Best of
Detective

2002

Janet Evanovich Three and Four Two-Book Set


Janet Evanovich - 2002
    As the body count rises, Stephanie finds herself dealing with dead drug dealers and slippery fugitives on the chase of her life. And with the help of eccentric friends and family, Steph must see to it that this case doesn't end up being her last... Four to Score Stephanie Plum, Trenton, New Jersey's favorite pistol-packing, condom-carrying bounty hunter, is back--and on the trail of a revenge-seeking waitress who's skipped bail. With then help of 73-year-old Grandma Mazur, ex-hooker Lula, a transvestite musician named Sally Sweet, and the all-too-hospitable, all-too-sexy Joe Morelli, Stephanie might just catch her woman. Then again, with more mishaps than there are exits on the Jersey Turnpike--including murders, firebombs, and Stephanie's arch-rival bounty hunter chasing after the same fugative--Stephanie better watch her back big-time if she wants to live to crack this case.

The Lady in the Lake, The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye, Playback (#4-7)


Raymond Chandler - 2002
    Chandler’s last four novels, published here in one volume, offer ample opportunity to savor the unique and utterly compelling fictional world that made his works modern classics.The Lady in the Lake moves Marlowe out of his usual habitat of city streets and into the mountains outside of Los Angeles in his strange search for a missing woman. The Little Sister takes Marlowe to Hollywood, where he tries to find a sweet young thing’s missing brother, uncovering on the way a little blackmail, a lot of drugs, and more than enough murder. In The Long Goodbye, a case involving a war-scarred drunk and his nymphomaniac wife has Marlowe constantly on the move: a psychotic gangster’s on his trail, he’s in trouble with the cops, and more and more corpses keep turning up. Playback features a well-endowed redhead who leads Marlowe to the California coast to solve a tale of big money and, of course, murder.Throughout these masterpieces, Marlowe’s wry humor and existential sense of his job prove yet again why he has become one of the most recognized and imitated characters in fiction.

Win, Place, or Show


Dick Francis - 2002
    In Odds Against, he lands a position with a detective agency. His first case brings him up against a field of thoroughbred criminals, and the odds against him are making it a long shot that he'll even survive.Whip Hand finds Halley haunted by his glory days, although he still finds a certain satisfaction in solving a case. Hired by the wife of one of England's top racehorse trainers, Halley needs to figure out why her husband's most promising horses have been performing so poorly, and winds up haunted by more than just memories.In Come to Grief, Halley becomes convinced that one of his closest friends-and one of the racing world's most beloved figures--is behind a series of shockingly violent acts. No one wants to believe that Ellis Quint could be guilty, so the public and press are turning their wrath against Halley instead. Now he's facing opposition at every turn-and finding danger lies straight ahead.

Inspector Morse: The Complete Collection


Colin Dexter - 2002
    

They Do it with Mirrors / The Unexpected Guest


Agatha Christie - 2002
    

The Complete Inspector Morse (New Revised Edition)


David Bishop - 2002
    Actor John Thaw gave a memorable performance as the rough-diamond bachelor cop, a character who first appeared in a series of books by Colin Dexter. Now, this illustrated guide offers a critique of every Morse episode ever produced; a comparison of the character on the page and on screen; and full background information on both the inspector and his able assistant, Sergeant Lewis. It is a book for die-hard fans as well as new converts to the series.

Color of Justice


Gary Hardwick - 2002
    But the savage murders of affluent African-Americans are plunging him into the urban heart of terror, where he will learn first-hand how powerful, inviolate -- and deadly -- the color line truly is.

The Business of Dying


Simon Kernick - 2002
    Cynical and jaded, Milne earns money on the side by doing what he does best: punishing the bad guys. But this time he's been duped. Instead of blowing away drug dealers, he kills three innocent people, their deaths starting an investigation that sees him and his conscience heading for trouble.Less than twelve hours later, Milne is out on the streets again. Eighteen-year-old Miriam Fox has been found dead by Regent's Canal---her throat slashed. Desperate to find Miriam's killer, Milne uncovers a web of depravity far more shocking than he could ever have imagined. Can he evade arrest for his own crimes and solve a case so sickening that it may provide the key to his personal redemption?The clock is ticking and everyone's watching their backs as a war of morality is fought in the mind of one renegade policeman in this gripping first novel by a talented young crime writer.

The Bank Robber Diaries


Danny King - 2002
    He aspires to be like him in every way and moulds his whole personality around armed robbery so that this is all he lives for. He holds normal working people (or plebs, as he calls them) in contempt and tries to ape Gavin without truly understanding what it is that makes him tick. When Gavin gets sentenced to 15 years in prison, Chris steps into his boots and tries to take over as head of a small crew of blaggers. He complicates things further by having an affair with Heather, Gavin's wife, while neglecting his own treacherous, money-grabbing partner, Debbie. A mistake that could cost him his life.

A Century of Noir: Thirty-two Classic Crime Stories


Mickey Spillane - 2002
    Thirty-two writers of legendary genius. One hundred years of crime fiction in a one-of-a-kind collection.

Wolf, No Wolf and Notches: The Third and Fourth Montana Mysteries Featuring Gabriel du Pre


Peter Bowen - 2002
    Now these two highly acclaimed mysteries in the series, Wolf, No Wolf and Notches, are brought together in one volume.