# E. L. Chase

> Official home of E. L. Chase: short, fast crime thrillers about heists, cons, dirty cops and people who made one bad choice. The High Velocity Crime series, with spoiler-free summaries and Kindle links.

E. L. Chase writes the High Velocity Crime series: short, fast crime thrillers about heists, cons, missing witnesses and people in over their heads. All ten books are free to read with Kindle Unlimited.

## Novels
- [A Game For The Dead](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/a-game-for-the-dead/): James Harlan inherits a ledger that ties him to his father's hidden cons, and a network that watches his every move. Who is the hunter and who is the prey?
- [No Exit for a Dead Man](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/no-exit-for-a-dead-man/): Tommy steals a flash drive holding a crime boss's whole empire. Turning it over to the FBI is the easy part. Staying alive in witness protection is harder.
- [One Bullet Two Lies](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/one-bullet-two-lies/): Johnny Vega wanted one last job. A dead husband, a live insurance policy and two million in bonds turn it into a trap built long before he arrived.
- [The Debt of the Dead](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-debt-of-the-dead/): Joe Kowalski should have stayed dead the first time. The Russo empire fell, but the last vulture wants his head and the blood money.
- [The Hook and The Trap](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-hook-and-the-trap/): Frankie is not a hero and not even a good man, just a gambler who learned that playing safe is worse than losing. A bullet-paced noir about consequence.
- [The Last Con](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-last-con/): A Las Vegas con artist, a lethal partner and a mogul who thrives on fear. The ultimate heist may cost more than money.
- [The Midnight Ferry](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-midnight-ferry/): A midnight ferry, no names and no questions. Cal Rourke took a hundred-dollar bribe from a woman in gloves. Now something aboard can burn everyone.
- [The Missing Witness](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-missing-witness/): A card-sharp with a junkyard fire behind him, a ledger everyone will kill for, and a woman who may be more dangerous than the men chasing them.
- [The Vanishing Mistress](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-vanishing-mistress/): Eddie Crane, ex-cop turned private eye, is drawn into a stolen-drive, crime-lord game where everybody is a pawn or a predator. And Rita keeps vanishing.
- [The Wrong Envelope](https://elchaseofficial.com/novels/the-wrong-envelope/): Ray Collier grabs the wrong briefcase on the 6:15 from Grand Central. Inside: diamonds and a Polaroid of a dead girl. He has six hours.

## The Dossier (blog)
- [Crime Novels You Can Finish Before the Night Is Over](https://elchaseofficial.com/blog/crime-novels-you-can-finish-in-one-night/): A short list of fast, tight crime thrillers built to be read in one sitting, with notes on which to pick depending on how much night you have left.
- [Heist Novels: The Plan Always Goes Wrong. That's the Point.](https://elchaseofficial.com/blog/heist-novels-the-plan-always-goes-wrong/): Why the best heist thrillers are never about the money, and what to read when you want a con with a knife in it.
- [The Femme Fatale Never Died. She Just Stopped Explaining Herself.](https://elchaseofficial.com/blog/the-femme-fatale-never-died/): How the femme fatale evolved from a cliché into the smartest person in the room, and the crime novels where she still runs the game.
- [The Wrong Briefcase: Why Ordinary-Man Thrillers Hit Hardest](https://elchaseofficial.com/blog/the-wrong-briefcase-why-ordinary-man-thrillers-hit-hardest/): Thrillers about a normal person in the wrong place, holding the wrong bag, are the ones that stay with you. Here is why they work, and where to find the good ones.

## Reading lists
- [Where to Start With Noir Fiction: A Beginner's Reading Path](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/how-to-start-reading-noir-fiction/): New to noir fiction? Here's where to start: a simple reading path from the classics to modern noir, what to expect, and how to pick your first book.
- [Waterfront Noir Novels: Crime on the Docks and in the Harbor](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/waterfront-noir-novels-docks-harbors-crime/): The best waterfront noir novels, from Hammett's burning freighter and Schulberg's longshoremen to modern dockside noir about gamblers and smugglers.
- [Las Vegas Crime Novels: Casino Noir, Cons and Desert Heat](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/las-vegas-crime-novels-casino-noir/): Looking for Las Vegas crime novels? Try Fools Die, Dragonfish, Last Call and the Las Vegas Noir anthology, plus a modern con-artist thriller set on the Strip.
- [Thrillers Set on a Ship: Claustrophobic Crime Novels at Sea](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/thrillers-set-on-a-ship-claustrophobic-crime-novels/): Want a thriller set on a ship? Start with Death on the Nile, The Woman in Cabin 10 and Dead Calm, then try a darker noir run on a midnight cargo ferry.
- [Ex-Cop Private Investigator Novels: Badges Off, Cases On](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/ex-cop-private-investigator-novels/): Looking for ex-cop private investigator novels? Classic picks from Lawrence Block, Sue Grafton and Ken Bruen, plus a rain-soaked noir with an ex-cop PI.
- [Manhunt Thrillers: Hunter vs. Prey Crime Novels Worth Reading](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/manhunt-thrillers-hunter-vs-prey-crime-novels/): Looking for manhunt thrillers? Classic hunter-vs-prey novels from Household to McCarthy, plus modern E. L. Chase noir where the hunted man fights back.
- [Witness Protection Thrillers: New Names, Same Old Enemies](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/witness-protection-thrillers-new-name-old-enemies/): Looking for witness protection thrillers? Well-known picks from Grisham to Elmore Leonard, plus a noir take where a thief testifies and still gets hunted.
- [Femme Fatale Crime Novels: Classic Noir and Modern Picks](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/femme-fatale-crime-novels/): Looking for femme fatale crime novels? Classic noir by Cain, Hammett and Chandler, plus modern E. L. Chase thrillers where the woman may be the real player.
- [Best Crime Thrillers on Kindle Unlimited: Ten Noir Picks](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/best-crime-thrillers-on-kindle-unlimited/): Hunting for the best crime thrillers on Kindle Unlimited? Browse ten E. L. Chase noir novels, from heists and revenge to witness protection, in one guide.
- [Best Hardboiled Noir Novels: Gritty Crime Reads at Full Speed](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/best-hardboiled-noir-novels-gritty-modern-crime/): Want the best hardboiled noir novels? See E. L. Chase crime thrillers with first-person grit, gambler antiheroes, dockside menace and no clean endings.
- [Best Heist Thriller Books: Cons, Big Scores and Last Jobs](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/best-heist-thriller-books-cons-and-last-jobs/): Looking for the best heist thriller books? These E. L. Chase crime novels deliver last jobs, con artists, stolen ledgers and scores that cost more than money.
- [Con Artist Novels: Crime Thrillers About Grifters and Sharps](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/con-artist-novels-crime-thrillers-about-grifters/): Love con artist novels? These E. L. Chase crime thrillers feature Vegas grifters, a card-sharp, inherited cons and a set-up that goes wrong for everyone.
- [Hardboiled vs Noir: What's the Difference in Crime Fiction?](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/hardboiled-vs-noir-difference-explained/): Hardboiled vs noir, explained simply: one is a tough style and hero, the other a doomed worldview. Learn the difference with classic and modern examples.
- [Noir Books Like Raymond Chandler for Modern Readers](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/noir-books-like-raymond-chandler-modern-readers/): Searching for noir books like Raymond Chandler? Explore modern crime thrillers with private eyes, rain, femme fatales and cynical narrators at a faster pace.
- [Revenge Thrillers With Morally Grey Heroes: Noir Picks](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/revenge-thrillers-morally-grey-heroes/): Want revenge thrillers with morally grey heroes? These E. L. Chase noir novels feature haunted survivors, gambler antiheroes and payback that costs blood.
- [Short Crime Thrillers to Read in One Sitting: Fast Noir Picks](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/short-crime-thrillers-to-read-in-one-sitting/): Need short crime thrillers to read in one sitting? These E. L. Chase noir novels are described as fast, sharp reads built on chases, clocks and traps.
- [Ticking Clock Thrillers: Crime Novels That Race Against Time](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/ticking-clock-thrillers-race-against-time-crime/): Craving ticking clock thrillers? These E. L. Chase crime novels give heroes six hours, one night or a single voyage to survive a trap they did not plan.
- [Wrong Man Thrillers: Ordinary People Framed and on the Run](https://elchaseofficial.com/guides/wrong-man-thrillers-ordinary-people-on-the-run/): Looking for wrong man thrillers? Here is what makes the trope work, classic and modern picks, and two E. L. Chase crime novels built on the same panic.

## Rights and contact
Film, TV, streaming, audio, translation and publishing enquiries: https://elchaseofficial.com/contact/