With its roots in the American private-detective fiction of the 1920s but traceable back as far as Sherlock Holmes, the private-eye story remains as popular as ever. Here are thirty of the finest short novels and stories from the hardboiled world of the private eye. The characters in this collection range from the tough, cynical, hard-drinking Philip Marlowe type to hard-hitting female sleuths and the one-armed intellectual Dan Fortune. This collection features old favorites and new contributions from masters of the genre, past and present, including Ross Macdonald, Raymond Chandler, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, Michael Collins, Ed McBain, William Campbell Gault, and many more.CONTENTSAcknowledgments IntroductionRAYMOND CHANDLER Wrong Pigeon (Philip Marlowe)CARROLL JOHN DALY Not My Corpse (Race Williams)ROBERT LESLIE BELLEM Diamonds of Death (Dan Turner)FREDRIC BROWNBefore She Kills (Ed and Am Hunter)HOWARD BROWNE So Dark For April (Paul Pine)WILLIAM CAMPBELL GAULT Stolen Star (Joe Puma)ROSS MACDONALD Guilt-Edged Blonde (Lew Archer)HENRY KANESuicide is Scandalous (Peter Chambers)RICHARD S. PRATHERDead Giveaway (Shell Scott)JOSEPH HANSEN Surf (Dave Brandstetter)MICHAEL COLLINS A Reason to Die (Dan Fortune)ED MCBAINDeath Flight (Milt Davis) 293STEPHEN MARLOWEWanted - Dead and Alive (Chester Drum) 333EDWARD D. HOCHThe Other Eye (A1 Darlan) 344STUART M. KAMINSKYBusted Blossoms (Toby Peters) 358LAWRENCE BLOCKOut of the Window (Matt Scudder) 368JOHN LUTZRide the Lightning (Alo Nudger) 397SUE GRAFTONShe Didn't Come Home (Kinsey Millhone) 416EDWARD GORMANThe Reason Why (Jack Dwyer) 430STEPHEN GREENLEAFIris (John Marshall Tanner) 444'BILL PRONZINISkeleton Rattle Your Mouldy Leg (Nameless Detective) 462MARCIA MULLERThe Broken Men (Sharon McCone) 485ARTHUR LYONSTrouble in Paradise (Jacob Asch) 526MAX ALLAN COLLINSThe Strawberry Teardrop (Nate HellerMARCIA MULLERROBERT J. RANDISIThe Nickel Derby (Henry Po)LOREN D. ESTLEMANGreektown (Amos Walker)About the AuthorBill Pronzini is the author of over 50 novels including the Nameless Detective series. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. Martin H. Greenberg has been called the king of anthologists, with more than one thousand anthologies to his credit, including the Murder Most... series.

From the author of New York Times Notable book The Ice Harvest, a cult classic of Western noir set in a 19th century Kansas frontier town rocked by a series of brutal murders Introducing photographer and saloon owner Bill Ogden. Perfect for fans of Deadwood and JustifiedIn 1872, Cottonwood, Kansas, is a one-horse speck on the map; a community of run-down farms, dusty roads, and two-bit crooks. Self-educated saloon owner and photographer Bill Ogden looks on his adopted town with an eye to making a profit or getting out. His brains and ambition bring him to the attention of one Marc Leval, a wealthy Chicago developer with big plans for the small town. The advent of the railroad and rumors of a cattle trail turn Cottonwood into a wild and wooly boomtown—and with Leval as a partner, Ogden dreams of bringing civilization to the prairie.But civilizing the Great Plains was never that simple. While many in Cottonwood...

Talbot Mundy (born William Lancaster Gribbon, 23 April 1879 – 5 August 1940) was a much loved and well respected English-born American writer of adventure fiction. He lived for most of his life in the United States, and was also known to write under the pseudonym of Walter Galt. Any profits made from the sale of this book will go towards supporting the Freeriver Community project, a project that aims to support community and encourage well-being. To learn more about the Freeriver Community project please visit the website- www.freerivercommunity.com

Gabriel Chevallier's delightful novel Clochemerle satirizes the titanic confrontation of secular and religious forces in a small wine-growing village in Beaujolais. The eruption begins when the socialist mayor decides that he wants to leave behind a monument to his administration's achievements. He takes as his model the ancient Romans, who were famous for two things--hygiene and noble edifices. Thus, he decides to unite the two concepts . . . by constructing a public urinal in the centre of town. There is one problem, however. The chosen locale is next to the village church, and this outrages the ecclesiastical party.

Marilyn is really wowed by her neighbor's dark good looks, but something just doesn't 'feel' right about the guy.

**[If only] Bran would stop acting weird....Probably he had a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything. I just couldn't imagine what it would be.** When Britt's older brother, Bran, lands a summer job house-sitting for the Marquises, an elderly couple, it seems like a great opportunity. Britt and Bran have moved to Florida so their mother can finish college, and the house-sitting income will allow their mom to quit her job and take classes full-time. Having never lived in a real house before, Britt is thrilled. There's only one problem: Britt starts to suspect her family isn't supposed to be there. She's been noticing that Bran is acting weird and defensive -- he hides the Marquises' mail, won't let anyone touch the thermostat, and discourages Britt from meeting any of the neighbors. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Britt starts investigating and makes a startling discovery -- the Marquises aren't who Bran has led her and their mom to believe. So whose house are they staying in, and why has Bran brought them there? With unexpected twists and turns, award winner Margaret Peterson Haddix has again crafted a thriller that will grip readers until its stunning conclusion.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: In the wake of a bogus peace treaty on the planet Earth in 2069, fifty thousand desperate rebel lunar colonists turn to techno-geek hacker Dalton Starkiller to lead an impossible revolt.

I'd lived alone for so many centuries that I'd had enough, and so I'd decided to end it that night, and I prayed to whatever gods might exist that there was no such thing as the immortality of the soul, or that if there was, I had lost mine long ago. I had no desire to go on. Not then. Not in any form.

Meet the Clanswomen... International bestselling authors Jenny Colgan, Isla Dewar, and Muriel Gray lead off this dazzling collection of stories by popular and rising Scottish women authors. A sometimes wild, sometimes poignant romp through the lives of Scotswomen, Scottish Girls About Town revels in the universal hilarity and strife of being a girl! They're looking for something moor. In Jenny Colgan's "The Fringes," a hapless heroine heads to the Edinburgh "Fringe" -- a massive theatrical and musical festival -- for a night of her own disastrous drama. Isla Dewar offers up "In the Garden of Mrs. Pink," one woman's look back at her girlhood and the life lessons she learned from an eccentric neighbor. In Muriel Gray's "School-Gate Mums," a single mother with killer instincts settles the score with one of the mothers at her son's school. Whether they're racing their flatmates in a weight-loss contest, reconnecting with long-lost friends...

Read this classic romance by bestselling author Sarah Morgan, now available for the first time in e-book!Her Greek husband's demand...In order to secure the Greek island resort he's always wanted, ruthless tycoon Zander Volakis needs to change his image—fast! The only person who can help him is the woman who betrayed him five years ago: his wife! But Lauranne O'Neill refuses to work with Zander. He has the power to ruin her life again. To play with Zander is to play with fire...! Her refusal leaves Zander with only one choice: he will buy her back and blackmail her until she's his.Originally published in 2004