Le Casse (1971)

Decent crime flick with extraordinary car chase, lots of action and great performance by Jean-Paul Belmondo as a burglar and Omar Shariff as corrupt cop. Film is based on novel by David Goodis and score by Ennio Morricone is pretty good.

Ruth Rendell - A Sight For Sore Eyes

Very enjoyable late novel about young psychopath who after his family dies kills his relative and keeps him in his car, and after some time he falls in love with traumatised girl. Her mother was killed by some junkie and his father and stepmother psychoterapist take control of her. 

Ed McBain - Fuzz

Once again master criminal called deaf man is making havoc to 87th precinct, threatening to kill city officials if they don't pay him, and detective Steve Carella is having bad time with hoodlums that throw fire at homeless people. Unfortunately master plan of the deaf man is destroyed by pure coincidence.

Blood Relatives (1978)

This is good adaptation of 87th precinct book by Ed McBain, directed by Claude Chabrol. Plot revolves about killing of some teenager girl. Donald Sutherland gives great performance as lead detective, and David Hammings plays short but effective role. There is also Donald Pleasence as first suspect. Movie is beautifully shot and somehow manages to evoke spirit of Ed McBain police procedurals.

Ed McBain - Vespers

Another solid entry in famous 87th precinct series of novels, this one revolves around murder of priest. First suspicion is cast by near-by Satanic church, but it soon is revealed that some nigger dealed drugs to italians and after misunderstanding he went to church and hid drug inside of it. There is also minor subplot of detective girlfriend, former prostitute from Mexico who is chased down by south american thugs.

Agatha Christie - Crooked House

This is by her opinion one of best novels she has written. Handsome bachelor meets young woman and she invites him to her house just at the moment when head of the estate died. It soon discovers that he was poisoned and all odd ball characters are suspicious, but as it is with these kind of novels, the most innocent one is found guilty.

Ed McBain - The Heckler

This is enjoyable entry in 87th precinct novels by Ed McBain where criminal mastermind fucks with the police and creates diversions to lead them off his big plan, going so far to trap stadium with explosives. But as he goes away with the money bad luck finds him in last moment in shape of a beat cop. Luckily he escapes in the river but with no money.

George Simenon - Letter to my Judge

This is one of roman durs, or 'hard novels' as Simenon liked to called them to distinguish them from Maigret's novels. Written in confessional tone, almost like a 140 pages of letter to judge, it tells a story of a troubled man and his affair with some woman who he ultimately killed. Everything he did and not did appear in his letters, like he is confessing all of his sins to unknown judge, and at the end of the novel he kills himself in his cell.

My first crime short story collection is soon to be released

Many years of studying and reading crime fiction compelled me to write my own crime book. It is mostly detective stories mixed with surrealism, black humor, horror and fantasy. Thanks to Boban Knežević for making this come through.

Goran Tribuson - Siva zona

This is great crime novel by one of the better Croatian writers, Goran Tribuson. Police inspector while having trouble with his divorced wife and their ill daughter stumbles upon dead man near the railway. Soon after misleading evidences and red herrings he finds that dead man was trying to uncover secret about mysterious multinational corporation with partnership in Croatia. Socially conscious and foreboding, novel is very well written and resemble some of Chandler's work.

Pavao Pavličić - Večernji akt

Pavao Pavličić is one of the best Croatian crime writers, and he also wrote theoretical book about the genre. In this novel we follow talented painter who manages to forge all kinds of artwork, paintings, documents and so on, which soon involves him into trouble with authorities. There is underlying theme here whether falsificates can be viewed as legitimate art, and whether all things in world are falsified.

Alfred Hitchcock - The Best Of Mystery

This is huge book consisting of best short stories originally appeared in famous Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Almost every possible crime is contained here from abduction, armed robbery, blackmailing, murder from passion, suicide attempts, espionage and so forth from established authors such as Ed McBain, Patricia Highsmith, Donald E. Westlake, Bill Pronzini and numerous others.

Pulp Fiction - The Villains

Edited by famous Otto Penzler and with introduction by Harlan Ellison, this is collection of stories originally appeared in Black Mask magazines in time when Great Depression ruled. Amongst numerous stories (book itself is over 600 pages long) there are quite bit of gems here of the hard-boiled type.

The Book Of Murder

Edited by Peter Haining, this great book over 600 pages long is divided into three sections : Crime (where we follow adventures of criminals), Detection ( stories featuring police detectives ), and Punishment (where private eyes come into play). Amongst well known stories there are dozens of new ones that I haven't read before. Great collection.

The Penguin Classic Crime Omnibus

Edited by famous crime scholar Julian Symons and with his introduction, this is good selection of classic crime stories, with some undiscovered gems not found elsewhere.

101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die

Edited by Stephen Schneider, this book is good selection of most memorable and often overlooked gangster movies beginning with 1920's until end of 1990's and beginning of new millennium. Fans of this typical American genre will probably recognize most of them, but not all, not to mention newcomers. Each movie is represented by two page review by renowned movie critics. Some underrated movies are overlooked, but all in all this is great book with lots of usual gangster stuff.

Lars Kepler - Spegelmannen

This is enjoyable Swedish crime thriller about serial killer with split personalities who abducts young women and keeps them in cages. It is eight novel in series featuring detective Joona Linna, and is good example of nordic school of crime fiction.

Joseph Wambaugh - The Choirboys

Joseph Wambaugh served in LAPD for fourteen years after he resigned and started writing crime novels drawing inspiration from his experience as detective. His most famous novel, The Choirboys, revolves around beat cops in night shift and their hardships on assignment in night shifts, until they go on break at the end of the shift in some bar drinking with prostitutes. Each chapter introduces us with different partners. Unlike other crime novels, this one portrays policemen as ordinary human beings with troubles and vices like everybody else, and works like parody and criticism of police hierarchy, stuffed with tremendously black humor, outrageous situations, insights into police work and deep sadness.

Mickey Spillane - The Big Kill

Mickey Spillane earned his place in crime fiction with series of novels featuring tough as nail private investigator Mike Hammer, and this novel is good example of Spillane's clean and effective style. Plot begins in first chapter where Mike Hammer, sitting in some bar encounters frightened man with his child, and after some time he leaves just to be murdered by some gangster in drive by shooting. Taking child in his own hands, Hammer begins to unravel mystery of killing only to be involved in underworld filled with gangsters, often working on his own with a little help from his pal from the police and district attorney up his ass. Spillane's prose is even more hardboiled than that of Hammett and Marlowe and posses some poetic quality in it.

Porodično okupljanje

Stanko i njegova žena Marijana vozili su putem kako bi na vreme stigli do rođaka na slavu. Stankov novi automobil, Plimut Barakuda beščujno je jezdio ulicom dok je na grad padala tama.

-Ne sviđa mi se što idemo tamo, Stanko, reče Marijana paleći cigaretu. -Nikad mi se nisu sviđali tvoji rođaci, a posebno tvoja majka i onaj njen sin.

-Rekao sam ti da ne moraš da pođeš sa mnom, ali ti si ipak pošla. Zato ne zanovetaj mnogo. Ipak nismo dugo bili kod njih, a i zadržaćemo se samo nekoliko sati.

Polako su se približavali udaljenoj kućici i parkingu. Kuća je bila stara i nagrižena vremenom, okružena javorovim stablima i dalje velikom šumom, na uzbrdici od nekoliko stotina metara. Dok su se vozili ka njoj osećali su se kao da se penju po nekom lavirintu ili koncentričnom krugu dok su ispod njih talasi mora udarali o grebene. Stanko primeti crveni ševrolet ševel dok je parkirao. Izlazeći iz kola udari ih jak hladni vetar.

-Ovo su kola mog polubrata Viktora, reče Stanko dok se sa ženom približavao kući. -Izgleda da se vratio iz Amerike kako bi prisustvovao slavi.

-Čudno da se posle toliko godina vratio. Da li namerava da ostane, ili se opet vraća u Ameriku.

-Ne znam, videćemo.

Pokucavši na vrata, otvori im služavka obučena u belu haljinu.

-Oh, to ste vi. Uđite, očekuje vas vaša stara majka-obrati se Stanku-nije baš u najboljem stanju ovih dana. A tu je i vaš mlađi brat, tek došao iz Amerike.

Stanko se zahvali služavki i zajedno sa Marijanom uđe u predvorje i skinuvši kaput okači ga o čiviluk u hodniku, pa potom ode do toaleta da se umije. Marijana je oprezno skinula svoj kaput i okačivši ga o čiviluk okrene se služavki.

-Da li moram da skinem cipele?

-Oh, ne, nipošto. Uđite, gosti vas očekuju već dugo vremena.

U dnevnoj sobi su za velikim stolom sedeli Stankova majka, njen sin paraplegičar u kolicima, nedavno došavši Stankov brat i njegova žena Kristina. Na zidu je visila ikona Svete Petke, a na stolu su bila poređana razna ukusna jela. Došavši iz toaleta Stanko pozdravi svoju majku Jelenu, njenog sina paraplegičara Darka i brata Viktora i njegovu ženu Kristinu.

-Ipak si došao sine.-reče Jelena kašljući i mrdajući rukama.-Setio si se svoje stare majke posle pola godine. Eto kakav je to sin!

-Nemoj sad da počinješ, mama, reče Stanko i sede za sto. Pored njega se pojavi i Marijana i sede pored njega.

-A vidim, doveo si i ženu, reče baba iskosa pogledajući Marijanu. Nikada nije odobravala njegovu ženu što se i sad videlo po njenom ponašanju. Marijana reši da je ignoriše i učtivo se smeškajući zapali cigaretu i otpije malo vina iz čaše. Jedva je čekala da ode čim je došla, pa ipak, ako je nameravala da se zadrži ovde, valjalo je i malo se napiti.

Stanko pozdravi paraplegičara Darka, majčinog sina iz drugog braka. Posle gadne saobraćajne nesreće Darku je kičma teško povređena tako da je ostao nepokretan i o njemu se sada starala služavka. Nije obraćao mnogo pažnje na Stanka pa je odmah navalio na hranu i piće. Misteriozni Darko je pušio cigaretu nešto se došaptavajući sa Kristinom, zgodnom plavušom koju je Marijana ljubomorno posmatrala. Bio je to mladić riđe kose i smeđih očiju, malog nosa i lepih usana koji iako je navršio četrdesetu još uvek je odavao utisak dvadesetogodišnjaka zbog svog mladalačkog lica.

-Čudno da si došao čak iz Amerike na slavu, Viktore, reče Stanko režući meso i uzimajući krompire sa tanjira.

-Poželeo sam se malo rodnog kraja i moje majke.

-Viktor je mnogo bolji sin od tebe, Stanko, iako je otišao u daleku Ameriku da radi. S njim sam se redovno čula i videla preko skajpa dok od tebe ni reči nisam dobijala, iako živimo u istoj zemlji.

Stanko odluči da oćuti na ovu opasku i krene da trpa meso i krompire u usta, nadajući se da će veče provesti bez većih poteškoća, kako bi se konačno vratio kući sa ženom.

Proveli su neko vreme u jelu, komentarišući izvrsno napravljena jela od strane služavke, dolivajući vino i sokove. Kad su stigli na red kolači, baba Jelena se požalila na zdravlje i rekla služavki da je odvede u svoju sobu na drugom spratu kako bi se odmorila. Pritom je rekla služavki da kasnije odvede Darka u svoju večernju šetnju. U tom prigovori Viktor.

-Mogao bih ja da ga prošetam, ionako se dugo nismo videli, a i služavka ima poslova preko glave.

-U redu sine.

Kolači su bili mnogo ukusni i posle dva parčeta Marijana se izvinula rekavši da se prejela te se podigla sa stola i uputila u drugi deo dnevne sobe ispunjen knjigama koje je Darko voleo da čita, te se smesti u udobnu fotelju sa čašom vina u ruci i cigaretama. Uskoro joj se pridružio i muž, razgledavši knjige na policama. Uglavnom su to bili krimići.

Pojevši svoj deo torte Viktor uze salvetu i obriše usne, pa zapali cigaretu. Okrene se Kristini.

-Kristina, idi pridruži se mom bratu i njegovoj ženi dok ja prošetam Darka oko kuće.

-Ok. Uf, baš sam se najela.

Viktor uputi pogled Darku.

-Idemo malo u šetnju, šta kažeš?

Darko bespomoćno klimnu glavom i osloni se na Viktorovu pomoć. Dok ga je vozio oko kuće neprestano je mislio na laž koju je izrekla baba Jelena, o tome da je on njen najdraži sin, što nije bila istina. Bio je to ovaj Darko, sin iz njenog prvog braka. Vozio ga je do ivice puta niz koje se pružao mučan pogled na klisure i provaliju, gde su pri dnu talasi mora zapljuskivali o stene kojem bi i normalnom čoveku zadalo vrtoglavicu, a kamoli Viktoru koji se oduvek plašio rupa, ivica i velikih visina. Ipak, morao je to da uradi, te jako gurnu Darka koji se zajedno sa kolicima stropošta niz padinu, lomeći se o morske talase. Povukavši se na bezbednu razdaljinu, neko vreme je stajao u mestu, pa zapalivši cigaretu počeo užurbano da šeta ispred kuće. Prvi deo zadatka je bio odrađen, pomisli, pa se vrati u kuću.

Pridruživši se skupini u biblioteci poče da im priča o svojim zanimljivim avanturama tokom boravka u Americi. Već je počeo da pada sneg i prve snežne pahulje su padale po prozorima. Služavka je počistivši sto upitala Viktora gde je Darko.

-Otišao je na spavanje, tako mi je rekao. Prekide ga Stanko.

-Dobar ti je onaj auto, Ševrolet. 

-Možemo da se odvezemo malo njime da ga bolje upoznaš.

-Ok. Samo da ispijem ovu čašu.

-Pa već ti je pri kraju. Daj da ti natočim u kuhinji, pa kad popiješ, idemo.

Stanko, već pripit, klimne glavom i okrene se Marijani.

-Hoćeš li i ti sa nama, draga.

-Oh, ne, ne po ovom snegu.

Dok su udobno čavrljali Viktor je sipao prašak u Stankovu čašu i nalio vina u nju pa se vrativši se dodao mu u ruke. Tokom razgovora vino se brzo ispijalo i Stanko krene sa Darkom napolje. Otvorio je vrata ševroleta i seo za volan dok je Stanko seo na suvozačko sedište.

-Je li bezbedno da vozimo po ovakvom snegu.

-Ma to je samo susnežica.

Krenuvši sa parkinga ševrolet je išao niz put upaljenih farova. Stanko je uživao u vožnji i u sebi razmišljao kako je bolji ovaj auto od njegovog bednog plimuta, pomalo zevajući.

-Super makina...uf, nešto mi se prispavalo...

Viktor ništa ne reče nego se uputi ka ivici puta. Stanko je već hrkao zavaljen u sedištu. Ostavivši motor upaljen, stisnuo je papučicu i hitro iskočio dok je ševrolet jurnuo ka provaliji i razbijajući se o stene završio u moru zajedno sa sirotim Stankom. Povlačeći se sa ivice i našavši se na bezbednoj udaljenosti, zamišljeno je zapalio cigaretu. Drugi deo posla je urađen, mada mu je bilo žao ševroleta.

Pošto nisu daleko odmakli, nije mu bilo potrebno dosta vremena da se brzim korakom vrati kući. Sneg je već počeo da veje, stvarajući ogromne tepihe snega posvuda okolo.  

Marijana je bila zabrinuta kad nije videla muža zajedno sa Viktorom.

-Gde je Stanko?

-Odlučio je malo da ostane napolju kad sam ga provozao, reče Viktor paleći cigaretu i uzimajući vino sa stola.

-Mora da je lud po ovom snegu da šeta! Pokušaću da ga pozovem na mobilni.

Darko sede na fotelju pored Kristine.

-Nedostupan je. Joj, da mu se nešto nije desilo. Moram da ga potražim.

-Jesi li luda po ovom snegu da ideš? Možda se smorio pa je otišao.

-Bez obzira, idem da vidim.

Marijana navuče kaput i izađe napolje. Dosta joj je bilo više, pomisli, i videvši koliko je napadao sneg odluči da pobegne dok nije previše kasno, dok putevi ne postanu neprohodni, i tako uđe u plavi plimut.

Uvek uspem, pomisli Viktor, i ispije čašu vina pa natoči još jednu. Videvši da je već deset sati, okrene se Kristini.

-Bolje da se ne vraćamo po ovom snegu kući, nego da prespavamo ovde..ima na drugom spratu spavaća soba.

-A. Pa dobro., reče Kristina pogledavši kroz zavejan prozor.

Kristina je brzo zaspala, što od vina, što od hrane, dok je Viktor ležao i gledao u plafon, očekujući zadnji deo svog plana, čekajući povoljnu priliku. Uskoro začu spore korake babe Jelene koja je sigurno odlazila u toalet, i tiho ustavši sa kreveta, stao je ispred sobe čekajući da baba krene prema stepenicama. Baba je ionako bila gluva i naslepa pa je slobodno prišao leđima i gurnuo je niz stepenice pa se stropoštala i skljoknula po podu. Na brzinu je sišao i proverio da je mrtva, pa se popeo na drugi sprat i legao praveći se da spava. Ipak, čak i on je ubrzo zaspao.

Ujutru se služavka na sav glas drala i budila ukućane videvši mrtvu babu na kraju stepenica. Viktor je bio siguran za sve što će uslediti priliskom dolaska policije i ambulantnih kola. Jer, služavka mu je bila saveznik u ovom poslu, pa su ispričali da je Stanko vodio invalida u šetnju i sigurno je od snega i poledice slučajno sleteo sa puta. Testament je sad išao u njegovu korist, pošto nije bilo ni Stanka a ni Darka da ga pridobiju.

Cop (1988)

Decent crime movie with great performance by James Woods, based on early James Ellroy novel, is flawed and somewhat uninspiring in its tale of serial killer, and his unconvincing motivation for killing just to avenge his schoolmate who was raped by some guys fifteen years ago.

City Sleuths And Tough Guys - Crime Stories From Poe To The Present

This is great collection of crime stories with insightful introduction by editor David Willis McCullough, in hardcover and almost 600 pages long, featuring among others famous essay by Raymond Chandler, Simple Art Of Murder. Like all anthologies it's not perfect, but there are some great stories here : Francois Eugene Vidocq (original criminal turned detective) - The Clue Of The Yellow Curtain, Marie Belloc Lowndes - The Lodger (excerpt from the novel), Marcel Allain - Princess Sonia's Bath, Dashiell Hammett - The Tenth Clew, George Simenon - At The Etoile Du Nord, Jim Thompson - This World, Then The Fireworks, Ross MacDonald - Wild Goose Chase, Donald E. Westlake - Just One Of Those Days and Mickey Spillane - The Gold Fever Tapes.