Best of
Hard-Boiled

1974

Eldorado Red


Donald Goines - 1974
    --The Village Voice A fistful of revenge, street-style, from Donald Goines, the godfather of urban lit. . .Eldorado Red has it all--new cars, women, and plenty of money. But when you're the top dog, the sure bet is that someone--everyone--wants to take what you got. You just never think your own flesh and blood will pull the trigger. Now Eldorado's son, Buddy, is on the run. The thing is, Eldorado wants to let him go, but in the law of the streets, retribution has a mind of its own. . .He lived by the code of the streets and his books vividly recreated the street jungle and its predators. --New Jersey Voice

Cry Revenge


Donald Goines - 1974
    He just rolls the dice better. But the Chicanos don't see it that way, and when one of their brothers is brutally slaughtered in a barroom shootout because of Curtis' dealings with heroin pusher Fat George, the Mexicans cry revenge on Curtis, leaving his brother with a wrecked body that will forever prevent him from being the basketball star he'd always dreamed of being. Curtis swears vengeance, and the streets run red with black-Chicano warfare!"He lived by the code of the streets and his books vividly recreated the street jungle and its predators." -New Jersey Voice

Swamp Man


Donald Goines - 1974
    George Jackson, "Swamp Man," was born and bred in Mississippi as a gentle young man who turned deadly after he saw what four hill boys did to his sister.

Atlanta Deathwatch


Ralph Dennis - 1974
    Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard…often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle.  Hardman is hired by The Man, a black mobster, to investigate the murder of his white girlfriend, a college student. It’s a case that plunges Hardman and Evans into the center of a violent street war that stretches from Atlanta’s seedy back alleys to the marbled corridors of power. This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard crime novels.

Working for the Man (Hardman Book 7)


Ralph Dennis - 1974
     It's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and ex-NFL player Hump Evans do odd jobs. Anything that pays. As long as its not kidnapping, robbery, or murder. Not that they are afraid of killing...if that's what it takes to survive one of their odd jobs. And this time it will. An old, professional gambler who once saved Hardman's neck has been working as an accountant for The Man, the city's black Godfather. When the gambler is killed, and The Man's coded ledger disappears, Hardman and Hump are hired to get the book...and settle the score. This is the seventh book in the legendary HARDMAN series and includes an Afterword from Hank Wagner, co-editor of the book "Thrillers: 100 Must Reads." PRAISE FOR THE HARDMAN NOVELS: "Some of the finest paperback originals I have ever read were part of Ralph Dennis' HARDMAN series. The books were well-written, hard-hitting, unsentimental, but still full of heart." Mystery Scene Magazine “Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment.” The New York Times “The Hardman books are by far the best of the men’s action-adventure series.” Mother Jones Magazine “Among the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic.” Philadelphia Daily News "The Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America

Down Among the Jocks (Hardman Book 5)


Ralph Dennis - 1974
    They're back in the fifth adventure in the beloved and acclaimed series that influenced generations of crime writers. Retired pro football star Ed Cross did most of his scoring between bed posts with other player's women, including Hump's ex-girlfriend. That was bad enough. But, just to rub it in, Cross sends Hump an x-rated birthday skin flick of him celebrating in bed with two women. Hump goes looking for blood... and finds it. Cross is murdered and Hump becomes the prime suspect. Hardman works to clear Hump and discovers there's plenty of murderous hate for Cross out there...from the top of the sports world to the pits of Atlanta's illegal gambling scene... and revealing it could get them both killed. This new edition includes an Afterword from Ben Jones, the Dukes of Hazzard actor and former U.S. Congressman from Georgia. PRAISE FOR THE HARDMAN NOVELS "Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature.” Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard series “The Hardman books are by far the best of the men’s action-adventure series.” Mother Jones Magazine “Among the best series books around.” Philadelphia Daily News