A review by dgrachel
South Central Noir by Desiree Zamorano, Gary Phillips, Steph Cha, Gar Anthony Haywood, Penny Mickelbury, Roberto Lovato, Naomi Hirahara, Jeri Westerson, Emory Holmes II, Jervey Tervalon, Eric Stone, Tananarive Due, Larry Fondation, Nikolas Charles

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

5.0

 Absolutely amazing. This is one of the best Akashic Noir collections I have ever read. The style and setting of each story is unique - some more current and others nearly 100 years in the past. Watching this section of Los Angeles change over time in just 280 pages is an experience no fan of noir should miss. While South Central is almost a character in its own right, these stories all bring the people to the forefront, and they are first and foremost people. They aren't mere vehicles to further an author's message about gentrification, over-policing (especially in the wake of the 1992 brutal beating of Rodney King), gang violence, drugs, or even the pandemic. Those messages are all there, but they transcend their circumstances and demand to be seen.

There is not a single story in this collection that I did not enjoy. The scope of this collection is breathtaking. The writing quality on all of them is high. I cannot recommend this one enough. "The Golden Coffin" by Emory Holmes II was probably my favorite. Set in 1935, this one had an absolutely perfect ending. Jeri Westerson's "The Last Time I Died" was sad and haunting. "All That Glitters" by Gar Anthony Haywood was delightful and I loved the narrator of Eric Stone's "Collections". Mae, the central character in Penny Mickelbury's "Mae's Family Dining" is probably my favorite character in the collection, though. I loved her. 

*I received an advanced copy from Akashic and LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.