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Quick answer: If you loved Inherent Vice, read Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye and Farewell, My Lovely, then Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, then James Crumley's The Last Good Kiss, and Lawrence Block's The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling and Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. All are surreal detective fiction.
Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice (2009) is a comic noir set in 1970 Los Angeles. These picks share its haze.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Big Sleep | Raymond Chandler | Adult | readers who want the roots |
| The Long Goodbye | Raymond Chandler | Adult | detective classics |
| Farewell, My Lovely | Raymond Chandler | Adult | Marlowe again |
| The Maltese Falcon | Dashiell Hammett | Adult | readers who want a classic |
| The Last Good Kiss | James Crumley | Adult | readers who like noir |
| The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling | Lawrence Block | Adult | bookish crime |
| Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Douglas Adams | Adult | more Adams |
| Catch-22 | Joseph Heller | Adult | readers who like absurd comedy |
| The Black Dahlia | James Ellroy | Adult | true-crime noir |
| L.A. Confidential | James Ellroy | Adult | corrupt police |
| The Sellout | Paul Beatty | Adult | readers who want satire |
| The Yiddish Policemen's Union | Michael Chabon | Adult | alternate noir |
| A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick | Adult | readers who like sci-fi with edge |
| Naked Lunch | William S. Burroughs | Adult | adventurous readers |
| Post Office | Charles Bukowski | Adult | readers who like dirty realism |
1. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family in Los Angeles. The classic hard-boiled novel.
Best for: readers who want the roots.
2. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
Philip Marlowe befriends a drunk who becomes a suspect. Sad, witty and classic.
Best for: detective classics.
3. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
Marlowe follows a huge man searching for his lost girlfriend. Rich and atmospheric.
Best for: Marlowe again.
4. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Sam Spade is drawn into a search for a priceless statue. A founding detective novel.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
5. The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley
A private eye searches for a missing woman in the West. Gritty and funny.
Best for: readers who like noir.
6. The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling by Lawrence Block
A bookseller and part-time thief gets into trouble. Charming and witty.
Best for: bookish crime.
7. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
A detective who believes everything is connected solves a murder. Funny and clever.
Best for: more Adams.
8. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Captain Yossarian, a bombardier in World War II, tries to survive a system that makes no sense. A satire of military logic.
Best for: readers who like absurd comedy.
9. The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Two cops investigate a notorious murder. Dark and obsessive.
Best for: true-crime noir.
10. L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Three LAPD officers get entangled in corruption in the 1950s. Brutal and complex.
Best for: corrupt police.
11. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
A man in Los Angeles puts up a segregated school in his neighborhood in this satire of race in America. Wildly funny and bitter.
Best for: readers who want satire.
12. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
A detective in a Jewish settlement in Alaska solves a murder. Witty, rich and melancholy.
Best for: alternate noir.
13. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
An undercover narcotics agent becomes addicted to the drug he is investigating. Sad, funny and paranoid.
Best for: readers who like sci-fi with edge.
14. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
A fragmented, surreal novel about addiction and control. Very challenging, but a landmark of countercultural writing.
Best for: adventurous readers.
15. Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Henry Chinaski, a hard-drinking mail carrier, hates work and loves women, horses and booze. Raw, funny and short.
Best for: readers who like dirty realism.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Inherent Vice: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Inherent Vice. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For noir, read The Big Sleep. For hippie crime, try Dirk Gently. For satire, pick Catch-22.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Inherent Vice?
Thomas Pynchon, in 2009.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 2014 film.
Is it hard to read?
Easier than most Pynchon.
Which book here is best for readers who like dirty realism?
Try Post Office by Charles Bukowski, which suits readers looking for readers who like dirty realism.
Which book here is best for adventurous readers?
Try Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, which suits readers looking for adventurous readers.
Which book here is best for readers who like sci-fi with edge?
Try A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, which suits readers looking for readers who like sci-fi with edge.
Which book here is best for alternate noir?
Try The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, which suits readers looking for alternate noir.
Which book here is best for readers who want satire?
Try The Sellout by Paul Beatty, which suits readers looking for readers who want satire.