CHECK IT OUT:

The stories of Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, Dashiell Hammett et al conjure the image of the hard-boiled detective, the lone wolf at odds with the world around him struggling to find answers amid confusing clues in dark, seedy back streets and forgotten wrecks of human beings whose lives are strewn with betrayal, lies and depression.

Phew; that’ll ruin your day.

And yet readers clamor for more testosterone-filled, bloody, conflict-driven tales that defy the newspaper headline adage “truth is stranger than fiction.”

Meet the new noir. The lives are more hopeless, the drugs harder, the women colder and the world more unfeeling and hostile than ever.

No cozy murders here, no cats, no recipe-laden, little old ladies in cardigans revealing the killer over knitting needles and tea cups. This is hard-core, baby. Take it or leave it.

Meet manly men composed of muscle and brawn, sassy, brassy dames and duplicitous extras. (Psst — ladies like these titles, too.)

“Girls” by Bill James: Drug trafficking, violence, crime empires, everything’s OK in merry olde England until foreigners move in with their latest nefarious, illegal exploitation ploy. Hint: It’s the title of the book. Gang warfare ensues, territory is threatened. Who’s up to the challenge? James has a string of Harpur and Iles mysteries in the series to tempt the complacent. Cheerio!

“The Redbreast” by Jo Nesbo: Can a World War II killing committed in 1944 resonate in modern-day Scandinavia? Travel to Norway and join detective Harry Hole in unraveling an assassination plot five decades in the making. The action revolves around the question: When does acting on one’s beliefs turn into collaboration with the enemy?

“The Savage Garden” by Mark Mills: College teachers and students, horticulture, gardens, Machiavelli? Can Cambridge-educated eggheads like Adam Bunting be hard-boiled, or just scrambled? Brush up on the classics in this weed-choked, vine and crime-entangled jardinière of hot-bedded plots.

“The Lisbon Crossing: A Novel” by Tom Gabbay: The spy genre has always made for thrilling noir. Relive 1940s Portugal “everyday life” during World War II with Jack Teller as he searches for a childhood friend of a friend. What is the definition of “noncombatant” during war when one’s world is on the brink of destruction?

“Various Haunts of Men: A Simon Serrailler Mystery” by Susan Hill: Join British policewoman Freya Graffham investigating New Age healers and men of all descriptions during a rash of disappearances in a supposedly sleepy English town. Note: She is not Jane Marple.

“Thunder Bay: A Cork O’Connor Mystery” by William Kent Krueger: Detective O’Connor thinks Minnesota will be less stressful than big-city law enforcement. But what evil lurks in the bone-chilling snow and ice? Native Ojibwas, a secret son and a private island combine to raise the stakes in this modern tale set in the Great Lakes.

“The Snake Stone” by Jason Goodwin: Investigate the back streets of Istanbul in the 1830’s with Detective Yashim. A French archaeologist and a lost Byzantine treasure add up to an exhilarating mystery filled with betrayal. Goodwin’s previous work “The Janissary Tree” won an Edgar Award.

“Hard Man: by Allan Guthrie: Edinburgh, Scotland is now officially on the list of cities inspiring new noir fiction. A seemingly ordinary, dysfunctional family feud turns sour quickly when an ex-con’s dog is killed. Hey, don’t mess with the pets. Revenge isn’t always sweet.

“Ammunition” by Ken Bruen: The hardest of the hard core, Bruen’s work is consistently controversial and resonates with dark themes. London, Galway and other cities are explored as the police struggle to keep up with the bad guys. An added bonus, the library has 13 titles to read by night light.

CHECK IT OUT is written by Newport Beach Public Library reference librarian Mary Ellen Bowman. Use your Newport Beach Public Library card to reserve these titles at www.newportbeachlibrary.org or call (949) 717-3800 and press 2.