Central Kansas Library System

"Crime fiction expert Susanna Lee tracks the evolution of the hard-boiled character type over time and media in the United States. She shows how crime fiction rose in popularity at times of national conflict. Readers and viewers crave the sort of grit and independence that the hard-boiled detective offers when reality may leave them feeling they lack control over their own lives. This is a study of literature and film and also a work of cultural studies"--...

Wanting to lead an honest life, a notorious bank robber turns himself in, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents.

To become instant millionaires several potential heirs must unravel the strange circumstances of the death of Samuel W. Westing.

Halfway through a murder trial, a juror realizes that the suspect is the wrong man. She thinks the real murderer may be her own husband.

U.S. Attorney, Joe Dubbs, wants to bring down crim boss Domenic Leopold. A corrupt city utilities commissioner has promised Leopold the contract for a massive public works project in return for a huge kickback. The murder of a small time hoodlum leads to evidence that will expose the scheme to defraud the city.

When he is slipped a dose of slow-acting poison, a man sets out to find his own murderer.

"In this heart-pounding suspense story, spies kidnap a young girl, in an attempt to prevent her parents from revealing what they know about an assassination plot. The action takes you from the Swiss Alps to Britain's Albert Hall and London's East End."

Retired Seattle cop Vincent Swan recieves a postcard from a serial killer he thought was long dead. He wonders if he shot the wrong man or is being taunted by a copycat. When he learns of a string of murders following the Prophet's M.O., he investigates. But every move he makes only entangles him further in the Prophet's web, and the spider is advancing.

Jesse finds himself struggling to get his job back as the Paradise police chief, and he is forced to rely on his cop intuition to sort through a maze of misleading clues and hidden meaning as he attempts to solve a shocking and horrifying mob related double homicide.

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone is a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.