I nominate
The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich was one of the all-time great writers of crime and suspense fiction; many of his stories were adapted for TV and film, including most notably
Rear Window, (based on the short story "It Had to Be Murder").
The Bride Wore Black (1940)was the first of his so-called Black series--they all have the word
black in the title but are otherwise unconnected.
Quote:
“Along with Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich practically invented the genre of noir.”
—Newsday
"Woolrich can distill more terror, more excitement, more downright nail-biting suspense out of even the most commonplace happenings than nearly all his competitors." - Ellery Queen
"An opus out of the ordinary, highly emotional and suspenseful, with a surprise finish that turns somersaults." - The Saturday Review of Literature on The Bride Wore Black.
This novel is not to be missed by crime fiction, suspense thriller and Woolrich fans. It was the first suspense novel that Woolrich wrote following his career as a pulp fiction author. Upon publication, the Kansas City Star said it was "a delicacy for epicures" while the Hartford Courant stated it was "the most exciting experience in crime fiction this reviewer has had in some considerable time." Cleveland's Plain Dealer called it "fresh and tremendously effective." The Baltimore Sun was even more effusive with "If it doesn't freeze your blood, then you are immune to literary chills."
The story is about a woman who is obsessed with a deadly personal mission. She selects her victims with care. She dispatches them with cunningness and then she vanishes as quickly as she surfaces - out of nowhere. No one knows her identity or why she appears to undertake such ghastly deeds. We only know she has terrifying beauty and each time she appears a man dies horribly!
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The book is available both individually and in an omnibus--
The Black Series Vol. 1--in all revelant countries.
Amazon US, $4.99,
omnibus, $9.99
Kobo US, $4.99,
omnibus, $9.99
Alas, no audiobook and no Overdrive, Hoopla, or Freading. You're going to have to buy it.