Scan barcode
jakewritesbooks's review
5.0
I picked up Brooklyn Noir 2: The Classics simply because I like the Akhasic Noir series. I enjoyed the first Brooklyn one and other books; there are good stories mixed with bad ones in each of them. But I didn’t have high hopes of getting blown away.
I was blown away. I mean…oof.
It’s a tall task facing editor Tim McLoughlin: get the rights to republish short stories from heavy hitters like Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead, and others. But whew did he pull it off. Some of these just simply rocked me.
-My first experience with HP Lovecraft and while I understand it’s far from his best story, I get the appeal. I liked how he vividly described the decaying urban burg of Red hook and used it to tell his story of cults, cops, and death.
-I would have enjoyed Tugboat Syndrome more had I not just re-read Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn but for those that haven’t, it’s a great introduction to Lionel Essrog.
–Luck Be a Lady nearly brought tears to my eyes and made me go back to finish Maggie Estep’s Ruby Murphy series. The thought of her being gone nearly brings me to tears again. What a talent. Rest in peace.
–The Only Good Judge was a bit clunky but I loved the ending and it made me want to try Carolyn Wheat’s books.
–By Dawn’s Early Light is a familiar but beautiful story; well beautiful to me, the Matthew Scudder fan. I wrote earlier in the month about Block’s capstone to the Scudder series. This short story, the best of many featuring the character, would be drawn out for the excellent When the Sacred Ginmill Closes. Was great to visit with Matthew again.
–The Best-Friend Murder was so far and away the best in a stacked series. I’m still reeling from it. What a writer Westlake is. Was.
–Tralala has the kind of misogynistic zeal that makes it tough for me to really appreciate the story itself but Selby tells it with incredible verve.
You are here, indeed. You are in Brooklyn, only there are no gentrifiers or trendy restaurants. Wow.
I was blown away. I mean…oof.
It’s a tall task facing editor Tim McLoughlin: get the rights to republish short stories from heavy hitters like Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead, and others. But whew did he pull it off. Some of these just simply rocked me.
-My first experience with HP Lovecraft and while I understand it’s far from his best story, I get the appeal. I liked how he vividly described the decaying urban burg of Red hook and used it to tell his story of cults, cops, and death.
-I would have enjoyed Tugboat Syndrome more had I not just re-read Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn but for those that haven’t, it’s a great introduction to Lionel Essrog.
–Luck Be a Lady nearly brought tears to my eyes and made me go back to finish Maggie Estep’s Ruby Murphy series. The thought of her being gone nearly brings me to tears again. What a talent. Rest in peace.
–The Only Good Judge was a bit clunky but I loved the ending and it made me want to try Carolyn Wheat’s books.
–By Dawn’s Early Light is a familiar but beautiful story; well beautiful to me, the Matthew Scudder fan. I wrote earlier in the month about Block’s capstone to the Scudder series. This short story, the best of many featuring the character, would be drawn out for the excellent When the Sacred Ginmill Closes. Was great to visit with Matthew again.
–The Best-Friend Murder was so far and away the best in a stacked series. I’m still reeling from it. What a writer Westlake is. Was.
–Tralala has the kind of misogynistic zeal that makes it tough for me to really appreciate the story itself but Selby tells it with incredible verve.
You are here, indeed. You are in Brooklyn, only there are no gentrifiers or trendy restaurants. Wow.
More...