On the home front, two wartime lovers reunite under a cloud of paranoiaIn 1937 Munich, an American must be careful when he smokes his pipe. Robert Branch, a careless academic, makes the mistake of lighting up when the Füchrer is about to begin a procession, and nearly gets pummeled for his mistake. Only the timely intervention of Ruth Esch, a flame-haired actress, saves him. So begins a month-long romance between East and West – a torrid affair that ends when the lovers make the mistake of defending a Jew, earning Branch a beating and Esch a trip to a concentration camp. Six years later, Esch escapes to Vichy and makes her way to Detroit. To her surprise, Branch is waiting for her. He is a professor, working for the war effort, and his paranoia about a spy inside the Motor City War Board sours their reunion. Once again, a dangerous net is encircling these lovers – a reminder that, in this war, love always comes second to death.

Gil Vine is a house officer in a N.Y. city hotel which witnesses the murder of a man in the suite of Tildy Millett, gimmick girl on a video show. From Tildy’s love for Dow Lanerd who plays around but not for keeps, to Lanerd’s murder which is to follow, this turns up other angles- and curves, for a final solution in blackmail and an indiscretion which ended in illegitimacy.

His name was Regan. They called him the killer cop. He was accused of taking a bribe, and then murdering the man who gave it to him. The jury said he wasn't guilty — but his friends and his colleagues weren't convinced.

So Regan had to prove it all over again — starting with the broad who poured him into a cab that fateful night. She was a big, beautiful redhead from a high class bordello, and when he found her, she was dead as doornails.

Devil in a Blue Dress honors the tradition of the classic American detective novel by bestowing on it a vivid social canvas and the freshest new voice in crime writing in years, mixing the hard-boiled poetry of Raymond Chandler with the racial realism of Richard Wright to explosive effect.

Plenty of dead ones get dragged out of the dark, roily water that runs through the greatest city in the world. The Harbor Police take only routine notice. But when the cadaver conies in installments — a torso, a leg, an arm — that’s murder... There are lots of murders, sure, but what made Lieutenant Steven Koski do a double-take on this particular butchery was the gadget that came with the torso. In its own frightful little way it was a weapon — the kind of weapon that kills a lot of people kind of quick. And Koski began to move — but fast. The murder marathon took him from a Coast Guard auxiliary vessel (cargo: one stunning blonde) to a waterfront dive. From a union leader’s hangout to an executive’s luxurious office. From a Chinese laundry to a ship being loaded with sudden death... And all the way, a long thin shape, detestable and horrible, paced him. Koski drove himself frantically onward. He had to catch that thing — had to...

New-York, 1962. Tandis que Mike Coppolano mène un combat acharné contre le crime qui gangrène la grosse pomme, son propre père, Louis Coppolano, s'implique malgré lui dans ce qui restera comme le casse le plus audacieux de l'après-guerre. Qui du père ou du fils remportera la mise ?

« Vicky de Berlin », la belle michetonneuse, tient le Ration K, bar à filles de Bruxelles.Les frères Napos, propriétaires du Vertige décidé de racketter tous les bars de la ville.Affrontement entre tenancières et tapineuses, entre caïds et faussaires. Le « beau Marcel », chargé de l'affaire des faux talbins, devra orchestrer les rivalités entre deux clans, les affaires de filles, de territoires qui ne font pas bon ménage.Le grand classique de référence : Rififi entre nanas et malfrats qui jaspinent, argot pour des talbins, les polkas ou un territoire et vous avez la recette du grand polar à la française !A la fin, un glossaire d'argot.Biographie de l'auteurNé en 1913, Auguste Monfort vit une enfance perdue. Du monde ouvrier qui est le sien, il observe les élites avec curiosité. Naturellement, en autodidacte, il devient romancier décrivant les bas-fonds de Paris et des grandes capitales.

Nobody knows better than Matthew Scudder how far down a person can sink in this city. A young prostitute named Kim knew it also — and she wanted out. Maybe Kim didn't deserve the life fate had dealt her. She surely didn't deserve her death. The alcoholic ex-cop turned p.i. was supposed to protect her, but someone slashed her to ribbons on a crumbling New York City waterfront pier. Now finding Kim's killer will be Scudder's penance. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the slain hooker's past that are far dirtier than her trade. And there are many ways of dying in this cruel and dangerous town — some quick and brutal… and some agonizingly slow.

Džina Kalogridisa Es, Mona LizaKONTINENTS RĪGAFlorence, 1478. gada aprīlis. Izskatīgais Džuljāno de Medi­či tiek zvērīgi noslepkavots Florences Doma katedrālē. Draus­mais noziegums satricina visu lielo pilsētu, sākot ar slave­niem māksliniekiem - Leonardo da Vinči un Mikelandželo -, beidzot ar turīgu vilnas tirgoni un viņa neparasti skaisto meitu Lizu.Vairāk nekā pēc desmit gadiem Florenci apmāj sludinā­tājs Savonarola, fanātiķis, kurš dedzina gleznas un grāma­tas un tikpat vieglu roku sūta cilvēkus pretī nāvei. Liza, kas kļuvusi par valdzinošu sievieti, sagūsta Džuljāno brāļadēla un vārdabrāļa sirdi. Kad viņas mīļotais Džuljāno traģiski iet bojā, Lizai jāliek lietā drosme un viltus, lai atšķetinātu bais­mu mīlas, nodevības un bīstamu noslēpumu tīklu, kas ap­draud viņas dzīvību."Mona Liza", gleznota uz piecpadsmitā gadsimta dra­matiskās Florences fona, ietver sevī daudzus patiesības un izdomājumu slāņus, un visi smalki izvītie sižeta pavērsieni izskan pašas madonnas Lizas aizraujošajā balsī.FLORENCE, 1478. GADA APRĪLISIzskatīgais Džuljāno de Mediči tiek zvērīgi noslepkavots Doma katedrālē. Drausmais noziegums satricina visu lielo pilsētu, sakot .11 slaveniem māksliniekiem — Leonardo da Vinči un Mikelandžolo - 11 n beidzot ar turīgu vilnas tirgoni un viņa neparasti skaisto meitu Lizu. Pēc vairāk nekā desmit gadiem Florenci apmāj sludinātājs Savonarola fanātiķis, kurš dedzina gleznas un grāmatas un tikpat vieglu roku sut.i cilvēkus pretī nāvei.Dzimšanas dienā Jaunajai madonnai Lizai di Antonio Gerardini astro­logs atklāj zvaigznēs ierakstīto likteni — iesprostotai varmācības, asiņu un krāpšanas gredzenā —, viņai jāpabeidz tas, ko iesākuši citi…Pagātnē notikušais bieži vien šķiet tuvs un saprotams tagadnei, bet nesenie notikumi — kā senās jaunības dienas.Leonardo da VinčiDžina Kalogridisa ierindojama spožāko mūsdienu vēsturisko romānu autoru zvaigznājā. Viņas spalvai pieder tādas pērles ka "Bordžijas līgava", "Drakulas ģimenes dienasgrāmata" un citi tikpat aizraujošivēsturiski romāni. Slavenākais un nozīmīgākais viņas radītais darbs ir jūsu rokās - neaizmirstama un iedvesmojoša grāmata par Leonardo da Vinči pazīstamākās gleznas mūzu Monu Lizu. Latvijas lasītājus drīzumā iepriecinās nākamais fascinējošais Džinas Kalogridisas romānsMediči Karaliene.Pedantiski izpētīts un bagātīgi ilustrēts. isbn 978-9984^W3^) Kalogridisa neparasti tēlaini apraksta Rene­sanses Eiropas mākslas un politisko skatuvi.Džīnas Kalogridisas romana "Es, Mona Liza" publicēšanas tiesības pieder "Apgādam "Kontinents""No angļu valodas tulkojusi Diana Smilga Vāka dizains Kristiāns ŠicsISBN 978-9984-35-433-0© Džina Kalogridisa, 2008 © Tulkojums latviešu valodā, mākslinieciskais noformējums, "Apgāds "Kontinents"", 2009Noskannējis grāmatu un FB2 failu izveidojis Imants LočmelisDžordžam. Līdz mūža galamPateicībasEs esmu ļoti lielu pateicību parādā šādiem cilvēkiem:-    savam vīram, kuram šogad nācās cīnīties ar vēzi, ķi- mijterapiju un sarežģījumiem, turklāt viņš spēja izturēt šis grāmatas rakstīšanu ar humoru un pacietību;-   lieliskajiem aģentiem Raselam Geilenam un Denijam Baro- ram, kuri jau divdesmit gadus pacieš mani kā savu klienti;-   draudzenēm Ketlīnai O'Mallijai un Annai Morozai, ku­ras drosmīgi izurbās cauri prāvajam manuskriptam un laip­ni sniedza man padomus;-   un visvairāk - saviem redaktoriem Čārlzam Spaiseram izdevniecībā St. Martin's Press un Emmai Kūdai HarperCollins UK. Abi ir lieliski profesionāļi, turklāt apdāvināti ar neizsmeļamu pacietību. Gan Čārlijs, gan Emma darīja visu iespējamo un neiespējamo, lai es varētu rūpēties par savu vi­ru viņa slimošanas laikā - lai gan šo rūpju dēļ šī grāmata tika iesniegta ar kaunpilnu novēlošanos. Es ļoti vēlētos atrast vār­dus, kas pareizi atainotu manu pateicību par šo cilvēku izrādīto laipnību un manu nožēlu, ka viņiem nācās tik ļoti steigties, lai sagatavotu manuskriptu drukāšanai. Viņiem es veltu šos vārdus: paldies, Čārlij! Paldies, Emma!Pirms daudziem gadiem notikušais bieži vien šķiet tuvsun saprotams tagadnei, bet nesenie notikumi liekas tik tali ka senas jaunības dienas.Leonardo da VinčiCodex Atlanticus, fol. 29v-a

Two hours of savagery, of silk and leaden lust, of sheer terror await you in the nightmare spell of these pages, this death-song.The hardest, roughest novel of them all Fast One.Here is the novel that goes even farther than Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler in bringing to life the savage side of America beyond the law. It is set amidst the dehumanizing desperation of the Great Depression. Its amoral hero is Kells, a cynical, icepick-sharp detective looking out for number one in a human jungle of big-time mobsters, crooked politicians, high-rolling gamblers, and high-priced women. Its action is nonstop, its realism brutally riveting, and its impact unforgettable.

Lew Archer #5

Las Cruces wasn’t a place most travelers would think to stop. But after private investigator Lew Archer plays the good Samaritan and picks up a bloodied hitchhiker, he finds himself in town for a few days awaiting a murder inquest. A hijacked truck full of liquor and an evidence box full of marijuana, $20,000 from a big-time bank heist by a small-time crook, corruption, adultery, incest, prodigal daughters, and abused wives all make the little town seem a lot more interesting than any guide book ever could. And as the murder rate rises, Archer finds himself caught up in mystery where everyone is a suspect and everyone’s a victim.

In which the Saint dallies with millionaires and murder, is the life ans soul of a "Tea Party", and discovers the intricacies of a double double-cross.

Manville Moon thought the process through step by step as he trained his pistol on a desperate killer. Here was the climax of a case in which the life of a young man had already been taken, and the life of a young heiress hung by a hair.Actually, Moon got off one of the fastest snap-shots in history, and went on to wrap up the case for the most beautiful client he ever had.

Ex-Jockey Randall Drew wird in einer delikaten Mission nach Moskau geschickt.Ein mysteröses Wesen mit Namen"Aljosha" bedroht einen königlichen Kandidaten an den Olympischen Spielen in Moskau.Der Auftrag ist vage,der Gegner unsichtbar,und die Hidernisse sind eigentlich unuberwindlich...

In 1929, a new kind of magazine appeared on newsstands, the gang pulps! And no magazine that preceded them gave the pulps a worse reputation. Month after month, the stories luridly recounted the exploits of the most sadistic killers, the most craven squealers, the most coldblooded gun molls, the most corrupt cops, the most ruthless gang bosses, the most brutal mob wars, that ever escaped the realm of the imagination — a genre of extremes.

There had been outlaw heroes in crime fiction before, but none like this new breed, who toasted with bootleg liquor while their bloody victims lay dying on the floor. Almost immediately, the gang pulps came under attack from the censors. America’s morals lay dying on the pulpwood pages, they claimed.

Centered in the crosshairs was Harold Hersey, famed pulp editor, creator of Gangster Stories, Racketeer Stories, Speakeasy Stories, and a raft of other gang magazines. The censors threatened him with prosecution. Clean up — or else!

But the story of this clash has never before been told; nor have many of the stories been available since their original publication during the dying years of Prohibition. In “Glorifying the American Goon,” an in-depth introduction based on all-new research, the world of the gang pulps is explored: what the stories were about, what happened during the attack on Hersey, how he responded, and how the stories changed.

But you won’t have to take our word for anything. Also included in Gang Pulp are nineteen rare stories, selected from both the pre- and post-censorship periods. Did Hersey clean up the stories? Judge for yourself in violent and profane pulp classics like “One Hour Before Dawn,” “Rough on Rats,” and “City of Bullets.”

SO THIS GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR……and when she walks out there's a man with her. She goes to bed with him, and she likes that part. Then she kills him, and she likes that even better. On her way out, she cleans out his wallet. She keeps moving, and has a new name for each change of address. She's been doing this for a while, and she's good at it.And then a chance remark gets her thinking of the men who got away, the lucky ones who survived a night with her. She starts writing down names. And now she's a girl with a mission. Picking up their trails. Hunting them down. Crossing them off her list…