Milwaukee Noir
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
In this gritty anthology, fourteen mystery stories show the seedier side of the Wisconsin city beyond beer, butter burgers, and Laverne & Shirley.
Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respect city. Now, fourteen authors who’ve experienced life in the Cream City share its mysteries in Milwaukee Noir.
With stories from: Jane Hamilton, Reed Farrel Coleman, Valerie Laken, Matthew J. Prigge, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Vida Cross, Larry Watson, Frank Wheeler Jr., Derrick Harriell, Christi Clancy, James E. Causey, Mary Thorson, Nick Petrie, and Jennifer Morales.
Praise for Milwaukee Noir
“Luxuriate in the seedy, wallow in the angry and shiver at the horrors that surely await you around the corner . . . The sheer localness of Milwaukee Noir is superb, and the seediness of many characters here would qualify them for membership in a Tom Waits song.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“A very strong collection of short fiction. . . . A richly textured collection that is, by turns, gripping, thought provoking, and simply entertaining.” —Booklist
“The violent, dark stories in this anthology fit the bill perfectly with the intention, as editor Hennessy writes, to be social commentary . . . . Tales by Jane Hamilton and Christi Clancy stand out, evidence that ordinary people can get swept up in hatred, even if they did not start out living with violence, drunkenness, or poverty.” —Library Journal
“Milwaukee bookseller and writer Hennessy does justice to the harsher aspects of his hometown in this fine anthology . . . The 14 contributors show that violence is not a prerequisite to crafting a haunting depiction of despair . . . The selections make the different neighborhoods, seedy or otherwise, come to life, even for those who have never set foot in them.” —Publishers Weekly
“Fourteen free-wheeling stories document the grit and glory of Milwaukee . . . A nod to Milwaukee’s blue-collar heritage, a frank look at racial disharmony, and a peek at the future make Hennessy’s collection a find for fans of urban noir.” —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Milwaukee bookseller and writer Hennessy does justice to the harsher aspects of his hometown in this fine anthology, which demolishes what he calls "the romanticized nostalgia that Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley created of Milwaukee." The 14 contributors show that violence is not a prerequisite to crafting a haunting depiction of despair. The volume's standout, Matthew J. Prigge's "3rd Street Waltz," about the last days of a decrepit porn theater, barely involves crime at all. By making the theater's closure a business decision by an amoral heir to the family real estate business, Prigge conveys the crushed spirits resulting from inner-city neglect without moralizing. Reed Farrel Coleman is typically on-point with a memorable revenge tale, "Summerfest '76," featuring a once unresponsive bystander to anti-Semitism. Nick Petrie's moody "The Neighbor" charts the feelings of a man who meticulously cares for his lawn about his neighbor who does the opposite. The selections make the different neighborhoods, seedy or otherwise, come to life, even for those who have never set foot in them. This is one of the better entries in Akashic's noir series.
