looking for something as good as....

[Dg]

Hi..I'm just new to this so please be kind.

This group really interested me. I'm a big fan of Raymond Chandler but I've ready all his books (many times)...can anyone recommend any books as good as?

[Werner]

Based on what I know about Chandler's work, my best suggestion for a read-alike would be The Maltese Falcon by Chandler's contemporary, Dashiell Hammett. Not being into noir myself, I didn't especially care for it; but in the world of noir, it's a major classic, and very popular with those fans. Our moderator, Steven, is a big fan of that whole subgenre, so you can probably get some good ideas from browsing his bookshelves, too. And there are very likely some good ideas on our group bookshelves as well.

Welcome to the group, and I hope you find some reads that are right up your alley!

[Werner]

Dg, based on what I've read in reviews and mystery guides (I'm a librarian, so it's my business to know something about different kinds of fiction), I thought of a couple more Chandler read-alikes for you. One is The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M. Cain; that's another work that's been hugely popular with "hard-boiled" subgenre fans, and has classic status. And you probably also would like any of Mickey Spillane's novels starring his series PI character, Mike Hammer, starting with I, the Jury.

Bestselling mystery writer Robert B. Parker is a Chandler fan, and he wrote a noir novel in the early 90s that was designed as a homage to Chandler. I'm pretty sure that one is titled Poodle Springs; you might like it as well.

[Werner]

Dg, I don't know if any of my suggestions last month were any help to you or not; but in any case, I thought of a couple more. Loren Estleman is a contemporary writer who's well-known for Westerns; but he also writes a series, set in modern Detroit, about a PI named Amos Walker, who's very much in the mold of the "hard-boiled" 30s and 40s sleuths. That series is really popular with that subgenre's fans, and with mystery reviewers as well.

Also, Hard Case Crime is a mystery publishing house that's begun bringing out a line of paperbacks, in the last couple of years, that's expressly designed to have the look and style of the old pulps, though they're mostly set in the present. I don't have any titles offhand; but I'd say the company probably has a website you could visit and browse. Hope this helps somewhat!

[Steve]

This is my first post here. I'm not sure if it's a time period -- or noir itself you want. As far as newer noir stuff goes, James Elroy is an obvious author to suggest. A couple of titles off the beaten track that I consider both pulp and fine noir: The Hit, by Jere Hoar; The Confession (Hard Case series -- and the best entry I've read in that series so far), by Dominic Stansberry, as well as his The Last Days of Il Duce (nominated for Hammett prize); Jason Starr -- Tough Luck, and Twisted City (Jim Thompson would love his stuff); The Devil's Redhead, by David Corbett; The Getaway Man, by Andrew Vachss.

[Dg]

Thanks for you suggestions Werner. I am going to look up Loren Estleman...sound interesting especially set in modern times.

Cheers!

[Steven]

I like some of Robert Crais earlier novels, they reminded me some of Chandler. Stalking the Angel and Lullaby especially. Haven't read any of his newer stuff, though I keep meaning to.
If you want contemporaries of Chandler, then you might try Solomon's Vineyard by Jonathan Latimer. I still consider it one of the best mystery novels I've ever read, published in the 1940's.
Also, the Library of America has two really good anthology volumes, "Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s" and "Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s" which have a great selection of classic noir novels and authors. You should be able to find copies of these
relatively cheaply or at a local library.
I would also agree with the other Steve's post that James Elroy has some stuff you might like, and I would suggest just about any of the books being published by Hard Case, both their classics and their modern authors.

[Dan]

I really liked Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest. Other than that, I'd probably go with The Postman Always Rings Twice, or the Lawrence Block books of the Hard Case Crime series.

[John]

As most here will know, the entire realm of Cthulhu mythos, which now approaches becoming an actual religion, began in the pages of one of the most famous of the Pulps, _Weird Tales_. My Danish friend (by way of the internet) has now published a collection of new Lovecraft-inspired short stories, some hewing closely to tradition, others exploring hitherto unexplored dimensions of that recondite theosophy.

Short story collections of any sort being in short supply in the US due to the mercenary calculations of what passes for editors these days, this anthology might be of special interest to this group. The lineup of contributors looks promising. http://www.lulu.com/content/5460936

~ John Mayer

[Jim]

Here's an interesting site about the old pulps. It's specifically about robots in pulps & old films.
http://davidszondy.com/future/robot/p...
Some of the comments are a bit too tongue-in-cheek, but there's good info in them & some sections are better than others. Just looking at all the pulp covers is fun.

[Tim]

Steven wrote: "I like some of Robert Crais earlier novels, they reminded me some of Chandler. Stalking the Angel and Lullaby especially. Haven't read any of his newer stuff, though I keep meaning to."

Crais has always been great, but has only gotten better in recent years. With L.A. Requiem, he suddenly went from great mystery-action writer to great novelist. I recommend his books very highly, and to the uninitiated, I say read 'em all, from the beginning, The Monkey's Raincoat. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are some of the best characters out there right now.

Best,

Tim Byrd
www.DocWilde.com, home of the Frogs of Doom

[Robert]

Robert Bloch ?????

[Roger]

I've definitely got to check out Robert Crais. At the moment my favourite contemporary American authors definitely include James Ellroy (particularly the more para-political stuff from AMERICAN TABLOID onwards) and Jason Starr - whom I actually met at a book signing in Belfast for LIGHTS OUT. TOUGH LUCK is definitely his best novel to date. But hey, I'm going to wave a different kind of red, white and blue here. You guys need to check out a few contemporary British authors such as David Peace (RED RIDING QUARTET, GB84, TOKYO YEAR ZERO) Martin Waits (Bone Machine and any of the Joe Donovan series) Jake Arnott (HE KILLS COPPERS) and I might have something up my own sleeve - you never know!

[Kurt]

Dg wrote: "Hi..I'm just new to this so please be kind.

This group really interested me. I'm a big fan of Raymond Chandler but I've ready all his books (many times)...can anyone recommend any b..."

Dg, Anything by Hammett is worth checking out. Also, closer to the Chandler vein, is Ross MacDonald's earliest (late 40's and early 50's) Lew Archer novels. The earlier novels are more Chandler and the later ones (50's and 60's) get deeper into family sin and retribution.

[Steven]

Jim wrote: "Here's an interesting site about the old pulps. It's specifically about robots in pulps & old films.
http://davidszondy.com/future/robot/p...
Some of the comments are a bit too tongue-i..."

Just noticed this post too Jim. Thanks for the link. I'm checking it out.
Speaking of old pulp sci fi and robots, are any of you familiar with the Professor Jameson series? By Neil R. Jones ? They're really enjoyable. I belong to a facebook group of Professor Jameson fans, and there are more of them out there than one would have thought. I'm currently re-reading The Planet of the Double Sun.

[Kurt]

Re: Professor Jameson - I remember reading one of those stories in Asimov's Before the Golden Age Anthology. Would have been from the early 30's I believe. That particular anthology of Asimov's had some pretty cool stories in it.

[Jim]

I don't recall ever reading them. Gutenberg.au has The Jameson Satellite here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26906

[Creature]

Hello:
I'm new to this group also but not to Goodreads. I love old pulp-style stories and really like the Cthulhu Mythos stories so thanx for the heads up on that. I also have read at least one and maybe two of the Professor Jameson and the robots of Zor series. I'd like to check out more of them. I didn't know about the fan group on facebook.
I'm looking forward to participation in this group.
Have a Great Day!!!
The "Creature"