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.
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About the Author
Bill 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.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must have anthology,
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories (Paperback)
Any book labeled The Mammoth Book of... risks sounding like a fifth grade primer. But if you love the distinctively American tradition of the private eye, this is it -- THE must-have volume. My copy is growing dogeared -- these is truly an amazing collection. My personal favorite is A Reason To Die, a Dan Fortune story so potent and poetic it drove me to write the late Michael Collins, who responded with some friendly insights about the story's origins. If Reason isn't enough, well, reason, you've got Philip Marlowe, Lew Archer, Amos Walker, Joe Puma, Kinsey Millhone, Sharon McCone, Matt Scudder -- it goes on and on. If any book can be called definitive about a genre, it's this one. Love to see someone, someday, do a second volume or a revised edition bringing things up-to-date with the top '90s and 21st Century eyes.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very entertaining!,
By spiderorchid (Germany) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories (Paperback)
This collection of detective-stories provides a great overview. The stories cover decades of fiction-writing, from the classic "Wrong Pigeon" by Raymond Chandler to modern writers of the private eye genre. There are sad and funny stories and all of them contain a lot of suspense.
The real jewel in this collection is Joseph Hansen's "Surf", featuring investigator Dave Brandstetter, hero of Hansen's "Brandstetter"-series. If you like crime- and detective-stories you'll enjoy this book. Recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories (Paperback)
I have read several collections of mysteries/action stories and this tops them all. Any Mammoth book is a great buy in topics that interest you. Private Eye Stories benefits from several superb efforts including editor Bill Pronzini. Originally published in 1988, this was re-released in 2004. Strong efforts from the golden age 1950s from Ross Macdonald, Ed McBain, Henry Kane, Richard Prather and Howard Browne. This is a book that begs to be read more than once. The tepid ratings here puzzle me, if one enjoys mysteries this is a must buy.
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He was a slightly fat man with a dishonest smile that pulled the corners of his mouth out half an inch leaving the thick lips tight and hi eyes bleak. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mouldy leg, chain bolt Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Holly Ann, Curtis Colt, Johnny Cabot, New York, San Francisco, Fred Margon, Joey Brant, Carole Frazer, Nick Damiano, Dorothy Margon, Gary Fitzgerald, Walter Ellis, Alice Trimble, Miss Spain, Craig Winton, Shell Scott, Amos Spain, Ilona Cabot, Irish Johnny, Paula Wittlauer, Janet Carruthers, Ikky Rosenstein, Las Vegas, Lucy Ackerman, Mike Trapper New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
He was a slightly fat man with a dishonest smile that pulled the corners of his mouth out half an inch leaving the thick lips tight and hi eyes bleak. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mouldy leg, chain bolt Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Holly Ann, Curtis Colt, Johnny Cabot, New York, San Francisco, Fred Margon, Joey Brant, Carole Frazer, Nick Damiano, Dorothy Margon, Gary Fitzgerald, Walter Ellis, Alice Trimble, Miss Spain, Craig Winton, Shell Scott, Amos Spain, Ilona Cabot, Irish Johnny, Paula Wittlauer, Janet Carruthers, Ikky Rosenstein, Las Vegas, Lucy Ackerman, Mike Trapper New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 9
books:
See all 9 books this book cites
3
books
cite this book:
- The Birth of a Nation: D. W. Griffith, director (Rutgers Films in Print) by Robert Lang on page 295, and page 301
- Before She Kills (The Fredric Brown Pulp Detective Series, Vol 2) by Fredric Brown in Front Matter, and page 28
- All Souls by Javier Marķas on page 425, and page 446
- Ride the Lightning by John Lutz in Front Matter
- The Mammoth Book of Fantastic Science Fiction: Short Novels of the 1970s (The Mammoth Book Series) by Isaac Asimov in Front Matter
See all 9 books this book cites
- The Mammoth Book of Golden Age SF: Ten Classic Stories from the Birth of Modern Science Fiction Writing by Isaac Asimov in Front Matter
- The Mammoth Book of Short Spy Novels: Twelve Espionage Masterpieces by Bill Pronzini in Front Matter
- A Reader's Guide to Raymond Chandler: by Toby Widdicombe in Back Matter
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