James Ellroy and Otto Penzler mined the past century to find this treasure trove of thirty-nine stories. From noir’s twenties-era infancy come gems like James M. Cain’s “Pastorale,” and its postwar heyday boasts giants like Mickey Spillane and Evan Hunter. Packing an undeniable punch, diverse contemporary incarnations include Elmore Leonard, Patricia Highsmith, Joyce Carol Oates, Dennis Lehane, and William Gay, with many page-turners appearing from the past decade.**Review"Read them if you want to feel your flesh creep." (National Post)“Well worth its impressive weight in gold, it would be a crime not to have his seminal masterpiece in your collection.” (New York Journal of Books)“There is no denying thatThe Best American Noir of the Centuryis a source of unsettling butessential and valuable reading, and should immediately be added to your ‘must read’ list.”(Bookgasm)Review"Read them if you want to feel your flesh creep." (National Post)“Well worth its impressive weight in gold, it would be a crime not to have his seminal masterpiece in your collection.” (New York Journal of Books)“There is no denying thatThe Best American Noir of the Centuryis a source of unsettling butessential and valuable reading, and should immediately be added to your ‘must read’ list.”(Bookgasm)