From an imaginary history of Alaskan Jews to a compelling glimpse of the CIA, we pick the 10 most pleasurable reading experiences of the year.
By Laura Miller Dec 12, 2007
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Yes, detective novels are lousy -- if you're too lazy to search out the good ones! Mystery readers (and quite a few mystery writers) strike back at Ben Yagoda.
January 8, 2004
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Robert Parker, Dennis Lehane, Lawrence Block, Michael Connelly -- I've read them all. Amid the logrolling and endless hype, one thing gets obscured: Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald did it first, and did it a lot better.
By Ben Yagoda
January 6, 2004
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The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon.
By Allen Barra
July 31, 2002
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Humphrey Bogart and Howard Hawks get Raymond Chandler so right, who cares if the plot doesn't square?
By Michael Sragow
August 9, 2000
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Are the ends supposed to justify the means? Or is it the other way around?
By Jacqueline Carey
March 24, 2000
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Gumshoes and old men edition.
By Greil Marcus
October 18, 1999
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The world's coolest crime writer has an uncanny ear for wry dialogue and a deep belief in lives with second acts.
By Sean Elder
September 28, 1999
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Five great noir novels from the post-Chandler generations.
By David Bowman
June 28, 1999
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Sex ed. takes a beating in Minneapolis; Slovenia hires a PR firm; black Sam Spades take the whodunit stage.
By Jenn Shreve
May 28, 1999