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The Best American Noir Of The Century
In his introduction, James Ellroy writes, "Noir is the most scrutinized offshoot of the hard-boiled school of fiction…It's the nightmare of flawed souls with big dreams and the precise how and why of the all-time sure thing that goes bad."
Ellroy & Penzler mined the past century to find this treasure trove of thirty-nine stories. Offering the best examples of literary sure things gone bad, this collection ensures that nowhere else can readers find a darker, more thorough distillation of American noir fiction.
"Delightfully devilish…A strange trek through the years that includes stories from household names in the hard-boiled genre to lesser-known authors who nonetheless can hold their own with the legends." -- Associated Press
Ellroy & Penzler mined the past century to find this treasure trove of thirty-nine stories. Offering the best examples of literary sure things gone bad, this collection ensures that nowhere else can readers find a darker, more thorough distillation of American noir fiction.
"Delightfully devilish…A strange trek through the years that includes stories from household names in the hard-boiled genre to lesser-known authors who nonetheless can hold their own with the legends." -- Associated Press
752 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2010
About the author
Otto Penzler
367 books465 followersOtto Penzler is an editor of mystery fiction in the United States, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, where he lives.
Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.
Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.
Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.
Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
February 13, 2021
Though one can quibble over whether all of these are actually noir or not, on the whole this is an excellent collection by some of the most revered writers in the genre as well as a whole bunch that are new to me.
As another reviewer so aptly put it: "If I had to define "noir" just based on reading this anthology, it would be this: Hopeless or hapless people living hopeless or hapless lives inevitably ruined by crime or defying taboos (or in just two or three cases, lives painfully redeemed, but only by virtue of a very twisted twist)."
My thoughts on some, but by no means all, of the stories ...
Pastorale by James M. Cain (3.0) - Perhaps the most familiar noir trope there is, i.e. young lover seeks to do away with the older husband in order to be with his lush young wife. Cain adopts a dumbed down, backwoods style, as if Lenny from Of Mice and Men were narrating, making this macabre tale kind of quaint in an odd way. I doubt that was intended, but perhaps it had more resonance and authenticity when it was published in 1928.
Man in the Dark by Howard Browne (4.0) - There's a gripping feeling to the encroaching dread a husband feels as he insists to himself and police that the scorched and mutilated dead woman found in his wife's wrecked car can't possibly be her, since they spoke by phone hours after the crash. Having written some detective novels he feels qualified to begin investigating on his own and discovers some unsettling clues. Well written, taut from beginning to end, and with quite a few twists, this reads much like a private detective story.
Professional Man by David Goodis (4.0) - "He's all ice and no soul, strictly a professional", a hit man seething with resentment and longing suppresses his emotions, doing the only thing he can possibly do, get the job done and live with the consequences.. if he can. Goodis does an amazing job portraying a cold as ice hit man and the tension brewing beneath the surface, with no outlet save one.
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter (3.0) - A game of Russian Roulette between two very young rival gang members who don't seem to have processed the weight and repercussions of their actions. You know how it has to end, but still can't help being swept up in their deluded and naive realities. Neither noir, nor a crime story, this was an odd choice for this collection.
Forever After by Jim Thompson (3.0) - Hmm... I don't know how I feel about this. Interesting twist at the end, but it was just too short for Thomspon to really cast his spell and plunge us into a world of despair and depravity as he does so well in his novels.
For the Rest of Her Life by Cornell Woolrich (4.0) - A beautifully written, almost jaunty beginning that explores the joys and carefree innocence of a newly blooming relationship with remarkable nuance and perception. And then, rather abruptly, it becomes brutally intense and suspenseful, with a wife who finds herself at the mercy of an abusive, "mad dog" of a husband. The title is kind of a dead giveaway, but the final climax is still a thrilling ride.
Since I Don't Have You by James Ellroy (5.0) - Incredibly dense. Ellroy packs in so much stark, gritty detail, characterization, backstory and twists & turns it feels like a full novel squeezed down into what amounts to a short novelette. Amazingly, it comes off as whole and complete. I gotta read more of his short work.
Texas City, 1947 by James Lee Burke (5.0) - A gut wrenching and deeply empathetic coming of age story of a young boy from a dirt poor dysfunctional and abusive family. Burke writes with incredible emotional resonance as he captures the boy's torment at the hands of an uncaring and largely absent father and his abusive mistress, coming to learn that sometimes good people must do bad things. Another odd choice for this collection, as it's neither crime related nor noir.
Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison (3.5) - Chilling and shocking, this comes off like a sci-fi psychological thriller more than anything, but Ellison's overly colloquial and verbose style were turn offs for me, like he was trying to hit some minimum word count.
Hot Springs by James Crumley (4.0) - A bleak, bloody and sad tale of lust, betrayal and despair with an innocent young femme fatale that's as capricious as she is bewitching. Crumley knows how to turn a phrase and there are some gems in here.
Running Out of Dog by Dennis Lehane (4.0) - A poignant and small town tragedy revolving around two friends, one a Vietnam vet, the other a social pariah. It's a slow motion train wreck you see coming from miles away.
When the Women come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard (3.0) - A woman wanting her repressive husband out of the picture gets into a (predictable) predicament, bringing to mind the expression "be careful what you wish for". Solid, but not outstanding in any way. Leonard's cool, casual style is evident, but not any trace of his sly humor.
As another reviewer so aptly put it: "If I had to define "noir" just based on reading this anthology, it would be this: Hopeless or hapless people living hopeless or hapless lives inevitably ruined by crime or defying taboos (or in just two or three cases, lives painfully redeemed, but only by virtue of a very twisted twist)."
My thoughts on some, but by no means all, of the stories ...
Pastorale by James M. Cain (3.0) - Perhaps the most familiar noir trope there is, i.e. young lover seeks to do away with the older husband in order to be with his lush young wife. Cain adopts a dumbed down, backwoods style, as if Lenny from Of Mice and Men were narrating, making this macabre tale kind of quaint in an odd way. I doubt that was intended, but perhaps it had more resonance and authenticity when it was published in 1928.
Man in the Dark by Howard Browne (4.0) - There's a gripping feeling to the encroaching dread a husband feels as he insists to himself and police that the scorched and mutilated dead woman found in his wife's wrecked car can't possibly be her, since they spoke by phone hours after the crash. Having written some detective novels he feels qualified to begin investigating on his own and discovers some unsettling clues. Well written, taut from beginning to end, and with quite a few twists, this reads much like a private detective story.
Professional Man by David Goodis (4.0) - "He's all ice and no soul, strictly a professional", a hit man seething with resentment and longing suppresses his emotions, doing the only thing he can possibly do, get the job done and live with the consequences.. if he can. Goodis does an amazing job portraying a cold as ice hit man and the tension brewing beneath the surface, with no outlet save one.
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter (3.0) - A game of Russian Roulette between two very young rival gang members who don't seem to have processed the weight and repercussions of their actions. You know how it has to end, but still can't help being swept up in their deluded and naive realities. Neither noir, nor a crime story, this was an odd choice for this collection.
Forever After by Jim Thompson (3.0) - Hmm... I don't know how I feel about this. Interesting twist at the end, but it was just too short for Thomspon to really cast his spell and plunge us into a world of despair and depravity as he does so well in his novels.
For the Rest of Her Life by Cornell Woolrich (4.0) - A beautifully written, almost jaunty beginning that explores the joys and carefree innocence of a newly blooming relationship with remarkable nuance and perception. And then, rather abruptly, it becomes brutally intense and suspenseful, with a wife who finds herself at the mercy of an abusive, "mad dog" of a husband. The title is kind of a dead giveaway, but the final climax is still a thrilling ride.
Since I Don't Have You by James Ellroy (5.0) - Incredibly dense. Ellroy packs in so much stark, gritty detail, characterization, backstory and twists & turns it feels like a full novel squeezed down into what amounts to a short novelette. Amazingly, it comes off as whole and complete. I gotta read more of his short work.
Texas City, 1947 by James Lee Burke (5.0) - A gut wrenching and deeply empathetic coming of age story of a young boy from a dirt poor dysfunctional and abusive family. Burke writes with incredible emotional resonance as he captures the boy's torment at the hands of an uncaring and largely absent father and his abusive mistress, coming to learn that sometimes good people must do bad things. Another odd choice for this collection, as it's neither crime related nor noir.
Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison (3.5) - Chilling and shocking, this comes off like a sci-fi psychological thriller more than anything, but Ellison's overly colloquial and verbose style were turn offs for me, like he was trying to hit some minimum word count.
Hot Springs by James Crumley (4.0) - A bleak, bloody and sad tale of lust, betrayal and despair with an innocent young femme fatale that's as capricious as she is bewitching. Crumley knows how to turn a phrase and there are some gems in here.
Running Out of Dog by Dennis Lehane (4.0) - A poignant and small town tragedy revolving around two friends, one a Vietnam vet, the other a social pariah. It's a slow motion train wreck you see coming from miles away.
When the Women come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard (3.0) - A woman wanting her repressive husband out of the picture gets into a (predictable) predicament, bringing to mind the expression "be careful what you wish for". Solid, but not outstanding in any way. Leonard's cool, casual style is evident, but not any trace of his sly humor.
November 30, 2011
James Ellroy and Otto Penzler have collected in this volume a large number of very dark crime stories spanning the years from 1910 to 2010. Included are stories by a number of very familiar writers like Mickey Spillane, Gil Brewer, James M. Cain, Jim Thompson, James Ellroy, Lawrence Block, and Elmore Leonard. There are also works by a number of lesser-known writers, but the stories are uniformly good and most of them won awards of one kind or another.
My personal favorites are probably James Crumley's "Hot Springs;" Leonard's "When the Women Come Out to Dance;" and James Lee Burke's, "Texas City, 1947." But fans of noir fiction will find a lot of stories here that will keep them staying up late at night to read "just one more."
My personal favorites are probably James Crumley's "Hot Springs;" Leonard's "When the Women Come Out to Dance;" and James Lee Burke's, "Texas City, 1947." But fans of noir fiction will find a lot of stories here that will keep them staying up late at night to read "just one more."
October 18, 2019
Εξαιρετική συλλογή noir δια χειρός Ελρόι, με κορυφαία δείγματα του είδους, από συγγραφείς που άφησαν ανεξίτηλο αποτύπωμα στον χώρο.
Όπως θα ανέμενε κάποιος (εγώ, προφανώς), τα ηγούμενα χρονολογικά διηγήματα (ως τις αρχές του '80 χοντρικά) είναι με μεγάλη διαφορά καλύτερα των επομένων. Οι λόγοι ξεκάθαροι: Η παλιά φρουρά του noir ήταν κορυφαίοι στιλίστες, οπαδοί της μινιμαλιστικής γραφής (στα πρότυπα του Χέμινγουει κυρίως), της αυστηρότητας στο περιεχόμενο, της άρνησης πλατειασμού και εισροής "ξένων" προς το είδος στοιχείων.
Στη συνέχεια, με το πέρασμα των δεκαετιών άρχισε να επικρατεί ο μαξιμαλισμός, και οι συγγραφείς του είδους θέλησαν να αποδείξουν πως ήταν "σοβαροί", "mainstream" συγγραφείς. Άρχισαν λοιπόν να εντάσσουν διάφορα στοιχεία ψυχολογικών κυρίως ερμηνειών, όπου οι αναλύσεις των χαρακτήρων και τα κίνητρά τους καταγράφονταν ενδελεχώς για να προσδώσουν "βάρος και βάθος" στους ήρωες. Στην ίδια λογική άρχισαν να προστίθενται ιστορικά/πολιτικά στοιχεία και κάθε λογής εγκυκλοπαιδικές πληροφορίες, με συνέπεια να οδηγηθούμε σε θηριώδεις, πολυσέλιδες τριλογίες/ πενταλογίες, με πολύ Μεσοπόλεμο, Χίτλερ, Στάλιν, Φράνκο και δεν συμμαζεύεται.
Προφανώς, με όλα αυτά τα σοβαροφανή γεμίσματα η αναγνωστική βάση διευρύνθηκε, αλλά όσον αφορά εμένα, λυπάμαι πολύ, αλλά αυτό ΔΕΝ είναι noir. Είναι κάποιου είδους αστυνομική λογοτεχνία με πάμπολλα ιστορικά δεδομένα που απλά καλύπτουν την έλλειψη προσωπικού ύφους – άκρως απαραίτητου σε ένα αμιγώς στιλιστικό είδος όπως αυτό.
Και στην αναπόφευκτη ερώτηση "Και τι είναι τελικά noir, ρε φίλε;", την απάντηση τη δίνει ο Μέγας David Goodis με το ανυπέρβλητο "Professional Man" του 1953 (το μετέφερε στην τηλεόραση ο Soderbergh), το οποίο εμπεριέχεται στη συλλογή αυτή. Πρόκειται για μια ολιγοσέλιδη προφανώς ιστορία, χωρίς περιττές ψυχολογικές αναλύσεις χαρακτήρων (όχι, δεν ξέρουμε αν τον ήρωα τον βίαζε ο μπαμπάς του ή αν είχε θέμα υπεραναπλήρωσης), χωρίς κοινωνικο-πολιτικό μήνυμα και πλαίσιο (όχι, δεν γνωρίζουμε κατά πόσον διαψεύστηκε από το Αμερικανικό Όνειρο), χωρίς την ελάχιστη προσπάθεια ταύτισης με τον ήρωα (τυπικά είναι ένας δολοφόνος), δίχως έλεος και κάθαρση στο τέλος για τον…πονεμένο αναγνώστη.
Κι όμως, οδηγούμαστε στην ολοκλήρωση (ο ζόφος τους καλύπτει όλους) με την ορμή Αρχαίας Τραγωδίας, με μαεστρία τέτοια που σε αφήνει ξέπνοο να αναρωτιέσαι γιατί άλλοι χρειάζονται 1000 σελίδες για να μην πετύχουν ποτέ εκείνο που ο μεγάλος συγγραφέας επιτυγχάνει σε μόλις 50!
Όπως θα ανέμενε κάποιος (εγώ, προφανώς), τα ηγούμενα χρονολογικά διηγήματα (ως τις αρχές του '80 χοντρικά) είναι με μεγάλη διαφορά καλύτερα των επομένων. Οι λόγοι ξεκάθαροι: Η παλιά φρουρά του noir ήταν κορυφαίοι στιλίστες, οπαδοί της μινιμαλιστικής γραφής (στα πρότυπα του Χέμινγουει κυρίως), της αυστηρότητας στο περιεχόμενο, της άρνησης πλατειασμού και εισροής "ξένων" προς το είδος στοιχείων.
Στη συνέχεια, με το πέρασμα των δεκαετιών άρχισε να επικρατεί ο μαξιμαλισμός, και οι συγγραφείς του είδους θέλησαν να αποδείξουν πως ήταν "σοβαροί", "mainstream" συγγραφείς. Άρχισαν λοιπόν να εντάσσουν διάφορα στοιχεία ψυχολογικών κυρίως ερμηνειών, όπου οι αναλύσεις των χαρακτήρων και τα κίνητρά τους καταγράφονταν ενδελεχώς για να προσδώσουν "βάρος και βάθος" στους ήρωες. Στην ίδια λογική άρχισαν να προστίθενται ιστορικά/πολιτικά στοιχεία και κάθε λογής εγκυκλοπαιδικές πληροφορίες, με συνέπεια να οδηγηθούμε σε θηριώδεις, πολυσέλιδες τριλογίες/ πενταλογίες, με πολύ Μεσοπόλεμο, Χίτλερ, Στάλιν, Φράνκο και δεν συμμαζεύεται.
Προφανώς, με όλα αυτά τα σοβαροφανή γεμίσματα η αναγνωστική βάση διευρύνθηκε, αλλά όσον αφορά εμένα, λυπάμαι πολύ, αλλά αυτό ΔΕΝ είναι noir. Είναι κάποιου είδους αστυνομική λογοτεχνία με πάμπολλα ιστορικά δεδομένα που απλά καλύπτουν την έλλειψη προσωπικού ύφους – άκρως απαραίτητου σε ένα αμιγώς στιλιστικό είδος όπως αυτό.
Και στην αναπόφευκτη ερώτηση "Και τι είναι τελικά noir, ρε φίλε;", την απάντηση τη δίνει ο Μέγας David Goodis με το ανυπέρβλητο "Professional Man" του 1953 (το μετέφερε στην τηλεόραση ο Soderbergh), το οποίο εμπεριέχεται στη συλλογή αυτή. Πρόκειται για μια ολιγοσέλιδη προφανώς ιστορία, χωρίς περιττές ψυχολογικές αναλύσεις χαρακτήρων (όχι, δεν ξέρουμε αν τον ήρωα τον βίαζε ο μπαμπάς του ή αν είχε θέμα υπεραναπλήρωσης), χωρίς κοινωνικο-πολιτικό μήνυμα και πλαίσιο (όχι, δεν γνωρίζουμε κατά πόσον διαψεύστηκε από το Αμερικανικό Όνειρο), χωρίς την ελάχιστη προσπάθεια ταύτισης με τον ήρωα (τυπικά είναι ένας δολοφόνος), δίχως έλεος και κάθαρση στο τέλος για τον…πονεμένο αναγνώστη.
Κι όμως, οδηγούμαστε στην ολοκλήρωση (ο ζόφος τους καλύπτει όλους) με την ορμή Αρχαίας Τραγωδίας, με μαεστρία τέτοια που σε αφήνει ξέπνοο να αναρωτιέσαι γιατί άλλοι χρειάζονται 1000 σελίδες για να μην πετύχουν ποτέ εκείνο που ο μεγάλος συγγραφέας επιτυγχάνει σε μόλις 50!
September 12, 2023
An Anthology Of Noir Stories
I needed a wedge to get into this lengthy anthology "Best American Noir of the Century", which consists of 39 stories and over 730 pages. My wedge was David Goodis (1917 -- 1969), a writer I have come to know through the Library of America: "David Goodis: Five Noir Novels of the 1940s and 50s (Library of America)". A 1953 Goodis short story unknown to me, "Professional Man", is included in this volume, and I was hooked. Set in his native Philadelphia, Goodis' story tells the story of Freddy Lamb, who holds down a job as an elevator operator during the day and works a job as a killer for the mob during the night shift. As with so much of Goodis, Lamb, is lonely and vulnerable. The story describes his relationship to his boss and to a stripper, Pearl, whom he loves. It does not end happily. I was glad of the opportunity to read this story which became an episode in Showtime's "Fallen Angels" in 1995.
Not all of this volume is on the level of the Goodis, but the book offers the reader the opportunity to read a great deal of short noir fiction written between 1923 and 2007. The volume is edited by novelist James Elroy, whose story "Since I don't have you" appears in the book and by Otto Penzler, the founder of the Mysterious Bookshop and the Mysterious Press. Elroy and Penzler each wrote introductions to the book which describe the nature of noir fiction and its relationship to film and to other forms of genre writing such as detective or crime stories. Penzler, for example, writes, "[n]oir works, whether films, novels, or short stories, are existential, pessimistic tales about people, including (or especially) protagonists, who are seriously flawed and morally questionable. The tone is generally bleak and nihilistic, with characters whose greed, lust jealousy, and alienation lead them into a downward spiral as their plans and schemes inevitably go awry." He writes further that the "lost characters of noir" are "caught in the inescapable prisons of their own construction, forever trapped by their isolation from their own souls, as well as from society and the moral restrictions that permit it to be regarded as civilized."
Most of the stories in this volume were published initially in the pulp or detective magazines that flourished until the early 1960s. But much of the volume includes recent noir stories from the 1990s and beyond. The only story in the book that I had read earlier was "Pastorale", a 1928 work by James Cain. Many of the writers, however, will be familiar to readers of noir. Besides Cain and Goodis, the authors in this collection included Evan Hunter, Jim Thompson, Cornell Woolrich, Elmore Leonard, Patricia Highsmith, and, even, Mickey Spillane. There are stories by famous writers who made their reputations in writings other than noir, including MacKinlay Kantor, and Joyce Carol Oates. Many of the other stories in the book are by authors that had earlier been unfamiliar to me.
Ellroy and Penzler have written short introductions to each of the stories in the volume which are useful in learning more about the authors and their works. For example, I learned about Scott Wolven whose fine story "Controlled Burn" appears in this book, taken from Wolven's acclaimed volume of short stories of the same name. I learned as well about Lorenzo Carcaterra, whose 2007 story "Missing the Morning Bus" concludes the anthology. Oddly enough, David Goodis is treated critically in the introduction to "Professional Man" as the editors write: "[a]lthough his early novels and some short stories are powerful and memorable, his later work is so hopelessly dark that he has failed to maintain his place among the top rank of noir or hard-boiled writers." This is a dubious verdict, given the publication of the LOA volume of Goodis novels in 2012, two years after the publication of Ellroy's and Penzler's anthology.
Besides the Goodis and the Cain stories, I enjoyed the first story in the collection, Tom Robbins' 1923 "Spurs", which became the basis for an early noir movie about carnival life titled "Freaks". Other strongly noir and disturbing stories include Kantor's "Gun Crazy", "A Ticket Out" by Brendan DuBois, James Lee Burke's "Texas City, 1947", and Andrew Klavan's "Her Lord and Master."
The length of this collection and the unfamiliarity of many of the titles will make this book more appealing to readers familiar with noir rather than to those new to the genre. The book is valuable not only for its contents but also because it gathers together magazine stories that would otherwise be difficult to find. Readers wanting an introduction to the noir genre through novels rather than short stories might well be interested in the Library of America's two-volume collection of noir novels from the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. American Noir: 11 Classic Crime Novels of the 1930s, 40s, & 50s (Library of America).
Robin Friedman
I needed a wedge to get into this lengthy anthology "Best American Noir of the Century", which consists of 39 stories and over 730 pages. My wedge was David Goodis (1917 -- 1969), a writer I have come to know through the Library of America: "David Goodis: Five Noir Novels of the 1940s and 50s (Library of America)". A 1953 Goodis short story unknown to me, "Professional Man", is included in this volume, and I was hooked. Set in his native Philadelphia, Goodis' story tells the story of Freddy Lamb, who holds down a job as an elevator operator during the day and works a job as a killer for the mob during the night shift. As with so much of Goodis, Lamb, is lonely and vulnerable. The story describes his relationship to his boss and to a stripper, Pearl, whom he loves. It does not end happily. I was glad of the opportunity to read this story which became an episode in Showtime's "Fallen Angels" in 1995.
Not all of this volume is on the level of the Goodis, but the book offers the reader the opportunity to read a great deal of short noir fiction written between 1923 and 2007. The volume is edited by novelist James Elroy, whose story "Since I don't have you" appears in the book and by Otto Penzler, the founder of the Mysterious Bookshop and the Mysterious Press. Elroy and Penzler each wrote introductions to the book which describe the nature of noir fiction and its relationship to film and to other forms of genre writing such as detective or crime stories. Penzler, for example, writes, "[n]oir works, whether films, novels, or short stories, are existential, pessimistic tales about people, including (or especially) protagonists, who are seriously flawed and morally questionable. The tone is generally bleak and nihilistic, with characters whose greed, lust jealousy, and alienation lead them into a downward spiral as their plans and schemes inevitably go awry." He writes further that the "lost characters of noir" are "caught in the inescapable prisons of their own construction, forever trapped by their isolation from their own souls, as well as from society and the moral restrictions that permit it to be regarded as civilized."
Most of the stories in this volume were published initially in the pulp or detective magazines that flourished until the early 1960s. But much of the volume includes recent noir stories from the 1990s and beyond. The only story in the book that I had read earlier was "Pastorale", a 1928 work by James Cain. Many of the writers, however, will be familiar to readers of noir. Besides Cain and Goodis, the authors in this collection included Evan Hunter, Jim Thompson, Cornell Woolrich, Elmore Leonard, Patricia Highsmith, and, even, Mickey Spillane. There are stories by famous writers who made their reputations in writings other than noir, including MacKinlay Kantor, and Joyce Carol Oates. Many of the other stories in the book are by authors that had earlier been unfamiliar to me.
Ellroy and Penzler have written short introductions to each of the stories in the volume which are useful in learning more about the authors and their works. For example, I learned about Scott Wolven whose fine story "Controlled Burn" appears in this book, taken from Wolven's acclaimed volume of short stories of the same name. I learned as well about Lorenzo Carcaterra, whose 2007 story "Missing the Morning Bus" concludes the anthology. Oddly enough, David Goodis is treated critically in the introduction to "Professional Man" as the editors write: "[a]lthough his early novels and some short stories are powerful and memorable, his later work is so hopelessly dark that he has failed to maintain his place among the top rank of noir or hard-boiled writers." This is a dubious verdict, given the publication of the LOA volume of Goodis novels in 2012, two years after the publication of Ellroy's and Penzler's anthology.
Besides the Goodis and the Cain stories, I enjoyed the first story in the collection, Tom Robbins' 1923 "Spurs", which became the basis for an early noir movie about carnival life titled "Freaks". Other strongly noir and disturbing stories include Kantor's "Gun Crazy", "A Ticket Out" by Brendan DuBois, James Lee Burke's "Texas City, 1947", and Andrew Klavan's "Her Lord and Master."
The length of this collection and the unfamiliarity of many of the titles will make this book more appealing to readers familiar with noir rather than to those new to the genre. The book is valuable not only for its contents but also because it gathers together magazine stories that would otherwise be difficult to find. Readers wanting an introduction to the noir genre through novels rather than short stories might well be interested in the Library of America's two-volume collection of noir novels from the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. American Noir: 11 Classic Crime Novels of the 1930s, 40s, & 50s (Library of America).
Robin Friedman
October 9, 2018
will read this book off and on for some time to come. a good cross section of the genre. of particular interest is the James M. Cain story which is one of the more perfect stories I've read, tailor made for my aesthetics
March 2, 2014
Other reviews of this collection often debated if all the stories selected for this book can truly be called “noir”. Since I struggle to even pronounce “noir” correctly, I will avoid that debate completely. These stories were dark and gritty and could I read no more than one or two a week often accompanied by a glass of wine for the nerves. Everyone will have their own favorites and their own dogs. I jumped around throughout the collection rather than reading in chronicnoligcal order but I found myself struggling through later selections (post 2000) with the exception of the final story, Lorenzo Carcaterra’s “Missing the Morning Bus” which still has me a bit creeped out even as I write this review. I have walked away with a list of new authors and books added to my “to read” list. I ended with a four star overall rating but I highly recommend that anyone interested in this genre (however you define it) pick up this collection and find your own favorites.
November 12, 2019
The most interesting part of this noir collection is editor Otto Penzler's foreword. He insists that the hard-boiled PI and true noir stories are fundamentally different. The former will always star a hero while the latter an antihero. This belief impacts the book a lot. The best and most recognizable writers of the genre - Hammett and Chandler does not show up, nor does anybody who follow their template. Interestingly Penzler also cites Taxi Driver as one of the best noirs after Hollywood golden age but does not mention Chinatown at all. Just strange choices all around.
For me noir is a very loose term for dark, cynical crime stories. The most recognizable feature being protagonists who are out of line with everybody around them because they see society for what it is and can't swallow the saccharine Kool-Aid any more. In noir characters create their own version of morality which has always fascinated me. While Marlowe (Chandler) and Robicheaux (Burke) use it as an excuse to draw up a moral code that only they understand, characters in Ace in the Hole and Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder) stop being bothered about the concept of morality. The cynicism, the lone wolf persona, the soul's slow seduction by corruption as personified by the ubiquitous femme fatale occur gradually. Maybe the Archers (R. Macdonald) and Spades (Hammett) are not as far gone as the characters in say Double Indemnity (Cain/ Chandler) or LA Confidential (Ellroy) but they absolutely qualify as noir to me as they undoubtedly walk the same road.
The stories are written by noir greats (Cain, Crumley), fan favorites (Block, Lehane), all time crime greats (Burke, Ellroy), writers who work in other genres (Oates, Gay), any random writer the editor was fond of (Wolven, Klavan) and everyone in between. All the writers are introduced by an interesting bio and almost everyone will discover a new author to catch up on. For me it was Browne. The stories are wildly inconsistent, some of them are not even noir so a casual fan hoping to discover the best the genre has to offer should stay away. However this tome has enough flashes of brilliance to be interesting to noir fans. Though be warned the last quarter is almost uniformly bad, containing authors no one has ever heard of.
At the end of the day this is more They Shoot Horses, Don't They rather than The Big Sleep. Ironically one of the best ones here is written by Browne who himself believed he had only one talent - copying Chandler. I love the first type as much as anyone could love utter Nihilism but more of the latter should have been here if not for convention's sake then at least for variety's. Should have had twenty odd stories instead of forty, that would remove most of the problems. If you are new to the genre and want a quick crash course, read/ watch all the titles and authors I mentioned rather than wasting your time here. Rating - 3/5
Individual Story Breakdown
I love the genre, so will review individual stories (and authors) briefly for anyone interested. And mainly because no one else has done it. Just a few shorter categories before that:
My personal favorites: Running Out Of Dog by Dennis Lehane, Man in the Dark by Howard Browne and Texas City, 1947 by James Lee Burke
Edgar Nominated/Winning Story: Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison, Poachers by Tom Franklin (winner), Crack by James W. Hall & Her Lord and Master by Andrew Klavan
1. Spurs (1923) by Tod Robins - Robins is a forgotten campy writer and a strange choice to start the collection with. A circus midget gets ambitious for money and love. That never works out in noir or does it? Wonky writing and a bit childish but interesting setting. 3/5
2. Pastorale (1928) by James M. Cain - One of the most recognizable classic noir authors to be featured. He has written an early draft of Double Indemnity in a rural town with a hick dialect. Not bad just bang average and unpolished. 3/5
3. You'll Always Remember Me (1938) by Steve Fisher - Fisher found more success as scriptwriter than novelist which is not fair as this is a corker. Narcissists make for such interesting narrators and the story lives up to the title. 5/5
4. Gun Crazy (1940) by Mackinlay Kantor - Pulitzer winning Kantor also wrote the source for Oscar winning The Best Years of Our Lives. (The movie has not held up) Kantor is not an author associated with noir. It is a predictable but well written story about one of those renegade outlaws that folklore immortalizes. 4/5
5. Nothing to Worry About (1945) by Day Keene - Prolific second tier pulp writer Keene spins his own version of noir's oldest plotline - A man wants to kill his spouse. Short, sweet, darkly humorous and a twist ending. The first true noir in the collection. 4/5
6. The Homecoming (1946) by Dorothy B. Hughes - Hughes was one of the first prominent female noir writers. Like her most famous book In a Lonely Place (one of Bogart's best performance) this one puts us in the head of a deranged protagonist. Dark and bleak. 4/5
7. Man in the Dark (1952) by Howard Browne - Browne known for the odd TV script and copying Chandler to the point of plagiarism has hit a home run with a novella about a missing wife. The extra word count really helps. Contains a lot more twists than the other stories combined and nails the atmosphere. Easily the best so far. 5/5
8. The Lady Says Die! (1953) by Mickey Spillane - Spillane is the precursor to writers like Lee Child and directors like Michael Bay. He prided himself on writing juvenile trash and has provided the worst story of the collection. An utterly stupid story on obsession with a lame twist. 1/5
9. Professional Man (1953) by David Goodis - Considered underrated by some, Goodis is also best known for a Bogart film - Dark Passage. A mob boss and his best hired killer falls for the same moll. Atmospheric and stylish though the powerful ending is not completely earned. 4/5
10. Hunger (1955) by Charles Beaumont - Beaumont died young so didn't get to live up to his early promise. A story about loneliness and lust, interesting themes but botched execution. Too surreal and too rushed to possess any depth. This was more horror than noir and completely missed the mark for me. 1/5
11. The Gesture (1956) by Gil Brewer - Brewer like Browne and Keene is an old workhorse of the genre. Wrote a lot of noir, only some was good. The shortest story in the collection. Pretty much a vehicle to spring the twist ending. 3/5
12. The Last Spin (1956) by Evan Hunter - Better known as Ed McBain (inventor of police procedurals) and also wrote the screenplay for one of the worst movies I have seen (Hitchcock's The Bird). He is brilliant here, two kids from opposing gangs play a dangerous game. Short, dark, satirical and powerful. 5/5
13. Forever After (1960) by Jim Thompson - Dimestore Dostoevsky is considered bleak even by noir standards and this one is no bed of roses. Another version of Double Indemnity that has a twist that would make O Henry proud. 4/5
14. For the Rest of Her Life (1968) by Cornell Woolrich - Woolrich is mainly known for Rear Window and his books were exactly like Hitchcock's films. They had a lot of tension but were light in terms of plot. A wife trying to get out of an abusive marriage makes for a similar narrative. Tense but forced and stupid. 2/5
15. The Dripping (1972) by David Morrell - Best known for writing Stallone's Rambo, Morrell should not have attempted anything more taxing than B movie bloodbaths. A man returns home to find his family under attack. An awkward ending completely ruins it. 2/5
16. Slowly, Slowly in the Wind (1979) by Patricia Highsmith - One of the most recognizable writers in the collection though I have never enjoyed a single movie made from her books. And I didn't find this one special either. A revenge story that just goes through the motion. 2/5
17. Iris (1984) by Stephen Greenleaf - Greenleaf is an above average writer who somehow never got his fifteen minutes of fame. This was good till the protagonist became comically inept to set up the climax. The ending is dark, going places where most writers don't go but it comes across as shocking for shocking's sake. 3/5
18. A Ticket Out (1987) by Brendan Dubois - Dubois has extensive experience writing short stories and it shows. Ambition turns to desperation as two teenagers look at an extreme course of action to escape their one horse town. Engaging, dark and tragic. 4/5
19. Since I Don't Have You (1988) by James Ellroy - One of crime fiction's best and most unique voice - Ellroy's signature staccato is absent but his other trademarks are present. Gritty post war LA setting, a rotten protagonist that some will recognize, forays into historical fiction and tremendously atmospheric. 4/5
20. Texas City, 1947 (1991) by James Lee Burke - By far the best writer in the collection, Burke is brilliant as always. More reminiscent of his early work, this is a stirring story about growing up. Vivid, emotional and powerful though I have read another version of this in Burke's own works. 5/5
21. Mefisto in Onyx (1993) by Harlan Ellison - Ellison an iconoclastic sci-fi/horror author merges genres effectively here. A mind reader has to visit a serial killer to determine his guilt. Lots of gotcha moments, great plotting but the writing tries too hard to be edgy. 4/5
22. Out There in the Darkness (1995) by Ed Gorman - Gorman is another of those talented genre writers who never made it big. Four bored Yuppies foil a burglary attempt but things go very wrong very quick. Stretches credibility now and then but pretty tense and entertaining. 4/5
23. Hot Springs (1996) by James Crumley - Too crude and bleak to ever become huge, Crumley however influenced almost every crime writer of note that followed. A perfect noir protagonist (perennially unlucky), lots of sex, some great lines and a killer ending makes this great. 4/5
24. The Weekender (1996) by Jeffery Deaver - Deaver famous for his Lincoln Rhymes series is one of those writers churning out mediocre annual bestsellers. Here a robbery turns into a hostage situation turns into a nightmare. Fun and fast paced but pretty farfetched. 3/5
25. Faithless (1997) by Joyce Carol Oates - Oates is one of the most prolific and critically reverred fiction writers of her time but I have no idea what she is doing in this collection. Well written character piece about a woman who went missing but this is in no way noir. 4/5
26. Poachers (1998) by Tom Franklin - Franklin seems confused regarding whether he is writing contemporary Southern fiction with hints of crime ala William Gay or a predominantly crime driven narrative with a literary slant ala Burke. Characters too shallow to work as former and ending too contrived to work as latter. 3/5
27. Like a Bone in the Throat (1998) by Lawrence Block - No crime author as prolific as Block has been as consistent or versatile. He has a record three Edgar wins in short story category and this shows why. A death row inmate and his victim's surviving family starts playing a cat and mouse game. Both dark and darkly funny. 4/5
28. Crack (1999) by James W. Hall - Completely unknown writer to me. Hall draws inspiration from noir's oldest plotine - lust derailing a pathetic man. Traces of both Lolita and Rear Window here, the illicit humor of the former and the latter's suspense makes it pretty good. 4/5
29. Running Out Of Dog (1999) by Dennis Lehane - Lehane at his best is as good as any writer the genre has ever seen. Both the book and him are at their best here. An excellent, sprawling story about a couple of Vietnam vets returning home. Old friendship are tested, old grudges simmer. Insightful and beautiful, Lehane is arresting. 5/5
30. The Paperhanger (2000) by William Gay - Gay is a mesmerizing writer but crime fiction is not his forte. A missing child case makes for an evocative story with the characters and a sense of place standing out. However the actual 'How' of the crime deserved a better explanation. 3/5
31. Midnight Emissions (2001) by F.X. Toole - Toole's only work of note is the source for Oscar winning Million Dollar Baby and this is also set in the boxing world. A grizzled, colloquial narrative voice creates an authentic setting and delivers a satisfying story about a boxer who got too big for his boots. 4/5
32. When the Women Come Out to Dance (2002) by Ellmore Leonard - Leonard is one of the biggest names to be featured here, however this is not his best work. Woman wants rich husband dead but does not read the fine print on the deal. Serviceable but nothing special. 3/5
33. Controlled Burn (2002) by Scott Wolven - Wolven has not even written a novel till date, or one I could find on GR but somehow he ends up here. Abrupt ending destroys what little this story about a man on the run had going for it. Atmospheric but nothing in terms of plot or characters. Pretentious waste of time. 1/5
34. All Through the House (2003) by Christopher Coake - Coake had more success teaching writing than doing it. If you can't do, you teach and if you can't do either you criticize. Verbose and predictable. Tries so hard to impress, that the sheer desperation is off-putting. 2/5
35. What She Offered (2005) by Thomas H. Cook - Cook has had considerable critical success but not a lot of sales. Here a noir writer meets a femme fatale, either it is meta commentary on the genre or Cook's heartfelt declaration that he needs a stalker. Who knows, luckily it is short enough that I did not mind its weirdness. 3/5
36. Her Lord and Master (2005) by Andrew Klavan - Klavan wrote a few atrocious movies and judging from this story a lot more awful books. This piece (calling it a story is stretching it) is an excuse for Klavan to share his discovery of BDSM and rape fantasy. Free porn makes his lesson juvenile and redundant. 1/5
37. Stab (2006) by Chris Adrian - Adrian is not even a writer, he is a doctor! Two little psychos go around killing animals. The huge narrative problem being one of them is an obvious suspect but no one thinks of it. It kept my attention but it was a bit artsy. 3/5
38. The Hoarder (2006) by Bradford Marrow - Another writer whose full time job is teaching rather than writing. An introvert gets obsessed with his brother's girlfriend. Well written but like all these creative writing professors Marrow could be a bit more economical with words. 3/5
39. Missing the Morning Bus (2007) by Lorenzo Carcaterra - Carcaterra is best known for a 1996 movie - Sleepers which was a disappointment in spite of a great cast. Here a man is sure one of his five poker buddies was having an affair with his wife. Good premise, bad ending. 3/5
For me noir is a very loose term for dark, cynical crime stories. The most recognizable feature being protagonists who are out of line with everybody around them because they see society for what it is and can't swallow the saccharine Kool-Aid any more. In noir characters create their own version of morality which has always fascinated me. While Marlowe (Chandler) and Robicheaux (Burke) use it as an excuse to draw up a moral code that only they understand, characters in Ace in the Hole and Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder) stop being bothered about the concept of morality. The cynicism, the lone wolf persona, the soul's slow seduction by corruption as personified by the ubiquitous femme fatale occur gradually. Maybe the Archers (R. Macdonald) and Spades (Hammett) are not as far gone as the characters in say Double Indemnity (Cain/ Chandler) or LA Confidential (Ellroy) but they absolutely qualify as noir to me as they undoubtedly walk the same road.
The stories are written by noir greats (Cain, Crumley), fan favorites (Block, Lehane), all time crime greats (Burke, Ellroy), writers who work in other genres (Oates, Gay), any random writer the editor was fond of (Wolven, Klavan) and everyone in between. All the writers are introduced by an interesting bio and almost everyone will discover a new author to catch up on. For me it was Browne. The stories are wildly inconsistent, some of them are not even noir so a casual fan hoping to discover the best the genre has to offer should stay away. However this tome has enough flashes of brilliance to be interesting to noir fans. Though be warned the last quarter is almost uniformly bad, containing authors no one has ever heard of.
At the end of the day this is more They Shoot Horses, Don't They rather than The Big Sleep. Ironically one of the best ones here is written by Browne who himself believed he had only one talent - copying Chandler. I love the first type as much as anyone could love utter Nihilism but more of the latter should have been here if not for convention's sake then at least for variety's. Should have had twenty odd stories instead of forty, that would remove most of the problems. If you are new to the genre and want a quick crash course, read/ watch all the titles and authors I mentioned rather than wasting your time here. Rating - 3/5
Individual Story Breakdown
I love the genre, so will review individual stories (and authors) briefly for anyone interested. And mainly because no one else has done it. Just a few shorter categories before that:
My personal favorites: Running Out Of Dog by Dennis Lehane, Man in the Dark by Howard Browne and Texas City, 1947 by James Lee Burke
Edgar Nominated/Winning Story: Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison, Poachers by Tom Franklin (winner), Crack by James W. Hall & Her Lord and Master by Andrew Klavan
1. Spurs (1923) by Tod Robins - Robins is a forgotten campy writer and a strange choice to start the collection with. A circus midget gets ambitious for money and love. That never works out in noir or does it? Wonky writing and a bit childish but interesting setting. 3/5
2. Pastorale (1928) by James M. Cain - One of the most recognizable classic noir authors to be featured. He has written an early draft of Double Indemnity in a rural town with a hick dialect. Not bad just bang average and unpolished. 3/5
3. You'll Always Remember Me (1938) by Steve Fisher - Fisher found more success as scriptwriter than novelist which is not fair as this is a corker. Narcissists make for such interesting narrators and the story lives up to the title. 5/5
4. Gun Crazy (1940) by Mackinlay Kantor - Pulitzer winning Kantor also wrote the source for Oscar winning The Best Years of Our Lives. (The movie has not held up) Kantor is not an author associated with noir. It is a predictable but well written story about one of those renegade outlaws that folklore immortalizes. 4/5
5. Nothing to Worry About (1945) by Day Keene - Prolific second tier pulp writer Keene spins his own version of noir's oldest plotline - A man wants to kill his spouse. Short, sweet, darkly humorous and a twist ending. The first true noir in the collection. 4/5
6. The Homecoming (1946) by Dorothy B. Hughes - Hughes was one of the first prominent female noir writers. Like her most famous book In a Lonely Place (one of Bogart's best performance) this one puts us in the head of a deranged protagonist. Dark and bleak. 4/5
7. Man in the Dark (1952) by Howard Browne - Browne known for the odd TV script and copying Chandler to the point of plagiarism has hit a home run with a novella about a missing wife. The extra word count really helps. Contains a lot more twists than the other stories combined and nails the atmosphere. Easily the best so far. 5/5
8. The Lady Says Die! (1953) by Mickey Spillane - Spillane is the precursor to writers like Lee Child and directors like Michael Bay. He prided himself on writing juvenile trash and has provided the worst story of the collection. An utterly stupid story on obsession with a lame twist. 1/5
9. Professional Man (1953) by David Goodis - Considered underrated by some, Goodis is also best known for a Bogart film - Dark Passage. A mob boss and his best hired killer falls for the same moll. Atmospheric and stylish though the powerful ending is not completely earned. 4/5
10. Hunger (1955) by Charles Beaumont - Beaumont died young so didn't get to live up to his early promise. A story about loneliness and lust, interesting themes but botched execution. Too surreal and too rushed to possess any depth. This was more horror than noir and completely missed the mark for me. 1/5
11. The Gesture (1956) by Gil Brewer - Brewer like Browne and Keene is an old workhorse of the genre. Wrote a lot of noir, only some was good. The shortest story in the collection. Pretty much a vehicle to spring the twist ending. 3/5
12. The Last Spin (1956) by Evan Hunter - Better known as Ed McBain (inventor of police procedurals) and also wrote the screenplay for one of the worst movies I have seen (Hitchcock's The Bird). He is brilliant here, two kids from opposing gangs play a dangerous game. Short, dark, satirical and powerful. 5/5
13. Forever After (1960) by Jim Thompson - Dimestore Dostoevsky is considered bleak even by noir standards and this one is no bed of roses. Another version of Double Indemnity that has a twist that would make O Henry proud. 4/5
14. For the Rest of Her Life (1968) by Cornell Woolrich - Woolrich is mainly known for Rear Window and his books were exactly like Hitchcock's films. They had a lot of tension but were light in terms of plot. A wife trying to get out of an abusive marriage makes for a similar narrative. Tense but forced and stupid. 2/5
15. The Dripping (1972) by David Morrell - Best known for writing Stallone's Rambo, Morrell should not have attempted anything more taxing than B movie bloodbaths. A man returns home to find his family under attack. An awkward ending completely ruins it. 2/5
16. Slowly, Slowly in the Wind (1979) by Patricia Highsmith - One of the most recognizable writers in the collection though I have never enjoyed a single movie made from her books. And I didn't find this one special either. A revenge story that just goes through the motion. 2/5
17. Iris (1984) by Stephen Greenleaf - Greenleaf is an above average writer who somehow never got his fifteen minutes of fame. This was good till the protagonist became comically inept to set up the climax. The ending is dark, going places where most writers don't go but it comes across as shocking for shocking's sake. 3/5
18. A Ticket Out (1987) by Brendan Dubois - Dubois has extensive experience writing short stories and it shows. Ambition turns to desperation as two teenagers look at an extreme course of action to escape their one horse town. Engaging, dark and tragic. 4/5
19. Since I Don't Have You (1988) by James Ellroy - One of crime fiction's best and most unique voice - Ellroy's signature staccato is absent but his other trademarks are present. Gritty post war LA setting, a rotten protagonist that some will recognize, forays into historical fiction and tremendously atmospheric. 4/5
20. Texas City, 1947 (1991) by James Lee Burke - By far the best writer in the collection, Burke is brilliant as always. More reminiscent of his early work, this is a stirring story about growing up. Vivid, emotional and powerful though I have read another version of this in Burke's own works. 5/5
21. Mefisto in Onyx (1993) by Harlan Ellison - Ellison an iconoclastic sci-fi/horror author merges genres effectively here. A mind reader has to visit a serial killer to determine his guilt. Lots of gotcha moments, great plotting but the writing tries too hard to be edgy. 4/5
22. Out There in the Darkness (1995) by Ed Gorman - Gorman is another of those talented genre writers who never made it big. Four bored Yuppies foil a burglary attempt but things go very wrong very quick. Stretches credibility now and then but pretty tense and entertaining. 4/5
23. Hot Springs (1996) by James Crumley - Too crude and bleak to ever become huge, Crumley however influenced almost every crime writer of note that followed. A perfect noir protagonist (perennially unlucky), lots of sex, some great lines and a killer ending makes this great. 4/5
24. The Weekender (1996) by Jeffery Deaver - Deaver famous for his Lincoln Rhymes series is one of those writers churning out mediocre annual bestsellers. Here a robbery turns into a hostage situation turns into a nightmare. Fun and fast paced but pretty farfetched. 3/5
25. Faithless (1997) by Joyce Carol Oates - Oates is one of the most prolific and critically reverred fiction writers of her time but I have no idea what she is doing in this collection. Well written character piece about a woman who went missing but this is in no way noir. 4/5
26. Poachers (1998) by Tom Franklin - Franklin seems confused regarding whether he is writing contemporary Southern fiction with hints of crime ala William Gay or a predominantly crime driven narrative with a literary slant ala Burke. Characters too shallow to work as former and ending too contrived to work as latter. 3/5
27. Like a Bone in the Throat (1998) by Lawrence Block - No crime author as prolific as Block has been as consistent or versatile. He has a record three Edgar wins in short story category and this shows why. A death row inmate and his victim's surviving family starts playing a cat and mouse game. Both dark and darkly funny. 4/5
28. Crack (1999) by James W. Hall - Completely unknown writer to me. Hall draws inspiration from noir's oldest plotine - lust derailing a pathetic man. Traces of both Lolita and Rear Window here, the illicit humor of the former and the latter's suspense makes it pretty good. 4/5
29. Running Out Of Dog (1999) by Dennis Lehane - Lehane at his best is as good as any writer the genre has ever seen. Both the book and him are at their best here. An excellent, sprawling story about a couple of Vietnam vets returning home. Old friendship are tested, old grudges simmer. Insightful and beautiful, Lehane is arresting. 5/5
30. The Paperhanger (2000) by William Gay - Gay is a mesmerizing writer but crime fiction is not his forte. A missing child case makes for an evocative story with the characters and a sense of place standing out. However the actual 'How' of the crime deserved a better explanation. 3/5
31. Midnight Emissions (2001) by F.X. Toole - Toole's only work of note is the source for Oscar winning Million Dollar Baby and this is also set in the boxing world. A grizzled, colloquial narrative voice creates an authentic setting and delivers a satisfying story about a boxer who got too big for his boots. 4/5
32. When the Women Come Out to Dance (2002) by Ellmore Leonard - Leonard is one of the biggest names to be featured here, however this is not his best work. Woman wants rich husband dead but does not read the fine print on the deal. Serviceable but nothing special. 3/5
33. Controlled Burn (2002) by Scott Wolven - Wolven has not even written a novel till date, or one I could find on GR but somehow he ends up here. Abrupt ending destroys what little this story about a man on the run had going for it. Atmospheric but nothing in terms of plot or characters. Pretentious waste of time. 1/5
34. All Through the House (2003) by Christopher Coake - Coake had more success teaching writing than doing it. If you can't do, you teach and if you can't do either you criticize. Verbose and predictable. Tries so hard to impress, that the sheer desperation is off-putting. 2/5
35. What She Offered (2005) by Thomas H. Cook - Cook has had considerable critical success but not a lot of sales. Here a noir writer meets a femme fatale, either it is meta commentary on the genre or Cook's heartfelt declaration that he needs a stalker. Who knows, luckily it is short enough that I did not mind its weirdness. 3/5
36. Her Lord and Master (2005) by Andrew Klavan - Klavan wrote a few atrocious movies and judging from this story a lot more awful books. This piece (calling it a story is stretching it) is an excuse for Klavan to share his discovery of BDSM and rape fantasy. Free porn makes his lesson juvenile and redundant. 1/5
37. Stab (2006) by Chris Adrian - Adrian is not even a writer, he is a doctor! Two little psychos go around killing animals. The huge narrative problem being one of them is an obvious suspect but no one thinks of it. It kept my attention but it was a bit artsy. 3/5
38. The Hoarder (2006) by Bradford Marrow - Another writer whose full time job is teaching rather than writing. An introvert gets obsessed with his brother's girlfriend. Well written but like all these creative writing professors Marrow could be a bit more economical with words. 3/5
39. Missing the Morning Bus (2007) by Lorenzo Carcaterra - Carcaterra is best known for a 1996 movie - Sleepers which was a disappointment in spite of a great cast. Here a man is sure one of his five poker buddies was having an affair with his wife. Good premise, bad ending. 3/5
Read
December 23, 2016Spurs by Tod Robbins
A circus story from 1930s a tale of a small man, part of the freak show side the circus, with a big heart for a beautiful horseback rider. A match not possibly made in heaven as the bride to be has other plans for her new husband. Her heart is cold for him but warm for wealth, she plots and advises of her plans to a different person she wishes to be married to in the future also a performer in their circus. The small man turns out to be harder to crack than she thought and she finds the tables have turned.
You can only think that she is to blame in the end due to her own evil plan.
Very good story filled with wonderful characters and setting with a noir theme. I loved how he twisted the story with the bizarre.
This story was the basis for a classic noir film Freaks in 1932.
Pastorale by James M. Cain
Traditional noir story in the style of which the author James Cain is known for.
Most of his stories involve a man and woman in love and deceit.
In this story, his first published story, he has a woman who wants out of a marriage and plots with her lover a deadly end to her husbands life. They get help from an ex-con her lover knows, which was not a good idea.
The secret must not get out on who is the killer.
Misfits, affairs and murder written by one of the master writers of noir literature James M. Cain.
Gun crazy by Mackinlay Kantor
Story of Young boys and fascination with guns at young ages of six upwards. One boy grows up to be a gun crazy gunslinger and bank robber Nelson Tare.
He also becomes a stunt shooter and teams up with a female counterpart and together in love they rob from banks and arson the run a wanted duo.
One lesson they learn is that their love of the gun went too far and left them with a grim ending.
Nice noir story that tells how a group of friends are on one occasion children and then another adults changed, some law abiding citizens and one other a ruthless wanted man.
A good read of the collection.
This was the basis for a movie of the same name and the screenplay was written by this author also.
Nothing To Worry About by Day Keene
Noir killing off the wife story. A assistant attorney sees his heavy drinking wife as an obstacle for him making to the top as a senator.
This short story walks you through the killing of her in pitch darkness of a room. Theres only one thing there is something to worry about. A good one to read.
"The art of killing, the three Ms, means, method, motive had changed little in the known history of man. To take a life, one still had to shoot, knife, drown, strike, strangle, or poison the party of the unwanted part.
And, as with the most basic refinements to the art of living, the first known method of murder used- that of striking the party to be removed with whatever object came first to hand-was still the most difficult of detection, providing of course that the party who did the striking could maintain a reasonable plea of being elsewhere at the time."
The Homecoming by Dorothy B. Hughes
This author was the first female to fall squarely in the hard-boiled school.
This is a short tight psychological and visceral story.
Jealousy, love and murder.
One man Benny finds a friend Jim, since college days, a threat he is noticed and Benny is not. He went off to war and received medals where our murderer did his service on the home ground. While the Jim the top man was away in war he and Nan got on well and he loved her. Jim returns and enters the welcoming arms of Nan. Benny hates Jim for taking his woman and everything about him, murder is running in his veins.
The story takes you through Benny's removal of Jim but accidents do happen in the cause of things.
Nice little treat it opens with a great sentence.
"It was a dark night, a small-wind night, the night on which evil things could happen, might happen."
Also in the story..
"He no longer feared the sound and shadow behind him.
There was no terror as bad as the hurt in his head and his heart.
As he moved on without direction he saw through the mist the pinprick of green in the night. He knew then where he was going, where he must go. The tears ran down his cheeks into his mouth. They tasted like blood."
The Lady Says Die! By Mike Spillane
Two rival businessmen friends. One guy who wants everything the other has his eyes on ends up died, suicide. The living one becomes suspected but he's far from plunging the man to his death. He only guilty of playing with the dead mans ego.
Another good little noir story from an author who is more known for penning novels than short stories.
The Gesture by Gil Brewer
A husband and wife live in a remote location. They have a guest staying over and the husband becomes extremely jealous of this younger man to the extent that he plans to kill him. He stumbles upon letter written by the guest that addresses their married life that reflection from a third party changes his whole intentions.
Surprising twist to this noir short.
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter
A shocking little noir short of two young gang members round a table settling a score with a smith and wesson .38 police special.
The modus operandi is Russian Roulette.
A good story i was hoping they quit the spinning and made friends. Who will it bulket fall on? Tigo or Danny?
"Danny slapped the cylinder with his left hand. The cylinder whirled, whirled, and then stopped. Slowly, Danny put the gun to his head. He wanted to close his eyes, but he didnt dare. Tigo, the enemy, was watching him. He returned Tigo's stare, and then over the roar of his blood he heard the empty click. Hastily, he put the gun down on the table."
Forever After by Jim Thompson
Another wife in an affair and killing off the husband story. This one about double indemnity. Jim Thompson characters and writing, similar story to that of James m cain's works.
Poor woman he does add his own turn of events to the tale.
Great little Thompson noir treat.
The Dripping by David Morrell
Before he published First Blood and Creepers he published this. This was his first published story, a story of suspense and horror.
A man returns home to find dire circumstances, blood and more blood. Something tells you he is treading familiar ground deja vu.
A real good short story, a pleasant surprise of macabre of the most twisted kind.
"Perhaps he is still in the house, waiting for me.
To the hollow sickness in my stomach now comes fear, hot, pulsing, and i am frantic before i realize what i am doing- grabbing the spare cane my mother always keeps by her bed, flicking on the light in her room, throwing open the closet door and striking in with the cane. Viciously, sounds coming from my throat, the can flailing among the faded dresses.
No one. Under the bed. No one. Behind the door. No one."
A circus story from 1930s a tale of a small man, part of the freak show side the circus, with a big heart for a beautiful horseback rider. A match not possibly made in heaven as the bride to be has other plans for her new husband. Her heart is cold for him but warm for wealth, she plots and advises of her plans to a different person she wishes to be married to in the future also a performer in their circus. The small man turns out to be harder to crack than she thought and she finds the tables have turned.
You can only think that she is to blame in the end due to her own evil plan.
Very good story filled with wonderful characters and setting with a noir theme. I loved how he twisted the story with the bizarre.
This story was the basis for a classic noir film Freaks in 1932.
Pastorale by James M. Cain
Traditional noir story in the style of which the author James Cain is known for.
Most of his stories involve a man and woman in love and deceit.
In this story, his first published story, he has a woman who wants out of a marriage and plots with her lover a deadly end to her husbands life. They get help from an ex-con her lover knows, which was not a good idea.
The secret must not get out on who is the killer.
Misfits, affairs and murder written by one of the master writers of noir literature James M. Cain.
Gun crazy by Mackinlay Kantor
Story of Young boys and fascination with guns at young ages of six upwards. One boy grows up to be a gun crazy gunslinger and bank robber Nelson Tare.
He also becomes a stunt shooter and teams up with a female counterpart and together in love they rob from banks and arson the run a wanted duo.
One lesson they learn is that their love of the gun went too far and left them with a grim ending.
Nice noir story that tells how a group of friends are on one occasion children and then another adults changed, some law abiding citizens and one other a ruthless wanted man.
A good read of the collection.
This was the basis for a movie of the same name and the screenplay was written by this author also.
Nothing To Worry About by Day Keene
Noir killing off the wife story. A assistant attorney sees his heavy drinking wife as an obstacle for him making to the top as a senator.
This short story walks you through the killing of her in pitch darkness of a room. Theres only one thing there is something to worry about. A good one to read.
"The art of killing, the three Ms, means, method, motive had changed little in the known history of man. To take a life, one still had to shoot, knife, drown, strike, strangle, or poison the party of the unwanted part.
And, as with the most basic refinements to the art of living, the first known method of murder used- that of striking the party to be removed with whatever object came first to hand-was still the most difficult of detection, providing of course that the party who did the striking could maintain a reasonable plea of being elsewhere at the time."
The Homecoming by Dorothy B. Hughes
This author was the first female to fall squarely in the hard-boiled school.
This is a short tight psychological and visceral story.
Jealousy, love and murder.
One man Benny finds a friend Jim, since college days, a threat he is noticed and Benny is not. He went off to war and received medals where our murderer did his service on the home ground. While the Jim the top man was away in war he and Nan got on well and he loved her. Jim returns and enters the welcoming arms of Nan. Benny hates Jim for taking his woman and everything about him, murder is running in his veins.
The story takes you through Benny's removal of Jim but accidents do happen in the cause of things.
Nice little treat it opens with a great sentence.
"It was a dark night, a small-wind night, the night on which evil things could happen, might happen."
Also in the story..
"He no longer feared the sound and shadow behind him.
There was no terror as bad as the hurt in his head and his heart.
As he moved on without direction he saw through the mist the pinprick of green in the night. He knew then where he was going, where he must go. The tears ran down his cheeks into his mouth. They tasted like blood."
The Lady Says Die! By Mike Spillane
Two rival businessmen friends. One guy who wants everything the other has his eyes on ends up died, suicide. The living one becomes suspected but he's far from plunging the man to his death. He only guilty of playing with the dead mans ego.
Another good little noir story from an author who is more known for penning novels than short stories.
The Gesture by Gil Brewer
A husband and wife live in a remote location. They have a guest staying over and the husband becomes extremely jealous of this younger man to the extent that he plans to kill him. He stumbles upon letter written by the guest that addresses their married life that reflection from a third party changes his whole intentions.
Surprising twist to this noir short.
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter
A shocking little noir short of two young gang members round a table settling a score with a smith and wesson .38 police special.
The modus operandi is Russian Roulette.
A good story i was hoping they quit the spinning and made friends. Who will it bulket fall on? Tigo or Danny?
"Danny slapped the cylinder with his left hand. The cylinder whirled, whirled, and then stopped. Slowly, Danny put the gun to his head. He wanted to close his eyes, but he didnt dare. Tigo, the enemy, was watching him. He returned Tigo's stare, and then over the roar of his blood he heard the empty click. Hastily, he put the gun down on the table."
Forever After by Jim Thompson
Another wife in an affair and killing off the husband story. This one about double indemnity. Jim Thompson characters and writing, similar story to that of James m cain's works.
Poor woman he does add his own turn of events to the tale.
Great little Thompson noir treat.
The Dripping by David Morrell
Before he published First Blood and Creepers he published this. This was his first published story, a story of suspense and horror.
A man returns home to find dire circumstances, blood and more blood. Something tells you he is treading familiar ground deja vu.
A real good short story, a pleasant surprise of macabre of the most twisted kind.
"Perhaps he is still in the house, waiting for me.
To the hollow sickness in my stomach now comes fear, hot, pulsing, and i am frantic before i realize what i am doing- grabbing the spare cane my mother always keeps by her bed, flicking on the light in her room, throwing open the closet door and striking in with the cane. Viciously, sounds coming from my throat, the can flailing among the faded dresses.
No one. Under the bed. No one. Behind the door. No one."
January 7, 2011
When a book boasts the monumental declaration, The Best American Noir of the Century, it damn well better stand up to scrutiny—all prodigious 752 pages of it. And so it was with relish that I tucked into this meaty and bloody feast from arguably the finest literary writers of noir America has ever produced, hoping for some tasty morsels. The Best American Noir of the Century is a colossal collection of 39 short stories dating from as far back as 1923, right up to 2007, and selected by James Ellroy and Otto Penzler, neither of whom need an introduction to any noir/crime aficionado. They are all there in this anthology, the greats synonymous with noir: James M. Cain to James Lee Burke, alongside Dorothy B. Hughes and Joyce Carol Oates—each giving us their different web-like spin on the dark worlds they weave so proficiently. In his introduction, Ellroy writes: “Noir is the most scrutinized offshoot of the hard-boiled school of fiction. It’s the long drop off the short pier and the wrong man and the wrong woman in perfect misalliance. It’s the nightmare of flawed souls with big dreams and the precise how and why of the all-time sure thing that goes bad.” And that’s noir in a nutshell: flawed souls and sure things going bad, usually in the shape of a PI spinning too many plates for his own good, or a hard-working detective keeping his cards too close to his chest and ending up bad. Surprisingly though, The Best American Noir of the Century has few if any PIs and detectives gracing the pages. Penzler gives reasoning, of sorts, behind this salient omission by drawing a clear line in his definition of noir, explaining in the foreword that he considers private detective fiction and noir fiction to have “mutually exclusive philosophical premises.” Not every noir fan will agree with that premise. No doubt that was the argument for excluding such greats as Dashiell Hammett, the father of hardboiled noir, as well as Raymond Chandler, the king of gunshots in dark and smoky rooms. To their credit, however, Penzler and Ellroy have included stories and writers not normally associated with noir—or at least noir in its purest form. David Morrell’s “The Dripping” is an intense horror story, and the proficient Harlan Ellison gives us the terrifically titled, “Mefisto in Onyx,” a science fiction tale, which, in fact is more a novella than a short story. Most of the 39 tales in this collection appeared originally in magazines and pulps such as Manhunt and Black Mask, but also in the more literary American Mercury, Southern Review, and Omni. This compilation intelligently provides brief bios about each author before delving into their contributions. It is interesting to see how the genre has evolved over the long dark years of noir, and The Best American Noir of the Century acts as a de facto stepping-stone in explaining its evolution. Spoilt for choice is an understatement when trying to pick a favorite story from all the gems on offer. The selection is uniformly impressive. Brendan DuBois’ brilliant “A Ticket Out,” James W. Hall’s “Crack,” Stephen Greenleaf’s, “Iris,” Evan Hunter’s totally absorbing “The Last Spin,” F. X. Toole (Jerry Boyd) delivers another knockout punch with “Midnight Emissions,” and Ed Gorman’s, “Out There in the Darkness”—all top my own list for originality and terrific writing. But each reader will have their own and for entirely different reasons. These are gritty, dark stories with leading characters full of flaws with little redemption waiting for them in their future. Everything about The Best American Noir of the Century oozes class, and not just from the authors and editors. The publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is to be commended for pulling out all the stops and not skimping on the costs on this edition, giving us a beautifully designed book with a translucent cover. Once the cover is removed, it reveals a classic noir scene of bloody interrogation being noted by an observing scribe. Well worth its impressive weight in gold, it would be a crime not to have this seminal masterpiece in your collection.
July 6, 2015
En esta antología conformada por diez relatos, encontramos las plumas de los autores estadounidenses más reconocidos dentro del género negro. Cada una de las historias contenidas en este libro, nos presentan personajes sórdidos, corrompidos, perseguidos por el pasado y dispuestos a matar con tal de obtener una venganza, dinero o incluso amor.
La calidad de todos los relatos es buena, sin embargo, para mi existieron tres que sobresalieron: "Lenta, lentamente al viento" de Patricia Highsmith, "Infiel" de Joyce Carol Oates y "Como un hueso en la garganta" de Lawrence Block.
Reseña completa: https://vikingalectora.wordpress.com/...
La calidad de todos los relatos es buena, sin embargo, para mi existieron tres que sobresalieron: "Lenta, lentamente al viento" de Patricia Highsmith, "Infiel" de Joyce Carol Oates y "Como un hueso en la garganta" de Lawrence Block.
Reseña completa: https://vikingalectora.wordpress.com/...
September 27, 2019
This is one is awesome. Yes, there are great , good, ok, and not so good stories, but it is just such a well put together collection. The kindle edition has a contents page; you click on a story, get a short bio followed by what more often than not is a coffee time read, and when you finish the story, there is a link that takes you right back to the contents. Some great stories and a fantastic James Ellroy introduction that I think really nails the concept of noir.
August 21, 2012
Favourite Stories:
Tod Robbins "Spurs" - Dark and funny
Steve Fisher "You'll Always Remember Me" - Salinger-esque
Day Keene "Nothing to Worry About" - Dark and funny
Howard Browne "Man in the Dark" - Classic Noir
David Goodis "Professional Man" - Good ending
Charles Beaumont "The Hunger" - Creepy
Evan Hunter "The Last Spin" - Cute
Cornell Woolrich "For the Rest of Her Life" - Really dark
David Morell "The Dripping" - Really creepy
Patricia Highsmith "Slowly, Slowly in the Wind" - Dark and funny
James Lee Burke "Texas City, 1947" - Good ending
Ed Gorman "Out There in the Darkness" - Scary and suspenseful
Jeffery Deaver "The Weekender" - Good ending
Tom Franklin "Poachers" - Great imagery
Christopher Coake "All Through the House" - Cool reverse chronological story
Andrew Klavan "Her Lord and Master" - Dark, funny, and kinky
"See, when the police find a corpse in Texas, their first question ain't who done it, it's what did the dead do to deserve it."
- 'Midnight Emissions' by F.X. Toole
Tod Robbins "Spurs" - Dark and funny
Steve Fisher "You'll Always Remember Me" - Salinger-esque
Day Keene "Nothing to Worry About" - Dark and funny
Howard Browne "Man in the Dark" - Classic Noir
David Goodis "Professional Man" - Good ending
Charles Beaumont "The Hunger" - Creepy
Evan Hunter "The Last Spin" - Cute
Cornell Woolrich "For the Rest of Her Life" - Really dark
David Morell "The Dripping" - Really creepy
Patricia Highsmith "Slowly, Slowly in the Wind" - Dark and funny
James Lee Burke "Texas City, 1947" - Good ending
Ed Gorman "Out There in the Darkness" - Scary and suspenseful
Jeffery Deaver "The Weekender" - Good ending
Tom Franklin "Poachers" - Great imagery
Christopher Coake "All Through the House" - Cool reverse chronological story
Andrew Klavan "Her Lord and Master" - Dark, funny, and kinky
"See, when the police find a corpse in Texas, their first question ain't who done it, it's what did the dead do to deserve it."
- 'Midnight Emissions' by F.X. Toole
February 12, 2017
-Género y literatura pueden ir de la mano. ¿No me creen? Echen un vistazo a esta recopilación y verán.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de relatos noir, aunque realmente sería más preciso hablar de relatos Hard Boiled (que no son lo mismo en realidad, por más que estén emparentados) e, incluso, de literatura en general en varias ocasiones por más que se muevan en temáticas comunes en lo más amplio de su generalidad, elegidos entre lo más destacado de la narrativa americana de género por Otto Penzler, autor del prólogo, y de James Ellroy, autor de la introducción y, cómo no, de uno de los relatos, pero una edición española con la mitad de trabajos cortos que en su edici��n original.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de relatos noir, aunque realmente sería más preciso hablar de relatos Hard Boiled (que no son lo mismo en realidad, por más que estén emparentados) e, incluso, de literatura en general en varias ocasiones por más que se muevan en temáticas comunes en lo más amplio de su generalidad, elegidos entre lo más destacado de la narrativa americana de género por Otto Penzler, autor del prólogo, y de James Ellroy, autor de la introducción y, cómo no, de uno de los relatos, pero una edición española con la mitad de trabajos cortos que en su edici��n original.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
December 14, 2018
The first thing we usually talk about when we talk about noir is what is it? I belong to a Facebook group on film noir and much of the discussion is whether a particular film is noir or not. Most of the time I have a "I know it when I see it" attitude about it, but film noir should concern both a crime and a protagonist of dubious morality, who is destroyed by his greed, a woman, or both. They should not have happy endings.
The term was coined by a French critic in 1946 to characterize Hollywood crime dramas that were influenced by German expressionism, especially the use of shadows and chiaroscuro. The makers of these films had no idea that they were making anything called "noir."
Noir has, by extension, become a category of literature, and again, there were noir stories before there was a word for it. James Ellroy, a crackerjack noir writer himself, and Otto Penzler, who owns the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, teamed up to compile a huge book called The Best American Noir of the Century. This title is a little misleading, as it covers 84 years, from 1923 to 2007. The stories are in chronological order, but are heavily weighted to the present.
So what do Ellroy and Penzler consider noir? Penzler divorces the private eye story from noir: "Noir works...are existential, pessimistic tales about people...who are seriously flawed and morally questionable. The tone is generally bleak and nihilistic, with characters whose greed, lust, jealousy, and alienation lead them into a downward spiral as their plans and schemes inevitably go awry.
"The private detective story is a different matter entirely. Raymond Chandler famously likened the private eye to a knight, a man who could walk mean streets but not himself be mean, and this is true of the overwhelming majority of those heroic figures." Thus, this collection has no Chandler, no Dashiell Hammet, or Ross McDonald. Instead they are stories that make you rethink your love the humanity. As Penzler closes his foreword, "If you find light and hilarity in these pages, I strongly recommend a visit to a mental health professional."
I honestly didn't dislike any of the stories in this collection, though some are much better than others. The collection kicks off with "Spurs," by Tod Robbins, which was the basis for Tod Browning's film Freaks. Other early stories are by James M. Cain, McKinlay Kantor ("Gun Crazy," the basis for the groundbreaking film), Mickey Spillane, David Goodis, Evan Hunter, and Jim Thompson. Giddis' story, "Professional Man," is one of my favorites, about a cold-blooded hit man who is ordered to whack his own girlfriend. Another favorite is "Texas City, 1947," by James Lee Burke, about some boys, an errant father, and a mean stepmother.
Harlan Ellison contributes "sci-fi noir" with "Mefisto in Onyx," about a man who can jump into other's people's minds, and James Crumley writes a particularly nasty story called "Hot Springs," in which a man runs off with the very young wife of a hillbilly crime boss. I also especially liked "Poachers," by Tom Franklin, about a couple of brothers who live in the swamp and the game warden who tries to catch them.
Among the later stories are pieces by Lawrence Block, Elmore Leonard, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jeffrey Deaver. Andrew Klavan writes a story redolent with S&M that his own agent wouldn't try to sell ("Her Lord and Master") and Chris Adrian has "Stab," a disturbing story about a young boy who tags along with a girl who has a passion for killing neighborhood pets. Thomas H. Cook writes a story ("What She Offered") about perhaps the ultimate femme fatale, a woman who offers a suicide pact to the man she picks up in a bar. It contains some quintessential noir prose:
"To black, she offered one concession. A string of small white pearls. Everything else, the hat, the dress, the stockings, the shoes, the little purse...everything else was black. And so, what she offered at that first glimpse was just the old B movie stereotype of the dangerous woman, the broad-billed that discreetly covers one eye, high heels tapping on rain-slicked streets, foreign currency in the small black purse. She offered the spy, the murderess, the lure of a secret past, and, of course, that little hint of erotic peril."
Noir is easily parodied, as Garrison Keillor has done for years, but when it is done right, it escapes the bounds of parody and shakes the heart. For any fan of the genre, this volume is a must.
The term was coined by a French critic in 1946 to characterize Hollywood crime dramas that were influenced by German expressionism, especially the use of shadows and chiaroscuro. The makers of these films had no idea that they were making anything called "noir."
Noir has, by extension, become a category of literature, and again, there were noir stories before there was a word for it. James Ellroy, a crackerjack noir writer himself, and Otto Penzler, who owns the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, teamed up to compile a huge book called The Best American Noir of the Century. This title is a little misleading, as it covers 84 years, from 1923 to 2007. The stories are in chronological order, but are heavily weighted to the present.
So what do Ellroy and Penzler consider noir? Penzler divorces the private eye story from noir: "Noir works...are existential, pessimistic tales about people...who are seriously flawed and morally questionable. The tone is generally bleak and nihilistic, with characters whose greed, lust, jealousy, and alienation lead them into a downward spiral as their plans and schemes inevitably go awry.
"The private detective story is a different matter entirely. Raymond Chandler famously likened the private eye to a knight, a man who could walk mean streets but not himself be mean, and this is true of the overwhelming majority of those heroic figures." Thus, this collection has no Chandler, no Dashiell Hammet, or Ross McDonald. Instead they are stories that make you rethink your love the humanity. As Penzler closes his foreword, "If you find light and hilarity in these pages, I strongly recommend a visit to a mental health professional."
I honestly didn't dislike any of the stories in this collection, though some are much better than others. The collection kicks off with "Spurs," by Tod Robbins, which was the basis for Tod Browning's film Freaks. Other early stories are by James M. Cain, McKinlay Kantor ("Gun Crazy," the basis for the groundbreaking film), Mickey Spillane, David Goodis, Evan Hunter, and Jim Thompson. Giddis' story, "Professional Man," is one of my favorites, about a cold-blooded hit man who is ordered to whack his own girlfriend. Another favorite is "Texas City, 1947," by James Lee Burke, about some boys, an errant father, and a mean stepmother.
Harlan Ellison contributes "sci-fi noir" with "Mefisto in Onyx," about a man who can jump into other's people's minds, and James Crumley writes a particularly nasty story called "Hot Springs," in which a man runs off with the very young wife of a hillbilly crime boss. I also especially liked "Poachers," by Tom Franklin, about a couple of brothers who live in the swamp and the game warden who tries to catch them.
Among the later stories are pieces by Lawrence Block, Elmore Leonard, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jeffrey Deaver. Andrew Klavan writes a story redolent with S&M that his own agent wouldn't try to sell ("Her Lord and Master") and Chris Adrian has "Stab," a disturbing story about a young boy who tags along with a girl who has a passion for killing neighborhood pets. Thomas H. Cook writes a story ("What She Offered") about perhaps the ultimate femme fatale, a woman who offers a suicide pact to the man she picks up in a bar. It contains some quintessential noir prose:
"To black, she offered one concession. A string of small white pearls. Everything else, the hat, the dress, the stockings, the shoes, the little purse...everything else was black. And so, what she offered at that first glimpse was just the old B movie stereotype of the dangerous woman, the broad-billed that discreetly covers one eye, high heels tapping on rain-slicked streets, foreign currency in the small black purse. She offered the spy, the murderess, the lure of a secret past, and, of course, that little hint of erotic peril."
Noir is easily parodied, as Garrison Keillor has done for years, but when it is done right, it escapes the bounds of parody and shakes the heart. For any fan of the genre, this volume is a must.
Want to read
September 29, 2011This book is wrongly named. It claims to contain the best American noir of the century - but which century is that? The collection covers the years 1923 to 2007, which is 84 years from two different centuries. Also, a lot of the best American noir is found in novel form. So this book should really have been called 'The Best American Noir Short Stories from an 84-year period' except that doesn't have the same ring, does it?
Ah well. This will be another of those story-by-story reviews that I keep updating until I finish the book in question. So here goes.
Todd Robbins - 'Spurs': Apparently this is the story that inspired the movie 'Freaks', which I haven't seen and would like too. Anyway, this is a dark little tale that is told in an initially whimsical style that, together with the French travelling-entertainers setting reminded me of Paul Gallico's Love Of Seven Dolls - but boy, did this story ever choose to travel down a much, much darker route. There's a great scene where all the freaks are at a party, and each of them is preening, thinking he or she is the superfreak, the one that draws the crowds in at their shows, and then someone gets mad at someone else and all their seething resentment of each other erupts in one big brawl. No community among freaks, then, and why should there be, they're all dependent upon what little income they can generate from the straights, so they're naturally pitted against each other. That's hellish. Even more hellish is the fate that awaits the character that you initially fancy will come out of this pretty well. Very dark and effective stuff.
James M. Cain - 'Pastorale': Very different from the urban noir he would become famous for, but this little rural sonata transforms quite rapidly into a funeral march that's as grim and bitter as anything he wrote later on. The tone of voice is a bit of a surprise - I've read Ring Lardner and I never really warmed up to that sort of hick-dialect storytelling - but for once it goes really well with the story of a backwoods loser who just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. It's a nice curiosity, but Cain would go on to do better stuff.
Steve Fisher - 'You'll Always Remember Me': This is a tale about a very young psychopath. It's effective, but that animal cruelty scene really got under my skin. Your mileage will vary of course, but I work with abandoned and injured kittens a lot and even as a piece of fiction that one particular scene just made me feel sick. Other than that, this story is nothing especially new and not exceptionally well-written. Jim Thompson could have really run with this material, if he didn't happen to run it into the ground.
--------------------
Ah well. This will be another of those story-by-story reviews that I keep updating until I finish the book in question. So here goes.
Todd Robbins - 'Spurs': Apparently this is the story that inspired the movie 'Freaks', which I haven't seen and would like too. Anyway, this is a dark little tale that is told in an initially whimsical style that, together with the French travelling-entertainers setting reminded me of Paul Gallico's Love Of Seven Dolls - but boy, did this story ever choose to travel down a much, much darker route. There's a great scene where all the freaks are at a party, and each of them is preening, thinking he or she is the superfreak, the one that draws the crowds in at their shows, and then someone gets mad at someone else and all their seething resentment of each other erupts in one big brawl. No community among freaks, then, and why should there be, they're all dependent upon what little income they can generate from the straights, so they're naturally pitted against each other. That's hellish. Even more hellish is the fate that awaits the character that you initially fancy will come out of this pretty well. Very dark and effective stuff.
James M. Cain - 'Pastorale': Very different from the urban noir he would become famous for, but this little rural sonata transforms quite rapidly into a funeral march that's as grim and bitter as anything he wrote later on. The tone of voice is a bit of a surprise - I've read Ring Lardner and I never really warmed up to that sort of hick-dialect storytelling - but for once it goes really well with the story of a backwoods loser who just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. It's a nice curiosity, but Cain would go on to do better stuff.
Steve Fisher - 'You'll Always Remember Me': This is a tale about a very young psychopath. It's effective, but that animal cruelty scene really got under my skin. Your mileage will vary of course, but I work with abandoned and injured kittens a lot and even as a piece of fiction that one particular scene just made me feel sick. Other than that, this story is nothing especially new and not exceptionally well-written. Jim Thompson could have really run with this material, if he didn't happen to run it into the ground.
--------------------
June 20, 2019
COUNTDOWN: Mid-Century North American Crime
BOOK/Short 176 (0f 250) - And a huge Shout Out to the many excellent Otto Penzler collections!
The Homecoming" is my focus from this collection, and it's an important work for many reasons.
First, it's post-war 1946. Second, Otto Penzler, editor of the entire collection, tells us that Dorothy Hughes is the first female "to fall squarely in the hard-boiled school." This story, Penzler goes on to say, first appeared in "Murder Calvacade", the first 'Writers of America' crime anthology. And third, the POV is not from a man returning from war (as expected), wounded in many ways, but the narrator is a man who stayed at home, never having a clue as to the torment of that conflict.
HOOK=1 star: "It was a dark night, a small wind night, the night on which evil things could happen, might happen," opens the story. The cliched opening (of "it was a dark and stormy night" fame) was barely good enough to keep me reading. If this had been a novel, I'd have set it aside.
PACE=3: Just right for this short story.
PLOT=3: One wonders how many times this plot played out post-WW2: A man is jealous his girl has left him for the home-town returning war hero and he walks to her house with a gun. (But as I said, this story has been told many times by the hero, but not by the man who stayed at home.)
CHARACTERS=3: Benny, the jilted boyfriend, is overcome with jealousy. His ex-girl, Nan, is "such a little thing" and is now paired with Jim, who is not only a war hero, but had been the most popular guy in high school (naturally, a second cliche comes into play).
ATMOSPHERE/PLACE = 4: The highlight of this short. "Brown leaves shriveled and fallen, blown in small worldpools by the small wind." Is Hughes referring to the global deaths, of fallen men perishing in unknown places? Does "Warped elm bows scraping together in lonely nakedness.." refer to the upcoming cataclysmic meeting of Benny and Jim? And Benny, on his walk to Nan's: "...she and Jim would be sitting on the couch, sitting close together so they'd both avoid the place where the couch sagged. Her (Nan's) brother, the one in the navy, had busted it when he was a kid." Jan is surrounded and impacted by 3 men: the brother still at war, Jim, and Benny. This atmosphere/perspective is coming from Dorothy Hughes as the unwilling, innocent girl caught up in a war that has returned home, and that's what makes this a stand out example of this story.
SUMMARY: 2.8 for great atmosphere of an oft-told story.
BOOK/Short 176 (0f 250) - And a huge Shout Out to the many excellent Otto Penzler collections!
The Homecoming" is my focus from this collection, and it's an important work for many reasons.
First, it's post-war 1946. Second, Otto Penzler, editor of the entire collection, tells us that Dorothy Hughes is the first female "to fall squarely in the hard-boiled school." This story, Penzler goes on to say, first appeared in "Murder Calvacade", the first 'Writers of America' crime anthology. And third, the POV is not from a man returning from war (as expected), wounded in many ways, but the narrator is a man who stayed at home, never having a clue as to the torment of that conflict.
HOOK=1 star: "It was a dark night, a small wind night, the night on which evil things could happen, might happen," opens the story. The cliched opening (of "it was a dark and stormy night" fame) was barely good enough to keep me reading. If this had been a novel, I'd have set it aside.
PACE=3: Just right for this short story.
PLOT=3: One wonders how many times this plot played out post-WW2: A man is jealous his girl has left him for the home-town returning war hero and he walks to her house with a gun. (But as I said, this story has been told many times by the hero, but not by the man who stayed at home.)
CHARACTERS=3: Benny, the jilted boyfriend, is overcome with jealousy. His ex-girl, Nan, is "such a little thing" and is now paired with Jim, who is not only a war hero, but had been the most popular guy in high school (naturally, a second cliche comes into play).
ATMOSPHERE/PLACE = 4: The highlight of this short. "Brown leaves shriveled and fallen, blown in small worldpools by the small wind." Is Hughes referring to the global deaths, of fallen men perishing in unknown places? Does "Warped elm bows scraping together in lonely nakedness.." refer to the upcoming cataclysmic meeting of Benny and Jim? And Benny, on his walk to Nan's: "...she and Jim would be sitting on the couch, sitting close together so they'd both avoid the place where the couch sagged. Her (Nan's) brother, the one in the navy, had busted it when he was a kid." Jan is surrounded and impacted by 3 men: the brother still at war, Jim, and Benny. This atmosphere/perspective is coming from Dorothy Hughes as the unwilling, innocent girl caught up in a war that has returned home, and that's what makes this a stand out example of this story.
SUMMARY: 2.8 for great atmosphere of an oft-told story.
December 8, 2021
I skipped a few of the older stories plus the one story I had read before. My favorite by far was "All Through the House" by Christopher Coake, which has terrific character development even though it is in reverse chronological order. I also enjoyed "When the Women Came Out to Dance" by Elmore Leonard and "A Ticket Out" by Brendan Dubois.
July 1, 2022
I first read this collection five years ago, almost to the day. Much has happened since then, and perhaps I feel more qualified to review noir given the dark turns our world has since taken in that half decade.
James Ellroy who, alongside Otto Penzler, edited this remarkable anthology in 2010 knew it even then, though, when you consider that this quote from his introduction was presumably there to attract not repel readers:
The stories in The Best American Noir of the Century span the years 1923 to 2007, and while not every single inclusion can possibly conform to a single individual's tastes, I don't believe there's a bona fide dud here. Surprisingly, however, Hammett and Chandler are conspicuous by their absence, Penzler arguing in the intro that private detective mysteries are philosophically distinct from true noir, although other giants of crime fiction—from James M. Cain to Dorothy B. Hughes, Mickey Spillane to Patricia Highsmith, James Crumley to Joyce Carol Oates, Cornell Woolrich to Elmore Leonard, Jim Thompson to Thomas H. Cook, and so many more—are present and accounted for.
Warning: there will be spoilers from this point on as I'm quoting extensively in order to give the flavour and diversity of this anthology. This should also serve as a content warning for descriptions of violence and existential despair. But if you've read this far, you probably know that.
The tales arc from merely bleak to purest doom in most cases, as befitting the genre's jaundiced approach to a world in which darkness almost always eats the light, but the writing itself varies to a surprising degree, from the minimalist deadpan of David Goodis ("Professional Man"):
...to the throwaway cynical observations of Cornell Woolrich ("For the Rest of Her Life"):
(And yes, if you're wondering, that paragraph was in parentheses in the original.)
...to the gritty poetry of Dennis Lehane ("Running Out of Dog"):
...to the unerring psychological wisdom of Dorothy B. Hughes ("The Homecoming"):
...to the sheer terrified lyricism of James Lee Burke ("Texas City, 1947"):
...to the almost tender violence of James Crumley ("Hot Springs"):
And that's one of the gentler passages.
Authors perhaps not associated with noir include the always fascinating Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, and Jeffrey Deaver, but here they all earn their place and then some. A few of the writers merge doses of horror or science fiction with their crime tales. All give their unique spins, which never feels repetitive despite the overall caul of gloom that hangs over everything.
I could discuss each story in here in great detail, but time and space are finite, so I'll end by returning for a moment to perhaps the saddest crime tale I've ever read, Goodis's "Professional Man," and that's saying something. In a couple of places it left me open-mouthed and temporarily oxygen deprived, it was so brutally sorrowful, filled with the kind of hopelessness we probably shouldn't read on a regular basis. A deep, helpless melancholy that feels somehow true, which is a feeling you don't want to experience too often. All the characters are utterly trapped by circumstance and their earlier poor choices. Here, the entire genre of noir feels distilled and concentrated in its awful final moments:
Other standouts are "Iris" by Stephen Greenleaf, another contender for Most Sorrowful Tale Ever Told, and "The Paperhanger" by William Gay, which combines horror and fable in a strange, unearthly, lyrical tale without a drop of hope, this passage serving as a summary of the dark heart of noir fiction itself:
James Ellroy who, alongside Otto Penzler, edited this remarkable anthology in 2010 knew it even then, though, when you consider that this quote from his introduction was presumably there to attract not repel readers:
The short stories in this volume are a groove. Exercise your skeevy curiosity and read every one. You’ll be repulsed and titillated. You’ll endure moral forfeit. Doom is fun. You’re a perv for reading this introduction. Read the whole book and you’ll die on a gurney with a spike in your arm.
The stories in The Best American Noir of the Century span the years 1923 to 2007, and while not every single inclusion can possibly conform to a single individual's tastes, I don't believe there's a bona fide dud here. Surprisingly, however, Hammett and Chandler are conspicuous by their absence, Penzler arguing in the intro that private detective mysteries are philosophically distinct from true noir, although other giants of crime fiction—from James M. Cain to Dorothy B. Hughes, Mickey Spillane to Patricia Highsmith, James Crumley to Joyce Carol Oates, Cornell Woolrich to Elmore Leonard, Jim Thompson to Thomas H. Cook, and so many more—are present and accounted for.
Warning: there will be spoilers from this point on as I'm quoting extensively in order to give the flavour and diversity of this anthology. This should also serve as a content warning for descriptions of violence and existential despair. But if you've read this far, you probably know that.
The tales arc from merely bleak to purest doom in most cases, as befitting the genre's jaundiced approach to a world in which darkness almost always eats the light, but the writing itself varies to a surprising degree, from the minimalist deadpan of David Goodis ("Professional Man"):
He opened the door and walked into the office. It was a large room and the color motif was yellow and gray. The walls and ceiling were gray and the thick carpet was pale yellow. The furniture was bright yellow. There was a short skinny man standing near the desk and his face was gray. Seated at the desk was a large man whose face was a mixture of yellow and gray.
...to the throwaway cynical observations of Cornell Woolrich ("For the Rest of Her Life"):
(Once he accidentally poured a spurt of scalding tea on the back of a waitress’s wrist, by not waiting long enough for the waitress to withdraw her hand in setting the cup down, and by turning his head momentarily the other way. The waitress yelped, and he apologized, but he showed his teeth as he did so, and you don’t show your teeth in remorse.)
(And yes, if you're wondering, that paragraph was in parentheses in the original.)
...to the gritty poetry of Dennis Lehane ("Running Out of Dog"):
Nights sometimes, Elgin would sit with Shelley in front of his trailer, listen to the cicadas hum through the scrawny pine, smell the night and the rock salt mixed with gravel; the piña colada shampoo Shelley used made him think of Hawaii though he’d never been, and he’d think how their love wasn’t crazy love, wasn’t burning so fast and furious it’d burn itself out they weren’t careful. And that was fine with him.
...to the unerring psychological wisdom of Dorothy B. Hughes ("The Homecoming"):
He no longer feared the sound and shadow behind him. There was no terror as bad as the hurt in his head and his heart.
...to the sheer terrified lyricism of James Lee Burke ("Texas City, 1947"):
I stood transfixed with terror in the hall as she bent angrily into the mouthpiece and her knuckles ridged on the receiver. A storm was blowing in from the Gulf, the air smelled of ozone, and the southern horizon was black with thunderclouds that pulsated with white veins of lightning. I heard the wind ripping through the trees in the yard and pecans rattling down on the gallery roof like grapeshot. When Mattie hung up the phone, the skin of her face was stretched as tight as a lampshade and one liquid eye was narrowed at me like someone aiming down a rifle barrel.
...to the almost tender violence of James Crumley ("Hot Springs"):
And Benbow knew he faced a death even harder than his unlucky life, knew even before the monster on the right popped him behind the ear with the ball-peen hammer and jerked his stunned body out of bed as if he were a child and handed him to his partner, who wrapped him in a full nelson. The bald one flipped the hammer and rapped his nuts smartly with it, then flipped it again and began breaking the small bones of Benbow’s right foot with the round knob of the hammerhead.
And that's one of the gentler passages.
Authors perhaps not associated with noir include the always fascinating Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, and Jeffrey Deaver, but here they all earn their place and then some. A few of the writers merge doses of horror or science fiction with their crime tales. All give their unique spins, which never feels repetitive despite the overall caul of gloom that hangs over everything.
I could discuss each story in here in great detail, but time and space are finite, so I'll end by returning for a moment to perhaps the saddest crime tale I've ever read, Goodis's "Professional Man," and that's saying something. In a couple of places it left me open-mouthed and temporarily oxygen deprived, it was so brutally sorrowful, filled with the kind of hopelessness we probably shouldn't read on a regular basis. A deep, helpless melancholy that feels somehow true, which is a feeling you don't want to experience too often. All the characters are utterly trapped by circumstance and their earlier poor choices. Here, the entire genre of noir feels distilled and concentrated in its awful final moments:
She started to cry. It was quiet weeping and contained no fear, no hysteria. It was the weeping of farewell. She was crying because she was sad. Then, very slowly, she took the few remaining steps going down to the bottom of the slope. He stood there and watched her face as she turned to look up at him. He walked down to where she stood, smiling at her and trying to pretend his hand was not on the switchblade in his pocket. He tried to make himself believe he wasn’t going to do it, but he knew that wasn’t true.
Other standouts are "Iris" by Stephen Greenleaf, another contender for Most Sorrowful Tale Ever Told, and "The Paperhanger" by William Gay, which combines horror and fable in a strange, unearthly, lyrical tale without a drop of hope, this passage serving as a summary of the dark heart of noir fiction itself:
I have a book with dragons, fairies. A book where hobbits live in the middle earth. They are lies. I think most books are lies. Perhaps all books. I have prayed for a miracle but I am not worthy of one. I have prayed for her to come from the dead, then just to find her body. That would be a miracle to me. There are no miracles.
December 14, 2015
It is hard to review a collection of short stories (do you rate based on the average ratings of all the stories or how you felt of the book as a whole?). This collection of Noir short stories, is well worth reading for all Noir and Hard-Boiled fans. Full of grittiness, vengeance, murder and macabre; I loved every minute of this book.
Individual Breakdown of the Short Stories
Spurs by Tod Robbins (1923) -- 3/5
Pastorale by James M. Cain (1928) -- 4/5
You'll Always Remember Me by Steve Fisher (1938) -- 5/5
Gun Crazy by Mackinlay Kantor (1940) -- 4/5
Nothing to Worry About by Day Keene (1945) -- 5/5
The Homecoming by Dorothy B. Hughes (1946) -- 3/5
Man in the Dark by Howard Browne (1952) -- 5/5
The Lady Says Die! by Mickey Spillane (1953) -- 4/5
Professional Man by David Goodis (1953) -- 5/5
The Gesture by Gil Brewer (1956) -- 3/5
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter (1956) -- 4/5
Forever After by Jim Thompson (1960) -- 3/5
For the Rest of Her Life by Cornell Woulrich (1968) -- 4/5
The Dripping by David Morrell (1972) -- 4/5
Slowly, Slowly in the Wind by Patricia Highsmith (1979) -- 5/5
Iris by Stephen Greenleaf (1984) -- 4/5
A Ticket Out by Brendan Dubois (1987) -- 4/5
Since I Don't Have You by James Ellroy (1988) -- 4/5
Texas City, 1947 by James Lee Burke (1991) -- 3/5
Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison (1993) -- 4/5
Out There in the Darkness by Ed Gorman (1995) -- 4/5
Hot Springs by James Crumley (1996) -- 4/5
The Weekend by Jeffery Deaver (1996) -- 4/5
Like a Bone in the Throat by Lawrence Block (1998) -- 5/5
Crack by James W. Hall (1999) -- 4/5
Running Out of Dog by Dennis Lehane (1999) -- 3/5
The Paperhanger by William Gay (2000) -- 3/5
Midnight Emissions by F. X. Toole (2001) -- 4/5
When the Women come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard (2002) -- 4/5
Controlled Burn by Scott Wolven (2002) -- 3/5
What She Offered by Thomas H. Cook (2005) -- 4/5
Her Lord and Master by Andrew Klavan (2005) -- 4/5
Stab by Chris Adrian (2006) -- 3/5
The Hoarder by Bradford Morrow (2006) -- 3/5
Missing the Morning Bus by Lorenzo Carcaterra (2007) --3/5
Individual Breakdown of the Short Stories
Spurs by Tod Robbins (1923) -- 3/5
Pastorale by James M. Cain (1928) -- 4/5
You'll Always Remember Me by Steve Fisher (1938) -- 5/5
Gun Crazy by Mackinlay Kantor (1940) -- 4/5
Nothing to Worry About by Day Keene (1945) -- 5/5
The Homecoming by Dorothy B. Hughes (1946) -- 3/5
Man in the Dark by Howard Browne (1952) -- 5/5
The Lady Says Die! by Mickey Spillane (1953) -- 4/5
Professional Man by David Goodis (1953) -- 5/5
The Gesture by Gil Brewer (1956) -- 3/5
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter (1956) -- 4/5
Forever After by Jim Thompson (1960) -- 3/5
For the Rest of Her Life by Cornell Woulrich (1968) -- 4/5
The Dripping by David Morrell (1972) -- 4/5
Slowly, Slowly in the Wind by Patricia Highsmith (1979) -- 5/5
Iris by Stephen Greenleaf (1984) -- 4/5
A Ticket Out by Brendan Dubois (1987) -- 4/5
Since I Don't Have You by James Ellroy (1988) -- 4/5
Texas City, 1947 by James Lee Burke (1991) -- 3/5
Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison (1993) -- 4/5
Out There in the Darkness by Ed Gorman (1995) -- 4/5
Hot Springs by James Crumley (1996) -- 4/5
The Weekend by Jeffery Deaver (1996) -- 4/5
Like a Bone in the Throat by Lawrence Block (1998) -- 5/5
Crack by James W. Hall (1999) -- 4/5
Running Out of Dog by Dennis Lehane (1999) -- 3/5
The Paperhanger by William Gay (2000) -- 3/5
Midnight Emissions by F. X. Toole (2001) -- 4/5
When the Women come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard (2002) -- 4/5
Controlled Burn by Scott Wolven (2002) -- 3/5
What She Offered by Thomas H. Cook (2005) -- 4/5
Her Lord and Master by Andrew Klavan (2005) -- 4/5
Stab by Chris Adrian (2006) -- 3/5
The Hoarder by Bradford Morrow (2006) -- 3/5
Missing the Morning Bus by Lorenzo Carcaterra (2007) --3/5
February 5, 2014
I read this compilation as part of the 387 Short Story Challenge - one story a day for the past month or so. There are about 30 out of these 35 stories I really liked, but only a handful of them make the amazing grade.
So after much thought, I'm not going to be tempted into rating it five stars. Given how dark & depressing these stories can be, I'm not gonna take this up even for selective reading anytime soon. That being said, this is not to be missed at any cost by fans of crime fiction & noir.
So after much thought, I'm not going to be tempted into rating it five stars. Given how dark & depressing these stories can be, I'm not gonna take this up even for selective reading anytime soon. That being said, this is not to be missed at any cost by fans of crime fiction & noir.
July 6, 2022
Be forewarned: "The Best American Noir of the Century" is a doozy. It took me over two years to read because I could only read it in fits and starts. I found that if I read too many stories in a row, the darkness would begin to get to me so I'd have to put it down.
That being said, this volume is fantastic! It is interesting to see different authors take on this wide and diverse genre over the years. The book worked best for me as a palate cleanser between other books, especially if those other books were particularly light in topic or tone.
That being said, this volume is fantastic! It is interesting to see different authors take on this wide and diverse genre over the years. The book worked best for me as a palate cleanser between other books, especially if those other books were particularly light in topic or tone.
September 1, 2013
If I was a horror fan I might have enjoyed these. As a noir far, however, it was a disappointment. Of these stories only one or two of them felt like noir. Most of them felt like horror. SOme of it better than others, and cetianly creepy and atmospheric, but overall, a disappointment. I ultimately gave up halfway through the book because I wanted to read a collection of noir stories and frankly, that's not what I got.
June 20, 2014
The Best American Noir of the Century collects together a wide range of crime authors from the U.S. and is a great way to find interesting writers who you may not have come across before. Each story is preceded by a brief yet informative introduction to the author. All the pieces were interesting in one way or another but some of my personal favourites were as follows:
Nothing To Worry About – Day Keene
A teenage boy thinks he’s got away with murder but his homicidal tendencies may yet give him away. A slice of crime fiction from the Nineteen Forties era.
Man In The Dark – Howard Browne
A distraught husband tries to piece together the mystery of his wife’s disappearance and find out just who is the dead body in his wife’s burnt out car wreck? An engrossing mystery story from an author who was new to me.
The Lady Says Die! – Mickey Spillane
A wall street dealer tells the story of his friends’ demise to a police detective in a short but powerful piece of work from the legendary Mr Spillane. This is no Mike Hammer but still a solid enticing story.
Professional Man – David Goodis
Freddy Lamb is a lift attendant by day and hitman by night. He works for the owner of The Yellow Cat nightclub Herman Charn but his boss has eyes for Freddy’s girlfriend Pearl. This can only lead to trouble for the professional man. A riveting and emotional story plus a stand out piece in this collection from one of the truly great noir writers David Goodis.
The Last Spin – Evan Hunter
Two rival gang members try to settle a dispute over a tense game of Russian roulette in this powerful and harrowing tale that really delivers a punch. A true American classic.
Slowly, Slowly In The Wind – Patricia Highsmith
A retired businessman moves to the country for the sake of his health but ends up fighting with a local land owner in this impressive and chilling tale from a superb author.
Iris – Stephen Greenleaf
A travelling businessman thinks he’s picking up a quirky hitchhiker called Iris but ends up holding the baby and a whole lot more in this engrossing and hypnotic piece with a killer ending. Bleak just like good noir should be.
A Ticket Out – Brendan Dubois
Brad and Monroe two teenage boys dream of going to college and escaping/leaving their small town of Boston Falls. But the need for money and a dangerous robbery leave one of the boys scarred for life in this moving, evocative story.
Since I Don’t Have You – James Ellroy
A fixer who works for both Howard Hughes and gangster Mickey Cohen is tasked with tracking down a mysterious girl who both his bosses want back. But who is smarter the dame with the brains or the fixer in the mix? Written in a highly stylised way this is a tough talking and gripping crime piece from a well known author.
Texas City, 1947 - James Lee Burke
A young boy and his siblings suffer poverty and cruelty from their father’s girlfriend in this evocative and moving story that squeezes the heart and stays with you long after finishing. Truly memorable.
Mefisto In Onyx – Harlan Ellison
A man with psychic powers finds himself face to face with a death row serial killer but did the prisoner really commit the hideous crimes? A lengthy mystery story but worth sticking with for the killer payoff.
Out There in the Darkness - Ed Gorman
Four friends who have a regular poker night capture an intruder and suffer the consequences of rough justice in this gripping, involving story from the modern age of crime.
Hot Springs - James Crumley
Benbow and Mona Sue, a couple on the run hide out in a mountain lodge at Hidden Springs Canyon. Even with a familiar noir plot the talented writer James Crumley creates a rich and colourful tale that heads to a dark and graphic conclusion.
The Weekender - Jeffery Deaver
On the run from a drugstore armed robbery two criminals Jack Prescot and Joe Roy Toth hideout in a remote town called Winchester. They have a hostage Randall Weller who tries to plea for his freedom and life in a compelling story with a true noir kick in the guts ending. Great work from a well known author.
Like a Bone in the Throat - Lawrence Block
William Croydon, a killer on death row strikes up an unlikely friendship with Paul Dandridge, the brother of a young woman Croydon murdered. But who is kidding who in this riveting slice of gritty crime drama with a twisted ending.
Crack - James W. Hall
A University teacher living near Bilbao, Spain discovers a crack in the wall between his home and his neighbours, so begins a downward spiral of voyeurism, obsession and doom as he spies on the young girl next door. A short yet hypnotic piece that stays long in the memory.
Running Out of Dog - Dennis Lehane
In the small Southern town of Eden a dangerous equation of people exists – Elgin, his partner Shelley Briggs, his girlfriend Jewel Lut, her husband Perkin Lut and Elgin’s odd friend Blue. What follows is a mixture of friendship, love, lust and madness superbly told by Dennis Lehane. You can feel the dust at the back of your throat with this story, another stand out piece in this collection.
Midnight Emissions - F. X. Toole
A masculine story of promising heavyweight boxer Kenny Coyle and the trainers and business people around him. Full of sweat, grit and greed this is a lengthy developed story full of realistic details yet still noir at its core.
When the Women come Out to Dance - Elmore Leonard
Lourdes is hired as a personal maid to Mrs Mahmood, soon after they’re talking about murder. Events lead to a dark conclusion in this classic smooth piece of storytelling from one of the masters of crime fiction.
Controlled Burn - Scott Wolven
Bill Allen is hiding out after an armed robbery that went wrong. While working at a remote woodlot he goes on a job to burn some fields then disappears on the run again in a poetic reflection of one man’s troubled life on the run.
What She Offered - Thomas H. Cook
An author meets Victoria, a strange woman in a bar with an offer that’s both unusual and enticing to him in this original story.
Her Lord and Master - Andrew Klavan
Susan and Jim are having a masochistic relationship that leads them to dark things in this original yet highly controversial and thought provoking story.
Stab - Chris Adrian
Someone is murdering small animals in the quiet neighbourhood of Severna Forest. Calvin, a young boy who mourns the loss of his identical twin discovers who is behind the stabbings but can he stop them? A truly haunting tale of the loss of childhood innocence and mortality.
The Hoarder - Bradford Morrow
In Bayside Park a young man gets a job at a rundown miniature golf course. As he begins spying on the players he becomes obsessed with Penny, his brother’s girlfriend which leads to a heart of darkness in this hypnotic and poetic story of desire.
Missing the Morning Bus - Lorenzo Carcaterra
A husband uses his weekly poker evening to try to find out which of his card buddies is responsible for the death of his wife in this friendship story with a surprising twist in the tale.
To summarise you may not like all the stories contained within The Best American Noir of the Century but you’re sure to find something that will spark your interest among the wide variety of authors featured in the book. Enjoy.
Nothing To Worry About – Day Keene
A teenage boy thinks he’s got away with murder but his homicidal tendencies may yet give him away. A slice of crime fiction from the Nineteen Forties era.
Man In The Dark – Howard Browne
A distraught husband tries to piece together the mystery of his wife’s disappearance and find out just who is the dead body in his wife’s burnt out car wreck? An engrossing mystery story from an author who was new to me.
The Lady Says Die! – Mickey Spillane
A wall street dealer tells the story of his friends’ demise to a police detective in a short but powerful piece of work from the legendary Mr Spillane. This is no Mike Hammer but still a solid enticing story.
Professional Man – David Goodis
Freddy Lamb is a lift attendant by day and hitman by night. He works for the owner of The Yellow Cat nightclub Herman Charn but his boss has eyes for Freddy’s girlfriend Pearl. This can only lead to trouble for the professional man. A riveting and emotional story plus a stand out piece in this collection from one of the truly great noir writers David Goodis.
The Last Spin – Evan Hunter
Two rival gang members try to settle a dispute over a tense game of Russian roulette in this powerful and harrowing tale that really delivers a punch. A true American classic.
Slowly, Slowly In The Wind – Patricia Highsmith
A retired businessman moves to the country for the sake of his health but ends up fighting with a local land owner in this impressive and chilling tale from a superb author.
Iris – Stephen Greenleaf
A travelling businessman thinks he’s picking up a quirky hitchhiker called Iris but ends up holding the baby and a whole lot more in this engrossing and hypnotic piece with a killer ending. Bleak just like good noir should be.
A Ticket Out – Brendan Dubois
Brad and Monroe two teenage boys dream of going to college and escaping/leaving their small town of Boston Falls. But the need for money and a dangerous robbery leave one of the boys scarred for life in this moving, evocative story.
Since I Don’t Have You – James Ellroy
A fixer who works for both Howard Hughes and gangster Mickey Cohen is tasked with tracking down a mysterious girl who both his bosses want back. But who is smarter the dame with the brains or the fixer in the mix? Written in a highly stylised way this is a tough talking and gripping crime piece from a well known author.
Texas City, 1947 - James Lee Burke
A young boy and his siblings suffer poverty and cruelty from their father’s girlfriend in this evocative and moving story that squeezes the heart and stays with you long after finishing. Truly memorable.
Mefisto In Onyx – Harlan Ellison
A man with psychic powers finds himself face to face with a death row serial killer but did the prisoner really commit the hideous crimes? A lengthy mystery story but worth sticking with for the killer payoff.
Out There in the Darkness - Ed Gorman
Four friends who have a regular poker night capture an intruder and suffer the consequences of rough justice in this gripping, involving story from the modern age of crime.
Hot Springs - James Crumley
Benbow and Mona Sue, a couple on the run hide out in a mountain lodge at Hidden Springs Canyon. Even with a familiar noir plot the talented writer James Crumley creates a rich and colourful tale that heads to a dark and graphic conclusion.
The Weekender - Jeffery Deaver
On the run from a drugstore armed robbery two criminals Jack Prescot and Joe Roy Toth hideout in a remote town called Winchester. They have a hostage Randall Weller who tries to plea for his freedom and life in a compelling story with a true noir kick in the guts ending. Great work from a well known author.
Like a Bone in the Throat - Lawrence Block
William Croydon, a killer on death row strikes up an unlikely friendship with Paul Dandridge, the brother of a young woman Croydon murdered. But who is kidding who in this riveting slice of gritty crime drama with a twisted ending.
Crack - James W. Hall
A University teacher living near Bilbao, Spain discovers a crack in the wall between his home and his neighbours, so begins a downward spiral of voyeurism, obsession and doom as he spies on the young girl next door. A short yet hypnotic piece that stays long in the memory.
Running Out of Dog - Dennis Lehane
In the small Southern town of Eden a dangerous equation of people exists – Elgin, his partner Shelley Briggs, his girlfriend Jewel Lut, her husband Perkin Lut and Elgin’s odd friend Blue. What follows is a mixture of friendship, love, lust and madness superbly told by Dennis Lehane. You can feel the dust at the back of your throat with this story, another stand out piece in this collection.
Midnight Emissions - F. X. Toole
A masculine story of promising heavyweight boxer Kenny Coyle and the trainers and business people around him. Full of sweat, grit and greed this is a lengthy developed story full of realistic details yet still noir at its core.
When the Women come Out to Dance - Elmore Leonard
Lourdes is hired as a personal maid to Mrs Mahmood, soon after they’re talking about murder. Events lead to a dark conclusion in this classic smooth piece of storytelling from one of the masters of crime fiction.
Controlled Burn - Scott Wolven
Bill Allen is hiding out after an armed robbery that went wrong. While working at a remote woodlot he goes on a job to burn some fields then disappears on the run again in a poetic reflection of one man’s troubled life on the run.
What She Offered - Thomas H. Cook
An author meets Victoria, a strange woman in a bar with an offer that’s both unusual and enticing to him in this original story.
Her Lord and Master - Andrew Klavan
Susan and Jim are having a masochistic relationship that leads them to dark things in this original yet highly controversial and thought provoking story.
Stab - Chris Adrian
Someone is murdering small animals in the quiet neighbourhood of Severna Forest. Calvin, a young boy who mourns the loss of his identical twin discovers who is behind the stabbings but can he stop them? A truly haunting tale of the loss of childhood innocence and mortality.
The Hoarder - Bradford Morrow
In Bayside Park a young man gets a job at a rundown miniature golf course. As he begins spying on the players he becomes obsessed with Penny, his brother’s girlfriend which leads to a heart of darkness in this hypnotic and poetic story of desire.
Missing the Morning Bus - Lorenzo Carcaterra
A husband uses his weekly poker evening to try to find out which of his card buddies is responsible for the death of his wife in this friendship story with a surprising twist in the tale.
To summarise you may not like all the stories contained within The Best American Noir of the Century but you’re sure to find something that will spark your interest among the wide variety of authors featured in the book. Enjoy.
March 8, 2023
“I May Not Know Noir, But I Noir What I Like …”
In their compendium of The Best American Noir of the Century (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2010 paperback) James Elroy and Otto Penzler contend that “[noir literature] relies more on plot, tone, and theme than on chiaroscuro effects… by directors and choreographers”.
This rather broad statement is to sorta-kinda allow the two editors to include in this best American noir anthology tales that lean decidedly more towards horror/suspense than love-smitten tough guys falling for mysterious women in seamed stockings with an eye to cheating said smitten tough guys out of a bag of ill-gotten loot - the commonly agreed upon territory of noir literature. That is not to say there isn’t some element of femme fatale-ishness, sexual debauchery-ism, scheming, and vengeful ne’er do wellin’ involved in each of the stories - no. The mechanisms/devices we usually associate with the genre as defined by Hammett, Thompson, Woolrich, et al are in these stories, but their use is not always formulaic or stylisticly mannered as one might expect. Some of the tales do follow those conventions as one might expect, but many in this collection do not.
For example, Ed Gorman’s “Out There In The Darkness” is a tale of vigilantism that goes horribly wrong very quickly. The noir-ish elements are evident early on in the story but its predictablity of the storytelling gets boring just as soon as the first unbelievable words from the mouth of one of the characters are put in quotation marks… I am not sure I would vote this story as a “best noir of the century” if I were at one of the editoral meetings.
There are a few stories that exploit a single noir element and others that use noir plot devices, such as Thomas H Cook’s “What She Offered”, “Her Lord and Master” by Andrew Klavan, and “Hot Springs” by James Crumley. These take the “beautiful dame with legs up to here” character and focus on their feminine charms, their psychological faults and peccadilloes, and then burn up the page with innuendo and descriptive shenanigans that tested my patience, to be honest. The scheming “can’t go wrong” con is there, but to what purpose? I am still trying to figure it out. Such is the “re-reinvention” of noire that Elroy mentions in his intro.
But, I don’t regret buying the book for the following reasons: MacKinley Kantor, F X Toole, Scott Wolven, Lawrence Block, James Lee Burke, Steve Fisher, and Chris Adrian. But let me stop here for a moment: the story by Adrian called “Stab” has a rather macabre aspect to it that would be better classed as a Stephen King suspense horror story (I would even say that King’s novel Christine is more noir than some of the stories in this collection - and Ellroy/Penzler could have used an excerpt from it and it would have fit their noir definition better - but I digress…)
The narrator in “Stab” is totally believable, the details utterly horrifying (and riveting), and though the story has a noir-ish bent to its denouement, I would be more inclined to label it as “barbed-noir” or perhaps “macabre-noir”, if I may, than purely “noir”… The same could be said for Tom Franklin’s “Poachers”, and David Morrell’s “The Dripping”: These stories do not lend themselves to the classic definition of the genre, but they do lean in that direction when you consider the main characters’ foibles and motivations, the nihilism invoked in the characters’ outlooks, and the dark subject matter itself.
The idea for the collection was a good one, the collected stories mostly first rate, in my opinion, but the ones that don’t fit the noir “dame with an agenda and a private dick with a snap-brim fedora” definitions of the genre should have been excluded here and included in a “frisson-of-noir” or “the ish-ness of noir” anthology.
In their compendium of The Best American Noir of the Century (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2010 paperback) James Elroy and Otto Penzler contend that “[noir literature] relies more on plot, tone, and theme than on chiaroscuro effects… by directors and choreographers”.
This rather broad statement is to sorta-kinda allow the two editors to include in this best American noir anthology tales that lean decidedly more towards horror/suspense than love-smitten tough guys falling for mysterious women in seamed stockings with an eye to cheating said smitten tough guys out of a bag of ill-gotten loot - the commonly agreed upon territory of noir literature. That is not to say there isn’t some element of femme fatale-ishness, sexual debauchery-ism, scheming, and vengeful ne’er do wellin’ involved in each of the stories - no. The mechanisms/devices we usually associate with the genre as defined by Hammett, Thompson, Woolrich, et al are in these stories, but their use is not always formulaic or stylisticly mannered as one might expect. Some of the tales do follow those conventions as one might expect, but many in this collection do not.
For example, Ed Gorman’s “Out There In The Darkness” is a tale of vigilantism that goes horribly wrong very quickly. The noir-ish elements are evident early on in the story but its predictablity of the storytelling gets boring just as soon as the first unbelievable words from the mouth of one of the characters are put in quotation marks… I am not sure I would vote this story as a “best noir of the century” if I were at one of the editoral meetings.
There are a few stories that exploit a single noir element and others that use noir plot devices, such as Thomas H Cook’s “What She Offered”, “Her Lord and Master” by Andrew Klavan, and “Hot Springs” by James Crumley. These take the “beautiful dame with legs up to here” character and focus on their feminine charms, their psychological faults and peccadilloes, and then burn up the page with innuendo and descriptive shenanigans that tested my patience, to be honest. The scheming “can’t go wrong” con is there, but to what purpose? I am still trying to figure it out. Such is the “re-reinvention” of noire that Elroy mentions in his intro.
But, I don’t regret buying the book for the following reasons: MacKinley Kantor, F X Toole, Scott Wolven, Lawrence Block, James Lee Burke, Steve Fisher, and Chris Adrian. But let me stop here for a moment: the story by Adrian called “Stab” has a rather macabre aspect to it that would be better classed as a Stephen King suspense horror story (I would even say that King’s novel Christine is more noir than some of the stories in this collection - and Ellroy/Penzler could have used an excerpt from it and it would have fit their noir definition better - but I digress…)
The narrator in “Stab” is totally believable, the details utterly horrifying (and riveting), and though the story has a noir-ish bent to its denouement, I would be more inclined to label it as “barbed-noir” or perhaps “macabre-noir”, if I may, than purely “noir”… The same could be said for Tom Franklin’s “Poachers”, and David Morrell’s “The Dripping”: These stories do not lend themselves to the classic definition of the genre, but they do lean in that direction when you consider the main characters’ foibles and motivations, the nihilism invoked in the characters’ outlooks, and the dark subject matter itself.
The idea for the collection was a good one, the collected stories mostly first rate, in my opinion, but the ones that don’t fit the noir “dame with an agenda and a private dick with a snap-brim fedora” definitions of the genre should have been excluded here and included in a “frisson-of-noir” or “the ish-ness of noir” anthology.
February 18, 2022
Mostly really solid with some incredible standouts (particularly those pieces by Ed Gorman, Lawrence Block, Christopher Coake and a host of others—there are several dozen stories here so I’ll refrain from naming too many names) and very few duds throughout (apparently the 90s were rough for the genre) but my main takeaway is how bizarre James Ellroy’s definition of “noir” is. From the opening story (Tod Robbins’ “Spurs,” which formed the basis for Tod Browning’s Freaks) through to the end, Ellroy and co-editor Otto Penzler seem fixated primarily on small town and rural gothic tales as opposed to the urban claustrophobia a reader might more readily associate with the genre and its close cousin the hardboiled crime story. I appreciate their wider view of what the genre can mean, even if at times the lack of thematic cohesion allows some of the stories to suffer.
December 29, 2010
I'm back from my blogging hiatus now that another semester has passed. How long this return will last before I'm pulled entirely back into my studies I can't be sure. Still, it is nice to have time for reading for fun again. The Best American Noir of the Century is a collection compiled by James Ellroy and Otto Penzler. It's a massive book with nearly forty stories, and stretches as far back as 1923 (Tom Robbins' "Spurs" and as recently as 2007 (Lorenzo Carcaterra's "Missing The Morning Bus") for it's material. When a collection claims to be the best of the year, I approach it with what can only be described as modest expectations. If the time period expands to larger proportions, such as decades or more my skepticism and hopes rise in rather unequal amounts. Usually in favor of the former, seeing as I am a bit cynical, even around the holidays. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised again and again while reading these stories.
Noir, in literary terms can seem at times to be simple and complex when it comes to classification. It started as a sub-genre within mystery fiction which has since broadened its scope and as such has grown to include a wider array of writing. Perhaps the easiest way to explain noir to those unfamiliar with it, might be to say the stories are well, black. From the settings to the plot lines and characters there is a ever present sense of darkness. Murder happens more often than not in noir fiction. There are ill-fated love affairs, of standard and triangle the variety. There are heists gone right, or wrong, and sometimes there are just psychopaths - who kill, just to kill. What makes almost any character interesting in any genre, is the depth and complexity of their flaws. That, for me, is what makes noir so fun to read. The protagonists aren't who you'd always expect. They are as flawed as anyone and might be called bad guys depending on how one chooses to look at it. Personally I've always been drawn to anti-heroes and so with this collection I found a lot to appreciate.
I've read countless collections and anthologies throughout the years - but never, and I mean never, have I been introduced to so many interesting authors as I have with this. Many of those authors are well-known and so I knew of them going in, but still hadn't read any of their work. This short list includes James Ellroy, who helped compile the volume and is regarded as one of America's finest crime writers. ( L.A. Confidential, The Black Dalia ) Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley) is another prime example. I'd been intending to check her out ever since I read and reviewed Thieves of Manhattan - the story she wrote in this case was actually inspired by a Ronald Regan quote, scary right? "Slowly, Slowly in the Wind" is just so memorable and creepy that I had to reference it by name. ( it is also the title to a short story collection by Highsmith) Lastly among these well known but, new to me writers was Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island) You may have noticed by now that all the larger works I've mentioned were made into films, some with greater success than others. But that brings up another intriguing fact about this collection in that many of the stories included have been made into films themselves. Oftentimes re-branded with new names such as the aforementioned opener "Spurs" which was adapted way back in the black and white era into the film Freaks (1932). An example of one story that kept the original title when it was adapted would be MacKinly Kantor's Gun Crazy (1950). I plan on trying to track down a number of these movies sometime "Spurs" with it's midget, murder, anti-hero was one of my favorites from the lot. As for what was my absolute favorite story, right now, I am leaning toward Tom Franklin's "Poachers". I'll leave the details to those curious enough to actually check out the book, as it is one of the longer works included. But what I will say that setting, and the characters are just fantastic. I've always thought there was something extra unsettling about the south, this story and a few others selected only prove that point.
I'm tempted to give more plot specifics to certain stories, but I think that to any serious reader there is something terribly exciting about not being told everything. There is something special in discovering these kinds of stories, and writers on your own so I will leave that reward for you. To readers looking for something new I strongly recommend giving this a try. Nearly every story is a gem. Maybe not emeralds or sapphires but surely obsidian - black, flawed and still beautiful. Stories of covetous, murderous dreamers who aim for stars because anything less would be inhuman ; or perhaps un-American. The genre, and American talent, could scarcely be better represented than they are in The Best American Noir of the Century.
* Complete version w/ song can be read and heard on my blog
http://subliminalmaybe.blogspot.com/
Noir, in literary terms can seem at times to be simple and complex when it comes to classification. It started as a sub-genre within mystery fiction which has since broadened its scope and as such has grown to include a wider array of writing. Perhaps the easiest way to explain noir to those unfamiliar with it, might be to say the stories are well, black. From the settings to the plot lines and characters there is a ever present sense of darkness. Murder happens more often than not in noir fiction. There are ill-fated love affairs, of standard and triangle the variety. There are heists gone right, or wrong, and sometimes there are just psychopaths - who kill, just to kill. What makes almost any character interesting in any genre, is the depth and complexity of their flaws. That, for me, is what makes noir so fun to read. The protagonists aren't who you'd always expect. They are as flawed as anyone and might be called bad guys depending on how one chooses to look at it. Personally I've always been drawn to anti-heroes and so with this collection I found a lot to appreciate.
I've read countless collections and anthologies throughout the years - but never, and I mean never, have I been introduced to so many interesting authors as I have with this. Many of those authors are well-known and so I knew of them going in, but still hadn't read any of their work. This short list includes James Ellroy, who helped compile the volume and is regarded as one of America's finest crime writers. ( L.A. Confidential, The Black Dalia ) Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley) is another prime example. I'd been intending to check her out ever since I read and reviewed Thieves of Manhattan - the story she wrote in this case was actually inspired by a Ronald Regan quote, scary right? "Slowly, Slowly in the Wind" is just so memorable and creepy that I had to reference it by name. ( it is also the title to a short story collection by Highsmith) Lastly among these well known but, new to me writers was Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island) You may have noticed by now that all the larger works I've mentioned were made into films, some with greater success than others. But that brings up another intriguing fact about this collection in that many of the stories included have been made into films themselves. Oftentimes re-branded with new names such as the aforementioned opener "Spurs" which was adapted way back in the black and white era into the film Freaks (1932). An example of one story that kept the original title when it was adapted would be MacKinly Kantor's Gun Crazy (1950). I plan on trying to track down a number of these movies sometime "Spurs" with it's midget, murder, anti-hero was one of my favorites from the lot. As for what was my absolute favorite story, right now, I am leaning toward Tom Franklin's "Poachers". I'll leave the details to those curious enough to actually check out the book, as it is one of the longer works included. But what I will say that setting, and the characters are just fantastic. I've always thought there was something extra unsettling about the south, this story and a few others selected only prove that point.
I'm tempted to give more plot specifics to certain stories, but I think that to any serious reader there is something terribly exciting about not being told everything. There is something special in discovering these kinds of stories, and writers on your own so I will leave that reward for you. To readers looking for something new I strongly recommend giving this a try. Nearly every story is a gem. Maybe not emeralds or sapphires but surely obsidian - black, flawed and still beautiful. Stories of covetous, murderous dreamers who aim for stars because anything less would be inhuman ; or perhaps un-American. The genre, and American talent, could scarcely be better represented than they are in The Best American Noir of the Century.
* Complete version w/ song can be read and heard on my blog
http://subliminalmaybe.blogspot.com/
December 19, 2017
Some short stories are better than others in this collection but James Lee Burke's "Texas City, 1947" is by itself, worth the price of the book. Billy Bob is a young Cajun boy growing up in very tough family circumstances in 1947 South Texas. His teacher is a wonderfully drawn Catholic Nun who becomes a kind of surrogate mother. The boy's name is Billy Bob but it could just as well be Dave, as in Dave Robicheaux. All the characters gut wrenching emotions jump off the pages like a punch in the throat and leave you with tears in your eyes! This unforgettable short story reminds you why you love reading fiction.
October 14, 2010
If you’re already a fan of the genre, you’ll be pleased with this magnificent edition. If you don’t know what noir is, then this is a splendid introduction.
In fact, if you’re a novice, the editors James Ellroy and Otto Penzler each provide a brief introduction offering their interpretations of the term. Penzler contends noir is a “…prodigiously overused term to describe a certain type of film or literary work” which is actually “…virtually impossible to define, but everyone thinks they know it when they see it.” Ellroy, naturally, offers his own distinct views on the subject. Incidentally, a fine example of his dark prose is included in the volume.
Examples range from a 1923 tale by Tod Robbins to a 2007 story by Lorenzo Carcaterra. A majority of the stories were published in vintage pulps, though a surprising number also made prominent literary magazines. Each story is preceded by a brief biographical sketch on the writer, the date when the story originally appeared and where.
All the big names are here, including a few you might not have considered noir writers.
Each reader will find his own favorites. Some of mine included James W. Hall’s brilliant “Crack;” James Lee Burke’s “Texas City, 1947;” Patricia Highsmith’s “Slowly, Slowly in the Wind;” Evan Hunter’s “The Last Spin;” James M. Cain’s “Pastorale;” Joyce Carol Oates’ “Faithless,” and Elmore Leonard’s “When the Women Come Out to Dance.”
But there’s lots more to enjoy and recommend. It’s a superb collection.
In fact, if you’re a novice, the editors James Ellroy and Otto Penzler each provide a brief introduction offering their interpretations of the term. Penzler contends noir is a “…prodigiously overused term to describe a certain type of film or literary work” which is actually “…virtually impossible to define, but everyone thinks they know it when they see it.” Ellroy, naturally, offers his own distinct views on the subject. Incidentally, a fine example of his dark prose is included in the volume.
Examples range from a 1923 tale by Tod Robbins to a 2007 story by Lorenzo Carcaterra. A majority of the stories were published in vintage pulps, though a surprising number also made prominent literary magazines. Each story is preceded by a brief biographical sketch on the writer, the date when the story originally appeared and where.
All the big names are here, including a few you might not have considered noir writers.
Each reader will find his own favorites. Some of mine included James W. Hall’s brilliant “Crack;” James Lee Burke’s “Texas City, 1947;” Patricia Highsmith’s “Slowly, Slowly in the Wind;” Evan Hunter’s “The Last Spin;” James M. Cain’s “Pastorale;” Joyce Carol Oates’ “Faithless,” and Elmore Leonard’s “When the Women Come Out to Dance.”
But there’s lots more to enjoy and recommend. It’s a superb collection.
July 16, 2017
It can be hard to find good noir and for me anyway, noir scratches a reading itch that no other story can touch. There's something about a flawed character meeting their doomed fate that speaks to this overly pragmatic and cynical person. Life all too often feels like a noir setting and I think that is why I relish noir so much (well that and it probably confirms my world view to a certain extent too).
This huge collection is full of noir stories going back quite a ways in the 1900's. It is impressive how for the most part, even the old stories don't feel too outdated or quaint. Some stories are depressing as heck, some are really dark and discouraging, a few are genuinely unsettling too. There is a nice variety in the stories and I'm sure it had to be hard to find stories that didn't involve some a private eye or a guy hunting a femme fatale for this collection. That isn't to say there aren't some of those here but it never becomes too much.
Beyond that, I don't know what else I can say about this because it is a great read for the small audience who wants. If you like noir or are curious to read noir, this is one of the only collections I am aware of you can pick up and get a lot of noir for a fair price. I would also recommend Criminal, Fatale, and The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker as excellent noir graphic novel companion pieces to this if you haven't not already read them or thirst for more gritty realism in your reading habit.
This huge collection is full of noir stories going back quite a ways in the 1900's. It is impressive how for the most part, even the old stories don't feel too outdated or quaint. Some stories are depressing as heck, some are really dark and discouraging, a few are genuinely unsettling too. There is a nice variety in the stories and I'm sure it had to be hard to find stories that didn't involve some a private eye or a guy hunting a femme fatale for this collection. That isn't to say there aren't some of those here but it never becomes too much.
Beyond that, I don't know what else I can say about this because it is a great read for the small audience who wants. If you like noir or are curious to read noir, this is one of the only collections I am aware of you can pick up and get a lot of noir for a fair price. I would also recommend Criminal, Fatale, and The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker as excellent noir graphic novel companion pieces to this if you haven't not already read them or thirst for more gritty realism in your reading habit.
December 26, 2012
Since this is a rather thick book (800 pages) of short stories, I suspect that I'll be reading it for awhile. But it is worth the read, especially if you really want to learn what the Noir genre is. Guy Savage reviewed this book for MostlyFiction (http://bookreview.mostlyfiction.com/2...) and one of things he points out is to read Otto Penzler's introduction for a better understanding of the delineations under the umbrella of crime fiction, especially when it comes to the term "Noir." This is good advice BUT I'd add that its really important to then read these stories in sequential order to have an even better understanding. I admit that I was under educated in this area and reading these stories, I feel that I should go back through MostlyFiction and reevaluate each time that I have used the term Noir as a tag. And then maybe add it to some that fit this genre but I hadn't realized it.
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