| 1 |
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The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)
by
3.94 avg rating — 170,791 ratings
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| 2 |
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The Maltese Falcon
by
3.86 avg rating — 117,114 ratings
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| 3 |
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Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)
by
4.09 avg rating — 43,487 ratings
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| 4 |
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The Long Good-bye (Philip Marlowe, #6)
by
4.19 avg rating — 47,578 ratings
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| 5 |
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Red Harvest (The Continental Op #1)
by
3.94 avg rating — 30,229 ratings
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| 6 |
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The Postman Always Rings Twice
by
3.76 avg rating — 49,650 ratings
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| 7 |
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Double Indemnity
by
4.05 avg rating — 28,947 ratings
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| 8 |
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The Grifters
by
3.92 avg rating — 12,417 ratings
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| 9 |
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The Killer Inside Me
by
3.89 avg rating — 29,284 ratings
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| 10 |
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The Black Dahlia (L.A. Quartet, #1)
by
3.79 avg rating — 99,472 ratings
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| 11 |
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The Mike Hammer Collection, Volume 1: I,the Jury / My Gun is Quick / Vengeance is Mine!
by
3.93 avg rating — 2,245 ratings
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| 11 |
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The Drowning Pool (Lew Archer, #2)
by
3.93 avg rating — 7,641 ratings
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| 13 |
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The Thin Man
by
3.89 avg rating — 38,845 ratings
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| 14 |
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The Getaway
by
3.85 avg rating — 9,425 ratings
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| 15 |
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Strangers on a Train
by
3.72 avg rating — 39,338 ratings
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| 16 |
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A Taste of Shotgun
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3.78 avg rating — 27 ratings
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| 17 |
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So Many Things To Bury
by
4.88 avg rating — 8 ratings
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| 18 |
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The Little Sister (Philip Marlowe, #5)
by
3.98 avg rating — 19,230 ratings
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| 19 |
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The Friends of Eddie Coyle
by
4.04 avg rating — 11,138 ratings
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| 20 |
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After Dark, My Sweet
by
3.90 avg rating — 4,813 ratings
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| 21 |
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Mildred Pierce
by
3.93 avg rating — 10,908 ratings
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| 22 |
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A Swell-Looking Babe
by
3.79 avg rating — 2,096 ratings
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| 23 |
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Fast One
by
3.63 avg rating — 487 ratings
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| 24 |
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A Rage in Harlem (Harlem Cycle, #1)
by
3.89 avg rating — 7,774 ratings
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| 25 |
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Savages (Savages #2)
by
3.90 avg rating — 24,377 ratings
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| 25 |
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Born Slippy
by
3.91 avg rating — 105 ratings
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| 25 |
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My Dirty California
by
3.92 avg rating — 339 ratings
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| 28 |
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The Winter of Frankie Machine
by
4.18 avg rating — 16,486 ratings
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| 29 |
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Act of Fear (Dan Fortune, #1)
by
3.64 avg rating — 211 ratings
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| 30 |
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The High Window (Philip Marlowe, #3)
by
4.04 avg rating — 25,952 ratings
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| 31 |
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Box Nine
by
3.51 avg rating — 230 ratings
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| 32 |
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Cassidy's Girl
by
3.77 avg rating — 545 ratings
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| 33 |
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Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
by
3.85 avg rating — 518 ratings
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| 34 |
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Cockfighter
by
4.13 avg rating — 1,610 ratings
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| 35 |
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The Shark-Infested Custard
by
3.79 avg rating — 804 ratings
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| 36 |
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New Hope for the Dead (Hoke Mosely #2)
by
3.82 avg rating — 1,921 ratings
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| 37 |
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Floater
by
3.50 avg rating — 36 ratings
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| 38 |
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A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1)
by
3.96 avg rating — 45,089 ratings
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| 39 |
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A Flower in the Desert: A Joshua Croft Mystery (The Joshua Croft Mysteries Book 3)
by
3.74 avg rating — 101 ratings
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| 39 |
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Prince of Thieves
by
3.98 avg rating — 6,491 ratings
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| 41 |
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Blue Eyes (Isaac Sidel #1)
by
3.41 avg rating — 143 ratings
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| 42 |
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Done for a Dime: A Novel
by
3.70 avg rating — 80 ratings
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| 42 |
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In a Lonely Place
by
4.12 avg rating — 9,441 ratings
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| 44 |
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Tender Is LeVine
by
3.70 avg rating — 40 ratings
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| 45 |
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Candleland (The Stephen Larkin Mysteries Book 3)
by
4.08 avg rating — 40 ratings
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| 46 |
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The Chill (Lew Archer, #11)
by
4.07 avg rating — 4,901 ratings
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| 47 |
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Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice
by
3.72 avg rating — 237 ratings
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| 48 |
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Body Guard
by
3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings
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| 49 |
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The Last Good Kiss (C.W. Sughrue, #1)
by
4.05 avg rating — 8,796 ratings
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| 50 |
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The Glitter Dome
by
3.80 avg rating — 1,709 ratings
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| 51 |
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The Lady in the Lake (Philip Marlowe, #4)
by
4.06 avg rating — 28,647 ratings
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| 52 |
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Death Wish
by
3.72 avg rating — 1,888 ratings
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| 52 |
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Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins, #1)
by
3.87 avg rating — 30,732 ratings
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| 52 |
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Playback (Philip Marlowe, #7)
by
3.79 avg rating — 11,252 ratings
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| 55 |
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The Fifth Key
by
4.06 avg rating — 53 ratings
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| 55 |
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The Glass Key
by
3.92 avg rating — 13,887 ratings
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| 55 |
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The Death Wish / Net of Cobwebs
by
3.70 avg rating — 10 ratings
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| 58 |
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Jeopardy Is My Job
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings
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| 59 |
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The Big Clock
by
3.84 avg rating — 2,774 ratings
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| 60 |
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Lonely Hearts (Charlie Resnick #1)
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3.80 avg rating — 2,615 ratings
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| 61 |
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When Last Seen Alive
by
3.88 avg rating — 40 ratings
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| 62 |
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The Harker File (The Harker Files #1)
by
3.45 avg rating — 11 ratings
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| 62 |
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Word Made Flesh
by
3.77 avg rating — 191 ratings
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| 64 |
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Telling Lies (A Maggie MacGowen Mystery #1)
by
3.53 avg rating — 116 ratings
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| 64 |
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Falling Angel
by
3.90 avg rating — 5,891 ratings
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| 66 |
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Smugglers Notch
by
3.35 avg rating — 62 ratings
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| 66 |
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Ride the Pink Horse
by
3.79 avg rating — 1,123 ratings
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| 68 |
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The Hot Spot
by
4.05 avg rating — 1,371 ratings
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| 69 |
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Lady Killer
by
4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings
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| 69 |
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Post Pattern (Burnside Series #1)
by
4.11 avg rating — 1,547 ratings
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| 69 |
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Colorado Noir
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 15 ratings
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| 69 |
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Sin City Volume 1: The Hard Goodbye
by
4.17 avg rating — 69,761 ratings
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| 69 |
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Berlin Noir: March Violets / The Pale Criminal / A German Requiem (Bernie Gunther #1-3)
by
4.22 avg rating — 11,858 ratings
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| 69 |
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Shamus Dust
by
4.30 avg rating — 552 ratings
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| 69 |
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Blood Mug (Red Farlow Mysteries: #4)
by
4.39 avg rating — 33 ratings
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| 69 |
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The Man with the Golden Arm
by
3.86 avg rating — 3,304 ratings
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| 69 |
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Guidance to Death (Frank Adams Detective series Book 1)
by
4.67 avg rating — 240 ratings
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| 78 |
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A Question of Blood (Inspector Rebus, #14)
by
4.07 avg rating — 14,885 ratings
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| 78 |
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A Man Without Breath (Bernie Gunther #9)
by
4.18 avg rating — 6,915 ratings
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| 78 |
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Sin City, Vol. 4: That Yellow Bastard (Sin City, #4)
by
4.24 avg rating — 26,583 ratings
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| 78 |
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Never Come Morning
by
4.08 avg rating — 665 ratings
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| 82 |
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The Blonde
by
3.81 avg rating — 1,620 ratings
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| 82 |
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In the Pines
by
4.22 avg rating — 9 ratings
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| 82 |
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JACKS FORK: a novel
by
4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
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| 85 |
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Fleshmarket Close (Inspector Rebus, #15)
by
4.01 avg rating — 14,657 ratings
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| 85 |
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The Wheelman: A Novel
by
3.85 avg rating — 2,784 ratings
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| 87 |
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The First Quarry (Hard Case Crime #48)
by
4.01 avg rating — 1,390 ratings
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| 88 |
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Amateur City (Kate Delafield, #1)
by
3.71 avg rating — 1,182 ratings
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| 88 |
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The Magician's Wife
by
3.18 avg rating — 87 ratings
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| 90 |
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Halo in Blood (Paul Pine #1)
by
3.67 avg rating — 69 ratings
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| 90 |
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Black Money (Lew Archer, #13)
by
3.95 avg rating — 2,519 ratings
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| 90 |
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The Getaway
by
3.85 avg rating — 9,425 ratings
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| 93 |
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Junky
by
3.84 avg rating — 72,418 ratings
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| 93 |
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In a Lonely Place
by
4.12 avg rating — 9,441 ratings
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| 95 |
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L.A. Confidential (L.A. Quartet, #3)
by
4.19 avg rating — 40,184 ratings
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| 95 |
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The Goodbye Look (Lew Archer, #15)
by
3.95 avg rating — 1,833 ratings
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| 95 |
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The Blackbirder
by
3.73 avg rating — 571 ratings
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| 98 |
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All the Lonely People (Harry Devlin, #1)
by
3.43 avg rating — 541 ratings
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| 99 |
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Bedelia
by
3.70 avg rating — 452 ratings
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| 100 |
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Laura
by
3.97 avg rating — 4,024 ratings
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Great start. Missing some additional good crime. Vachss. Joe R Lansdale. John Connolly. To scratch a dark surface
It is a great start but there's always something exciting about unearthing a new writer. I LOVE to laugh and rich characters with odd proclivities is my favorite! My new hilariously hardboiled addiction is Thomas de Kooning, the author of The Corsican Dove, The Beijing Duck. I heard about him from a a friend -- I guess the author is a former surgeon. Anyway, I snuck off into my room at night to indulge and laugh at loud at the bumbling detective character Ramone Ramone. I'm loving these dialogue-heavy hardboiled classics. I'm waiting for this 3rd book to come out. The Gallic Chicken. Hope he doesn't leave me hanging!
Lots of confusion on this list as to what constitutes "hardboiled" and just plain "crime" fiction. James M. Cain, Paul Cain, Dashiell Hammett, & Cornell Woolrich are all big names in the field, but are vastly under-represented compared to lots of non-hardboiled work that appears here. Nevertheless, blah blah blah.
What in the world is a Brother Cadfael novel (A Morbid Taste for Bones) doing on this list? I adore Cadfael, and he is a delightful, insightful sleuth, but those books are about as hardboiled as a Twinkie.
