Secondhand Vintage Thriller and Crime Fiction Bargain Book Box DSH1038

Secondhand Vintage Thriller & Crime Fiction Bargain Book Box

This impressive collection of twenty-four vintage paperbacks offers a comprehensive library of classic detective fiction, espionage thrillers, and hardboiled mysteries. The box is headlined by a massive selection of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novels, providing nearly the entire run of the celebrated Oxford series. Complementing these are four essential Lew Archer mysteries by Ross Macdonald, gritty police procedurals by Rex Burns and John Creasey, and iconic thrillers like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and Rogue Male. This set is a journey through the evolution of 20th-century crime writing, from the refined puzzles of the whodunit to the dark realism of the private eye. Each book is secondhand and may show signs of wear.

1. The Avenging Angel by Rex Burns Denver detective Gabe Wager embarks on a personal crusade against a drug trafficking ring after a fellow officer is killed in the line of duty. Wager is a hard-edged, solitary figure who navigates the dangerous Chicano underworld with a grim determination. The novel is a gritty police procedural that emphasizes the brutal reality of the drug war and the toll it takes on those who fight it.

2. Strip Search by Rex Burns Gabe Wager returns to investigate a series of assaults and murders targeting strippers in Denver’s seedier districts. As he digs into the case, he encounters a world of exploitation and desperation that tests his cynical worldview. Burns delivers a taut, atmospheric mystery that focuses on the unglamorous day-to-day work of a homicide detective.

3. Look at Murder by John Creasey Chief Inspector Roger West of Scotland Yard is faced with a baffling case involving a wealthy family and a series of "accidental" deaths. As West peels back the layers of respectability, he uncovers a ruthless killer driven by greed and inheritance. This classic British mystery showcases Creasey’s talent for intricate plotting and his popular, fast-moving "Handsome" West character.

4. The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry American intelligence agent Paul Christopher believes he knows who really killed President John F. Kennedy and why. His theory leads him on a dangerous journey from Paris to Vietnam, unraveling a plot involving revenge for the assassination of Diem. This espionage thriller is widely regarded as a masterpiece for its realistic portrayal of tradecraft and its provocative historical premise.

5. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by John Godey Four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and hold the passengers hostage, demanding a massive ransom from the city within one hour. As the deadline ticks down, a transit police lieutenant must play a high-stakes chess game with the ruthless leader of the gang. The novel is a masterclass in tension, capturing the gritty, chaotic atmosphere of 1970s New York.

6. Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household An unnamed British sportsman attempts to assassinate a European dictator but is caught and tortured before escaping back to England. Now the hunter becomes the hunted, forcing him to go to ground in the countryside like a wild animal to evade enemy agents. It is a seminal survival thriller that explores the primal instincts of man when stripped of civilization.

7. Odds Against by Dick Francis Sid Halley, a champion jockey whose career ended after a crippling hand injury, finds a new purpose as a private investigator. He is hired to investigate suspicious accidents at a racecourse, leading him into a violent confrontation with a corrupt syndicate. This debut of the Sid Halley character combines Francis’s insider knowledge of racing with a compelling noir narrative.

8. The Instant Enemy by Ross Macdonald Private detective Lew Archer is hired to find a runaway teenage girl, but the case quickly spirals into a violent spree of murder and madness. Archer peels back the layers of a dysfunctional California family to reveal the deep-seated trauma driving the chaos. Macdonald explores the generational divide of the 1960s with psychological depth and lyrical prose.

9. The Barbarous Coast by Ross Macdonald A young woman disappears after joining an exclusive diving club in Southern California, drawing Lew Archer into a corrupt world of Hollywood elites and organized crime. The investigation exposes the rot beneath the glamorous surface of the "sunny" state, leading to a tragic conclusion. It is a sharp critique of the American Dream and the violence used to protect it.

10. The Goodbye Look by Ross Macdonald Lew Archer is hired to investigate the theft of a Florentine gold box from a wealthy family, but the burglary is merely the prologue to a dark history of embezzlement and suicide. As Archer digs deeper, he uncovers secrets that have been festering for decades, threatening to destroy the present. The novel is a complex web of cause and effect, highlighting the inescapability of the past.

11. The Underground Man by Ross Macdonald As a forest fire rages through the canyons near Santa Barbara, Lew Archer searches for a missing boy and uncovers a shallow grave. The fire unearths buried secrets involving a long-ago murder and a broken family, linking the ecological disaster to moral decay. It is one of Macdonald’s most acclaimed works, blending environmental themes with a poignant mystery.

12. A Spy of the Old School by Julian Rathbone Richard Shilling is a respected architect and a pillar of the British establishment, but he is also a Soviet mole who has been passing secrets for decades. As his past catches up with him, the novel explores the motivations of the Cambridge Five generation and the class system that protected them. It is a cynical, anti-romantic look at the world of espionage.

13. The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter Inspector Morse investigates the disappearance of an Oxford don, which seems linked to the discovery of a mutilated body in a canal. The case forces Morse to navigate the academic rivalries of the university and recall his own time as a student. Dexter crafts a scholarly puzzle filled with literary allusions and deceptive clues.

14. Death of a Racehorse by John Creasey Superintendent Roger West investigates the murder of a stable lad and the death of a prize-winning racehorse. The case exposes a syndicate of corruption within the racing industry involving doping and fixed bets. Creasey combines his usual police procedural style with the high-stakes atmosphere of the turf.

15. The Polish Officer by Alan Furst When Poland falls to the Nazis in 1939, Captain Alexander de Milja is recruited by the underground resistance to transport the national gold reserve to safety. He transforms into a shadow operative, moving across occupied Europe to sabotage the German war machine. Furst delivers a rich, atmospheric historical thriller about the quiet heroism of the resistance.

16. The Case of Lucy Bending by Lawrence Sanders A departure from his usual crime thrillers, Sanders tells the story of a Florida community rocked by the strange behavior of a young girl, Lucy Bending. As a psychiatrist investigates, he uncovers a nest of suburban vice and adult corruption that is influencing the child. The novel blends psychological drama with a dark mystery about the loss of innocence.

17. The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter Morse meets an intriguing woman named Anne Scott at a party, only to find her dead in her kitchen a few months later. Although it looks like suicide, Morse suspects foul play and begins an unofficial investigation into her neighbors in Jericho. The book delves into Morse’s lonely personal life and his intuitive, often obsessive, methods.

18. The Daughters of Cain by Colin Dexter When a retired university don is found stabbed to death, Morse and Lewis are faced with a lack of clear motives and a surplus of suspects. The trail leads them to the darker side of Oxford, involving drugs and a theft from a museum. The narrative highlights the contrast between the city's academic heights and its criminal depths.

19. The Secret of Annexe 3 by Colin Dexter A guest at the Haworth Hotel is found dead in his room after a New Year's Eve fancy dress party where everyone was masked. Morse must pierce the disguises and false identities to find the killer among a group of strangers. It is a classic closed-circle mystery that showcases Dexter's love for intricate plotting and red herrings.

20. Last Seen Wearing by Colin Dexter Morse decides to reopen the cold case of a schoolgirl who has been missing for two years, convinced that she is dead despite the lack of a body. His investigation relies on re-interpreting old evidence and challenging the assumptions of the original inquiry. The novel demonstrates Morse’s brilliance at solving crimes through pure deduction.

21. Service of All the Dead by Colin Dexter A churchwarden is murdered in a quiet country church, triggering a series of deaths that seem to decimate the parish community. Morse is drawn into a macabre puzzle involving religious obsession and financial greed. The story is atmospheric and grim, featuring one of the highest body counts in the series.

22. Death is Now My Neighbour by Colin Dexter A young physiotherapist is shot through her kitchen window in a crime that appears to be a case of mistaken identity. The investigation leads Morse to the bitter election for the Master of Lonsdale College, revealing the lethal lengths men will go to for prestige. It is a story of ambition, jealousy, and the secrets neighbors keep.

23. Morse's Greatest Mystery by Colin Dexter This collection of short stories features the curmudgeonly detective solving a variety of bite-sized puzzles, including the titular "Morse's Greatest Mystery." It offers readers a glimpse of Morse in lighter, quicker scenarios, alongside other standalone tales of crime and deception. The stories highlight Dexter's cleverness and wit in a condensed format.

24. The Way Through the Woods by Colin Dexter A Swedish tourist goes missing in Oxford, and a year later, a cryptic poem sent to a newspaper suggests her body is buried in Wytham Woods. Morse and Lewis must decipher the literary clues to find the grave and the killer. The novel is a complex, multi-layered mystery that stands as one of the finest in the series.