by Allan Guthrie

A couple of years back I was asked to provide a list of my top 100 noir novels for the now sadly defunct magazine, Bullet. Recently I've had a few requests to ask if I would consider republishing the list, so I dug it out and had another look. I was horrified by some of the omissions, but my excuse is that 100 just isn’t nearly enough. 

So I've taken this opportunity to add another 100 to the original list. And I've cut the list off at 1997 or there'd be 100 more.

Bear in mind that this is an entirely idiosyncratic (some might even say perverse) personal selection based on     
    a) what I’ve read to date (no prizes for spotting the gaps) and
    b) what I consider noir (which rules out most detective fiction -- unless the detectives are victims, crooks, lunatics or are generally shafted in some major way -- and yet permits the occasional western and horror. Yikes!).

 

THE NOIRS

1929 
LITTLE CAESAR W R Burnett
THE BASTARD Erskine Caldwell
RED HARVEST Dashiell Hammett

1931 
SANCTUARY William Faulkner
THE GLASS KEY Dashiell Hammett
BODIES ARE DUST P J Wolfson

1933 
MISS LONELYHEARTS Nathanael West

1934
BRAIN GUY Benjamin Appel
TOBACCO ROAD Erskine Caldwell
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE James M Cain

1935 
DOUBLE INDEMNITY James M Cain
THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? Horace McCoy

1937 
THIEVES LIKE US Edward Anderson

1938 
YOU PLAY THE BLACK AND THE RED COMES UP 
Richard Hallas
NIGHT AND THE CITY Gerald Kersh

1939 
NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH (original version) 
James Hadley Chase
RETREAT FROM OBLIVION David Goodis

1940
HIGH SIERRA W R Burnett 
KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS Gerald Butler
THEY DON'T DANCE MUCH James Ross
THE BRIDE WORE BLACK Cornell Woolrich

1943 
THE DEAD LOOK ON Gerald Kersh

1945 
MAD WITH MUCH HEART Gerald Butler

1946 
THE DEADLY PERCHERON John Franklin Bardin
THE BUTTERFLY James M Cain
DARK PASSAGE David Goodis
NIGHTMARE ALLEY William Lindsay Gresham
BUILD MY GALLOWS HIGH Geoffrey Holmes
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVES Boris Vian

1947 
NIGHTFALL David Goodis
PRELUDE TO A CERTAIN MIDNIGHT Gerald Kersh

1948 
KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE Horace McCoy

1949 
THE DEAD STAY DUMB James Hadley Chase
FRAMED IN GUILT Day Keene

1951 
PORTRAIT IN SMOKE Bill Ballinger
13 FRENCH STREET Gil Brewer
FOOLS WALK IN Bruno Fischer
CASSIDY'S GIRL David Goodis
ONE David Karp
TO KISS OR KILL Day Keene

1952 
OF TENDER SIN David Goodis
THE BROTHERHOOD OF VELVET David Karp
HOME IS THE SAILOR Day Keene
WAKE UP TO MURDER Day Keene
IF THE COFFIN FITS Day Keene
THE DAMNED John D MacDonald
THE KILLER INSIDE ME Jim Thompson
YOU'LL GET YOURS Thomas Wills

1953 
THE MOON IN THE GUTTER David Goodis
THE BURGLAR David Goodis
CRY FLESH David Karp
HARDMAN David Karp
A KISS BEFORE DYING Ira Levin
THE BIG HEAT William P McGivern
SAVAGE NIGHT Jim Thompson
HELL HATH NO FURY Charles Williams
A TOUCH OF DEATH Charles Williams
DIE, LOVER Harry Whittington

1954 
A KILLER IS LOOSE Gil Brewer
STREET OF NO RETURN David Goodis
BLACK FRIDAY David Goodis
SLEEP WITH THE DEVIL Day Keene
NOTORIOUS Day Keene
THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN Day Keene
HOMICIDAL LADY Day Keene
THE SEARCHERS Alan Le May
ROGUE COP William P McGivern
THE BROTHERS RICO Georges Simenon
A HELL OF A WOMAN Jim Thompson

1955 
THE WOUNDED AND THE SLAIN David Goodis
LINE OF FIRE Donald Hamilton
VIOLENT SATURDAY W L Heath
WHO HAS WILMA LATHROP? Day Keene
A STONE FOR DANNY FISHER Harold Robbins
THE BIG CAPER Lionel White
CLEAN BREAK Lionel White

1956 
FRANTIC Noel Calif
DOWN THERE David Goodis
KISS HER GOODBYE Wade Miller
KILL THE BOSS GOOD-BY Peter Rabe
THE BIG BITE Charles Williams
THE DIAMOND BIKINI Charles Williams

1957 
FOR THE LOVE OF IMABELLE Chester Himes
ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW William P McGivern
THE OUT IS DEATH Peter Rabe

1958 
THE RED SCARF Gil Brewer
HELL TO PAY William R Cox
WHISPERS OF THE FLESH Fletcher Flora
PARK AVENUE TRAMP Fletcher Flora
SOFT TOUCH John D MacDonald
THE PERFECT VICTIM James McKimmey
THE WOMAN OF THE GREY HOUSE Georges Simenon
THE GETAWAY Jim Thompson
WEB OF MURDER Harry Whittington

1959 
WILD TO POSSESS Gil Brewer
THE CAPTAIN MUST DIE Robert Colby
THE REAL COOL KILLERS Chester Himes
THE CRAZY KILL Chester Himes
DEAD DOLLS DON’T TALK Day Keene
SO DEAD MY LOVELY Day Keene
MORAN’S WOMAN Day Keene
THE BIG MAN Richard Marsten
BRING ME ANOTHER CORPSE Peter Rabe
THE SAILCLOTH SHROUD Charles Williams

1960 
THE THREE-WAY SPLIT Gil Brewer
THE SYNDICATE Clarence Cooper
MOST LIKELY TO LOVE Fletcher Flora
CORNERED! James McKimmey
ANATOMY OF A KILLER Peter Rabe
SKRINE Kathleen Sully
THE MERCENARIES Donald Westlake
THE DEVIL WEARS WINGS Harry Whittington
CONNOLLY’S WOMAN Harry Whittington
AGROUND Charles Williams

1961 
FELONY TANK Malcolm Braly
SLOW BURN Jack Ehrlich
NIGHT SQUAD David Goodis
24 HOURS TO KILL James McKimmey
THE WRONG ONES James McKimmey
THE LONG RIDE James McKimmey
THE DAMNATION OF ADAM BLESSING Vin Packer

1962 
MEMORY OF PASSION Gil Brewer
THE NAME OF THE GAME IS DEATH Dan Marlowe
SQUEEZE PLAY James McKimmey
BEAST IN VIEW Margaret Millar
THE BOX Peter Rabe
THE HUNTER Richard Stark
361 Donald E Westlake

1963 
SHOCK CORRIDOR Michael Avallone
RUN IF YOU’RE GUILTY James McKimmey
THE BLUE ROOM Georges Simenon
THE GRIFTERS Jim Thompson
THE MONEY TRAP Lionel White
DEAD CALM Charles Williams

1964 
THE SCORE Richard Stark
POP. 1280 Jim Thompson

1965 
CARNIVAL OF DEATH Day Keene
BLUE MASCARA TEARS James McKimmey
THE HANDLE Richard Stark
THE SPLIT Richard Stark
TEXAS BY THE TAIL Jim Thompson

1967 
ON THE YARD Malcolm Braly
SOMEBODY’S DONE FOR David Goodis
TRICK BABY Iceberg Slim
PICK-UP Charles Willeford

1968 
THE BLACK ICE SCORE Richard Stark

1969 
MONA Lawrence Block
BLIND MAN WITH A PISTOL Chester Himes
SUCH MEN ARE DANGEROUS Paul Kavanagh
THE SIEGE OF TRENCHER’S FARM Gordon M Williams

1970 
THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE George V Higgins
JACK’S RETURN HOME Ted Lewis

1972 
DEATH WISH Brian Garfield

1973 
BILLY RAGS Ted Lewis

1974 
52 PICK-UP Elmore Leonard

1976 
GUNS Ed McBain
3 TO KILL Jean-Patrick Manchette

1977 
UNKNOWN MAN No 89 Elmore Leonard

1978 
FALLING ANGEL William Hjortsberg
THE SWITCH Elmore Leonard

1980 
THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Marc Behm
OFF SEASON Jack Ketchum

1981 
THE PRONE GUNMAN Jean-Patrick Manchette

1984 
THE VANISHING Tim Krabbe
HE DIED WITH HIS EYES OPEN Derek Raymond

1985 
BLOOD MERIDIAN Cormac McCarthy
THE DEVIL'S HOME ON LEAVE Derek Raymond

1986 
WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES Lawrence Block

1988 
BLUE BELLE Andrew Vachss

1989 
UNDERGROUND Russell James
DOWNTOWN Ed McBain
GOODNIGHT MOOM Jack MacLane

1990 
L A CONFIDENTIAL James Ellroy
I WAS DORA SUAREZ Derek Raymond

1991 
A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE Lawrence Block
PAYBACK Russell James

1992 
THE LONG-LEGGED FLY James Sallis

1993 
*SHADES OF GRACE Ken Bruen
MOTH James Sallis

1993 
SHELLA Andrew Vachss
THE SHARK-INFESTED CUSTARD Charles Willeford

1994 
*MARTYRS Ken Bruen
ST AGNES’ STAND Thomas Eidson
*THE TIME OF SERENA-MAY Ken Bruen
SLAUGHTER MUSIC Russell James
SHOEDOG George Pelecanos

1995 
RED Jack Ketchum
MY BROTHER’S GUN Ray Loriga

1996 
COUNT ME OUT Russell James
FIGHT CLUB Chuck Palahniuk
THE BIG KILLING Robert Wilson
GIVE US A KISS Daniel Woodrell

1997 
THE HACKMAN BLUES Ken Bruen
SHOOTERS Terrill Lankford
IN THE MISO SOUP Ryu Murakami
COLD CALLER Jason Starr
THE AX Donald E Westlake

*hard-to-find novellas subsequently collected in A FIFTH OF BRUEN (Busted Fush, 2006)