Dark and gritty tales set in the "Paris of the Plains," including Nancy Pickard's "Lightbulb"—selected for The Best American Mystery Stories 2013.Akashic Books' groundbreaking, globetrotting noir anthology series sets all-new stories in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective metropolitan area. Now "Kansas City, famous for its jazz, its barbecue, and its shady history, provides the venue for this solid addition" ( Publishers Weekly

Southern California is not all sun, sand, and surf in this gripping collection of noir tales from T. Jefferson Parker, Don Winslow, Maria Lima, and others.San Diego is home to miles of beaches, Balboa Park, a world-famous zoo, and some of the country's most expensive home and resort real estate. Yet the city also houses a few items that aren't actively promoted by the visitor's bureau: a number of the country's most corrupt politicians, border-related crimes, terro...

"St. Louis gets a turn to show its dark side . . . [A] spirited, black-hearted collection" including a story from New York Times–bestselling author John Lutz ( Kirkus Reviews).A vibrant Midwest metropolis, St. Louis has a rich, multicultural history of art and literature—both high and low. That duality is embraced here in an anthology that spans the reaches of noir, from violent criminality to bad luck and bad attitudes.St. Louis Noir

"A new collection of short fiction stories explores a seedier side of this beach town filled with murder and mystery."— KAZU FMIn Akashic Books' award-winning series of original noir anthologies, each book comprises all new stories set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Following in the footsteps of Los Angeles Noir, San Francisco Noir, San Diego Noir, Orange County Noir, and Oakland Noir, "we get a series ...

"These 15 new stories celebrate the differences between us and our northern neighbor. As in any good noir, poverty, drugs, and despair cloud many of the characters' lives. But even the stories about druggies have a certain je ne sais quoi...Whether it's the quirkiness of the characters, the ingenuity of the puzzles, or the big hearts inside some of the darkest villains, noir's different north of the border."--Kirkus Reviews"American crime f...

Named a Pick of the Week for the week of February 29th by Publishers Weekly"Grouped under three headings, the 13 stories in this outstanding entry in Akashic's noir series capture the gloomy underside of Sweden's capital, portraying the hopelessness of those trapped in what Larson and Edenborg in their introduction call the city that devours your soul."--Publishers Weekly, Starred review"Coedited by local a...

"Navigates the seedy side of Marseille with 14 stories that range from the creepily introspective to the downright brutal." — Publishers WeeklyThe Akashic Noir series first ventured into France with Paris Noir—and now moves one step deeper . . .A crossroads for the people of Europe and the Mediterranean, Marseille is a city that does not discriminate. It embodies the down-and-dirty, tough-guy side of France, but what it lacks in sophistica...

"A sobering experience . . . The power of this collection comes from the voices of these authors, voices suffused with rage, despair, and madness." — The New York Times Book ReviewThis anthology, with stories set in different prisons across the US, presents an absolutely new perspective on prison literature. From a killer's confession to a desire for redemption, from stories of new cell mates to prison snitches, this collection of tales runs the gamut of e...

"A collection enhanced by an unerring sense of place, with no clinkers . . . that will please the most discriminating lovers of the dark side." — Kirkus ReviewsFrom its posh Main Line to its blue-collar enclaves, Philadelphia is a city of contrasts. History has shown that brotherly love and murderous intentions can exist, if not side-by-side, then at least on the same block. Its this dichotomy that gives local writers their inspiration in this gritty colle...

"A must-read book by Croatian authors available in English. A collection of crime stories set across Zagreb, each one by a different Croatian writer."--Time Out (Croatia)"Zagreb, Croatia--its culture and its touchstones--will be terra incognita for many U.S. readers...Notable is Nora Verde's 'She-Warrior,' in which a young woman's carefully planned anarchist activities are smacked down by a triple helping of reality."--Publishers ...

"If ever a city was made to be the home of noir, it's Chicago. These writers go straight to Chicago's noir heart" (Aleksandar Hemon, National Book Award finalist and New York Times–bestselling author of The Lazarus Project).Chicago's rough-and-tumble tough-guy reputation may have been replaced in recent years by the image of a tourist- and family-friendly town—but that original city isn't gone. The hard-bitten streets once represented by James Far...

" The 14 stories in this Akashic noir anthology provide a bizarre and gruesome window into this outwardly tranquil and snow-covered city of Helsinki. "— Publishers WeeklyIn Akashic Books's acclaimed series of original noir anthologies, each book comprises all new stories set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Now, the spotlight is on Finland and its southern capital of Helsinki, a city "syno...