Hardboiled fiction novels are seeing a resurgence lately. The genre is known to be bloody and violent yet entertaining. We decided to list the ten best hardboiled fiction books of all time in this epic genre. Keep reading to see which novels made our list!
Trying to make a list of the best hardboiled fiction novels was not easy. One of the reasons for that is that unlike other genres, this one peaked almost a century ago. That makes most of the novels on this list old. Modern novels need time to be considered classics and even then, they are always going to be compared to the novels published during the golden age.
The Ten Best Hardboiled Fiction Books of All Time
- The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
- The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
- Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
- Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
- Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
The Big Sleep
The Hardboiled fiction genre thrived from the 1930s to the 1950s and Raymond Chandler was one of its most influential writers. The Big Sleep captures the magic that swept the nation and made hardboiled fiction the go-to for many readers. Now, the genre is mostly forgotten but its impact can still be felt in many detective novels and movies that is has influenced over the decades.
The Maltese Falcon
It has been almost a century since hardboiled fiction novels have had their heyday. But the classics that these era produced are still worth reading such as The Maltese Falcon is a detective novel filled with lots of murder and blood. One of my favorite elements of a hardboiled fiction novel is the constant plot twists as if you are in a maze. There is never a dull moment and Dashiell Hammett’s novel delivers on all fronts.
Red Harvest
What happens when a whole city is infested with criminals? In Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett, The Continental Op finds himself in Personville, better known as Poisonville by most people because of the crime and corruption in the city. An investigation of a newspaper publisher leads to The Continental Op trying to eradicate the criminals in the city and bring stability to Personville.
The Long Goodbye
Many people would consider The Big Sleep as Raymond Chandler’s best novel but according to Chandler himself, The Long Goodbye is his best novel. That is partly due to the autobiographical aspect of the novel and two characters that are based on Chandler himself. Also, the novel was written during a difficult time in his life and his struggle with writing as he got older. The novel is well written and the plot is clever and different than any of Chandler’s novels.
Conclusion
That is our list the ten best hardboiled fiction books of all time. How many of these classic novels have you read? What novels should have been included on the list? Let us know in the comments below!
The Postman Always Rings Twice appears twice on the list or am I wrong?
Fixed!
Go deeper — Little Caesar, High Sierra and The Asphalt Jungle by W. R. Burnett, They Shoot Horses Don’t They by Horace McCoy, Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson, Dirty Snow by George Simenon, Night and the City by Gerald Kersh, The Grifters by Jim Thompson, In a Lonely Place by Dorothy P. Hughes, Last Exit in Brooklyn by Hubert Selby.
Go deeper — Little Caesar, High Sierra and Asphalt Jungle by W.R. Burnett, They Shoot Horses Don’t They by Horace McCoy, Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson, Dirt Snow by Georges Simenon, Night and the City by Gerald Kersh, The Grifters by Jim Thompson, In a Lonely Place by Dorothy P.Hughes, Last Exit in Brooklyn by Hubert Selby.
“The Man Who Fought Alone” Stephen R. Donaldson
Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg may be better than Raymond Chandler’s wonderful offerings.
With a Female protagonist, even!
LA Confidential by James Ellroy deserves to be there .
Jim Thompson deserves a mention.
Red Harvest you have to be kidding me. Have you read it? Dashiell Hammett no doubt went on to write great novels but at least for me the Red Harvest was awful.