This lot consists of 33 HARD CASE CRIME paperbacks. With their distinctive yellow ribbon on the spine and the front cover, these books stand out and offer the best of hard-boiled crime fiction, both new and old. Here's a change to build or add to your HCC library with a single purchase.

All but one of these paperbacks were published from 2004 to 2009. One of the books is from 2019; it's a reprint of a Stephen King novel with a new cover and interior illustrations. (Both the original and the reprint are included in this lot.) I've listed each book with the "HCC" number printed on the spine.

You'll find familiar names here such as Lawrence Block and Erle Stanley Gardner, plus Max Allan Collins, fantasy novelist Roger Zelazny...there's quite a range of talent represented in these novels. Some of these novels were published by Hard Case Crime for the first time; others are reprints of classic or long out-of-print novels.

I've described the condition of each book below and graded each one VG (Very Good), G (Good), A (Acceptable), or RBR (Rough but Readable). Only one is "rough but readable." I tend to be a very critical grader, so books that other sellers might easily call "good" I'm listing here as only "acceptable." Most of them are good or very good. Some are acceptable and show more signs of reading, storage, handling, or age. Only one is "rough but readable."

Please see the photos and read the below written descriptions for a full sense of the condition of each book. With a limit of 24 photos, I've focused on the books that show the most wear or age, but I've tried to show you some of the nice ones too.


Lawrence Block, GRIFTER'S GAME
HCC-001, 2004 (originally published under the title MONA)
(G) Spine has some creasing from previous reading but binding is good and solid. Spine has denting to bottom back corner. Front cover has light corner wear. Back cover has light corner denting but more denting to bottom right corner. Cover surfaces have some minor wear or denting. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age.

Max Phillips, FADE TO BLONDE
HCC-002, 2004
(G) Spine is smooth with no creases except for one slight, barely visible crease near front of book. Spine has wear to long rear edge. Binding is nice and solid. Cover corners have a bit of denting or wear. Front cover has slight wear to bottom edge. Interiors of covers browned from age. Page edges a bit yellowed from age. A solid copy that shows its age a bit.

Erle Stanley Gardner, TOP OF THE HEAP
HCC-003, 2004
(A) Book shows some wear. Spine is creased and bent/uneven from previous reading and handling. Binding is intact but not tight as a newer or less handled book would be. Front cover has a significant surface gouge near left edge, edge denting and very visible chipping, other small dents or cracks. Back cover has corner chipping or wear. Interiors of covers unevenly browned from age. THis one really shows its age, but it's still solid and readable.

Max Allan Collins, TWO FOR THE MONEY
HCC-005, 2004
(A) Spine is creased from previous reading and handling. Binding is intact but not tight as a newer or less handled book would be. Front cover has some corner wear and edge chipping. Back cover has some corner denting and some minor edge chipping. Pages 61 to 80 have a bit of denting, tearing, folding, or wear to long edges but are still intact. Book opens easily to pages 80-81. Interiors of covers unevenly browned from age. Page edges yellowed from age. A much-handled but still intact and readable paperback.

Day Keene, HOME IS THE SAILOR
HCC-007, 2005
(A) Spine creased and bent from previous handling/reading. Binding still solid. Front cover has light corner/edge wear. Page edges lightly yellowed from age. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed. A previously read and handled paperback—looks and feels its age but is still solid and readable.

Allan Guthrie, KISS HER GOODBYE
HCC-008, 2005
(A) Spine creased from previous reading. Binding is still good. Light corner denting or wear. Interiors of covers are still white but with yellowing around edges. Page edges yellowed from age. A previously read/handled paperback that shows some wear but is still quite solid and readable.

Wade Miller, BRANDED WOMAN
HCC-011, 2005
(VG) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Light exterior corner/edge wear. Interiors of covers browned from age. A solid, minimally handled paperback.

Peter Pavia, DUTCH UNCLE
HCC-012, 2005
(G) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Front cover has a chip in top right corner. Back cover has some superficial surface scratching or denting around bar code. Interiors of covers unevenly browned from age. Page edges a bit yellowed from age. An imperfect but solid paperback.

Stephen King, THE COLORADO KID
HCC-013, October 2005
(G) Spine has no visible creases but book feels read. Binding is solid but book opens a bit easily. Some wear to top spine edge. Front cover has light corner and edge wear. Back cover has light corner denting. Interiors of covers yellowed from age. Page edges a bit yellowed from age. An imperfect but overall solid, previously read paperback.

Stephen King, THE COLORADO KID (NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITION)
HCC-013-1, May 2019
(VG) Same novel as above but later printing with different cover and some illustrations. Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Front cover has a bit of corner and edge wear. Interiors of covers still white, not yellowed from age. Spine has light wear to top corners. A solid, minimally handled paperback.

Ed McBain, THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE
HCC-015, 2005
(RBR) This one is "rough but readable." Ex-library copy. Front page with reviews/quotes has been torn out. Pages 27 to 50 have a small chip in the long right edge. Some of those pages feel lightly rippled, perhaps from moisture exposure. Spine is creased from previous reading and has surface wear. Binding is intact but not tight. Interiors of covers unattractively and unevenly browned from age. Title page has a library rubber stamp. Reading, wear, possible water damage, a missing page—this one is rough and ugly, but it still has a little life in it.

Charles Williams, A TOUCH OF DEATH
HCC-017, 2006
(VG) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Only very light corner wear. Interiors of covers lightly yellowed from age. Page edges lightly yellowed. Book feels minimally handled, possibly unread. Good, solid paperback.

Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, BUST
HCC-020, 2006
(A) Spine creased and bent from previous reading. Binding is pretty good but not tight as a newer or less handled book would be. Front cover has wear to top right corner, very small fold in bottom right corner. Back cover has some superficial surface scratching or scuffing. Interiors of covers unevenly and unattractively browned. Book feels and shows its age a bit but is still intact and readable.

Madison Smartt Bell, STRAIGHT CUT
HCC-021, 2006
(A) Spine creased and bent from previous reading/handling. Binding is intact but not tight as a newer/less handled book would be. Front cover has some corner wear. Interiors of covers browned from age. Some page edges yellowed from age. A few look lightly rippled. An imperfect paperback that shows some wear but is still solid and readable.

Max Allan Collins, THE LAST QUARRY
HCC-023, 2006
(G) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Top right corner of front cover has some denting and a bit of wear. Back cover has minor corner wear and a slight dent to top edge. Interiors of covers browned from age, with darker browning near edges. Page edges a bit yellowed from age. Despite some signs of age, this is a solid, minimally handled paperback.

Pete Hamill, THE GUNS OF HEAVEN
HCC-024, 2006
(VG) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Light corner wear. Interiors of covers still white, not yellowed from age. A quite nice, minimally handled paperback.

David Dodge, THE LAST MATCH
HCC-025, 2006
(VG) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Spine has some light surface wear. Front cover has light corner wear. Back cover has one tiny dent or nick in bottom edge. Interiors of covers have yellowing, with browning closer to edges. Despite a few signs of age, a solid, minimally handled paperback.

John Lange, GRAVE DESCEND
HCC-026, 2006
(VG) Smooth spine with no creases and nice, tight binding. Only light corner wear. Interiors of covers yellowed with browning at top and bottom edges. Page edges lightly yellowed from age. Despite signs of age, a solid and minimally handled paperback.

Gil Brewer, THE VENGEFUL VIRGIN
HCC-030, 2007
(VG) Smooth spine with no creases. Nice, tight binding. Front cover has light corner wear. Back cover has light wear to top edge and denting of bottom left corner. Interiors of covers still white, not yellowed from age. Nice, minimally handled paperback.

David Goodis, THE WOUNDED AND THE SLAIN
HCC-031, 2007
(VG) Smooth spine, tight binding. Spine surface has slight, superficial scuffing. Front cover has only slight corner wear. Back cover has slight denting of top left corner. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age. A nice, minimally handled paperback.

Richard Aleas, SONGS OF INNOCENCE: A JOHN BLAKE MISTERY
HCC-033, 2007
(A) Smooth spine, tight binding. Some wear to top of spine edge. Front cover has a very visible gouge around the top left corner. Back cover has light corner denting/wear. Pages 179 and 180 have a bit of chipping, wear, or small tear in long edge but are still fully intact. Page 178 has a very small fold in top corner. Interiors of covers partly browned from age. A flawed paperback that has taken some wear from storage or age but feels minimally read.

Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, SLIDE
HCC-036, 2007
(G) Smooth spine, tight binding. Front cover has a small fold in lower right corner, some edge wear. Spine has one small nick or dent in top edge. Back cover has some light edge wear and the small remnant of a price sticker over the bar code. Interiors of covers have some light brown speckling from age. A good, solid paperback.

Robert Bloch, SHOOTING STAR and SPIDERWEB
HCC-042, 2008
(A) Two novels in one! Spine has creases from previous reading/handling. Binding is good. Covers have significant corner wear, edge wear, a ragged fold in one corner, some surface cracks or wear. Some pages have dented corners. Page edges yellowed from age. This paperback is intact and readable but shows significant signs of reading, wear, and age.

Steve Fisher, NO HOUSE LIMIT
HCC-045, 2008
(G) Smooth spine, tight binding. Front cover has light corner denting. Back cover has some corner wear and some edge wear. Interiors of covers browned from age. Page edges yellowed from age. Book shows its age a bit but also feels minimally handled.

John Farris, BABY MOLL
HCC-046, 2008
(VG) Smooth spine, tight binding. Front cover has some wear to top right corner. Back cover has light corner wear. Interiors of covers still white, not yellowed from age. Page edges lightly yellowed from age. Solid, minimally handled paperback.

Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, THE MAX
HCC-047, 2008
(G) Smooth spine, tight binding. Spine has light corner wear. Front cover has corner wear, a very small chip-like tear in bottom edge, a couple small chips to long right edge. Back cover has some visible corner and edge wear. Interiors of covers unevenly browned from age. A flawed but solid paperback.

Max Allan Collins, THE FIRST QUARRY
HCC-048, 2008
(VG) Smooth spine, tight binding. Front cover has light edge wear. Back cover has minor corner denting. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age. Solid, minimally handled paperback.

David J. Schow, GUN WORK
HCC-049, 2008
(VG) Smooth spine, tight binding. Light corner denting. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age. Nice, minimally handled paperback.

Charles Ardai, FIFTY-TO-ONE
HCC-050, 2008
(G) Smooth spine, tight binding. Front cover has only very light corner or edge wear. Back cover has small fold in bottom left corner, light wear to top left and top right corners. Pages 317 and 319 have tiny folds in top corners. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age. A solid, minimally handled paperback.

Lawrence Block, KILLING CASTRO
HCC-051, 2009
(G) Smooth spine with no creases. Binding is good but book feels lightly read. Interiors of covers still white, not yellowed from age. Light corner denting. Some page edges have light rippling. A lightly read and still quite solid paperback.

Roger Zelazny, THE DEAD MAN'S BROTHER
HCC-052, 2009
(VG) Smooth spine, tight binding. Only slight corner wear. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age. A nice, solid, minimally handled paperback.

Donald E. Westlake, THE CUTIE
HCC-053, 2009
(G) Smooth spine, tight binding. Light wear to corners. Back cover has some minor surface scuffing or wear. Interiors of covers browned from age. Page edges yellowed from age. Page 62 has a tiny fold in top corner. An overall solid paperback.

E. Howard Hunt, HOUSE DICK
HCC-054, 2009
(VG) Smooth spine, tight binding. Light corner denting. Interiors of covers are still white, not yellowed from age. Page edges slightly yellowed from age. A solid, minimally handled paperback.

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I do NOT use stock photos. The books I show in my listings are my photos of the actual books you will receive. I try to show the condition of my books as clearly and as accurately as possible through multiple images.

All books are packed safely in reinforced, well-padded parcels so that they arrive in the same condition as shown in the photos.

Please check out my other listings if you're looking for vintage fantasy and science fiction, especially vintage gamebooks and books based on role-playing games, video games, TV shows, and movies. Whenever possible, I try to curate complete sets to save you time and trouble in your search. I do the searching so you can collect, read, and game.

I will gladly combine shipping on multiple purchases within the United States. Please put items in your cart and request an invoice. If you accidentally overpay or forget to combine items in your order, I WILL issue you a refund for any overage when I pack and ship your items. Feel free to inquire beforehand if you have any concerns about the process. (The Ebay Global Shipping Program does not allow me to combine shipping for multiple orders outside the United States.)

Feel free to send any questions. Thanks, and happy reading!