From the award-winning author, who Stephen King called "a master of the short story" comes this unforgettable 20th-anniversary celebration of Hard Case Crime. Taking you from Brazil at Carnival to Times Square at midnight and from Tijuana, Mexico to ancient China, exploring the dark heart of crime in the tradition of Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich, and Graham Greene. CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF HARD CASE CRIME - 20 UNFORGETTABLE STORIES BY HARD CASE CRIME FOUNDER CHARLES ARDAI Since debuting 20 years ago, Hard Case Crime has won acclaim for publishing the best in hardboiled crime fiction - not least of all the work of founding editor Charles Ardai, which has won the Edgar, Shamus and Ellery Queen Awards, been selected for 'Best of the Year' anthologies, and earned praise from publications like the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune and authors ranging from James Crumley and George Pelecanos to Megan Abbott and Stephen King.Collected here for the first time anywhere are the author's 20 finest stories, including his Edgar-winning "The Home Front," about death and repentance during World War II; the Shamus Award finalist "Nobody Wins," about a brutal gangland enforcer searching for the woman he loves; and year's-best selections such as "A Bar Called Charley's," about a traveling salesman's most grueling night on the road. From Brazil at Carnival to Times Square, from Tijuana, Mexico to history's first gunshot in 11th-century China, Ardai will take you to some of the most dangerous places in the world - and the darkest corners of the human heart.

About the Author
Charles Ardai is the founder and editor of Hard Case Crime as well as an award-winning author. His five novels include the Shamus Award-winning SONGS OF INNOCENCE, which the Washington Post called "an instant classic." In addition to the Shamus, Ardai has received the Edgar Allan Poe and Ellery Queen Awards. He was a writer and producer for six years on the TV series HAVEN, inspired by Stephen King's first Hard Case Crime novel, THE COLORADO KID. King has called him "a true renaissance man" and "a master of the short story." Ardai lives in New York.

Reviews
"Ranging from ancient China to Tijuana to L.A. and New York, these 20 stories remind readers of the gutter pleasures the classic pulps provided. Here's to the next 20 years of Hard Case Crime."
- TORONTO STAR


"Images of shadows and starkness of the Edward Hopper variety... Smokes, drinks, women, guns, sex, diners, cops, and violence."
- C.J. BUNCE, BORG BLOG


"There is plenty of suspense, pathos, humor and tragedy all woven together in this cornucopia of what we call life."
- RON FORTIER, PULP FICTION REVIEWS




Praise for Charles Ardai


"Charles Ardai is a very smart and very cool fellow."
- STEPHEN KING

"The best thing Hard Case is publishing right now? Ardai's own books."
- SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE


'Ardai's best stories walk a tightrope between noir fatalism and surprising invention. Some of them boast unsettlingly original premises [and] endings bound to startle the most hard-bitten fans...Readers who limit themselves to one story a night are in for a lot of sleepless nights.'
- KIRKUS REVIEWS


"One of the finest collections of stories I have read... intelligent and well-paced... so many great tales."
- SFBOOK REVIEWS



Book Information
ISBN 9781803366265
Author Charles Ardai
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Hard Case Crime
Publisher Titan Books Ltd