Which hardboiled detective stories should I start with?

Bob Russell · 07-26-2007, 10:33 PM

There are so many hardboiled/noir detective books posted now (thanks Dr Drib!) But I'm not sure which ones I should start with. Any suggestions?

I'm looking for something that's not too dark, but fun and adventurous and a relatively light and easy read. It should be a story that carries me along instead of one that I have to work my way through. Long is okay if it's fun to read. Hard to describe because everyone has different ideas of what's fun to read, but I think people might be able to make suggestions for me based on this much.

So.. Where should I start?

HarryT · 07-28-2007, 08:18 AM

You may wish to try the "Philo Vance" series by S.S. van Dyne. This is a series of 12 books, but they can just as well be read individually. I posted them as separate books - I believe that Jon subsequently reposted them as two 6-book omnibus versions.

JSWolf · 07-28-2007, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

You may wish to try the "Philo Vance" series by S.S. van Dyne. This is a series of 12 books, but they can just as well be read individually. I posted them as separate books - I believe that Jon subsequently reposted them as two 6-book omnibus versions.

Not yet. Been busy actually reading. But I will get back to work on them next week.

Bob Russell · 07-28-2007, 11:00 AM

I've started with Room to Swing. It's fun so far, even though not quite what I had expected. I'll try Philo Vance later, which is good because the omnibus should be ready by then also. (I'm not a very fast reader, so unless I can spend large chuncks of time, it takes me a while to get through books - especially when I'm reading multiple books at one time!)

VillageReader · 07-28-2007, 12:41 PM

A while back I posted a note about Hard Case Crime (http://www.hardcasecrime.com/). I contacted the publisher as only one of their books (the Stephen King one) is available electronically.

The publisher said they didn't have the demand yet to do electronic versions, but were 'open' to comments from potential customers.

Nice selection of pulp/noir/hardboiled detective fiction. I've read several in paper. Some are reprints, some are current, all have 50ish type covers.

So, if the publisher gets more e-mail...

07-26-2007, 10:33 PM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Which hardboiled detective stories should I start with? There are so many hardboiled/noir detective books posted now (thanks Dr Drib!) But I'm not sure which ones I should start with. Any suggestions? I'm looking for something that's not too dark, but fun and adventurous and a relatively light and easy read. It should be a story that carries me along instead of one that I have to work my way through. Long is okay if it's fun to read. Hard to describe because everyone has different ideas of what's fun to read, but I think people might be able to make suggestions for me based on this much. So.. Where should I start?

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07-28-2007, 08:18 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You may wish to try the "Philo Vance" series by S.S. van Dyne. This is a series of 12 books, but they can just as well be read individually. I posted them as separate books - I believe that Jon subsequently reposted them as two 6-book omnibus versions.

07-28-2007, 11:00 AM	#4
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	I've started with Room to Swing. It's fun so far, even though not quite what I had expected. I'll try Philo Vance later, which is good because the omnibus should be ready by then also. (I'm not a very fast reader, so unless I can spend large chuncks of time, it takes me a while to get through books - especially when I'm reading multiple books at one time!)

07-28-2007, 12:41 PM	#5
VillageReader Evangelist Posts: 430 Karma: 2718 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Iliad	A while back I posted a note about Hard Case Crime (http://www.hardcasecrime.com/). I contacted the publisher as only one of their books (the Stephen King one) is available electronically. The publisher said they didn't have the demand yet to do electronic versions, but were 'open' to comments from potential customers. Nice selection of pulp/noir/hardboiled detective fiction. I've read several in paper. Some are reprints, some are current, all have 50ish type covers. So, if the publisher gets more e-mail...

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