It’s all been building up to this.

It branched off from my love of straight up detective/mystery novels and with the help of Goodreads, I’ve discovered how much I enjoy hard-boiled/noir fiction. In an effort to educate myself on its history, I’ve done some research and created a list which collects what many consider the classics of the genre.

Noir/Hardboiled Classics

• The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
• The Thin Man – Dashiell Hammett
• Red Harvest – Dashiell Hammett
• In A Lonley Place – Dorothy Hughes
• The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
• Farewell, My Lovely – Raymond Chandler
• The High Window – Raymond Chandler
• The Lady in the Lake – Raymond Chandler
• The Little Sister – Raymond Chandler
• The Long Goodbye – Raymond Chandler
• Playback – Raymond Chandler
• Double Indemnity – James M. Cain
• The Postman Always Rings Twice – James M. Cain
• The Drowning Pool – Ross MacDonald
• The Killer Inside Me – Jim Thompson
• The Talented Mr. Ripley – Patricia Highsmith
• Pop 1280 – Jim Thompson
• Devil In A Blue Dress – Walter Mosely
• The Chill – Ross MacDonald
• The Black Dahlia – James Ellroy
• The Big Nowhere – James Ellroy
• LA Confidential – James Ellroy
• I, The Jury – Mickey Spillane
• Night Has a Thousand Eyes – Cornell Woolrich
• Dirty Snow – Georges Simenon
• Shoot The Piano Player – David Goodis
• Night and The City – Gerald Kersh
• The Black Dahlia – James Ellroy
• The Hunter – Richard Stark
• The Best American Noir of the Century – Various
• Little Caesar – W.R. Burnett

I tried to limit it to an author appearing only once but with so many recommendations regarding Chandler, Ellroy and Cain; it was difficult.