red snow Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I performed a search and noticed there isn't a dedicated crime/noir suggestion thread although I have noticed some of the genre pop up in other threads. Feel free to redirect me if there's one that i missed.I feel like a change and the historical fiction route is a "weening" off approach but now I'm interested in something quite different from SFF (I'm wanting to dabble in war/westerns too but reckon Matterhorn and cormac mccarthy may be good primers there).Anyhow my main interest in crime books are more towards the noir/pulpy versions as opposed to the detectives that solve crimes. If this helps at all, my only recent exposure to crime/noir has been in comics eg Ed brubakers "Criminal" and Brian Azzerello's "100 bullets". I know "100 Bullets" has a gimmicky handle to it but it's the approach to the characters and crime setting I like. In terms of TV/film there's the "Wire" and "Sopranos" as well as the sense of doom in "breaking bad" that I really enjoy. Basically I want to read about flawed and bad people getting themselves into a right old mess.Authors I'm thinking of checking out already are Dennis Lehane, James Ellroy and Raymond chandler but I'm more than glad to hear some tailor made suggestions or good places to start with the aforementioned authors.Part of the thing that got me to pull my finger out on this was that http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/summer are promoting a crime week. There's a sweet competition there to win all 99 of their recommendations but even if i were lucky enough to win I'd still need to know where to start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubby Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 You could try the source books for the TV series Dexter, written by Jeff Lindsay, if you haven't already.The story arc differs significantly from the TV series and is worth a read. The first one is called Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Charlie Huston's Hank Thompson trilogy: Caught Stealing; Six Bad Things; and A Dangerous Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookWyrm Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I really enjoyed Cornell Woolrich's Rendezvous In Black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 I really enjoyed Cornell Woolrich's Rendezvous In Black.The blurb for that one sounds fun in a "it woudln't be fun if it was real" kind of way.Murphy: I've heard some good things about Huston. It's a shame his comics were still superhero based.Stubby: I really enjoy the Dexter show. Would this make the books harder to enjoy or not? The fact it's different should make things easier as at least it's not a retread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEvilKing Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 If you liked The Wire you could try David Simon's Homicide. I read it a few months back, and it was a really great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 There's been a few threads that didn't stick around too long.onetwoBasically you should listen to palin99999, he knows his stuff. I've bought too many books based on his recommendations that I haven't had the time to read yet. I have been really in the mood to sink my teeth into them lately, and in the next book or three I'll be starting with Peter Cocks Long Reach. In the genre I've loved:Charlie Huston - start with Caught Stealing, and then proceed to read the rest of his works.Josh Bazell - Beat the Reaper, unfortunately this is his only book so far.And enjoyed:Duane Swierczynski - The Wheelman, I've read two others by him, but would say they're not really worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 There's been a few threads that didn't stick around too long.onetwoBasically you should listen to palin99999, he knows his stuff. I've bought too many books based on his recommendations that I haven't had the time to read yet. I have been really in the mood to sink my teeth into them lately, and in the next book or three I'll be starting with Peter Cocks Long Reach. In the genre I've loved:Charlie Huston - start with Caught Stealing, and then proceed to read the rest of his works.Josh Bazell - Beat the Reaper, unfortunately this is his only book so far.And enjoyed:Duane Swierczynski - The Wheelman, I've read two others by him, but would say they're not really worth it.I should have tried searching detective and mystery too beforehand. Looks like there are some good recs there too that fit my bill.Someone at Marvel comics likes hiring crime authors by the looks on things.the evilking: Is "homicide" a work of fiction or not? From the blurb it almost sounds like an account of him shadowing the homicide crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I should have tried searching detective and mystery too beforehand.I cheated and searched for "beat reaper" :)eta: Rendezvous In Black, this book sounds really good from the blurb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubby Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Stubby: I really enjoy the Dexter show. Would this make the books harder to enjoy or not? The fact it's different should make things easier as at least it's not a retread.The main difference is with respect to certain characters who have been in the TV show that were never in the books and vice versa.The story itself still has the same basic premise and I enjoy both the books and the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormont Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Crime writers I read include Lawrence Block and Joe R Lansdale (he does write crime as well as horror and sf). Both are excellent writers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palin99999 Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Basically you should listen to palin99999, he knows his stuff. I've bought too many books based on his recommendations that I haven't had the time to read yet. I have been really in the mood to sink my teeth into them lately, and in the next book or three I'll be starting with Peter Cocks Long Reach.Thanks.Red, I would suggest starting with Huston , Don Winslow, Lehane, or Bazell (his second book Wild Thing will be out in February). They're the cream of the crop in my opinion. Also, Bakker has a detective novel called Disciple of the Dog that is excellent.The Wire had a couple crime authors co-write some of the teleplays. They were George Pelecanos, Richard Price, and the aforementioned Lehane. The Pelecanos novels that I've read do feel like The Wire "Lite" and I've heard nothing but good things about Price. Also, David Simons' wife, Laura Lippman, is also an accomplished crime fiction writer, but I haven't read any of her books either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palin99999 Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 the evilking: Is "homicide" a work of fiction or not? From the blurb it almost sounds like an account of him shadowing the homicide crew.Simon's Homicide is non-fiction, but a lot of the characters on The Wire, Homicide, and The Corner are based on the people from this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borque Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I like Ellroy. But be warned, I also like Bakker. They are actually somewhat similar in their degree (or rather, lack) of cheerfulness, with Ellroy being even darker. Where some shade of hope for humanity still lives on in Bakker's books, Ellroy pounds it to death with a sledgehammer, chops it up with a rusty machete and urinates on the pieces. While laughing maniacally.I'd start with The Black Dahlia. If you don't like that you won't like his other works either. If you like it, continue with the rest of his L.A. Quartet, in order (The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz).I will also happily pimp Bakker's Disciple of the Dog here. I think it is quite good if you can stand the narrator, though many can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Grandfather Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 If you like Crime Comics, the you should definitely check out Scalped from Vertigo. It's a Noir set on a Native American Reservation, and is the darkest crime comic I've read, even darker than Criminal, and all the characters are very well-written. The writer Jason Aaron has been getting a lot of work at Marvel (Ghost Rider, Wolverine and the Punisher mainly) but this is his best work. There are 7 trade paperbacks out now.As for book books, then I recommend anything by George Pelecanos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyelesbarrow Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Tana French is a current favorite and she reminds me of Lehane sometimes, except her novels are set in Ireland. Another one I like is Martin Limon. Whenever I feel like reading something new, I check out Soho Crime Press for new writers and novels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wormwood Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Charlie Huston's Hank Thompson trilogy: Caught Stealing; Six Bad Things; and A Dangerous Man.This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Duck Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Christopher Brookmyre is my favorite crime novelist. His novels mix comedy, politics, social comment and action with a strong narrative. Christopher Brookmyre's siteYou'll thank me ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinDonner Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 :thumbsup:I always rec Brookmyre and was starting to worry that I sounded like a broken record, so glad that someone else did the honours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEvilKing Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 the evilking: Is "homicide" a work of fiction or not? From the blurb it almost sounds like an account of him shadowing the homicide crew.That's exactly what it is - however it's written like fiction. It's very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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