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 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 Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Best of the Best
As predicted, the novels published during the golden age dominated the list. Authors that helped this genre thrive such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James. M. Cain make multiple appearances. And they could have made even more appearances in my opinion.
Dennis Lehane breaks up the golden age’s dominance. At the end of the day, it comes down to what a reader prefers. We will always hold the original novels in high regard but will also read newer hardboiled fiction and help the genre thrive.
Conclusion
That is our list the ten best hardboiled fiction books of all time. 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.