Best of
Noir

1984

Tapping the Source


Kem Nunn - 1984
    Ike Tucker has come to look for his missing sister and for the three men who may have murdered her. In that place of gilded surfers and sun-bleached blondes, Ike's search takes him on a journey through a twisted world of crazed Vietnam vets, sadistic surfers, drug dealers, and mysterious seducers. Ike looks into the shadows and finds parties that drift towards pointless violence, joyless vacations and highs you might never come down from ... and a sea of old hatreds and dreams gone bad. And if he's not careful, his is a journey from which he will never return.

Miami Blues


Charles Willeford - 1984
    With his guard down, he doesn’t think twice when he hears a knock on the door. The next day, he finds himself in the hospital, badly bruised and with his jaw wired shut. He thinks back over ten years of cases wondering who would want to beat him into unconsciousness, steal his gun and badge, and most importantly, make off with his prized dentures. But the pieces never quite add up to revenge, and the few clues he has keep connecting to a dimwitted hooker, and her ex-con boyfriend and the bizarre murder of a Hare Krishna pimp.Chronically depressed, constantly strapped for money, always willing to bend the rules a bit, Hoke Moseley is hardly what you think of as the perfect cop, but he is one of the the greatest detective creations of all time.

Alack Sinner: The Age of Innocence


Carlos Sampayo - 1984
    For this collection, Munoz has painstakingly reviewed every page -- every panel -- making clarifications, adding invaluable insight to this provacative story. Sinner is a hard-boiled private detective whose adventures are played out to a jazz soundtrack in a noir New York from 1975 through the 2000s. The stories are imbued with a deep political conscience and present a scathing critique of corruption in society, juxtaposed with meditations on the nature of violence and exile. The authhors have also rearranged the stories in chronological order of the characters and events, rather than dates of first publication, providing a novel reading experience for both new fans and old. The Age of Innocence collects eleven stories, including "Talkin' with Joe," "The Webster Case," "The Fillmore Case," "Viet Blues," "Life Ain't a Comic Book, Baby," "Twinkle, Twinkle," and "Dark City." Alack Sinner is an international bestseller and between them Munoz and Sampayo are winners of Europe's top comics awards.

Goodis - A Life in Black and White


Philippe Garnier - 1984
    

Dark City: The Film Noir


Spencer Selby - 1984
    The first section has a lengthy analytical essay as well as detailed plot descriptions and credits for 25 classics--such as The Maltese Falcon, Laura, and Detective Story. The second section is an annotated filmography including major credits and short descriptions of nearly 500 films. Also included are appendices listing every film noir by both director and chronological order, off-genre noirs, and other films bearing important relationships to the noir cycle.