Customer Reviews

A Century of Noir: Thirty-two Classic Crime Stories

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I guess the editors decided that noir sells, the problem is there's not much noir here. Of the 30 some odd stories in this book, maybe a third of them could be considered noir. I guess the editors expanded the definition to any crime story. There are some good stories here, particularly by Carroll John Daly, Mickey Spillane, David Goodis, Max Allan Collins and Norbert Davis, but there's also a lot of mediocre stuff (most of the stories in the second half of the book range from fair to awful). Even terrific writers like Lawrence Block are represented by pretty bad stories (and as bad a Block's story is it's not even remotely noirish). I don't know, I have to think that if Spillane and Collins took this book more seriously they could have come up with a better representation of noir fiction. Even a noir master like James M. Cain is represented by a mediocre story that doesn't even classify as noir.

Two of the hard crime genre's most famous writers pull together a great collection of short stories and novellas, showcasing the evolution of detective fiction over the course of the last century. Thirty-two writers get a story apiece, spinning yarns about gumshoes, mobsters, and murderers, along with lawyers, cons, and singers. The heros and villians run the gamut, but the common thread is that against all odds, good does triumph, somehow.

The novellas are definitely what make this book what it is. I wouldn't have minded if some of the shorter works had been stripped and replaced with a few more novellas and novellettes. Those were the ones that earned the title 'noir' - Carroll John Daly, Leigh Brackett, John D. MacDonald, Mickey Spillane, William Campbell Gault, Max Allen Collins. But I did greatly enjoy a few of the shorter works as well, notably Kaminsky's "Busted Blossoms" and Goodis' "The Plunge".

Included with each story is an introduction to the author. I intend to look some of them up in the future, certainly; I was surprised at how many are still alive and writing.

The only real problems I had with it were that it was missing several very important authors, especially the older ones. Perhaps because of that, it seems overly skewed toward more modern fiction, tending to be less noir and more subdued. Some stories I didn't care for, and some I was ambivalent about, but overall it was a varied and entertaining collection.

If you've any interest in crime fiction, check this out. It's a great introduction to the field, and like many variety collections, you're bound to like a good bit of whatever suits your tastes.

All fans of noir will love this. There is something for everyone, even those not tuned into noir.