Scan barcode
sccubed's review
5.0
this is a great introduction to some fabulous writers. Each story is set in a different enclave of the greater Los Angeles area and is written in an authenticity that is true to each area. I loved reading about places that were apart of my Los angeles day to day experience. This collection of stories truly embody the definition of noir- not just mysteries, but dark tales.
circularcubes's review
4.0
Like any short story collection, there were hits and misses in this - but, I'm happy to say, more hits than misses. There were one or two stories that left me cold - Jim Pascoe's The Kidnapper Bell was among the more disturbing of the stories, but I couldn't get behind the "big reveal" and Neal Pollack's City of Commerce gets too bogged down in boring, pedantic poker details.
But you know what? Every other story was either good, or brought something new and necessary to the table (more stories about immigrants! more stories about mixed-race folks! more noir stories where murder isn't necessarily the point of the plot!). I also especially loved Number Nineteen, Naomi Hirahara's exploration of a Koreatown massage parlor and Midnight in Silicon Valley, Denise Hamilton's story about Chinese-American immigrants. The latter was especially important to me, because I grew up in that community, a town or two over, and still have yet to find fiction that represents my experiences there, and while her story doesn't resonate personally with me, it at least represents a world that I know intimately.
A really nice collection overall, and one that makes me more eager than before to read Denise Hamilton's work.
Spoiler
and the story would have been stronger if the story focused on the garden-variety evil of the date-rape wielding narrator instead of the baroque depravity of the kidnapper -and of course, I'm very critical of how one evil is seemingly overshadowed by the other as the story progressesBut you know what? Every other story was either good, or brought something new and necessary to the table (more stories about immigrants! more stories about mixed-race folks! more noir stories where murder isn't necessarily the point of the plot!). I also especially loved Number Nineteen, Naomi Hirahara's exploration of a Koreatown massage parlor and Midnight in Silicon Valley, Denise Hamilton's story about Chinese-American immigrants. The latter was especially important to me, because I grew up in that community, a town or two over, and still have yet to find fiction that represents my experiences there, and while her story doesn't resonate personally with me, it at least represents a world that I know intimately.
A really nice collection overall, and one that makes me more eager than before to read Denise Hamilton's work.
phillyhufflepunk's review
On the one hand, noir is a classic style of crime drama, and it's rare to find someone who doesn't love LA. In theory, this short story collection should have some awesome examples of the subgenre. On the other hand, none of these stories hit their mark. They just bored me.
dreesreads's review
3.0
This collection of noir short stories set in LA is quite good. Yes, some stories are stronger (my favorites were those by Connelly, Holmes, Hamilton, Rice, and Pascoe. Every one of them, though, is well written. A variety of twists. And all focus on place.
kimbui's review
3.0
I moved to LA two years ago and sometimes i forget how magical and dark this city is.
Lovely short stories.
Lovely short stories.
audreyintheheadphones's review
2.0
Basically, a disappointment, start to finish. From the introduction all the way through to the end -- with only two exceptions -- this book failed me. The stories were exceptionally drab and not very noir, while trying desperately to be "L.A. enough".
The two exceptions? Janet Fitch's "The Method", about a reclusive actress and two grifters, kept me guessing and felt the most authentic out of the group. And Scott Phillips' "The Girl Who Kissed Barnaby Jones" was disturbingly fun, but that's only 2 stories out of 17.
The thing I kept noticing was that more than a handful stories started out very very strong and then finished with unexpectedly weak or ill-fitting endings. Like, that was THE fatal flaw in all of them, which I found strange. Still, I don't think this book's terrible enough to put me off the series as a whole. Toronto, ho!
The two exceptions? Janet Fitch's "The Method", about a reclusive actress and two grifters, kept me guessing and felt the most authentic out of the group. And Scott Phillips' "The Girl Who Kissed Barnaby Jones" was disturbingly fun, but that's only 2 stories out of 17.
The thing I kept noticing was that more than a handful stories started out very very strong and then finished with unexpectedly weak or ill-fitting endings. Like, that was THE fatal flaw in all of them, which I found strange. Still, I don't think this book's terrible enough to put me off the series as a whole. Toronto, ho!
otterno11's review
3.0
The last entry I’ve read from the Akashic Noir anthology series, I read this one a recent trip to Southern California and mostly had a good time with it. The trip, of course, was awesome. Like others in the series, various local authors tackle stories of the hard boiled and weird exploring the neighborhoods, landmarks, and cultures of Los Angeles. The tone of the stories run from comical to bleak, but all deal with the seedier, more underground aspects of life in the city. The anthology does a decent job of capturing the feel of the city (though one in which I have still spent very little time in), but may not have realized it to its full potential.
There were a few aspects of the collection that we a little disappointing, I felt. In spite of its venerable history of being the veritable birthplace of film noir and the origin of many of the tropes of the genre, it seemed that none of the stories here really drew upon that background. All of the stories were set in contemporary times, with none taking advantage of this history as backdrop for period pieces. A few of the stories were pretty rote, paint by numbers affairs, with the common, unavoidable cliches of the genre played pretty straight; dames, double crosses, detectives, et cetera. Also, the stories tended to end abruptly and sometimes with little resolution, though if the atmosphere is impeccable this can be a plus. More often here, it just felt like running out of space.
There were a few aspects of the collection that we a little disappointing, I felt. In spite of its venerable history of being the veritable birthplace of film noir and the origin of many of the tropes of the genre, it seemed that none of the stories here really drew upon that background. All of the stories were set in contemporary times, with none taking advantage of this history as backdrop for period pieces. A few of the stories were pretty rote, paint by numbers affairs, with the common, unavoidable cliches of the genre played pretty straight; dames, double crosses, detectives, et cetera. Also, the stories tended to end abruptly and sometimes with little resolution, though if the atmosphere is impeccable this can be a plus. More often here, it just felt like running out of space.