St. Louis Noir

Regret. Mediocre stories. Failed execution.

Regret I bought this. The audio version is sprinkled with characters with southern accents. Huh? St. Louis is not
Mississippi. Some St. Louis people speak with a distinct “twang” but it has a name: “a Missour’a twang”. It is decidedly not southern.
The editor’s introduction tellingly contains hackneyed and cynical commentary on the dichotomies of the St Louis area, as if these contrasts were a unique invention of St Louis. One wonders if the editor has ever visited Chicago or New York. His cynicism suggests a distain - a contempt - for the very region where he situates his novel. This cynicism is a red flag. His contempt for his subject is a self-defeating toxin that might poison the stories. And, no surprise: the stories that follow reflect the editor’s defect.
This is a mediocre collection of stories that had a good premise but failed editing and literary discipline. The authors are too in love with their own prose, especially the first story. Several authors seem to be from outside of the area and try to represent themselves as authentic. But they come across as surprised visitors discovering landmarks of the area for the first time. The authors feel the need to explain their St Louis setting in painful detail, painful detail. I will admit that detective stories set in LA always mention Mulholland drive (I think it is a state law…) but this collection makes local references the focus of the story. It bores me, but not entertain or entice me.
I wish the authors would adhere to Hemingway’s “iceberg concept.”
Hemingway’s other admonition would have also improved this book: “don’t write a feeling, write to create a feeling.”
I have to wonder, why am I listening to this?
I wish I had not bought this.