- *Writing in the Dark: Twelve Lessons From the Edge of Creativity* (2009)
- *The Hard Way: A Biography of James M. Cain* (2009)
- *The Complete Novels of James M. Cain* (edited with an introduction by Fixel) (2010)
- *James M. Cain: Hard-Boiled Mythmaker* (2011)
- *The Complete Stories of James M. Cain* (edited and with an introduction by Fixel) (2012)
- *James M. Cain: Novels and Stories* (edited and with an introduction by Fixel) (2014)
- *The Collected Stories of John D. MacDonald* (edited with an introduction by Fixel) (2015)
Short stories
- "The Man Who Invented the Dead" (1976)
- "The End of the World" (1977)
- "The Last Night of the World" (1978)
- "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1979)
- "The Time Machine" (1980)
- "Frankenstein" (1981)
- "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (1982)
- "The War of the Worlds" (1983)
- "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1984)
- "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1985)
- "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1986)
- "The Mysterious Island" (1987)
- "The Secret of Kells" (1988)
- "Song of the Sea" (1989)
- "The Breadwinner" (1990)
Essays and articles
- "In the Land of Cain" (1981)
- "Cain and Abel: The First Murder Mystery" (1982)
- "Cain's Women: The Fatal Fascination of Femme Fatales" (1983)
- "Cain's World: The Dark Side of American Dream" (1984)
- "Cain and the Critics: A Reappraisal" (1985)
- "Cain's Legacy: The End of Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction" (1986)
- "John D. MacDonald: The Last Hard-Boiled Writer" (1987)
- "The Private Eye Novel: A Brief History" (1988)
- "The Evolution of the Crime Novel" (1989)
- "The Future of the Crime Novel" (1990)
- "The Mystery of James M. Cain" (1991)
- "Cain and the Critics Revisited: A Reappraisal of a Reappraisal" (1992)
- "Cain and the Canon: The Case for James M. Cain as a Great American Writer" (1993)
- "John D. MacDonald: A Hard-Boiled Renaissance" (1994)
- "The Private Eye Novel: A Second Look" (1995)
- "The Evolution of the Crime Novel Revisited" (1996)
- "The Future of the Crime Novel Re- Revisited" (1997)
- "The Mystery of James M. Cain: A Second Look" (1998)
- "Cain and the Critics Revisited Revisited: A Reappraisal of a Reappraisal of a Reappraisal" (1999)
- "Cain and the Canon Revisited" (2000)
- "John D. MacDonald: A Hard-Boiled Renaissance Revisited" (2001)