ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- PROLOGUE OVERLOOKED NOIR -- Part One CITY OF NIGHT: THE ADVENT OF FILM NOIR -- CHAPTER ONE BLACK MASK BRIGADE: DASHIELL HAMMETT, HARD-BOILED FICTION, AND FILM NOIR -- CHAPTER TWO EXPLORING FILM NOIR: STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR AND OTHER FILMS -- Part Two NIGHTMARE TOWN: DASHIELL HAMMETT'S FICTION AS FILM NOIR -- CHAPTER THREE JOHN HUSTON: THE MALTESE FALCON -- CHAPTER FOUR STUART HEISLER: THE GLASS KEY EDWARD BUZZELL: SONG OF THE THIN MAN -- Part Three DARKNESS AT NOON: REPRESENTATIVE NOIR FILMS -- CHAPTER FIVE FRITZ LANG: MINISTRY OF FEAR AND SCARLET STREET -- CHAPTER SIX ALFRED HITCHCOCK: SPELLBOUND AND STRANGERS ON A TRAIN -- CHAPTER SEVEN GEORGE CUKOR: A DOUBLE LIFE BILLY WILDER: SUNSET BOULEVARD -- CHAPTER EIGHT ROBERT SIODMAK: THE KILLERS (1946) DON SIEGEL: THE KILLERS (1964) -- CHAPTER NINE OTTO PREMINGER: LAURA AND ANATOMY OF A MURDER -- CHAPTER TEN FRED ZINNEMANN: ACT OF VIOLENCE STANLEY KUBRICK: THE KILLING -- CHAPTER ELEVEN ORSON WELLES: THE STRANGER AND TOUCH OF EVIL -- Part Four THE LOWER DEPTHS: THE RISE OF NEO-NOIR -- CHAPTER TWELVE DASHIELL HAMMETT AND NEO-NOIR: THE DAIN CURSE AND HAMMETT -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN ANTHONY MINGHELLA: THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY LILIANA CAVANI: RIPLEY'S GAME -- AFTERWORD -- FILMOGRAPHY -- SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY -- ABOUT THE AUTHOR.