senior officers. The books are set in Edinburgh and by the time you've read the series you'll feel as though you know the city - well at least its darker,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Am Gold

  James, Bill, pseud., 1929-

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  Det. Chief Supt. Colin Harpur and Asst. Chief Constable Desmond Iles operate in an unnamed small English coastal city. They are as devious, unscrupulous and just as vengeful as their criminal quarries. Terse prose, a dark wry wit and gripping plots…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• U Is for Undertow

  Grafton, Sue, 1940-2017

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  Tough girl Kinsey Millhone is one of the original female PIs. An updated version of the classic noir detective, she is smart mouthed and strongly feminist. The books are set in Santa Barbara, California, and have a strong sense of place. The series…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Infernal Angels

  An Amos Walker Novel

  Estleman, Loren D., 1952-

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  A former police reporter and veteran writer of both mysteries and westerns, Estleman writes very much in the classic noir tradition. His 'Detroit' series featuring Amos Walker, a Vietnam veteran, began in the 90s and is very definitely set in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The First Rule

  Crais, Robert, 1953-

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  Crais' best-selling mystery series about LA based PI Joe Pike have been described as "graphic and unflinching". Anyone who can take the violence will find fast-paced, well crafted and satisfying stories, with strong plots and characters.

• A Drop of the Hard Stuff

  Block, Lawrence, 1938-

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  This highly regarded author writes several different series. His long running series about hard boiled and recovering alcoholic detective Matthew Scudder is known for it's sharp insight, as well as masterful storytelling. This is the final Scudder…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us

  a Novel

  Cantero, Edgar, 1981-

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  A wacky and genuinely hilarious testament to detective noir and action, this makes a good read for fans of Terry Pratchett, but in the mystery genre. Brother-sister twins A. and Z. Kimrean are both private detectives with one big catch– they share…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shutter Island

  Lehane, Dennis, 1965-

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  A mysterious island housing a mental asylum for the criminally insane, a missing patient and a conspiracy that might go all the way to the top. A fantastic tale to unravel that the author describes as an “homage to gothic settings", and a “hybrid of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dark Hours

  Jahn, Ryan David, 1979-

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  Damien Lamb is a classic noir private investigator, made for the modern age. Cynically crushing pills with the bottom of his whiskey glass and drinking heavily at his desk. He has been hired to save a woman's daughter from an infamous cult, The…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Drive

  a Novel

  Sallis, James, 1944-

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  A short and sharp book, chronicling a double cross in the life of a stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for hire. While a stunt driver is an unusual pick for the hardboiled genre when compared to detectives or private eyes, this still…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Big Sleep

  Chandler, Raymond, 1888-1959

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  'The Big Sleep' kicks off the Philip Marlowe mysteries, a classic hardboiled noir detective series. Though this has a complex and intricate plot with lots of action, it's really all about the multi-layered characters and the atmosphere - you'll be…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Silence of the Lambs

  Harris, Thomas, 1940-

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  'The Silence of the Lambs' is an American mystery of the 1980s, and forms one part of a four book series by Thomas Harris. This is a disturbing, plot-driven thriller heavy with psychological suspense. FBI Behavioural Scientist Clarice Starling must…Read moreRead more of this annotation