Sallis combines murder, treachery and payback in a sinister plot with resonances of 1940s pulp fiction and film noir. Told through a cinematic narrative that weaves back and forth through time and place, the story explores Driver's near existential moral foundations, intercut with moments of bloody violence.

    Hammett's continental op - tough, tired, intelligent, a snap-brimmed Sir Galahad with a Browning - was the prototype for a whole new tradition of private eye thrillers.Here are ten of his classic suspense stories from the twenties and thirties - selected and introduced by Lillian Hellman.

    A long short story featuring Penn and Tom Cage that fills in a critical period in their past, one that helps to set up the action in the coming trilogy, Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree and Unwritten Laws.

    One was still breathing.A woman checks into a hotel room and entertains a man who is not her husband. A shooter blows away the lover and wounds the millionairess, leaving her for dead. Is it the perfect case for the Women's Murder Club – or just the most twisted?

    

    Casino owner Joe Martin faces down a Syndicate-backed gambler in a marathon craps game, with millions of dollarsand possibly even his lifeat stake.

    When he was a teenager, his family rented a camper for a few weeks during a summer vacation and traveled to Cape Cod. During that brief stay on a quiet stretch of sandy beach, Alan -- whose adolescent life was characterized by "bewilderment and self-loathing" -- stumbled across a young girl trying to get a kite out of a tree. But instead of helping the girl, he sexually assaulted her. When the girl started screaming, he panicked and silenced her with an act of violence. He ran back to his family's camper, and they eventually returned home as if nothing had happened. Now Alan is assailed by guilt: Did he kill the girl or not? He has to know More than a half century after Shubin's crime fiction classic Anyone's My Name (1953), this novel takes a decidedly restrained look at pulp mystery. The brutal sexual crime -- which is the linchpin for the whole story -- is quickly glossed over in a few paragraphs and hardly ever mentioned again. As a result, the story line loses much of its knuckles-to-jawbone intensity, and instead of developing into an adrenaline-fueled whodunit, Witness to Myself becomes more of a psychological study in guilt, paranoia, and, ultimately, redemption -- a rare bullet-free Hard Case Crime release that is as melancholic as it is disturbing. Paul Goat Allen

    Lay low until things blow over, they suggested. Sound advice for Senior Medical Examiner Dr. Beckett Campbell, considering he was found hovering over the body of accused serial killer Craig Sloan, a bloody rock in his hand. Sound advice, all of it. Problem is, even a vacation in the Virgin Gorda isn't far enough for Beckett to escape his demons. It doesn't help that there's something strange happening on the island, something that has to do with bitter drinks and bikinis. Something that involves drug smuggling and a secret room full of women... women who are gagged and bound. Beckett would like nothing more than to heed the sage advice of his colleagues, but he's not like them; he’s no ordinary Medical Examiner. Beckett has his own set of rules, guiding principles that take him places that the law simply refuses to go. But this comes at a price. Every time Beckett acts on his urges, he leaves a little piece of himself behind... a piece of his soul that he can never get back. Scroll up to grab your copy of the medical thriller BITTER END now! Other books featuring Dr. Beckett Campbell, Medical Examiner: ORGAN DONOR (Dr. Beckett Campbell, Medical Examiner Book 1) DETECTIVE DAMIEN DRAKE Series (amzn.com/B07B7LHP1N) ---------------------------- Butterfly Kisses (feat. Chase Adams, Dr. Beckett Campbell) Cause of Death (feat. Chase Adams, Dr. Beckett Campbell) Download Murder (feat. Chase Adams, Dr. Beckett Campbell) Skeleton King (feat. Dr. Beckett Campbell) Human Traffic (feat. Dr. Beckett Campbell) *Newly revised and edited, October 2018*

    Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels mysteries, Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, and Cherry Bomb. Daniels is a Chicago homicide cop with a wicked sense of humor, and the novels fluctuate between funny business and serious suspense. Tom Schreck is the author of the Duffy Dombrowski mysteries, On the Ropes, TKO, and Out Cold. Duffy is a social worker by day and a semi-pro boxer by night, and he's quick with a left hook as he is with his wit.Planter's Punch is a collection of Jack Daniels and Duffy Dombrowski short stories. Plus Konrath and Schreck have included a cross-over short that features both of their lead characters.This 56,000 word compilation features ten stories, an interview, and an excerpt from Konrath's seventh Jack Daniels novel, Shaken.Contents include:On the Rocks - JA KonrathDuffy by Decision - Tom SchreckBody Shots - JA KonrathDuffy, Elvis and One Very Special Hound Dog - Tom SchreckWith a Twist - JA KonrathThe Duffy Vinci Code - Tom SchreckOverproof - JA KonrathHounding Duffy - Tom SchreckShaken (excerpt) - JA KonrathThe Right Choice – Tom SchreckPlanter’s Punch – JA Konrath & Tom SchreckTom Schreck Interviews JA KonrathBoth Schreck and Konrath write funny, laugh out-loud mysteries without skimping on the action and suspense.Kirkus calls Duffy, "Warmhearted, tough, and funny" and Crimespree Magazine raves, "In the boxing match of life I want Duffy Dombrowski as my ring man." Booklist calls the Jack Daniels series, "A solid success for those who like to mix comedy and grit" and Library Journal calls Konrath, "Not to be missed."

    In fact, she had just finished a case uncovering an affair that the victim was having.Did Connor's murder have something to do with his infidelity? Or was his death related to something else entirely?Melody is curious to find out.Is Melody prepared to discover the truth? Or will it shock her?Cake, Coincidences, and CasualtiesAs a private investigator, Melody Clue has worked on some unique cases in her life.Her latest case is more unique than ever, though.She is hired to tail a fellow investigator.What shocking details will she uncover?

    When Lassie and Murdock's game of "What Won't Murdock eat?" goes wrong, a trip to the emergency vet is in order. And when a crazed snake owner takes the vet hostage, it is up to Henry, Lassie, and Murdock to save the day. But they only have one hour. And the clock is ticking... *Disclaimer: THIS IS ONLY 40 PAGES LONG *Disclaimer about the disclaimer: 40 HILARIOUS PAGES :)

    The Lost Coast is a six-part novella, written to accompany the six episodes of the second season of Homecoming, an audio series starring Catherine Keener, David Schwimmer, and Oscar Isaac.The two works are designed to be read in alternating installments - Episode One of the podcast, then Chapter One of the book, then Episode Two, and so on - but other sequences are probably fine too.

    Although these stories are not all mysteries, they all are suspenseful and very enjoyable. They already show the creative mind that devised later so many complex plots as well as Stout’s gift for creating characters with a few quick strokes. The stories, which are presented here in order of publication, are: “Excess Baggage,” “The Infernal Feminine,” “A Professional Recall,” “Pamfret and Peace,” “A Companion of Fortune,” “A White Precipitate,” “The Mother of Invention,” “Méthode Américaine,” “A Tyrant Abdicates,” “The Pay-Yeoman,” “Secrets,” “Rose Orchid,” “An Agacella Or,” “The Inevitable Third,” “The Lie,” “Target Practice,” “If He Be Married,” “Baba,” “Jonathan Stannard's Secret Vice,” “Sanétomo,” “The Strong Man,” “It's Science That Counts,” “The Rope Dance,” “An Officer and a Lady,” “Heels of Fate,” and “Annuncio's Violin.”

    I don't know what it is, but it works that way for man and animal alike. I've seen some peculiar things on a hot day too. I've seen a scorpion sting itself to death. It just keeps drivin' its tail into its body again and again. A little killer killing itself. And what a man'll do on a hot day. A man could get his self killed just for rubbing shoulders with another. . . ."A loner, a drifter, a gambler--John Stewart asks little of life. But when his '64 Mustang busts a radiator hose in the middle of the empty Nevada desert, he prays to God, Buddha, L. Ron. And rolls into the tiny town of Sierra. Where he finds . . . nothing. A gas station whose former owner is lying low in the cemetery. A strip of barren, dust-blown store fronts. A truck stop cafe with more flies than customers.Stewart wants out. Sucker-punched in a rigged poker game, he's got to get to Vegas to settle a debt. Or else.Then in walks Grace, a seductive knockout who can read fortunes in faces. In the next twenty-four hours, Stewart becomes ensnared in a web of dirty double-crosses, cold propositions, and desperate souls--deadly ground where murder is just one gasp away.A stunning, fast-paced novel, Stray Dogs unfolds with unrelenting tension, memorable characters, and shocking twists of plot. John Ridley has created a hypnotic story that is pure noir, from its first page until its shattering climax.From the Hardcover edition.

    Notoriously cunning and ruthless, Gloria shows her eager young protégée the ropes, ushering her into a glittering demimonde of late-night casinos, racetracks, betting parlors, inside heists, and big, big money. Suddenly, the world is at her feet--as long as she doesn't take any chances, like falling for the wrong guy. As the roulette wheel turns, both mentor and protégée scramble to stay one step ahead of their bosses and each other.