Category: Contemporary

The Big Sleep (detective Philip Marlowe) by Raymond Chandler

Related Posts
The Demon’s Dagger: A Noir Urban Fantasy Novella (Alexander Southerland, P.I.)

Once he checked in, checking out became an obsession! Crawford the were-rat checks into a shady hotel and promptly stumbles over a dead man. A mysterious troll is obsessed with finding the dagger that killed him—a dagger possessed by a Read more

Return of the Thin Man

“This first unabridged appearance of two Nick and Nora Charles ‘novellas’ by Hammett should be an occasion for delight, and it is.” —The Wall Street Journal Dashiell Hammett was a crime writer who elevated the genre to true literature, and The Read more

The Big Sleep (detective Philip Marlowe) by Raymond Chandler
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Genres: ,
tropes: ,
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Author:
Narrator:
Receptions: ,

The Big Sleep (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles

The story is noted for its complexity, with characters double-crossing one another and secrets being exposed throughout the narrative. The title is a euphemism for death; the final pages of the book refer to a rumination about “sleeping the big sleep”.

In 1999, the book was voted 96th of Le Monde and #39;s “100 Books of the Century”. In 2005, it was included in Time magazine and #39;s “List of the 100 Best Novels”.

When a dying millionaire hires Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.

Casino Royale: A James Bond Novel

Casino Royale: A James Bond Novel
Date:
MainCategory:
Genre:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Author:
Narrator:
Receptions: ,

Casino Royale

Casino Royale is the first novel by the British author Ian Fleming. It is the first James Bond book, and it paved the way for a further eleven novels and two short story collections by Fleming, followed by numerous continuation Bond novels by other authors.

Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British writer, journalist and naval intelligence officer who is best known for his James Bond series of spy novels.

“Le Chiffre” is a ruthless operative and the accountant for a soviet SMERSH cell in France, but he’s on the verge of disaster after gambling away his client’s money. Taking the last of his stash, he lures a dozen wealthy players to a high-stakes baccarat game, hoping to hustle his way whole.

The British Secret Service would like to see this red thorn plucked from the hide of Europe, and sends their best card sharp, James Bond, to bankrupt Le Chiffre for good.

With the cards running against him and SMERSH operatives threatening to kill him and his beautiful ally, Vesper Lynd, 007 needs his luck to turn before he wagers away their lives.

Warbots by G. Harry Stine

Warbots by G. Harry Stine
Dates: ,
MainCategory:
Type:
Genre:
trope:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Author:
Reception:

In the high-tech laboratories of tomorrow a new breed of super-soldier is born! 

The brutal face of warfare has been dramatically altered. Armored giants now roam the explosive fields of battle. Massive instruments of devastation with computer minds inseparably linked with the brainwaves of their human masters. They are the Warbots. Men and machines combined to create the most lethal warriors in the history of armed conflict.

But a monstrous challenge emerges for the mechanical gladiators emanating from a country that technology forgot. As Captain Curt Carson leads his robot infantry in a daring attempt to rescue 105 hostages from the sadistic clutches of a bloodthirsty terrorist army, the soldiers of tomorrow face the butchers of yesterday in a battle for the future of the free world.

The first book in a 12-part series that has been out of print for many years is now back!

The Forest of Assassins by David Forsmark and Timothy Imholt

The Forest of Assassin by David Forsmark
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Genre:
tropes: ,
Lenght:
Authors: ,
Narrator:

“The Forest of Assassins is a unique combination of startling fact and gripping fiction—which gives readers a new understanding of the war in Vietnam. It is must-read on every page.”

—-THOMAS FLEMING: Author of A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of the Civil War

“The Forest of Assassins is a great read, a novel as good as the best journalism, with vivid and accurate details driving a tale of danger and deception and betrayal during the Vietnam War. This book doesn’t just feel researched, it feels lived.

Whether tightening the suspense – our protagonist, Navy Lieutenant Hank Dillon eyeball to eyeball with a VC soldier and watching for the skin to whiten on the man’s finger curled around the trigger of his AK-47 – or describing the oppressive heat of an innocent afternoon on the Mekong Delta, David Forsmark and Timothy Imholt make you believe every word of it. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

The Last World War

The Last World War
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Genres: , ,
trope:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Authors: ,
Narrator:

When Iran finally develops nuclear weapons it triggers the Last World War, and it will forever change the surface of the Earth.

A President impeached. A Vice-President murdered. A relatively unknown Speaker of the House…A mere Congressman elevated to the most powerful office in the Nation, if not the world.

With all of the political chaos in the United States, one of the world’s power hungry regimes decides to play a card it has held close to their chest. Iran unloads five nuclear weapons on targets in the United States and Israel.

With the world on the brink of disaster, with economic, political, and infrastructure problems at home, a young President must rebuild the Nation while navigating a confirmation of a Vice President and getting Congress to approve of new military actions.

What happens when one person stands up to the challenge, to overcome the evil that men do to each other? He stands up against those who will destroy the rest of humanity for whatever mindless reasons they claim justifies such chaos and inhumanity on a global scale. It is a story of survival after an unimaginable disaster and the first of thrilling series that is destined to change the way we think about fighting the wars of the future.

Noir Fatale

Noir Fatale
Date:
MainCategories: ,
Type:
Genres: , ,
tropes: ,
Lenght:
Authors: ,
Narrators: ,

NEW SCIENCE FICTION, URBAN FANTASY, AND MYSTERY STORIES WITH A NOIR THEME FROM BEST-SELLING AUTHORS LAURELL K. HAMILTON delivering an Anita Blake series story, LARRY CORREIA, penning a Grimnoir series adventure, an original Honor Harrington series tale from DAVID WEBER, AND MORE.

The silky note of a saxophone. The echoes of a woman’s high heels down a deserted asphalt street. Steam rising from city vents to cloud the street-lit air. A man with a gun. A dame with a problem . . .

NOIR.

From the pulpy pages of Black Mask Magazine in the 1920s and 30s, through the film noir era of the 1940s, to today, noir fiction has lured many a reader and movie-goer away from the light and into the dark underbelly of society. Names such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain; titles like The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice . . . these have inhabited our collective consciousness for decades. Humanity, it seems, loves the dark. And within the dark, one figure stands out: that of the femme fatale.

Here then, Noir Fatale an anthology containing the full spectrum of noir fiction, each incorporating the compelling femme fatale character archetype. From straightforward hardboiled detective story to dark urban fantasy to the dirty secrets of futuristic science fiction—all with a hard, gritty feel.

As Raymond Chandler said, “Down these mean streets, a man must walk who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.” Because, as these stories prove, doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean you get the big bucks or the girl. But you do the right thing anyway.

Pinup noir (2book of hard-boiled short stories)

Pinup noir (2book of hard-boiled short stories)
Date:
MainCategory:
Types: , ,
Genres: ,
tropes: , ,
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Reception:

Everybody loves the femme fatale; the tough-as-nails dame with the smoky voice and the legs that go on forever – almost as much as they love the cynical gumshoe with the strict moral code and the tiniest soft spot in his heart.

Hard-boiled detective fiction – America’s gift to literature – was introduced to the world in the middle of the Roaring Twenties, allegedly reached its height in the 1950s; and if you listen to the pundits, died out with the pulp magazines.

Hogwash. Hardboiled detective fiction lives on in its offspring: the roman noir, film noir, neo-
noir, Mediterranean noir, and last – but certainly not least – cyberpunk.

Join these 8 authors as they explore the world of the hard-boiled detective and the dames they love.

The Moonshine War: A Novel

The Moonshine War: A Novel
Date:
MainCategory:
Period:
Type:
Genre:
Lenght:
Author:
Narrator:

Prohibition is a big headache for some . . . and a big payday for others, the fearless entrepreneurs with little respect for the law of the land. With $125,000 worth of Kentucky’s finest homemade whiskey in his possession, big, hell-raising Son Martin counts himself among the latter. Son knows having this much illegal hooch makes him a very tasty target, but nobody’s going to steal it from him. Ware may be coming to his backyard, but Son’s not worried. Because when it comes to fighting, shooting, and keeping one step ahead of the Big Boys, he’s more than good—he’s bad . . . and dangerous . . . and deadly.

City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit

City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Genre:
Lenght:
Author:
Narrator:

THE INSPIRATION FOR JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL ON FX

“As gritty and hard-driving a thriller as you’ll find….The action never stops, the language sings and stings.” —Washington Post

The City Primeval in Elmore Leonard’s relentlessly gripping classic noir is Detroit, the author’s much-maligned hometown and the setting for many of the Grand Master’s acclaimed crime novels. The “Alexander the Great of crime fiction” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) shines in these urban mean streets, setting up a downtown showdown between the psychopathic, thrill-killing “Oklahoma Wildman” and the dedicated city cop who’s determined to take him down. The creator of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of TV’s Justified fame, Elmore Leonard is the equal of any writer who has ever captivated readers with dark tales of heists, hijacks, double-crosses, and murder—John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Robert Parker included—and nobody then or now is better.

The Terminal List: A Thriller (Jack Carr)

The Terminal List: A Thriller
Date:
Type:
Genres: ,
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Author:
Narrator:
Reception:

“Take my word for it, James Reece is one rowdy motherf***er. Get ready!” —Chris Pratt, star of the #1 Amazon Prime series The Terminal List

A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after he discovers that the American government is behind the deaths of his team in this ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller that is “so powerful, so pulse-pounding, so well-written—rarely do you read a debut novel this damn good” (Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government.

Now, with no family and free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he’s learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law.

“Told with a deft hand and a keen eye for detail, The Terminal List…is explosive and riveting” (Kevin Maurer, coauthor of No East Day) and is perfect for fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Stephen Hunter, and Nelson DeMille.