Welcome to Brash Books
We publish the best crime novels in existence. A brash claim? You bet it is. But our award-winning, critically acclaimed authors prove it with each and every one of their amazing books.
We’ve got it all: psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, international espionage, and police procedurals from established masters of the craft – as well as premiere books from new voices who are sure to become crime fiction stars.
Life is short – don’t waste your time on bad books. Browse through our fantastic library of unmissable mysteries, terrific thrillers and compelling crime novels – then pick up one of the best books you’ll ever read.
Featured Author
Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is the 2017 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, a Lifetime Achievement Award winner from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the author of many books, including “Road to Perdition,” which became the Oscar winning film, and the Quarry novels, the basis for the hit TV series.
Latest Additions
Down Among the Jocks - Coming in January 2019 By Ralph Dennis
The fifth novel in the series. Hardman works to clear Hump of a murder charge, an investigation that takes him from the top of the sports world to the pits of Atlanta's illegal gambling scene...
The War Heist - Coming in 2019 By Ralph Dennis
It’s June 1940. War is raging in Europe. Winston Churchill sends Britain's wealth in gold bullion and securities to Canada for safekeeping...and a group of American soldiers intends to steal it.
USS Powderkeg - Coming in 2019 By Max Allan Collins
A high-seas adventure on an ammo ship facing racism, mutiny, typhoons, kamikaze pilots and murder during World War II.
Pimp for the Dead By Ralph Dennis
The fourth novel in the series. A small-town farmer hires Hardman to find his teenage daughter who ran off to Atlanta to become a model...and ended up a hooker.
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Featured Video
Memphis Luck
Gerald Duff’s MEMPHIS LUCK—the sizzling sequel to MEMPHIS RIBS—is finally available in trade paperback and ebook editions! The critics already love it, and we’re sure you will as well.
From The Blog
The Literary Life of Ralph Dennis
The Hardman series was trumpeted as “A great new private eye for the shockproof ‘70s,” which was funny, since Jim Hardman was far from the typical action-adventure hero in other numbered series. He was middle-aged and as out-of-shape as most guys who get their primary exercise lifting beers or glasses of J&B Scotch. And he lifted quite a few.
Hardman had more than his share of fights in the novels, with mixed results. The true muscle was provided by Hardman’s friend Hump Evans, formerly a defensive end with the Cleveland Browns. Today having an Afro-American sidekick who provides the muscle or does the dirty work is something of a cliché — it wasn’t in the 1970s. More importantly, Hump was always an equal partner with Hardman. Hardman didn’t shy away from brawls; it was just that Hump was better at it. At 6-6 (or 6-7 as both were given at different times) and 270 pounds, Hump always retained a certain independence from Hardman. There was nothing demeaning about Hump or his relationship with Hardman.
A Brash Holiday Season is Coming
The holiday season is upon us, and it’s that time of year for gratitude and reflection. In this edition of the Brash Books newsletter, we share our fond remembrance of a beloved Brash author, along with another amazing award, a fresh new story, a rave review—and an abundance of upcoming releases for your reading pleasure.
You Can’t Keep a Hardman Down
We’re excited to announce that we’ve acquired the rights to all of Ralph Dennis’s work…
Max Allan Collins: The Story Behind BLACK HATS
Why did the byline “Patrick Culhane” originally appear on two of my novels, Black Hats and Red Sky in Morning? Forgive me if you’ve heard this one, but I believe it’s one of the truly remarkable f**k-ups of my career, and one of the rare ones that I didn’t cause myself.
Brash Fireworks in July
It’s been a thrilling few weeks here at Brash Books, and we’re blasting into July…
Brash in the West
I just returned from a gala weekend in Billings Montana, where DOUBLE WIDE author Leo W.…
Jim Sanderson on Bill Crider
Bill Crider’s two children will miss him. Fellow writers will miss him. Readers too will miss him, but we have his many, many books.
DOUBLE WIDE Wins Two Spur Awards
Author Leo W. Bank’s debut crime novel Double Wide has scored a rare double-header from the Western Writers of America by winning two 2018 Spur Awards, the “Oscar” of western fiction.
