(Part of the Akashic noir Series)
Conditions
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
Conditions
*Best Available: (ex-library)
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
--A Los Angeles Times best seller, Book Sense Notable Pick, and SCIBA Book Award Winner
Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.
Brand-new stories by: Michael Connelly, Janet Fitch, Susan Straight, H ctor Tobar, Patt Morrison, Emory Holmes II, Robert Ferrigno, Gary Phillips, Christopher Rice, Naomi Hirahara, Jim Pascoe, Neal Pollack, Scott Phillips, Diana Wagman, Lienna Silver, Brian Ascalon Roley, and Denise Hamilton.
From the introduction by Denise Hamilton:
"Los Angeles is the birthplace of all things noir . . . Maybe it's the seductive blur of artifice and reality, the possibility of shucking off the past like last year's frock and reinventing yourself beyond your wildest dreams. Maybe it's the desperation that descends when the dream goes sour, the duplicity that lurks behind the beauty, the rot of the jungle flowers, the riptides off the sugar sand beaches that carry off the unwary. Writers like James Cain, Dorothy B. Hughes, Nathanael West, Chester Himes, and Raymond Chandler understood both the hope and the horror that Los Angeles inspires, and they harnessed this duality to create their masterpieces . . .
With Los Angeles Noir, we've brought you the ethos of Chandler and Cain filtered through a contemporary lens, showcasing some of the most innovative and celebrated writers working today. Open these pages and you'll embark on a literary travelogue that stretches from the mountains through the hardscrabble flats to the barrios and middle-class suburbs, the mansions of the wealthy, and the shores of the Pacific Ocean where we finally run out of continent. The breadth of talent on display is as exciting and diverse as the city itself."
This description may be from another edition of this product.I love anthologies, mysteries, and noir, so when you put them all together, I find it hard to resist. I took this book on a cruise with me and had a great time with it, because I could read a quick story before dashing off on some excursion. The tales are all well written, and each provided as many twists and turns as a ride down Mulholland. My favorites were Denise Hamilton's "Midnight in Silicone Valley" and "Roger Crumbler Considered His Shave" by Gary Phillilps, but I can honestly say I didn't hate any of them.
Akashic Books provides a series of original noir anthologies which began in 2004 with the launch of Brooklyn Noir and continues here in LOS ANGELES NOR. This book offers new stories, each set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book - so it will hold both regional appeal and appeal to any mystery fan who likes detailed settings to enhance the plot. A multicultural approach further enhances the stories which range from the spas of Koreatown to the rich of Beverly Hills and beyond, offering crime stories by Janet Fitch, Neal Pollack, Christopher Rice and others. A top pick for any fan of crime fiction and for libraries both located in California and beyond. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch
With "Los Angeles Noir," the mean streets of L.A. are a little meaner not to mention a lot more diverse than they were portrayed during the era of J. Edgar Hoover, well-worn fedoras, and three-martini lunches at the Brown Derby. These stories are cinematic, violent little gems of contemporary crime fiction that are a must-read for any true fan of noir. [The full review first appeared in The Elegant Variation.]
It's enough to convince you that the possibilities in this genre haven't been exhausted, but I must say that the familiar setting provides an extra wrinkle for an L.A. local. (Why I haven't run into Michael Connelly on Mulholland Drive is another mystery, but I'm on the look out). Of course good writing and taut suspense works anywhere, and that makes this gathering of L.A. writers worthy reading wherever you curl up to do it. The table of contents reveals the organization, breaking down into four sections: "Police & Thieves," "Hollywoodlandia," "East of La Cienega," and "The Gold Coast." In other words, all over the map and, in this county, that's 450 square miles.
... and gives a glimpse of the seamy underbelly. As a native, it's always fun to read about the places I know and love; as a reader, I'm impressed with the breadth of writers covered in this anthology (and it's a pleasure to recognize one of them as a high school acquaintance of mine!) Some of the stories are better written then others, but all of them bring the different parts of Los Angeles to life. This is part of a series of "Noir" collections; I will definitely be searching out other volumes in the series.
