Deadly Circuit (1983)

Great French crime movie about private detective called 'The Eye' (Michel Serrault) who tracks down crazy woman Catherine (Isabelle Adjani) on request by his employer, but believes that she is her dead daughter. In fact she is daughter of dead criminal and begins to kill her lovers one by one, while detective cover up her tracks and pursues her most of the time. That shadowing becomes boring after some time because of detective reluctance to tell her what he wants from her. After some time Catherine goes nuts and together with some girl start to rob banks and kill people, and while avoiding police and detective she jumps through the window of a high building in her automobile, killing herself. Charming photography and acting make this movie pay up for somewhat confusing story.

Raymond Chandler Speaking

Bit pretentious title, but so was Chandler. In any case, this is important book for Chandler's fans and crime fiction lovers. Composed mostly of his letters to colleagues, it is divided into categories : Chandler on himself (where he talks about his life in England and America, his failed suicide attempt after his fifteen years older wife died, after he was committed to psychiatric ward, his alcoholism and so on, then : Notes about mystery novel where he rambles about detective fiction, writing in general, rants about Hollywood and how they treat screenwriters (which is surprisingly true to this day), about film and television, then there are his thoughts about famous crimes, his love of cats, and one unpublished short story as well first chapter of his unfinished novel, Poodle Springs. In all these fragments Chandler uncover himself as one particularly complex, emotional and intelligent man.

Freeman Wills Crofts - 12.30 From Croydon

Great detective novel about Charles Swinburn, owner of factory which produces electric motors, who falls in desperation after he discovers that his business is going to pieces. So he decides to kill his uncle and get hold of his share of old man's will, which would eventually save him from financial troubles. Best part of the novel is Charles preparing himself for the crime, inventing alibies and masquerading himself to get hold of poison which he would use to poison his uncle. But he is no professional killer and after old man is dead, police quickly arrests him and in second part we follow Charles in courtroom, which is also interesting as much as his carefully constructed plan to kill his uncle. Of course he is convicted guilty and sentenced to death, Inspector French later at a dinner party explains how he managed to gather all evidence against him after he was sure he was the killer. Good example of inverted detective story and one of the forerunner of police procedural novels. 

Garde à Vue (1981)

Great movie set almost completely in interrogation room of the police station, where detective inspects possible suspect of murder and rape of two kids. As it turns out, it was not him but some other guy, but at the end movie stays open to interpretations as suspect's wife commits suicide.

This Man Must Die (1969)

Solid adaptation of Nicholas Blake crime novel about man (great role by Michel Duchaussoy) whose child has been murdered by reckless driver. He pursues him after long time, writing in his journal his thoughts and after finding him he befriends him and his son, who also hates him. With the help from him his son kills his father and in the closing sequence father of a lost son goes away in a boat, presumably to kill himself, thus closing circle of events.

Helen McCloy - The Long Body

Unusual crime novel featuring investigator Dr Basil Willing, about a woman who suspects her husband's death from falling over a cliff was not an accident as she uncovers empty envelope with a foreign woman's name on it. After some investigation she finds old man suffering from stroke and is unable to tell her anything about it, before long she is struck by an automobile and is sent to hospital. Under heavy drugs she contemplates about killing that woman, and as she often suffers from sleepwalking, decides to murder that mexican woman. But she realizes that all the time she was in a hospital some other person killed the woman. After meeting with Dr Basil Willing, psychiatrist and some investigation she finds out that her husband and his friend while they were in the army fighting against mexicans, encountered mexican whore. They wanted to play with her but suddenly her husband came with a gun and mexican whore shot him with american friend's pistol. During military investigation mexican woman didn't want to accuse both of them, but instead asked them to take away their then 4 year old daughter to America where she eventually found work caring after sick person who was suffering from stroke. They found out that she was blackmailing her husband and after some argue she pushed him over the cliff, and then turned to his friend from army and began blackmailing her too, who eventually had to kill her, convincing poor woman that she was only sleepwalking. Novel itself is somewhat influenced by the works of Ouspensky.