Reading Hardboiled fiction novels is not for everyone. But fans of the genre are always looking for the best hardboiled novels to read. That is why we decided to list the 25 best hardboiled fiction novels of all time. Keep reading to find out which books made our list!
The golden age of hardboiled fiction was almost a century ago. And while the genre is still going strong, great hardboiled fiction novels are not released that often. That is why most of the novels were released a long time ago. But the genre is seeing a resurgence as more and more authors are starting to revisit a genre beloved by many.
The 25 Best Hardboiled Fiction Books of All Time
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
- Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
- The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
- 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 Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
- A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake
- Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr
- The Green Ripper by John D. MacDonald
- The Heat’s On by Chester Himes
- The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley
- The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
- The Moving Target Ross Macdonald
- The Guilty Mother by Diane Jeffrey
- The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
- The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
- American Tabloid by James Ellroy
- In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes
- Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Classics and Everything Else
Many of the hardboiled fiction classics are well known by now by avid readers of the genre. Authors such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, and James, M. Cain have helped the genre become more mainstream. But they are just some of the many amazing authors that have written hardboiled fiction novels.
There are hundreds if not thousands of great novels to read and these are the 25 best ones in our opinion. Some of them are our personal favorites and they may not appear on other lists. But no two lists tend to be the same.
Conclusion
That is all for our list of the 25 best hardboiled fiction books of all time. Which novels should we have included on our list? Let us know in the comments below!
Postman Always Rings Twice gets counted twice?
Finally someone includes Jim Thompson.
Any list of Hardboiled fiction that doesn’t include at least one Robert B. Parker isn’t worth the paper is printed on. “Looking for Rachel Wallace” is probably his best, but there are several others that deserve a place.
Hammett’s “The Thin Man” is NOT a hardboiled novel,it is very much a cozy,yes,mystery!!
And the Hughes and Highsmith are psychological mystery novels not harboiled fiction.Instead I would add something by Elmore Leonard or one more Chandler or Jim Thompson novel (The Getaway or Pop.1280).
“Strangers on a train” is a psychological suspense novel and it’s not hardboiled fiction.
No Mike Hammer books from Mickey Spillane? Some of those are great.
Definetly not my list…