Tag: #Thriller

“In a thrilling tilt-a-whirl of crime and drama . . . Smith has carefully chosen writers concerned with the true nature of the small suburban borough.” —Electric Literature

Staten Island may be New York City’s forgotten borough, but it ranks high up on the list of places known for organized crime. If that wasn’t enough to boost its noir reputation, there are its haunted mansion, hate crimes, and Cropsey urban legend. Dark deeds will always find a home on this side of the Verrazano bridge, and they give Staten Island a character all its own.

Staten Island Noir includes editor Patricia Smith’s Robert L. Fish Memorial Award–winning short story, “When They Are Done with Us,” which was also selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013. You’ll find more tales by Bill Loehfelm, S.J. Rozan, Ted Anthony, Todd Craig, Ashley Dawson, Bruce DeSilva, Louisa Ermelino, Binnie Kirshenbaum, Michael Largo, Mike Penncavage, Linda Nieves-Powell, Shay Youngblood, and Eddie Joyce.

“It’s not enough for noir to be dark. It’s got to be bad-ass. Its words, its decaying and horrible beauty have got to hit you like a spiked heel dragged from your guts to your gullet. It’s got to twist the hot knife of passion in that soft space right below your belly while pumping bullets into your heart. It’s got to make you bleed . . . Staten Island Noir features some dusky and drop-dead gorgeous gems (emphasis on the dead) that do just that.” —Grub Street Daily

“[An] exceptionally strong anthology.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Staten Island, the last of New York City’s five boroughs to enter Akashic’s noir series, serves as the setting for this exceptionally strong anthology.”
― Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Each story in this enjoyable collection has its own charms, if the words ‘enjoyable’ or ‘charms’ can be used with these dark tales, and each can stand-alone. However, if, like me, you had always looked at Staten Island as banal and benign, by the book’s end your ideas will be forever changed.”
― ReviewingTheEvidence.com

“Smith’s introduction is a revelation. She knows the Island I have in my head. It was like finding a literary sibling, separated since birth.”
― Washington Independent

About the Author

Patricia Smith is the author of six acclaimed poetry volumes, including Blood Dazzler, a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and Teahouse of the Almighty, a National Poetry Series selection. Her work has been published in the 2011 editions of both Best American Poetry and Best American Essays. In addition to her poetic works, Smith is also the author of Africans in America, a companion volume to the groundbreaking PBS documentary. She is currently a professor at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island, and serves on the faculties of Cave Canem and the MFA programs at Stonecoast/University of Southern Maine and Sierra Nevada College.

“Offbeat, disturbing, and sometimes darkly comical” crime stories set in upstate New York by Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, S.J. Rozan, and more (Kirkus Reviews).

Buffalo is still the second-largest metropolis in New York State, but in recent years its designation as the Queen City has been elbowed aside by a name that’s pure noir: The City of No Illusions. Presidents came from here—and in 1901 while visiting the Pan-American Exposition, a president was killed here by a man who checked into a hotel under a name that translates as Nobody.

As Buffalo saw its prosperity wane, those on the outside could only see harsh winters and Rust Belt grit, chicken wings, and sports teams that came agonizingly close. This collection of crime stories is both a treasure for mystery fans and an atmospheric tour of this moody, gritty city.

Featuring brand-new stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, Ed Park, Gary Earl Ross, Kim Chinquee, Christina Milletti, Tom Fontana, Dimitri Anastasopoulos, Lissa Marie Redmond, S.J. Rozan, John Wray, Brooke Costello, and Connie Porter.

“From the Irish enclave of South Buffalo and a Niagara Street bar to a costly house in Nottingham Terrace and a once-grand Gothic structure in Elmwood Village, Buffalo’s past and present come to life . . . by authors who really know their city.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Contributors include several mystery heavyweights. . . . Those curious about the criminal side of the second-biggest city in New York will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly

“Each story represents a different neighborhood and cross-section of the city, and the resulting collection feels like a vivid, comprehensive tour of a distinctive place, administered by locals. There’s nothing quite like noir to shine a light, after all.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“Original short stories by established local authors with flawless credentials . . . .Together, the stories cover cityscapes well-known to Buffalonians—to name a few, Elmwood Avenue, Niagara Street, Black Rock, North Park, Delaware Park, and Allentown. Local landmarks Peace Bridge and the Anchor Bar made it in there, too.” —Examiner

“Superb.” —The Buffalo News

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Our fair city finally lands its volume in the acclaimed City Noir series from Brookyn’s Akashic Books, and it’s a dandy―twelve stories from writers born or otherwise attached here, with a stunning cover taken from a photo by area writer and chef Joe George. The stories, with settings all over the city, provide a virtual tour of what’s noir about Buffalo, and Buffalo about noir.

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― Artvoice

“12 original short stories by established local authors with flawless credentials. . . . Together, the stories cover cityscapes well-known to Buffalonians―to name a few, Elmwood Avenue, Niagara Street, Black Rock, North Park, Delaware Park, and Allentown. Local landmarks Peace Bridge and the Anchor Bar made it in there, too.”
― Examiner.com

“Buffalo Noir, edited by Park and former Paris Review editor Brigid Hughes, brings together an impressive array of writers with Queen City ties, including Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, Tom Fontana, several former and current UB professors (Gary Earl Ross, Christina Milletti, Dimitri Anastasopoulos) and a sprinkling of UB alumni . . . . In addition to the individual neighborhoods where each story is set, Buffalo fans will recognize beloved urban icons, such as the Anchor Bar, the H.H. Richardson Complex and the Bubble Man of Allentown.”
― At Buffalo

“Superb. . . . What we have in this anthology brilliantly edited by Ed Park and Brigid Hughes are 12 writers with strong Buffalo connections writing dark tales specifically for this anthology and set in Buffalo. . . . It’s a dark but very happy surprise between paper covers.”
― The Buffalo News

“The anthology features 12 dark tales of Buffalo, written by 13 authors with strong ties to Buffalo. Each story represents a different neighborhood and cross-section of the city, and the resulting collection feels like a vivid, comprehensive tour of a distinctive place, administered by locals. There’s nothing quite like noir to shine a light, after all.”
― Los Angeles Review of Books

About the Author

Ed Park was born in Buffalo in 1970. He is the author of the novel Personal Days and has been a newspaper, magazine, and book editor. He lives in New York City, where he and his sons continue to root for the Sabres and Bills.

Brigid Hughes is the founding editor of the literary magazine A Public Space, and a contributing editor at Graywolf Press. She was born and raised in Buffalo.

“Traverses Texas, finding evidence of the hard boiled, sultry, and disreputable throughout the state . . . Think of the book as a sort of criminal travelogue.” —Booklist

If everything is bigger in Texas, then that includes the boldness of the criminals who call the state home. From large urban centers to the Cajun Gulf coast, there is big money to be made running guns, drugs, and catering to the greedy and disillusioned. Each distinctive region can claim its own special brand of outlaw.

In Lone Star Noir, you’ll find stories by James Crumley, Joe R. Lansdale, Claudia Smith, Ito Romo, Luis Alberto Urrea, David Corbett, George Wier, Sarah Cortez, Jesse Sublett, Dean James, Tim Tingle, Milton T. Burton, Lisa Sandlin, Jessica Powers, and Bobby Byrd.

“This isn’t J.R. Ewing’s Lone Star State. This is the Texas of chicken shit bingo, Enron scamsters, and a feeling that what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico . . . So what defines Texas noir? Who knows, but you better pray that blood doesn’t stain your belt buckle.” —The Austin Chronicle

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Noir series has produced some 40 volumes since it was launched six years ago. The premise is simple: each book features crime stories with a hard edge set in a specific geographic area. This one traverses Texas, finding evidence of the hard boiled, sultry, and disreputable throughout the state, from the small towns through the Gulf Coast and the big cities. The contributors include some familiar writers—James Crumley and Joe R. Lansdale—but also some up-and-comers, including the extremely talented Milton T. Burton. Think of the book as a sort of criminal travelogue; like travelogues, the series is plagued by unevenness, but this is one of the better installments. –David Pitt

Review

About the Author

Bobby Byrd is the co-publisher of Cinco Puntos Press in El Paso, Texas. As a poet, Byrd is the recipient of an NEA Fellowship, the D.H. Lawrence Fellowship awarded by the University of New Mexico, and an International Residency Fellowship.

John Byrd, co-publisher of Cinco Puntos Press, is co-editor (with Bobby Byrd) of the anthology Puro Border: Dispatches, Snapshots & Graffiti from La Frontera. He is also a Spanish-to-English translator and a freelance essayist.

Australia’s largest city “provides fertile ground for dark doings, as these 14 tales demonstrate . . . [a] cavalcade of crime Down Under” (Kirkus Reviews).

Includes Kirsten Tranter’s Edgar Award-nominated “The Passenger”
Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Now, “Sydney Noir brings together 14 compelling short stories by established and emerging Australian authors, each offering a startling glimpse into the dark heart of Sydney and its sprawling suburbs” (Sydney Morning Herald, Australian edition review).

This anthology includes brand-new stories by Kirsten Tranter, Mandy Sayer, John Dale, Eleanor Limprecht, Mark Dapin, Leigh Redhead, Julie Koh, Peter Polites, Robert Drewe, Tom Gilling, Gabrielle Lord, Philip McLaren, P.M. Newton, and Peter Doyle.

Shortlisted for the Danger Award presented by BAD: Sydney Crime Writers Festival
Included in CrimeReads‘s Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2019

“Akashic delivers another impeccable anthology with Sydney Noir, a deep dive into the mean streets, artistic outlets, and sultry demimonde of Australia’s largest (and liveliest) city.”—CrimeReads

“The 14 uniformly strong selections feature familiar subgenre figures: gangsters, ethically compromised cops, and people bent on revenge for the loss of a loved one . . . Fans of dark crime fiction will want to seek out other works by these contributors, most of whom will be unfamiliar to American readers.”—Publishers Weekly

“Here is a tough but tender vision of multicultural working-class Australia, with all its wards and anxieties.”—Australian Book Review

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The writing is fantastic across the board. It’s evocative and engaging . . . If you have any interest in noir, crime novels, or just excellent writing, you can’t go wrong with this collection.”
― Tails from the Dog-Side

“Sydney is a good choice for Akashic’s first noir anthology set in Australia . . . The 14 uniformly strong selections feature familiar subgenre figures: gangsters, ethically compromised cops, and people bent on revenge for the loss of a loved one . . . Fans of dark crime fiction will want to seek out other works by these contributors, most of whom will be unfamiliar to American readers.

“
― Publishers Weekly

“This long-time fan of the series breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that not only is Sydney Noir very good indeed, it is one of the best in Akashic’s canon for some time . . . As a snapshot of contemporary Australia, this collection delivers in ways that most middlebrow literary fiction cannot seem to get its head around, even though much literary fiction flirts with the noir genre without fully committing. Here is a touch but tender vision of multicultural working-class Australia, with all its warts and anxieties.”
― Australian Book Review

“The former British penal colony provides fertile ground for dark doings, as these 14 tales demonstrate . . . The stories [Dale’s] assembled offer ample variety in this cavalcade of crime Down Under.”
― Kirkus Reviews

“Overall I really enjoyed this collection . . . I’ve definitely got the taste for more Australian crime fiction this year.”
― Col’s Criminal Library

About the Author

JOHN DALE is the author of nine books. His best-selling true-crime biography, Huckstepp, was the winner of a Ned Kelly award, as was the first of his three crime novels, Dark Angel. His other books are a memoir, Wild Life, an investigation into the fatal shooting of his grandfather in 1940s Tasmania, a campus novel Leaving Suzie Pye, translated into Turkish, and a novella Plenty. He has edited three anthologies, Out West, Car Lovers and the recent Sydney Noir(2019). He is currently a Professor of Writing at UTS.

This anthology of new noir fiction set in the Dutch capital “features superior writing from authors largely unknown to an American audience” (Publishers Weekly).

From its numerous coffee shops where drugs are openly available, to its world-famous Red Light District where prostitutes display themselves in shop windows, Amsterdam is a city where almost anything goes in broad daylight. And yet, this serene city of canals has its dark side as well. In fifteen tales of greed, jealousy and revenge, some of the finest Dutch crime writers—including literary award-winners and international bestsellers—explore the seamy shadows of this historic city.

Amsterdam Noir features brand-new stories by: Michael Berg, Anneloes Timmerije, Murat Isik, René Appel & Josh Pachter, Simon de Waal, Hanna Bervoets, Karin Amatmoekrim, Christine Otten, Mensje van Keulen, Max van Olden, Theo Capel, Loes den Hollander, Herman Koch, Abdelkader Benali, and Walter van den Berg, whose story “Get Rich Quick” won the inaugural Literatuurprijs Nieuw-West award.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The latest in Akashic’s popular city Noir series heads to Amsterdam, a city whose ambivalence is on full display in the stories collected by editors Rene Appel and Josh Pachter. At once, Amsterdam is an idyllic city of orderly cafes, canals, relative abundance and safety; on the other, it’s a place that has long dealt in sex, drugs, and other activities traditionally categorized as vice. It’s a sometimes combustible combination, and the stories in Amsterdam Noir go a long way to probing the everyday noirs of Amsterdam’s many and diverse residents.”
― CrimeReads

“In spotlighting a city known worldwide for sex workers and marijuana, the editors avoid the obvious . . . Taking the road less traveled is a winning strategy for the editors. The 15 dark takes they’ve collected provide a variety of methods, motives, and menace, while their movie-themed chapters anchor the varied menu firmly in the noir tradition.”
― Kirkus Reviews

“Every book in the Noir series serves as an introduction to a place. Besides the crime, the series and its editors have made it a point to address things like economic infrastructure, gentrification, and racial politics . . . Amsterdam Noir toes that line beautifully, touching on subjects like the impact of tourism, migration, and discrimination of Moroccans . . . In their introduction, editors Appel and Pachter say they want readers to know that bad things happen in Amsterdam, that the city ‘also has its dark side, its shadowy corners.’ However, what they ended up with is an anthology about a place where bad things happen not because of the psychogeography of the population, not because of corruption, gang violence, drug problems, or poverty, but because of human emotions ― lunacy and jealousy. You could see that as a failure, but maybe it’s not. Maybe the crime-free streets of Amsterdam are precisely what they wanted to show. Or maybe, like with most arthouse horror films, the point is that the monsters are not tied to the streets; they are always inside us.
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― NPR

“One of the best in a generally good series, with no story disappointing and the best genuinely gripping . . . This superior collection of noir fiction will appeal to all lovers of crime fiction ― or, for that matter, good writing.”
― Library Journal XPress, Starred Review

About the Author

René Appel published his first thriller, Handicap, in 1987, and has written twenty more, two of which have received the Golden Noose, the annual award for the best Dutch-language crime novel. English translations of his stories have appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and several anthologies.Josh Pachter is an American writer, editor, and translator. His short crime stories have been featured in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, among other places, and his translations of crime fiction by Dutch and Belgian authors appear regularly in EQMM. He lives in Northern Virginia.