The 5 Best Noir Fiction Books of All Time

The noir fiction may not be for everyone because of the dark and violent themes. But if you do enjoy this subgenre, then you are in luck because there are tons of amazing books to choose from. Keep reading for the 5 best noir fiction books of all time!

The noir fiction subgenre often times overlaps with other genres and subgenres. The Postman Always Rings Twice is a crime novel, hardboiled, and a psychological thriller. What makes a novel a noir fiction is a dark theme and often violence and sex but not always.

When reading these books, it is impossible to stop reading. You have to know what happens no matter what. The good news is that most of these novels aren’t too long. Often times, authors combined stories and released them as books. They were published in magazines as short stories in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

These novels will keep you thinking about them long after you have finished them. Trying to find meaning in them is difficult because of all the violence and bloodshed. But that is also what makes them so fun to read. You can see the full list below!

The 5 Best Noir Fiction Books of All Time

• The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (Ripley, #1) by Patricia Highsmith
• The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) by Raymond Chandler
• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
• The Black Dahlia (L.A. Quartet, #1) by James Ellroy

The Postman Always Rings

This is a short story and you can easily read it under two hours. It is a tale about love and murder and it was controversial when it was released in 1934. If you love a good murder novel, then this is a must read.

The Talented Mr. Ripley

An author that I am fascinated with is Patricia Highsmith. Her novels have questionable protagonists and the plots are always going to have you wondering what you just read. The Talented Mr. Ripley is a great example of that and yet, I could not stop reading it.

The Maltese Falcon

A novel that captures all of my favorite things about noir fiction is The Maltese Falcon. It is a detective novel written by Dashiell Hammett. The plot is fun and interesting and with so many plot twists, you won’t ever be bored. You will be transported back to the 1930’s trying to figure out who is lying and who can you trust?

Conclusion

These are the five best 5 best noir fiction books of all time according to us. Not everyone will have the same five books which is what makes debates fun. How many of these novels have you read? What other noir fiction novels should we have included? Let us know in the comments below!

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