London Noir

by Cathi Unsworth (Editor)

Overview

Serpent’s Tail novelist Unsworth teases, tickles, and horrifies with her stellar curation of London Noir.

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Brand-new stories by: Desmond Barry, Ken Bruen, Stewart Home, Barry Adamson, Michael Ward, Sylvie Simmons, Daniel Bennett, Cathi Unsworth, Max Décharné, Martyn Waites, Joolz Denby, John Williams, Jerry Sykes, Mark Pilkington, Joe McNally, Patrick McCabe, and Ken Hollings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781888451986
Publisher:	Akashic Books, Ltd.
Publication date:	08/01/2006
Series:	Akashic Noir Series
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

CATHI UNSWORTH moved to Ladbroke Grove in 1987 and has stayed there ever since. She began a career in rock writing with Sounds and Melody Maker, before coediting the arts journal Purr and then Bizarre magazine. Her first novel, The Not Knowing, was published by Serpent’s Tail, and she is the editor of London Noir.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Police & Thieves

“Backgammon” by Desmond Barry (Soho)

“Loaded” by Ken Bruen (Brixton)

“Rigor Mortis” by Stewart Home (Ladbroke Grove)

“Maida Hell” by Barry Adamson (Maida Hill)

Part II: I Fought the Law

“I Fought the Lawyer” by Michael Ward (Mayfair)

“I Hate His Fingers” by Sylvie Simmons (Kentish Town)

“Park Rites” by Dan Bennett (Clissold Park)

“Trouble Is a Lonesome Town” by Cathi Unsworth (King’s Cross)

“Chelsea Three, Scotland Yard Nil” by Max Décharné (King’s Road)

Part III: Guns on the Roof

“Love” by Martyn Waites (Dagenham)

“Sic Transit Gloria Mundi” by Joolz Denby (Bradford)

“New Rose” by John Williams (New Cross)

“Penguin Island” by Jerry Sykes (Camden Town)

Part IV: London Calling

“She’ll Ride a White Horse” by Mark Pilkington (Dalston)

“South” by Joe McNally (Elephant & Castle)

“Who Do You Know in Heaven?” by Patrick McCabe (Aldgate)

“Betamax” by Ken Hollings (Canary Wharf)

Editorial Reviews

While few of the names in the 10th entry in the city noir anthology series that began with Brooklyn Noir (2004) will be familiar to American readers (where, for example, are Robert Barnard and John Harvey?), by way of compensation eight of the 17 contributions focus on punk rock. Ken Bruen, best known for his native Dublin settings, offers a sharp jab to the gut in "Loaded." Michael Ward's "I Fought the Lawyer" profiles one of the worst blackmail schemes ever devised. Unsworth's tale, "Trouble Is a Lonesome Town," riffs nicely on the seedy PI who gets in over his head. Martyn Waites's "Love" is a frightening portrait of a skinhead recruit. Joolz Denby's "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" effectively traces the arc of would-be punk stars from the country trying to find fame in the big city. If this volume doesn't match the quality of the best in the series, there are still pleasures to be found, especially for those into the contemporary London music scene. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly