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A review by samhouston
New Haven Noir by Stephen L. Carter, Chris Knopf, Roxana Robinson, David Rich, Jessica Speart, Sarah Pemberton Strong, Chandra Prasad, Karen E. Olson, Jonathan Stone, Amy Bloom, Michael Cunningham, Hirsh Sawhney, John Crowley, Alice Mattison
4.0
Of the dozen or so Akashic Noir collections I've read, I think this one did the best job of choosing stories that give someone unfamiliar with the city and state a good feel for the layout, politics, racial splits, etc. of the area. It probably helps that at least five of the contributors are either associated with Yale right now or have been so associated in the past. The usual fifteen stories, divided into three sections of five stories each, come from eight female contributors and seven male contributors.
My favorite story of all fifteen is Roxana Robinson's "The Secret Societies," a story largely set in the city's Beinecke Library. This one is based upon the premise that two female writers are competing to be the first to complete their biography of a famous, reclusive author who stopped giving even interviews decades prior to her death (she resembles the late Harper Lee in a number of ways). The two women are working in the same library where the authors papers are housed and are well aware of the other's existence. What one researcher discovers is astounding.
Overall, the quality and enjoyability of this group of soldiers beats almost every one of the others in the series I've read, and at least until I read one that tops this collection, it is my new favorite Akashic Noir book.
My favorite story of all fifteen is Roxana Robinson's "The Secret Societies," a story largely set in the city's Beinecke Library. This one is based upon the premise that two female writers are competing to be the first to complete their biography of a famous, reclusive author who stopped giving even interviews decades prior to her death (she resembles the late Harper Lee in a number of ways). The two women are working in the same library where the authors papers are housed and are well aware of the other's existence. What one researcher discovers is astounding.
Overall, the quality and enjoyability of this group of soldiers beats almost every one of the others in the series I've read, and at least until I read one that tops this collection, it is my new favorite Akashic Noir book.