Penguin Classics: Crime & Thriller

A masterful novel about the injustices of the prison system and the humanity that flourishes despite it, by the author of the acclaimed Harlem Detective series. Thrill-seeking white teenager Jimmy Monroe is serving a twenty-year sentence for robbery. The penitentiary is a place where terror and chaos reign, where corrupt guards inflict casual and insidious violence, where men isolated from...

A biting psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Tokyo Express, now available in English for the first time. Onizuka Kumako is a fierce woman—tall, beautiful, and not afraid to speak her mind. In Tokyo bars, she seduces customers and commits petty crime, using her connections to the local yakuza to get by. When she meets Shirakawa Fukutaro, a rich...

A rip-roaring caper novel by bestselling crime author Elmore Leonard. Mickey is bored and angry with her life as a housewife in suburban Detroit, trapped with her dreary, golf-obsessed husband. Then she is kidnapped by a deeply unimpressive criminal gang who want to trade her for a huge ransom from her—as it turns out—crooked husband. But what if she doesn't...

From America's top writer of hardboiled crime, the novel that became Tarantino's hit film Jackie Brown. An air hostess doing the Caribbean-Florida run, Jackie also uses her job to shift large amounts of hot money. The Feds are closing in on her, and the highly dysfunctional arms-dealers she works for are not getting any more functional. It would involve huge...

A cult crime classic about pool-playing, hard drinking and a search for a meaningful life. Jack Levitt—teenaged orphan and small-time criminal—lives off his wits, dividing his time between the pool halls, bars, and brothels of Portland, Oregon. Billy Lancing is a young black runaway and pool hustler who falls into Jack's orbit. After a messed-up heist lands Jack at reform...

From the bestselling author of Get Shorty and Jackie Brown, a thriller spiced with blackmail and revenge. Detroit businessman Harry Mitchell is a self-made man, happily married for over twenty-two years and a pillar of the community. But then he slips – he meets a young 'model' and begins an affair. One night he arrives at his girlfriend's apartment and...

A lean and mean thriller about one man and the Mob from the crime laureate INDEPENDENT The last time Florida motel owner George Moran was in the Dominican Republic, he was in a uniform and people were shooting at him. Years later, he's back looking for a girl he lost—and finding one he'd be better off without. Mary de Boya...

Three previously unpublished stories by the master of tense set-ups. These three stories—Picket Line, 'Chick Killer', and 'Ice Man'—show Elmore Leonard at his most terse and harsh, able to conjure up a sense of profound unease and injustice in just a few words. The main story Picket Line describes a tense stand-off between migrant workers in Texas, police, and labour...

A rollicking tale of the 1970s Detroit criminal underworld from legendary crime writer Elmore Leonard. Swag follows 'The Ten Golden Rules for Successful Armed Robbery'. If rigidly adhered to, these rules will catapult two trainee robbers—Frank and Stick—into Detroit's criminal elite. But for how long can they maintain the Rules' austere discipline as the lurid, fun temptations pile up?

'As gritty and hard-driving a thriller as you'll find . . . The action never stops, the language sings and stings' Washington Post Clement Mansell knows how easy it is to get away with murder. The crazed killer is back on the Detroit streets—thanks to some nifty courtroom moves by his lawyer—and this time he's feeling invincible enough to execute...

A brilliant story of revenge and counter-revenge in Atlantic City After being shot by a mugger, Lt Vincent Mora is convalescing in Puerto Rico. There he meets Iris, a beautiful young woman who is bored and frustrated, looking for excitement and a new life. Then she is offered a job as a 'hostess' at a casino in Atlantic city by...

A classic Western from one of the masters of the genre. A remote stage-coach station is closing down and a small group of travellers are thrown together on the last wagon out- the mysterious Doctor Favor and his wife, a traumatised girl, a brutal stranger called Braden, the station manager, the sharp-eyed young narrator and John Russell, known simply as...

A nail-biting, tough-talking classic western from the author of GET SHORTY and JACKIE BROWN. In Last Stand at Sabre River, a Civil War veteran returns home to find a Yankee's private army living on his land, while another enemy waits to strike... Paul Cable has fought - and lost - for the Confederacy but when he returns home he finds...

Detroit comes to the Holy Land as a mixed bag of gangsters arrive looking for revenge Al Rosen was doing just fine, hiding out in Israel - until he decided to play Good Samaritan and rescue some elderly tourists from a hotel fire. Now his picture's been published in the press, and the guys he's been hiding from know exactly...

Tough guy Jack Ryan goes looking for a missing lowlife and finds himself in a whole lot of trouble... Motor city process server and ex-thug Jack Ryan is very good at finding people - especially people who don't want to be found. Now he's being offered large bucks to locate a lost lowlife named Robert Leary, a.k.a. Bobby Lear. But...

No writer chronicles the battles of misfits, underdogs and renegades like Elmore Leonard ... Valdez is Coming is a stunning tale of morality and justice in which a simple, honest man is transformed into a killer - and begins a long journey of revenge against those who scarred his soul for ever. Elmore Leonard's Western novels stand as some of...

Imperious, clever, mysterious—Maigret meets his match in the alluring form of Felicie. In his mind's eye, he would see that slim figure in the striking clothes, those wide eyes the colour of forget-me-not, the pert nose, and especially the hat: that giddy, crimson bonnet perched on the top of her head with a bronze-green feather shaped like a blade stuck...

A new translation of this novel in which Maigret's leave in the Dordogne is disrupted by some sinister happenings. He recalled his travelling companion's agitated sleep—was it really sleep—his sighs, and his sobbing. Then two dangling legs in their patent leather boots and hand-knitted socks... A lacklustre face. Glazed eyes. And Maigret was not surprised to see a grey beard...

A hard-nosed criminal lawyer gets caught up in a murder in a classic LA thriller. If America is a lunatic asylum, then California is the Violent Ward. Mickey Murphy is a criminal lawyer with an office in LA's downtown low-rent district, an ex-wife who bleeds him for money, and 'clients who would plead the Fifth Amendment if they could count...

MAMista is a dramatic departure for Len Deighton, taking readers to the jungles of Spanish Guyana where Marxist revolutionaries are fighting for their lives. Deep in Marxist Guerrilla territory, a hopeless war is being fought. The Berlin Wall is demolished. Marx is dead. Try telling that to Ramon and his desperate men hiding in the jungle, cradling their AK 47s,...

A devastating tale of misfortune, betrayal and the weakness of family ties, newly translated for the Maigret series. Instead of the detail filling itself in and becoming clearer, it seemed to escape him. The face of the man in the ill-fitting coat just misted up so that it hardly looked human. In theory, this mental portrait was good enough, but...

A new translation of this tragic tale of lost identity, part of the Maigret series. What was the woman doing here? In a stable, wearing pearl earrings, her stylish bracelet and white buckskin shoes! She must have been alive when she got there because the crime had been committed after 10 in the evening. But how? And why? And no...

Liège, the city of Simenon's youth, comes to life in this disturbing Maigret novel. A vast emptiness. The room, in the darkness, seemed big as a cathedral. Warm currents of air still drifted from the radiators. Delfosse struck a match. They paused for a moment to take a breath and get their bearings. And suddenly the match dropped. A piercing...

The Saint-Fiacre Affair by Georges Simenon features Maigret returning to his home town in a new translation of this thrilling novel, part of the new Maigret series. The Countess of Saint-Fiacre dies from heart failure during mass on All Soul's Day, exactly when the police had been forewarned that a crime would occur.

A new translation of this gripping novel set in an insular fishing community, part of the new Maigret series. It was indeed a photo, a picture of a woman. But the face was completely hidden, scribbled all over in red ink. Someone had tried to obliterate the head, someone very angry. The pen had bitten into the paper. There were...

A new translation of this novel set in the demi-monde of the sun-soaked Riviera, part of the Maigret series. Half an hour later, he was in Cannes ... White everywhere! Huge white hotels, white shops, white trousers and dresses, white sails out at sea. It was as if life were no more than a pantomime fairy-tale, a white and blue...

There is no rest for Inspector Maigret when his seaside holiday leads him to a troubling discovery. At what point in the day could the note have been slipped into his pocket, his left breast pocket? It was an ordinary sheet of glazed squared paper, probably torn out of an exercise book. The words were written in pencil, in a...

As we publish all of le Carré's work for the first time, the Smiley Collection offers a special look for the books featuring John le Carré's most iconic character – George Smiley. The Cold War is over and Ned has been demoted to the training academy. He asks his old mentor, George Smiley, to address his passing-out class. There are...

Essential reading for mystery fans: the first masterpiece by the doyenne of American noir. Sailor, former henchman and trouble-accruing gangster, travels from Chicago to Santa Fe, New Mexico, looking for revenge and for money. But it's hard to make a dishonest buck when everything seems to be against him. It is Fiesta, it is hot, thousands of people are crowding...

A riveting thriller about an ordinary man's quest for extraordinary vengeance. Charlie Heller is a CIA cryptographer, a quiet man in a back-room job. He's not a spy, let alone an assassin. But when his beloved fiancée is murdered by terrorists and his employers refuse to pursue her killers, Heller decides to take matters into his own hands. Pursuing the...

A superb murder mystery set in the snowy wastes of ancient northern China. Judge Dee is again in relentless pursuit of evil in one of van Gulik's most strange, atmospheric, and ingenious murder mysteries. Set in a remote, freezing part of China, the novel twists together a girl's disappearance, the theft of some jewels, and a horrifying beheading. And, just...

An omnibus comprising Raymond Chandler's three Philip Marlowe novels, The Lady in the Lake, The High Window and The Little Sister.

A handpicked selection of novels featuring Simenon's legendary literary detective, Inspector Maigret, with striking new covers. It is Christmas in Paris, but beneath the sparkling lights and glittering decorations lie sinister deeds and dark secrets. In the short story that lends its title to the volume, the Inspector receives two unexpected visitors on Christmas Day, who lead him on the...

The international bestseller by China's foremost thriller writer Decoded tells the story of Rong Jinzhwen, one of the great code-breakers in the world. A mathematical genius, Jinzhen is recruited to the cryptography department of China's secret services, Unit 701, where he is assigned the task of breaking the elusive 'Code Purple'. Jinzhen rises through the ranks to eventually become China's...

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré is a gripping, intense novel set against the backdrop of the Cold War. The story follows Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, who has just witnessed the collapse of his East Berlin espionage network. Facing the demoralising prospect of being pulled back from the field, Leamas is given...

In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John le Carré masterfully crafts a tale of espionage and intrigue set against the dark and shadowy backdrop of the Cold War. With unparalleled skill, le Carré draws readers into the labyrinthine world of British Intelligence, known as "The Circus." The seasoned and much-revered intelligence officer George Smiley is called out of bitter retirement for...

The final spy novel featuring the unnamed hero of The IPCRESS File series finds him up against a Texan billionaire with an all-powerful computer. Texan billionaire General Midwinter will stop at nothing to bring down the USSR—even if it puts the whole world at risk. The fourth and final novel featuring the cynical, insolent narrator of The IPCRESS File sees...

Maigret's Failure delves into a complex intertwining of duty and personal history as Maigret's integrity is put to the test. Charged with the protection of a wealthy butcher named Fumal, Maigret finds himself conflicted between his professional duty and a childhood grudge that resurfaces unexpectedly. The tension escalates when Fumal is viciously murdered, compelling Maigret to set aside his personal...

Maigret's Memoirs takes over as author and gives a rare glimpse into the legendary character's psyche. I can still see Simenon coming into my office the next day, pleased with himself, displaying even more self-confidence, if possible, than before, but nevertheless with a touch of anxiety in his eyes . . . He trumpeted these last words as if they...

A thrilling crime classic, from the bestselling author of Tokyo Express. Tokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man's body is found on the tracks. With only two leads - a distinctive accent and a single word, 'kameda' - senior inspector Imanishi Eitaro is called in to solve the puzzle. Setting...

A new translation of this atmospheric novel set in the squalid streets of Paris, part of the new Maigret series. The Czech was warming up, though in a quiet, almost dull way that was characteristic of the man. Out of the corner of his eye, Maigret noticed his hands, long hands, astonishingly white and slightly freckled. They seemed to warm...

First paperback publication of the legendary collaboration between William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, a hard-boiled crime novel about a shocking murder at the dawn of the Beat Generation. In 1944, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs were charged as accessories to murder. One of their friends, Lucien Carr, had stabbed another, David Kammerer. Carr had come to each of...

A beautiful 60th anniversary special edition of the novel that introduced the world to George Smiley, now with a new introduction by John le Carré. After a routine security check by George Smiley, civil servant Samuel Fennan apparently kills himself. When Smiley finds Circus head Maston is trying to blame him for the man's death, he begins his own investigation,...

A special look for the books featuring his iconic character, George Smiley. After a routine security check by George Smiley, civil servant Samuel Fennan apparently kills himself. When Smiley finds Circus head Maston is trying to blame him for the man's death, he begins his own investigation, meeting with Fennan's widow to find out what could have led him to...

As we publish all of le Carré's work for the first time, a special look for the books featuring his iconic character, George Smiley. A department of ageing British spies will break any rule for the glory of launching a secret agent into communist East Germany, in the fourth novel featuring George Smiley. The Looking Glass War dives into the...

A complex, psychological novel about familial loyalty, now publishing in gift hardback. A corporate lawyer from the House of Single & Single is shot dead in cold blood on a Turkish hillside. A children's entertainer in Devon is hauled to his local bank late at night to explain a monumental influx of cash. A Russian freighter is arrested in the...

The British Secret Service turns its attention to a linguistic prodigy in the Congo in this espionage thriller, now available in a giftable hardback series. At a top-secret meeting between Western financiers and Congolese warlords, an interpreter finds his conscience re-awakening. Bruno Salvador has worked on clandestine missions before. A highly skilled interpreter, he is no stranger to the Official...

A Quiet Place, described as a thrillingly dark novel from 'Japan's Agatha Christie' by The Sunday Times, unravels a mysterious and unsettling tale. While on a business trip to Kobe, Tsuneo Asai receives the distressing news that his wife Eiko has died of a heart attack. Despite Eiko's known heart condition, which made her death somewhat expectable, the circumstances leave...

Maigret is confronted with the full hostility of the petite bourgeoisie in book twenty-six of the series. All that was still unclear, for sure. Ernest Malik had been right when he had looked at Maigret with a smile that was a mixture of sarcasm and contempt. This wasn't a case for him. He was out of his depth. This world...

A biting psychological thriller from the best-selling author of Tokyo Express, now available in English for the first time Onizuka Kumako is a fierce woman- tall, beautiful, and not afraid to speak her mind. In Tokyo bars, she seduces customers and commits petty crime, using her connections to the local yakuza to get by. When she meets Shirakawa Fukutaro, a...

Penguin Modern Hardbacks — a new series of iconic works from the Modern Classics list with bold, mid-century-inspired cover designs. Controversial and compelling, In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the...

From the best-selling author of Tokyo Express, a chilling tale where Japanese tradition and Western crime collide - now available in English for the first time. Musashino, 1959. A young Japanese flight attendant is found strangled on the icy banks of the river. The police suspect foul play - but the deeper they dig, the more they collide with a...