New Haven Noir
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“In an Ivy League town, Bloom turns Yale’s motto—Lux et Veritas—on its head, finding darkness and deceit in every corner of New Haven.” —Kirkus Reviews
The image of a charming college town serves New Haven well, but its natives know that the city has been built on a rich—and violent—history that still seeps out from between the cracks in the sidewalks and the halls of learning.
Now, New York Times–bestselling author—and Connecticut resident—Amy Bloom masterfully curates a star-studded cast of contributors, featuring Michael Cunningham, Stephen L. Carter, and Roxana Robinson, to portray New Haven’s underbelly. Highlights of the anthology include Lisa D. Gray’s “The Queen of Secrets,” which won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award and John Crowley’s “Spring Break,” winner of the Edgar Award for Best Short Story. Tales by Alice Mattison, Chris Knopf, Jonathan Stone, Sarah Pemberton Strong, Karen E. Olson, Jessica Speart, Chandra Prasad, David Rich, Hirsh Sawhney, and Bloom herself round out this impressive collection.
“Town-gown tensions highlight several of the 15 stories in this stellar Akashic noir anthology set in the Elm City . . . This [volume] is particularly strong on established authors, many of whom have impressive credentials outside the genre.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The anthology brings together writers who take varied approaches to the idea of noir in the Elm City. Some stories are historical, some are contemporary. All the classic New Haven landmarks are there, including plenty of Yale . . . The full sweep of New Haven’s character is on display in the anthology.” —Connecticut Magazine
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Town-gown tensions highlight several of the 15 stories in this stellar Akashic noir anthology set in the Elm City. In "Evening Prayer," Stephen L. Carter movingly presents the world of white Ivy League privilege as seen through the eyes of an African-American boy whose father alternates between his positions as a respected church deacon and as an obsequious employee at a segregated hotel. Editor Bloom's "I've Never Been to Paris" is a nicely downbeat whodunit centered on the murder of a Yale English professor killed with a bust of Herman Melville. Roxana Robinson demonstrates that violence is not essential to noir in "The Secret Societies," the lead of which cloisters herself in Yale's Beinecke Library in a race to finish writing a biography of a reclusive author before a rival does. And an aspiring actress falls for a deli man in Jessica Speart's "Second Act," which leaves a nicely nasty aftertaste. In contrast to other recent volumes in this acclaimed series, this entry is particularly strong on established authors, many of whom have impressive credentials outside the genre.
