نوآر ریچموند

From Publishers Weekly David L. Robbins's Homework, a moving account of a brief encounter between a burglar and a teacher, stands head and shoulders above the 14 other tales in Akashic's solid noir anthology devoted to Richmond, Va. Pir Rothenberg's The Rose Red Vial, among the better of the many recent Poe-inspired stories, features nicely nasty betrayals and counterbetrayals among those who covet Poe memorabilia on loan to the Virginia Historical Society. Set in 1807, Dean King's concise The Fall Lines supplies an intriguing backstory to Aaron Burr's treason trial. In Howard Owen's The Thirteenth Floor, a well-done contemporary fair play whodunit, a political reporter reassigned to the night police beat ends up investigating a murder-by-gunshot in his own apartment building. The three editors have done a better job offering variety than some other volumes in this acclaimed series. *(Mar.)* Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product Description The River City emerges as a hot spot for unseemly noir. **Brand-new stories by:** Dean King, Laura Browder, Howard Owen, Yazmina Beverly, Tom De Haven, X.C. Atkins, Meagan J. Saunders, Anne Thomas Soffee, Clint McCown, Conrad Ashley Persons, Clay McLeod Chapman, Pir Rothenberg, David L. Robbins, Hermine Pinson, and Dennis Danvers. FROM THE INTRODUCTION TO *RICHMOND NOIR*: ''In The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, Henry Miller tosses off a hard-bitten assessment of the City on the James: 'I would rather die in Richmond somehow,' he writes, 'though God knows Richmond has little enough to offer.' As editors, we like the dying part, and might point out that in its long history, Richmond, Virginia has offered up many of the disparate elements crucial to meaty noir. The city was born amid deception, conspiracy, and violence . . . ''These days, Richmond is a city of winter balls and garden parties on soft summer evenings, a city of private clubs where white-haired old gentlemen, with their martinis or mint juleps in hand, still genuflect in front of portraits of Robert E. Lee. It's also a city of brutal crime scenes and drug corners and okay-everybody-go-on-home-there's-nothing-more-to-see. It's a city of world-class ad agencies and law firms, a city of the FFV (First Families of Virginia) and a city of immigrants--from India, Vietnam, and Africa to Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. It's a city of finicky manners (you mustn't ever sneeze publicly in Richmond) and old-time neighborliness, and it's a city where you think twice about giving somebody the finger if they cut you off on the Powhite Parkway (that's pronounced Pow-hite, not Po-white, thank you very much) because you might get your head blown off by the shotgun on the rack . . .''

The River City emerges as a hot spot for unseemly noir.

Brand-new stories by: Dean King, Laura Browder, Howard Owen, Yazmina Beverly, Tom De Haven, X.C. Atkins, Meagan J. Saunders, Anne Thomas Soffee, Clint McCown, Conrad Ashley Persons, Clay McLeod Chapman, Pir Rothenberg, David L. Robbins, Hermine Pinson, and Dennis Danvers.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION TO RICHMOND NOIR:

"In The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, Henry Miller tosses off a hard-bitten assessment of the City on the James: 'I would rather die in Richmond somehow,' he writes, 'though God knows Richmond has little enough to offer.' As editors, we like the dying part, and might point out that in its long history, Richmond, Virginia has offered up many of the disparate elements crucial to meaty noir. The city was born amid deception, conspiracy, and violence . . .

"These days, Richmond is a city of winter balls and garden parties on soft summer evenings, a city of private clubs where white-haired old gentlemen, with their martinis or mint juleps in hand, still genuflect in front of portraits of Robert E. Lee. It's also a city of brutal crime scenes and drug corners and okay-everybody-go-on-home-there's-nothing-more-to-see. It's a city of world-class ad agencies and law firms, a city of the FFV (First Families of Virginia) and a city of immigrants--from India, Vietnam, and Africa to Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. It's a city of finicky manners (you mustn't ever sneeze publicly in Richmond) and old-time neighborliness, and it's a city where you think twice about giving somebody the finger if they cut you off on the Powhite Parkway (that's pronounced Pow-hite, not Po-white, thank you very much) because you might get your head blown off by the shotgun on the rack . . ."

The River City emerges as a hot spot for unseemly noir in this anthology with a foreword by New York Times–bestselling author Tom Robbins. A rich literary tradition sets the stage for this talented group of authors who take their inspiration from Virginia's capital city. Edgar Allan Poe has left his mark on the atmospheric town, giving its residents a taste for walking on the dark side. It's no wonder that three local writers took it upon themselves to curate this moody and menacing collection, featuring stories by Dean King, Laura Browder, Howard Owen, Yazmina Beverly, Tom De Haven, X.C. Atkins, Meagan J. Saunders, Anne Thomas Soffee, Clint McCown, Conrad Ashley Persons, Clay McLeod Chapman, Pir Rothenberg, David L. Robbins, Hermine Pinson, and Dennis Danvers. “[Fifteen] gritty and ominous tales... The writing of Poe—who grew up and forged a literary reputation in Richmond, and is usually credited with inventing the detective story—may have set the stage for the town's kiss-me-deadly tradition.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch The rose red vial / Pir Rothenberg Homework / David L. Robbins Gaia / Mina Beverly Texas beach / Dennis Danvers The battle of Belle Isle / Clay McLeod Chapman A late-night fishing trip / X.C. Atkins The heart is a strange muscle / Laura Browder The fall lines / Dean King Playing with DaBlonde / Tom De Haven MIdnight at the oasis / Anne Thomas Soffee Untitled / Meagan J. Saunders Marco's broken English / Conrad Ashley Persons The thirteenth floor / Howard Owen Mr. Not / Hermine Pinson The apprentice / Clint McCown. These days, Richmond is a city of winter balls and garden parties on soft summer evenings, a city of private clubs where white-haired old gentlemen, with their martinis or mint juleps in hand, still genuflect in front of portraits of Robert E. Lee. But it's also a city of brutal crime scenes and drug corners. It's a city of world-class ad agencies and law firms, a city of the FFV (First Families of Virginia) and a city of immigrants - from India, Vietnam and Africa to Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.