Las Vegas Noir (Akashic Noir) (Paperback)

by Jarret Keene (Editor), Todd James Pierce (Editor)
Key Phrases: candy apple, Gold Man, The Tik, Rabbi Kales (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Just because mystery fans will be unfamiliar with many of the 16 contributors to Akashic's latest entry in its acclaimed noir series (Brooklyn Noir, etc.) doesn't mean the quality isn't up to volumes boasting bigger names. The late John O'Brien, best known for his novel-turned-film, Leaving Las Vegas, offers a typically warped and nihilistic vision of the city with The Tik, about a thrill-killing duo, narrated by the male half, whose indifference to his prey is chilling. Columnist Tod Goldberg's Mitzvah makes good use of the Las Vegas myth that people come to the city to bury their past identities and reinvent themselves. His antihero, mobster Sal Cuperine, has for years posed as Rabbi David Cohen, managing to handle the demands of the pulpit until the strain of his charade becomes too much to bear. While some readers might regret that no tale other than Janet Berliner's The Road to Rachel explores Las Vegas's past, this anthology does a fine job of illuminating the dark underbelly of Sin City. (May)
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Product Description

In this chilling portrait of America's Sin City, lady luck is just as likely to dispense cold hard cash as a cold-hearted killing.

Brand-new stories by: John O'Brien, David Corbett, Scott Phillips, Nora Pierce, Bliss Esposito, Felicia Campbell, Jaq Greenspon, José Skinner, Pablo Medina, Christine McKellar, Lori Kozlowski, Vu Tran, Celeste Starr, Preston L. Allen, Tod Goldberg, and Janet Berliner.

Las Vegas provides the classic sophistication and darkness necessary for a deadly noir story. Stylish, sultry, brimming with ambition and greed, the characters that populate this literary Las Vegas are pushed to the extremes of human experience. From the neon glitter of the Strip to the treacherous views of Red Rock Canyon and Boulder City, from the desperation of Naked City to the racial tensions of the Westside, no other location offers so many different avenues leading to serious trouble.

Many legendary authors have turned their attention to Vegas to investigate the city's moods and mysteries. Now, the most recent crop of acclaimed writers explore the secret neighborhoods and byways of America's most sinful city, offering readers not only compelling noir tales but also an insider's understanding of this steamy oasis. These authors take readers beneath the surface flash of Freemont Street and the Strip and into the gritty multicultural environs of underground Vegas.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Akashic Books (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933354496
• ISBN-13: 978-1933354491
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #626,194 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Noir du neon, May 20, 2008

By	Rundfunk6 (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The latest compilation in Akashic Books' fine Noir series takes us on a wide-ranging tour de force of Las Vegas, America's own City of Lights. Here, the standard cliches are out, while a fresh literary degustation is in. Nicely edited by Jarret Keene (author of 2000's 'Underground Guide to Las Vegas') and Todd James Pierce, Las Vegas Noir avoids ubiquitous Hollywood-driven conventions regarding that which exists away from showgirls, poker geeks, and high roller suites on the Strip. Instead, we are treated to 15 highly original stories by a fresh roster of writers who capture the surprising diversity of voice and millieu that is 21st Century Las Vegas. From Felicia Campbell's riotous take on the University of Never Leaving Vegas ('Murder is Academic') to Tod Goldberg's knowing snapshot of my home neighborhood of Summerlin ('Mitzvah'), Las Vegas Noir vindicates a Southern Nevada literary scene slowly emerging from its clique-ish, native-born treehouse of not long ago - and gives Akashic's well-earned national readership another Noir collection to feast upon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How could Vegas not be noir?, December 1, 2008

By	Lawrence D. Zeilinger (Gretna, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was hoping for a little more casino action, but the 16 stories comprising this great new addition to the Akashic noir series conceived by Tim McCloughlin is one of the better ones. The best thing about the Akashics is how they introduce us to some of the finest new talent writing in this genre today. It's where I discovered Charlie Stella and Ken Bruen, amongst many others. This is the 10th title of the already-published 20; another 15 are forthcoming. All have thumbnail photos and bios of the authors at the end of the books, giving further information about the writers and their other work. This one is divided into three sections: Sin City, Neon Grit, and Tales from the Outskirts. My favorite stories are the five in the first section. John O'Brien's "The Tik" is about a man who returns to his woman's house after a prolonged absence and re-enacts a dark ritual with a strange drug and a woman the couple picks up on a late-night prowl of the strip and lures home. David Corbett's "Pretty Little Parasite" concerns a woman drawn into the world of cocaine dealing and the junkie undercover cop she enables. Tod Goldberg's "Mitzvah" is about a pair of aging Chicago gangsters who for years have posed as rabbis and preside over a private cemetery which is a perfect dumping ground for the Mob. Scott Phillips' "Babs" covers an ex-stripper he visits while on his way back to L.A., to pick up a package of meth for a friend. One of the finest stories is Vu Tran's "This or Any Desert" about an Oakland cop who travels to Vegas to avenge the abuse his ex-wife suffers at the hands of her new husband. In Part Two, my favorite was Pablo Medina's "Benny Rojas and the Rough Riders" whose protagonist is a Cuban exile landing a new life on the boulevard of broken dreams. In Part Three, I especially liked Bliss Esposito's "Guns Don't Kill People". Schockingly, I learned John O'Brien, author of "The Tik" and to whom he and his sister this book is dedicated, came to a tragic end at 34 years old in the eighth year of a prodigal writing career. He produced many fine short stories and three brilliant novels including the now-famous "Leaving Las Vegas". Two weeks after learning it was to be made into a movie, he inexplicably blew his brains out. Next on my to-read list: Havana Noir and Detroit Noir. For the latter, Akashic couldn't quite swing Elmore Leonard, but landed one of Motor City's finest scribes, the superbly prolific Loren D. Estleman. Hats off to editors Jarret Keene and Todd James Pierce for ferreting out these terrifying tales from Vegas' dark side.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner In The Noir Series, September 3, 2008

By	Michael L. Slavin "HardBopper" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This time there are sixteen short stories by authors for the most part that are not well known. Some of the reads are quite gruesome. Particularly I liked Tran Vu's Chinatown about a cop who's wife left him and how he tried to get revenge on her new husband and Preston Allen's Nellis about a tough, ugly,large,tender hearted black body guard/enforcer who had a traumatic childhood but became a gentle giant giving up his life for a young girl. Worthwile read.