Noël Calef’s novel Frantic (original French title Ascenseur pour ’échafaud) was published in 1956. The basis for Louis Malle’s superb 1958 film noir Elevator to the Gallows.

Lots of noirness, fine suspense, a powerful sense of impending doom, some nasty plot twists. Fine stuff.

My review: https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2023/04/noel-calefs-frantic-ascenseur-pour.html

#noir #noirfiction #hardboiled #hardboiledfiction #vintagecrime #1950scrime #crimefiction #vintagemystery #vintagemysteries #vintagethriller #vintagethrillers #NoelCalef #filmnoir

The Girl With No Place To Hide (1959), a Marvin H. Albert Jake Barrow PI thriller written under the name Nick Quarry. Rescuing a girl leads Jake into the worlds of high fashion and photography and high-stakes gambling.

Good noirish stuff.

My review: https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2023/03/nick-quarrys-girl-with-no-place-to-hide.html

#noir #noirfiction #hardboiled #hardboiledfiction #vintagecrime #1950scrime #crimefiction #privateeyes #vintagemystery #vintagemysteries #MarvinHAlbert #NickQuarry #vintagethriller #vintagethrillers

Day Keene's Joy House was published 1954. A man loses five weeks of his life in an alcoholic haze. All he remembers is that he was a successful but unethical trial lawyer. And he does remember shooting his wife.

A nasty little erotic noir masterpiece.

My review: https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2023/03/day-keenes-joy-house.html

#noir #noirfiction #hardboiled #hardboiledfiction #vintagecrime #1950scrime #crimefiction #DayKeene #vintagemystery #vintagemysteries

William P. McGivern’s 1953 novel The Big Heat was the source for Fritz Lang’s classic film noir of the same name. A good noir novel about an obsessed cop and with a complex sympathetic femme fatale. But Lang's movie is better.

My review: https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2012/03/william-p-mcgiverns-big-heat.html

#WilliamPMcGivern #FritzLang #noir #noirfiction #hardboiled #hardboiledfiction #vintagecrime #1950scrime #crimefiction

Lorenz Heller's superb 1957 noir novel Dead Wrong (written under the name Larry Holden) concerns a guy in danger because of a package people think he received. He never got the package and has no idea what was in it, but he could still be killed for it. Plus he could face a murder rap. There are also two potential femmes fatales to worry about.

My review: https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2023/02/lorenz-hellers-dead-wrong.html

#LorenzHeller#noirfiction #hardboiled #hardboiledfiction #vintagecrime #1950scrime #crimefiction #noir

Charles Williams' novel Nothing in Her Way (1953) deals with a whole series of fascinating confidence tricks.

Intricate and skilful plotting, ingenious confidence tricks, characters with some depth, taut suspense, an ambiguous hero and a femme fatale - what more could you want? Highly recommended.

My review: https://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2023/01/charles-williams-nothing-in-her-way.html

#CharlesWilliams #noir #noirfiction #hardboiled #hardboiledfiction #vintagecrime #1950scrime #crimefiction #pulpfiction