I usually lead these Akashic Noir City anthology reviews with any personal ties I have to the focus city or, lacking that, any impression I have them. But, I'll be honest, I have no personal ties to Minneapolis/St. Paul, no impression of it and no pop-culture perception of it beyond it being the setting for Mary Tyler Moore. So I'm going in blind...Overall, this was a slightly weaker entry, with a lot of chaff loaded at the back and a good number of stories that don't really qualify as "noir" despite being crime-based or having mysteries. Leastest to mostest:For example, "The Brewer's Son" by Larry Millett gets points for a historical setting (1890s) and a classic detective-type character (a saloon keeper - who once worked with Sherlock Holmes!) and a classic mystery set-up (the kidnapped son of a wealthy brewer) but the mystery is weak, the plot cliched, the detective is pretty hackneyed and there's no actual element that one would call "noir" in it. Eh. "Hi, I'm God" by Steve Thayer has a strong, dramatic opening (perhaps a bit too dramatic) as three-high school friends push a dare too far, and one disappears. 25 years later, someone resembling the presumed dead teenager breaks into local airwaves, claiming to be God and passes lazy judgment on the town (this is Duluth, btw, up north of the focus). Unfortunately, this one just kind of petered out as a story. Judith Guest's "Eminent Domain" has a famous writer make an illegal arrangement - pretty slim. And Gary Bush's "If You Harm Us", with its tough guy ex-con returning to Depression era St. Paul to settle an old score has all the cliches of genre ("dames", "mugs") and none of the charm. Not terrible but nothing inspired either, although modern times allows for a bit more raunchiness with the cliches.Then, as always, there's a slew of perfectly good stories that are slightly fumbled. "Skyway Sleepless" by Tom Kaczynski is probably the most interesting, as it's presented in comics/graphic form and features a security guard whose job it is to patrol the series of skyways than run over Minneapolis' streets. It's a great setting and it was nice to see comics in the book - the whole thing brought to mind the old Mister X: The Definitive Collection, Vol. 1 comics, with their use of disorientating architecture - but the story (in which users of the skyways are suddenly dropping unconscious) never really felt like it completed itself. Nice try though. John Jodzio's "Someday All Of This Will Probably Be Yours" is a charming little piece about two street criminals who intend to exploit a speed-dating event, but the level of crime and potential darkness in the story never really approaches "noir". This example hold true of K.J. Erickson's tale of fellow car impound lot workers, "Noir Neige", that even with an explosion and malicious vandalism, never gets dark enough. "Better Luck Next Time" by Brad Zellar goes in the opposite direction - it's got violence, for sure, but the long character-build up that starts the piece — detailing the life of an average guy who grew up with criminals but has neither fallen into their depths or risen to the occasion, and his frustrating relationship with his criminal brother-in-law, doesn't tail very well into the final explosion of action, and the climax is predicated on a total coincidence (one laugh-out-loud joke, though, involving Karl Malden!). Close but... Quinton Skinner's "Loophole", about a mild-mannered accountant who takes on a passionate and dangerous client, is an okay crime story, not bad but not impressive. And then there are two shortish pieces - "Blasted" by Mary Logue in which a police officer tells her daughter about the most frightening thing she ever saw and "The Guy" by Pete Hautman, about an unhappy wife's failed attempts at escape from a lousy marriage - were both okay but so slim as to barely qualify as stories (The Logue piece just goes in a straight line and Hautman's is frustrated by the failure of the plan after the build-up).I found four solid stories in this collection. "Chili Dog" is as slim as the earlier noted stories, but it packs a lot of detail into a grim little tale of a tired Mob bag-man and what happens when his collection haul is hijacked. Much like some short piece from an old ALFRED HITCHCOCK MYSTERY MAGAZINE (I say this a lot but that's always a good yard stick for the shorter pieces - just to be punchy and then end). On the other end of the spectrum, "Smoke Got In My Eyes" has the same sort of noir basics that the earlier mentioned "If You Harm Us" had - Depression era setting, a wronged woman - but Bruce Rubenstein uses them to greater effect as a detective is hired to investigate a political killing and we get a deep-history, well-evoked trawl through the Irish, Jewish and Socialist underworlds of the time. Enjoyable and it felt *real*. Both "Mai-Nu's Window" (by David Housewright) and "Bums" (by William Kent Krueger) have traditional, somewhat familiar noir plots (femme fatales and double-crosses) but the characters are what make them sing - the former involving unrequited love between a Puerto Rican teen and a Hmong girl (with a touch of clumsy exposition, to be honest) and the latter's homeless patsy and his alcoholic friend. Again, just good, enjoyable stories!Finally, there were three truly superior stories here, by my reckoning. "16mm Blues" got extra points from me right off the bat by extolling the virtues of George Romero's grimly realistic vampire film MARTIN. The story involves a projectionist who befriends a street preacher/reviewer who then sticks him with the only copy of a very rare film that, he claims, some may kill for (it's an avant-garde adaptation of Will Eisner's SPIRIT comic book, no less - which sounds infinitely better than that Frank Miller POS we got in the real world!). There's some wonderful writing by Peter Schilling Jr. (a bit where an assumed hitman enthuses about a shared love of films with his frightened target had me chuckling) and it's just a satisfying read all around. Mary Sharratt's "Taking The Bullets Out" also succeeds in its portrayal of a quiet, sensitive male nurse and the abused girl next door, and how the former works to help the latter - and it succeeds through good writing and heartfelt emotion - it has all the elements, but not the worldview, of classic "noir". "Blind Sided" by Ellen Hart, similarly, does such a careful job of building its characters - a former teacher slowly going blind and a troubled teen he befriends - that the emotional anguish of the powerful, unresolved ending just remains echoing through your skull. Quite a story!And that's all she wrote - there ain't no more!
Like the previously reviewed USA Noir, this is a collection of grittier crime stories from Akashic Books with a regional focus. In this case, the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota, and the surrounded metro area, plus one up north in Duluth (“Hi, I’m God” by Steve Thayer; a teenager drowns in Lake Superior…or does he?)This is the “expanded edition” released in 2013 with three new stories, bringing it to a total of eighteen. The new ones are conveniently all in the front in the “Star of the North” subsection, starting with John Jodzio’s “Someday All of This Will Probably Be Yours” about a speed dating scam gone wrong. The other sections are “Minnesota Nice”, “Uff Da” and “Funeral Hotdish.”Each of the stories is set in a particular neighborhood, several of which I’m familiar with. One scene takes place less than a block from where I live! This makes it easy for me to picture the action in my mind. This may not be as evocative for non-locals, but will please readers in the Twin Cities area.Some standouts: “Skyway Sleepless” written and drawn by Tom Kaczynski takes place in Minneapolis’ extensive skyway system. The art uses the rectangular boxes of the skyway to indicate the maze-like architecture of the story, as people are found filling chalk outlines and no memory of how they got there.“The Brewer’s Son” by Larry Millett is a period piece set in 1892 Saint Paul, and starring his series character, saloonkeeper and amateur detective Shadwell Rafferty, acquaintance of Sherlock Holmes. The title character has been kidnapped, supposedly by the Black Hand, and Mr. Rafferty is called in by the concerned father. This is noir, so expect some darkness.Mary Logue’s story “Blasted” takes place in upscale Kenwood, as a police officer tells her daughter about a domestic dispute call that was the most frightening experience of her life. The officer is still alive, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t good reason for fear.The final story is “”Chili Dog” by Chris Everhart. A small time crook stops in downtown Saint Paul for lunch, and things go very wrong for him.As a crime story anthology, there’s a fair bit of violence, one story features domestic abuse, and there’ mention of suicide.If you are local to Minnesota, or have lived here in the past, highly recommended. The book’s pretty good if you’re not local, but you might miss some of the nuance. Akashic may have a volume set in your area; check their catalog. If you own the previous version, you might want to save money by going with the e-book, so you can check out the new stories without shelling out the big bucks.
What do You think about Twin Cities Noir (2013)?
I had read this anthology of noir short stories, part of the Akashic Noir series that explore the dark side of various world cities in 2007, soon after its publication, intrigued by a collection that drew upon the quirkiness and dark under belly of the Twin Cities. Like most anthologies, the stories themselves were a bit of a mixed bag, but I recalled really enjoying this collection. After having now read a few more in the series, I have to say that TC Noir remains among the most thematic of the series. I recently revisited the title with its expanded edition and the three new stories included in the collection turned out to be three of my favorites. I think I might enjoy the "noir" genre more than most mystery, exploring theme, atmosphere and characterization as much as just a rote "who-dun-it" plot, and the additions of John Jodzio, Peter Schilling Jr., and especially the short comic of Tom Kaczynski really illustrate this.For some reason, Minnesota has a vibrant and growing community of mystery writers and I wanted to see some of this local color, as I am not a habitual reader of mysteries. While the stories varied in their depiction of Minneapolis and St. Paul (some used the city as mere backdrop, while others drew distinctive local color into their narratives), they are quite evocative of the culture of the Twin Cities and Minnesota in general, its diversity and idiosyncrasies both. A variety of styles are explored, from surreal, almost magic realist, to traditionalist film noir crime drama. A handful of period pieces set in the 1890s and 1930s (both very evocative periods) round it out, some go for humor and others for introspection, others for pure action, a good mix. At worst, the stories are only okay.The new stories added for this edition bumped the collection up even more; each of these stories expand the theme, juxtaposing human pathologies like greed with the weirdness and the darkness of everyday life. Kaczynski's almost mystical depiction of the Minneapolis skyway defies genre. These stories join other worthy tales in the collection, including very popular writers William Kent Krueger, Ellen Hart, Pete Hautman, and Steve Thayer. I'd recommend this as a fun, quick, gritty read that explores the breadth of the flexible noir style and the quirks of Minnesota.
—Harris
I've always judged Noir by “Can I picture Humphrey Bogart in one of the roles?” That definition has served me well for years. Then, I read David Housewhite's “Mai-Nu's Window”, the first story in the anthology “Twin Cities Noir”. Excellent. Moody. Dark. NOIR! Except … no Bogart, not even in one of the supporting roles – and it doesn't matter! Twin Cities Noir is one of the best crime anthologies I've read to date. Most of the stories hit the mark – OK, some cheat a little by setting the stories in the days around Prohibition to make it obvious that they're going for a noir mood – with a much better track record than most if not all other anthologies I've read. For this, I not only credit the authors involved BUT give a pair of attaboys to editors Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz. I did not particularly enjoy the first book I'd read in this series, “Chicago Noir”. I'm glad I didn't give up on it, though, and hope that the other books in this series approach the level of quality found in this book.RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
—Andrew
As with most anthologies I come across to read, this one has a few skippable, a few skimmable, one or two or three gems and the rest darn fab. My favorites here: MAI-NU'S WINDOW by David Housewright with its well-done manipulation, BUMS by William Kent Krueger with more manipulation, TAKING THE BULLETS OUT by Mary Sharratt with revenge, and THE BREWER'S SON by Larry Millett which has a nice Sherlock Holmes feel. I knew I'd like William Kent Krueger's story, he's a favorite author. Was well pleased that other authors brought it and wrote some fab tales. Definitely recommendable.
—Vickie
