Download or read book Beirut Noir written by Iman Humaydan and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Haunting” stories about crimes that are “often submerged in the greater tragedy of a beautiful city constantly torn within and without by violence” (Publishers Weekly). Beirut is a city both urban and rural, a city of violence and forgiveness, memory and forgetfulness, war and peace. This short story collection, rich with moody suspense, brings this Middle Eastern city and its troubled history to vivid life—revealing the vast maze of the city that can’t be found in tourist brochures or hazy, nostalgic depictions of Beirut. Featuring brand-new stories by Rawi Hage, Mohamad Abi Samra, Leila Eid, Hala Kawtharani, Marie Tawk, Bana Baydoun, Hyam Yared, Najwa Barakat, Alawiyeh Sobh, Mazen Zahreddine, Abbas Beydoun, Bachir Hilal, Zena El Khalil, Mazen Maarouf, and Tarek Abi Samra. “The Lebanese authors featured in the collection draw from a much broader palette of Beirut life, and, true to the genre, they tap into their city’s dark past and uncertain present. Some stories are absurd and humorous, but almost all are haunted in some way by a nagging memory, a war, a death.” —The National

Download or read book Mississippi Noir written by Ace Atkins and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2016-07-11 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This anthology of Mississippi crime fiction “has produced a unique, delicious flavor of noir” with stories by Ace Atkins, Megan Abott and more (New York Daily News). From poverty to state corruption, Mississippi has a well-deserved reputation for trouble. Could there be a connection between its many misfortunes and its rich literary legacy? Mississippians from Tennessee Williams and Eudora Welty to Richard Ford and John Grisham certainly know how to tell a good story. Now Mississippi Noir offers “a devilishly wrought introduction” to a new generation of “writers with a feel for Mississippi who are pursuing lonely, haunting paths of the imagination” (Associated Press). Mississippi Noir includes brand-new stories by Ace Atkins, William Boyle, Megan Abbott, Jack Pendarvis, Dominiqua Dickey, Michael Kardos, Jamie Paige, Jimmy Cajoleas, Chris Offutt, Michael Farris Smith, Andrew Paul, Lee Durkee, Robert Busby, John M. Floyd, RaShell R. Smith-Spears, and Mary Miller.

Download or read book Memphis Noir written by Laureen P. Cantwell and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A collection of stories celebrating the underbelly of the city, its ghosts, and the characters that give Memphis its rich patina of blues.” —Memphis Flyer The Home of the Blues knows how darkness can permeate a person’s soul—and what it can drive you to do. It’s the soundtrack to a city that’s made up of equal parts hope and despair, past and present, death and rebirth. On the streets of Memphis, noir hits the right note. Memphis Noir features stories by city standouts Richard J. Alley, David Wesley Williams, Dwight Fryer, Jamey Hatley, Adam Shaw, Penny Register-Shaw, Kaye George, Arthur Flowers, Suzanne Berube Rorhus, Ehi Ike, Lee Martin, Stephen Clements, Cary Holladay, John Bensko, Sheree Renée Thomas, and Troy L. Wiggins. “A remarkable picture of contemporary Memphis emerges in this Akashic noir volume . . . Something for everyone.” —Publishers Weekly “Covers train cars and Beale Street, hoodoo and segregation, Nathan Bedford Forrest and, of course, Graceland, and even includes a graphic novella.” —Memphis Flyer “Captures the subtlety of the Memphis ethos, where blacks and whites, rich and poor, are intimately entwined. The collection—fifteen stories by some of the city’s finest writers—bleeds the blues and calls down the dark powers that permeate this capital of the Delta.” —The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) “The new anthology Memphis Noir is replete with murders, ghosts, gangsters, a sharp-toothed baby, Boss Crump, and high water on the bluff.” —Memphis Magazine

Download or read book Stockholm Noir written by Nathan Larson and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Stockholm Noir "joins "Copenhagen Noir "and "Helsinki Noir "in powerfully representing the Akashic Noir Series in Scandinavia.

Download or read book Rio Noir written by Tony Bellotto and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2016-06-07 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Rio Noir, the Akashic Noir Series delves for the first time into South America.

Download or read book Marseille Noir written by Cédric Fabre and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Navigates the seedy side of Marseille with 14 stories that range from the creepily introspective to the downright brutal.” —Publishers Weekly The Akashic Noir series first ventured into France with Paris Noir—and now moves one step deeper . . . A crossroads for the people of Europe and the Mediterranean, Marseille is a city that does not discriminate. It embodies the down-and-dirty, tough-guy side of France, but what it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for in spirit. Still, in its shadows lurks a not-so-distant darkness . . . one that can be found in stories translated from French by David Ball and Nicole Ball and written by: François Beaune, Philippe Carrese, Patrick Coulomb, Cédric Fabre, René Frégni, Christian Garcin, Salim Hatubou, Rebecca Lighieri, Emmanuel Loi, Marie Neuser, Pia Petersen, Serge Scotto, Minna Sif, and François Thomazeau. “Gritty from east to west, Marseille is the perfect venue for the latest in Akashic’s venerable Noir series. While earlier entries in this 70-volume series have sometimes been bleak and atmospheric, this one is all red meat. . . . Just as Marseille is tailor-made for noir, this dark banquet is tailor-made for noir fans.” —Kirkus Reviews “The stories . . . are united by vivid and evocative writing, as well as by a distinctive take on the city. Another strong entry in a series that should be required reading for crime fans.” —Booklist

Download or read book Zagreb Noir written by Ivan Sršen and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2015-10-12 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Zagreb’s noirish underbelly comes from a new nation familiar with both war and war crimes. Mr. Sršen’s handpicked selections are anything but ordinary.” —New York Journal of Books Eastern European history is filled with noir-ish and harrowing tales, and Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, certainly has its fill. Layers of trauma from its war years, soccer hooliganism, and a shadowy Balkan underground all contribute to the city’s transient and inconstant character. Editor Ivan Sršen has curated a diverse, powerful, and dramatic group of stories that offer tremendous insight into the perspectives of contemporary Croatians. Zagreb Noir features translated stories by: Ivan Vidić, Josip Novakovich, Andrea Žigić-Dolenec, Robert Perišić, Mima Simić, Pero Kvesić, Nada Gašić, Zoran Pilić, Ružica Gašperov, Darko Milošić, Nora Verde, Ivan Sršen, Neven Ušumović, and Darko Macan. “Zagreb, Croatia—its culture and its touchstones—will be terra incognita for many U.S. readers . . . Notable is Nora Verde’s ‘She-Warrior,’ in which a young woman’s carefully planned anarchist activities are smacked down by a triple helping of reality.” —Publishers Weekly “The stories shed light on a sickness that stirs within society’s boundaries. Readers will easily glean that this sickness is not exclusive to Zagreb. Sršen reveals the ugly truth about human nature that burrows under the surface in war-torn countries.” —The Examiner (San Francisco)

Download or read book Twin Cities Noir written by Julie Schaper and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2013 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Local editors Schaper and Horwitz have assembled a noteworthy collection of noir-infused stories mixed with laughter...The Akashic noir short-story anthologies are avidly sought and make ideal samplers for regional mystery collecting." --Library Journal "Crime fans who missed the first round will find this expanded version worthwhile." --Publishers Weekly "The best pieces in the collection turn the clich s of the genre on their head . . . and despite the unseemly subject matter, the stories are often surprisingly funny." --City Pages (Minneapolis) "If you've never read an Akashic Noir book, Twin Cities Noir is a fine place to start." --San Francisco Book Review/Sacramento Book Review "A fun...read...particularly ripe for picking by locals who'll delight in recognizing their stomping grounds in the stories, but with enough unexpected turns to make it worthwhile for those outside the Midwest, too." --KnightsArts Brand-new stories from John Jodzio, Tom Kaczynski, and Peter Schilling, Jr., in addition to the original volume's stories by David Housewright, Steve Thayer, Judith Guest, Mary Logue, Bruce Rubenstein, K.J. Erickson, William Kent Krueger, Ellen Hart, Brad Zellar, Mary Sharratt, Pete Hautman, Larry Millett, Quinton Skinner, Gary Bush, and Chris Everheart. "St. Paul was originally called Pig's Eye's Landing and was named after Pig's Eye Parrant--trapper, moonshiner, and proprietor of the most popular drinking establishment on the Mississippi. Traders, river rats, missionaries, soldiers, land speculators, fur trappers, and Indian agents congregated in his establishment and made their deals. When Minnesota became a territory in 1849, the town leaders, realizing that a place called Pig's Eye might not inspire civic confidence, changed the name to St. Paul, after the largest church in the city . . . Across the river, Minneapolis has its own sordid story. By the turn of the twentieth century it was considered one of the most crooked cities in the nation. Mayor Albert Alonzo Ames, with the assistance of the chief of police, his brother Fred, ran a city so corrupt that according to Lincoln Steffans its 'deliberateness, invention, and avarice has never been equaled.' As recently as the mid-'90s, Minneapolis was called 'Murderopolis' due to a rash of killings that occurred over a long hot summer . . . Every city has its share of crime, but what makes the Twin Cities unique may be that we have more than our share of good writers to chronicle it. They are homegrown and they know the territory--how the cities look from the inside, out . . ."

Download or read book Chicago Noir written by Joe Meno and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2015 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In this superior entry in Akashic's noir series, Meno offers nearly a century of Chicago crime fiction....Familiar bylines abound: Max Allan Collins, Richard Wright, Nelson Algren, Sherwood Anderson, Fredric Brown, Patricia Highsmith (with an excerpt from her novel The Price of Salt), Stewart M. Kaminsky, Sara Paretsky. Others may be less familiar to mystery specialists, but all turn in impressive performances." --Publishers Weekly, Starred review "Richard Wright, Nelson Algren, and Sandra Cisneros are not crime-fiction writers, and yet their Chicago certainly embodies the individual-crushing ethos endemic to noir. Meno also includes stories from writers who could easily have been overlooked (Percy Spurlark Parker, Hugh Holton) to ensure that diverse voices, and neighborhoods, are represented. Add in smart and essential choices from Fredric Brown, Sara Paretsky, and Stuart Kaminsky, and you have not an anthology not for crime-fiction purists, perhaps, but a thought-provoking document all the same." --Booklist "The fifteen short stories comprising Chicago Noir: The Classics, which are knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Joe Meno, are true gems of the noir literary tradition....Chicago Noir: The Classics is a consistently entertaining and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections." --Midwest Book Review "I've always enjoyed reading noir. Dark, ironic mysteries are a good read to me. Since this collection includes old classics as well as some new stories, I knew it would be good....I wasn't disappointed." --Journey of a Bookseller "Chicago Noir The Classics does everything anthologies and noir are supposed to, but this title achieves an unheralded goal that deserves notice....This is wonderful diversity, coming both unexpected and unhearalded. Anthologies are supposed to convey a sense of having covered the territory, Joe Meno has. Ethnically diverse city, ethnically diverse plots. Better, Chicago Noir The Classics showcases diversity as normal, everyday. This adds inescapable satisfaction to a sense of the editor's having covered the territory." --La Bloga "A worthy addition to the Akashic Books noir series." --Book Chase Although Los Angeles may be considered the most quintessentially "noir" American city, this volume reveals that pound-for-pound, Chicago has historically been able to stand up to any other metropolis in the noir arena. Classic reprints from: Harry Stephen Keeler, Sherwood Anderson, Max Allan Collins, Richard Wright, Nelson Algren, Fredric Brown, Patricia Highsmith, Barry Gifford, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Sara Paretsky, Percy Spurlark Parker, Sandra Cisneros, Hugh Holton, and Stuart Dybek. From the introduction by Joe Meno "More corrupt than New York, less glamorous than LA, Chicago has more murders per capita than any other city its size. With its sleek skyscrapers bisecting the fading sky like an unspoken threat, Chicago is the closest metropolis to the mythical city of shadows as first described in the work of Chandler, Hammett, and Cain. Only in Chicago do instituted color lines offer generation after generation of poverty and violence, only in Chicago do the majority of governors do prison time, only in Chicago do the dead actually vote twice. "Chicago--more than the metropolis that gave the world Al Capone, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, the death of John Dillinger, the crimes of Leopold and Loeb, the horrors of John Wayne Gacy, the unprecedented institutional corruption of so many recent public officials, more than the birthplace of Raymond Chandler--is a city of darkness. This darkness is not an act of over-imagination. It's the unadulterated truth. It's a pointed though necessary reminder of the grave tragedies of the past and the failed possibilities

Download or read book Buffalo Noir written by Ed Park and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “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

Download or read book Belfast Noir written by Adrian McKinty and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atmospheric, all-new crime fiction set in this Northern Ireland city—from Lee Child, Arlene Hunt, Steve Cavanagh, Gerard Brennan, and more. During the decades of the Troubles, Belfast was plagued with riots, bombings, and other violence, and armored vehicles patrolled the streets—a daily darkness that is reflected in the personality of the city. New York Times–bestselling author Lee Child calls it “the most noir place on earth.” This collection of short stories in the “acclaimed noir series” provides not only a compelling read for fans of mystery and suspense and an opportunity to discover some new must-read authors, but a portrait of the moody, murderous history of Belfast (Publishers Weekly). Featuring brand-new stories by Glenn Patterson, Eoin McNamee, Garbhan Downey, Lee Child, Alex Barclay, Brian McGilloway, Ian McDonald, Arlene Hunt, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Claire McGowan, Steve Cavanagh, Lucy Caldwell, Sam Millar, and Gerard Brennan “The works are short, allowing readers to savor each snippet or devour the entire compelling book in a day, depending on just how deliciously gloomy they’re feeling.” —Shelf Awareness (starred review) “All the stories are compelling and well executed . . . Great writing for fans of noir and short stories, with some tales close to perfection.” —Library Journal (starred review) “The choices made by editors McKinty and Neville celebrate lowlifes, convicts, hookers, private eyes, cops and reporters, and, above all, the gray city at the heart of each story.” —Kirkus Reviews

Download or read book Prison Noir written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2014-08-11 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A sobering experience . . . The power of this collection comes from the voices of these authors, voices suffused with rage, despair, and madness.” —The New York Times Book Review This anthology, with stories set in different prisons across the US, presents an absolutely new perspective on prison literature. From a killer’s confession to a desire for redemption, from stories of new cell mates to prison snitches, this collection of tales runs the gamut of emotions, settings, and voices. Readers are drawn into an unknown world and left with feelings of horror, compassion, and even understanding. Edited by renowned author Joyce Carol Oates, who has led various writing workshops in correctional institutions across America, Prison Noir features stories by Christopher M. Stephen, Sin Soracco, Scott Gutches, Eric Boyd, Ali F. Sareini, Stephen Geez, B.M. Dolarman, Zeke Caligiuri, Marco Verdoni, Kenneth R. Brydon, Linda Michelle Marquardt, Andre White, Timothy Pauley, Bryan K. Palmer, and William Van Poyck. “These are stories that resonate with authenticity and verve and pain and truth. Any collection edited by the National Book Award–winning author Oates deserves attention, but the contributors are deft and confident, and great writers without her imprimatur . . . Authentic, powerful, visceral, moving, great writing.” —Library Journal “All the stories, set within jailhouse walls, explore anguish, lunacy, and sometimes, a desire for redemption. Others offer an unsettling and unvarnished look at life in the clink . . . Perhaps most importantly, the book gives inmates a voice: their own.” —Fine Books & Collections

Download or read book Tehran Noir written by Salar Abdoh and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2014-09-15 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crime fiction set in Iran—including a finalist for the Shamus Award for Best PI Short Story. “Tehran Noir is not only a solid crime collection, but an illuminating look into day-to-day life in the Middle East, with religious and political implications galore, as well as racial tensions bubbling just beneath the surface. . . . The stories in Tehran Noir aren’t always easy to read, but they are engaging in the extreme.” —San Francisco Book Review Includes brand-new stories by Gina B. Nahai, Salar Abdoh, Lily Farhadpour, Azardokht Bahrami, Yourik Karim-Masihi, Vali Khalili, Farhaad Heidari Gooran, Aida Moradi Ahani, Mahsa Mohebali, Majed Neisi, Danial Haghighi, Javad Afhami, Sima Saeedi, Mahak Taheri, and Hossein Abkenar. “A stellar and diverse cast of Iranian writers. . . . A collection such as this is able to bring Iran to life for the foreign reader in a way other fiction and non-fiction cannot. . . . Superb.” —PopMatters

Download or read book Helsinki Noir written by Pekka Hiltunen and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The 14 stories in this Akashic noir anthology provide a bizarre and gruesome window into this outwardly tranquil and snow-covered city of Helsinki.”—Publishers Weekly In Akashic Books’s acclaimed series of original noir anthologies, each book comprises all new stories set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Now, the spotlight is on Finland and its southern capital of Helsinki, a city “synonymous with noir. There is a darkness in the Finnish soul, perhaps echoing the country’s long winter nights, that lends itself to tales of horror and degenerate behavior” (Reviewing the Evidence). This anthology features brand-new stories by Leena Lehtolainen, Johanna Holmström, James Thompson, Antti Tuomainen, Jesse Itkonen, Joe L. Murr, Jukka Petäjä, Tapani Bagge, Pekka Hiltunen, Teemu Käskinen, Tuomas Lius, Riikka Ala-Harja, Karo Hämäläinen, and Jarkko Sipila. “True fans of the macabre will enjoy some of the more disturbing tales, such as Jukka Petäjä’s ‘Snowy Sarcophagus,’ in which the bodies of two women are discovered preserved in life-size snowmen, and Antti Tuomainen’s ‘The Script,’ which is told from the point of view of a Finnish film and television producer who also happens to be a serial rapist . . . Readers should be prepared to keep the lights on at night after finishing this unnerving collection.”—Publishers Weekly “Every story is atmospheric . . . and every one has a neat sting at the end . . . The best and blackest in the noir series yet, and a treat for short story fans. Highly recommended.”—promotingcrime.blogspot.com

Download or read book Singapore Noir written by Cheryl Lu-lien Tan and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2014 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suchen Christine Lim's story "Mei Kwei, I Love You" has been named a finalist for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award for Best P.I. Short Story Singapore Noir has been nominated for a Popular Bookstore Reader's Choice Award "Singapore, with its great wealth and great poverty existing amid ethnic, linguistic, and cultural tensions, offers fertile ground for bleak fiction, as shown by the 14 tales in this solid Akashic noir anthology...Tan has assembled a strong lineup of Singapore natives and knowledgeable visitors for this volume exploring the dark side of a fascinating country." --Publishers Weekly "Singapore Noir is the latest in Akashic's long-running and globetrotting Noir series, giving plenty of new and unfamiliar voices a chance to shine." --San Francisco Book Review "Singapore Noir is another fine addition to the Akashic's Noir series. Under Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan's tutelage, the stories puncture the stereotypes associated with Singapore and push the genre in new directions." --Chicago Center for Literature and Photography Included in Recent Books of Note, Toronto Star "Across the book as a whole a picture emerges of Singapore, an image at variance with tourist board literature and with the popular conception of a safe but over-controlled conformist society." --Crime Review (UK) Launched with the summer '04 award-winning best seller Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies. Each book is comprised of all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Brand-new stories by: Colin Goh, Simon Tay/Donald Tee Quee Ho, Philip Jeyaretnam, Colin Cheong, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Monica Bhide, S.J. Rozan, Lawrence Osborne, Suchen Christine Lim, Ovidia Yu, Damon Chua, Johann S. Lee, Dave Chua, and Nury Vittachi. From the introduction by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan: "Say Singapore to anyone and you'll likely hear one of a few words: Caning. Fines. Chewing gum. For much of the West, the narrative of Singapore--a modern Southeast Asian city-state perched on an island on the tip of the Malay Peninsula--has been marked largely by its government's strict laws and unwavering enforcement of them...As much as I understand these outside viewpoints, I have always lamented that the quirky and dark complexities of my native country's culture rarely seem to make it past its borders... Beneath its sparkling veneer is a country teeming with shadows...And its stories remain. The rich stories that attracted literary lions W. Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling to hold court at the Raffles Hotel (where the Singapore Sling was created) are still sprinkled throughout its neighborhoods. And in the following pages, you'll get the chance to discover some of them... You'll find stories from some of the best contemporary writers in Singapore--three of them winners of the Singapore Literature Prize, essentially the country's Pulitzer: Simon Tay, writing as Donald Tee Quee Ho, tells the story of a hard-boiled detective who inadvertently wends his way into the underbelly of organized crime, Colin Cheong shows us a surprising side to the country's ubiquitous cheerful 'taxi uncle, ' while Suchen Christine Lim spins a wistful tale of a Chinese temple medium whose past resurges to haunt her... As for mine, I chose a setting close to my heart--the kelongs, or old fisheries on stilts, that once dotted the waters of Singapore but are gradually disappearing. I have a deep sense of romance about these kelongs, along with the many other settings, characters, nuances, and quirks that you'll see in these stories. They're intense, inky, nebulous. There is evil, sadness, a foreboding. And liars, cheaters, the valiant abound. This is a Singapore rarely explored in Western liter

Download or read book St Louis Noir written by Scott Phillips and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2016-07-11 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “St. Louis gets a turn to show its dark side . . . [A] spirited, black-hearted collection” including a story from New York Times–bestselling author John Lutz (Kirkus Reviews). A vibrant Midwest metropolis, St. Louis has a rich, multicultural history of art and literature—both high and low. That duality is embraced here in an anthology that spans the reaches of noir, from violent criminality to bad luck and bad attitudes. St. Louis Noir includes stories by bestselling authors John Lutz and Scott Phillips, a poetic interlude featuring Poet Laureate Michael Castro, and more tales from Calvin Wilson, LaVelle Wilkins-Chinn, Paul D. Marks, Colleen J. McElroy, Jason Makansi, S.L. Coney, Laura Benedict, Jedidiah Ayres, Umar Lee, Chris Barsanti, and L.J. Smith. “The stories here are uniformly strong. Regular readers of the Noir series know what to expect: tightly written, tightly plotted, mostly character-driven stories of murder and mayhem, death and despair, shadow and shock.” —Booklist “Thirteen tales of grim homicidal happenings (plus one poetic interlude) set in the streets of the St. Louis area.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Download or read book New Orleans Noir written by Julie Smith and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2016-02-16 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Explores the dark corners of our city . . . set both pre- and post-Katrina . . . harrowing reading, to be sure, but it’s pure page-turning pleasure, too.” —The Times-Picayune Residents of the Big Easy are proud of its unique history and character. Resourceful and resilient, they are survivors—of natural disasters, as well as everyday tragedies. For off the beaten path, where tourists never travel, is a city that revels in scandal, sin, and seduction. New Orleans Noir includes stories by Ace Atkins, Laura Lippman, Patty Friedmann, Barbara Hambly, Tim McLoughlin, Olympia Vernon, David Fulmer, Jervey Tervalon, James Nolan, Kalamu ya Salaam, Maureen Tan, Thomas Adcock, Jeri Cain Rossi, Christine Wiltz, Greg Herren, Julie Smith, Eric Overmyer, and Ted O’Brien. “A vivid series of impressions of the city in moments that brought out either the best or worst in people . . . a thrilling read and a harbinger of what should be an interesting stream of works.” —Gambit Weekly “When you’ve waded through these anguished pages, you can begin to understand why—as corrupt as it is, as broken as it is—so many of New Orleans’s refugees still long to go home.” —Mystery Scene “Excellent . . . Appropriately, Smith divides the book into pre- and post-Katrina sections, and many of the more powerful tales describe the disaster’s hellish aftermath.” —Publishers Weekly