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“Well worth its impressive weight in gold, it would be a crime not to have this seminal masterpiece in your collection.”—New York Journal of Books

In his introduction to The Best American Noir of the Century, James Ellroy writes, “Noir is the most scrutinized offshoot of the hard-boiled school of fiction. It’s the long drop off the short pier and the wrong man and the wrong woman in perfect misalliance. It’s the nightmare of flawed souls with big dreams and the precise how and why of the all-time sure thing that goes bad.” Offering the best examples of literary sure things gone bad, this collection ensures that nowhere else can readers find a darker, more thorough distillation of American noir fiction.

James Ellroy and Otto Penzler mined writings of the past century to find this treasure trove of thirty-nine stories. From noir’s twenties-era infancy come gems like James M. Cain’s “Pastorale,” and its postwar heyday boasts giants like Mickey Spillane and Evan Hunter. Packing an undeniable punch, diverse contemporary incarnations include Elmore Leonard, Patricia Highsmith, Joyce Carol Oates, Dennis Lehane, and William Gay, with many page-turners appearing from the past decade.

“Delightfully devilish . . . A strange trek through the years that includes stories from household names in the hard-boiled genre to lesser-known authors who nonetheless can hold their own with the legends.”—Associated Press

James Ellroy is the author of the Underworld U.S.A. trilogy—American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand, and Blood’s a Rover—and the L.A. Quartet novels, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz. He is also the author of The Hillicker Curse, a memoir.

Otto Penzler is the founder of the Mysterious Bookshop and Mysterious Press, has won two Edgar Allan Poe Awards, and is series editor of The Best American Mystery Stories.
 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books (October 4, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 752 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0547577443
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0547577449
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.81 x 8.25 inches
Reviewer: Joanie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: good noir shorts
Review: This is a great collection of short noir stories, some better than others, but all are good and worth the read. I really like the introduction of the author before each of their stories. It's a nice way to learn interesting information about authors you know and a good way to learn about new authors to you.

Reviewer: Timbo
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Interesting and easy reading
Review: Good stories although, not surprisingly, some much better than others. The short history about each author before his or her story was especially interesting to me.

Reviewer: Fiona Webster
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: James Ellroy says "Doom is fun," and he's RIGHT!
Review: Too bad the last story in this anthology was kind of a dud, because almost without exception, all the other nearly 40 tales (this is a BIG slug of fiction) are top-notch—better even than I expected. And I expected a lot, given the reputations of the editors. This book must have been a labor of love, because not only have Penzler and Ellroy combed through what must have been zillions of contenders to find the very best of the best, they have each written powerful front pieces (don't skip them!), and they provide meaty mini-bios for each of the featured authors, suggesting numerous other novels & story collections I plan to check out. I knew I was a crime buff, but little did I know how very much I like literary noir. I was pleasantly surprised, for one thing, that this fiction doesn't feel depressing to me. As I read along, James Ellroy's words, from his foreword/intro, kept echoing in my mind: "Doom is fun... Doom is fun." One suggestion: if you can make yourself do it, read all of these through in chronological order, because as the decades go by, each author is learning from his or her predecessors. It's fascinating to see the influences unfurl and blossom.

Reviewer: Yalobusha
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Penzler"s "Noir" truly is the Best
Review: Best American Noir is a well-collected anthology exhibiting prime examples of the genre both for the readers' pleasure and to further show what noir is. As delivered by Hollywood, the film aspect of the genre usually starts with a voiceover and recap of the yarn via flashback, but the literary versions offered here are far more varied and probably more bizarre than the screen vesions (many of which were inspired by these stories). Penzler continues to demonstrate he is the best at presenting tough-guy (grit-lit?) examples of a truly American genre (read his other anthologies from Black Mask etc). His knowledge of the authors presented here is exceptional and he might be blamed (or credited by used book dealers) for inspiring a massive run on their shelves for out-of-print originals of their other work. Worth it at any price.

Reviewer: czz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good collection of stories.
Review: Honestly some stories are unreadable and others are wrong or bad or contrived, like implausable. Sometimes it feels a bit heavy on the scene without the sense of adventure or pursuit. Also, a bit too ... low life from time to time. Of course, it is difficult to describe all of the stories when each one is so very different. Thankfully, they are short so you can skip the ones you dislike. Unfortunately, you risk skipping 2/3rds of the book. Also, you can't unread the bad ones. Some of it is just not very good. For comparison, some television shows are just not very good: the mystery isn't mysterious at all, or the suspense is not very suspenseful. Or the quick thinking detective isn't so smart, only has a so-so intelligence, it is just that her adversary was brain dead, a little too formulaic -or anti-formulaic for the sake of being anti-formulaic. But I liked it, obviously. I wouldn't spend this much time reviewing something I didn't.

Reviewer: Arthur H. Weintraub
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great dark and menacing short fiction by a who's who of noir and some talented newbies.
Review: Great reading for those of us who love noir fiction, many turned into screenplays. Lots of bad guys, losers, calculating femme fatales and inventive plots. Just what you need for fun reading at bedtime or anytime. Plenty of pages to last a while. Short bios of the authors proceed each story which are often revealing and interesting.

Reviewer: dmadrad
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: some excellent, some not so much
Review: uneven quality of stories, some excellent, some not so much...

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not the usual Stories
Review: There are so many unexpected chills and surprises in this collection; and they keep coming as the stories span the better part of a century. Every story is good to amazing (I can only think of one that bored me a little) and they are not the typically collected Noir stories. They vary in style and length, so it is not just the hard boiled variety, but they can all be considered Noir. The intro for each writer is short and sweet giving insight into their careers and other noteworthy works. I have been reading a few of its stories at a time in between other novels and I am sorry to say that I am 3 stories away from the end of the collection and will really miss not having it to go back to.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Nothing disappointing here. Amazed me to realize that noir fiction has really not changed much over the century. Every story in Best American Noir delivers the grit and bad actors that define the genre.

Reviewer: Oz Bob
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Whenever I see the name Otto Penzler on a collection of stories I know that if I buy that I am in for a good read. This anthology of American, mostly crime stories, from a hundred years up until 2010 proves to be just that. The writers selected were mostly known to me and those that I was not familiar with proved to be well worth knowing. The stories cover a wide range of plots and styles and some are absolute page turners, but none disappointed me. However one small note of warning, everyone of these stories is unrelentingly grim and in this collection of tales there are certainly no happy endings. To my mind the earlier stories, although they come from a time of a world wide recession and two world wars, are less despondent than those that have been written nearer to our own time. Does this reflect today's world. Who knows. I would say a good read for the right person.

Reviewer: ruben
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: If you are into dark stories this is your perfect book. It includes some classic tales and some little gems by lesser-known writers, like Ellison's Mefisto in Onyx.

Reviewer: Warren Stalley
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The Best American Noir of the Century collects together a wide range of crime authors from the U.S. and is a great way to find interesting writers who you may not have come across before. Each story is preceded by a brief yet informative introduction to the author. All the pieces were interesting in one way or another but some of my personal favourites were as follows:Nothing To Worry About – Day KeeneA teenage boy thinks he’s got away with murder but his homicidal tendencies may yet give him away. A slice of crime fiction from the Nineteen Forties era.Man In The Dark – Howard BrowneA distraught husband tries to piece together the mystery of his wife’s disappearance and find out just who is the dead body in his wife’s burnt out car wreck? An engrossing mystery story from an author who was new to me.The Lady Says Die! – Mickey SpillaneA wall street dealer tells the story of his friends’ demise to a police detective in a short but powerful piece of work from the legendary Mr Spillane. This is no Mike Hammer but still a solid enticing story.Professional Man – David GoodisFreddy Lamb is a lift attendant by day and hitman by night. He works for the owner of The Yellow Cat nightclub Herman Charn but his boss has eyes for Freddy’s girlfriend Pearl. This can only lead to trouble for the professional man. A riveting and emotional story plus a stand out piece in this collection from one of the truly great noir writers David Goodis.The Last Spin – Evan HunterTwo rival gang members try to settle a dispute over a tense game of Russian roulette in this powerful and harrowing tale that really delivers a punch. A true American classic.Slowly, Slowly In The Wind – Patricia HighsmithA retired businessman moves to the country for the sake of his health but ends up fighting with a local land owner in this impressive and chilling tale from a superb author.Iris – Stephen GreenleafA travelling businessman thinks he’s picking up a quirky hitchhiker called Iris but ends up holding the baby and a whole lot more in this engrossing and hypnotic piece with a killer ending. Bleak just like good noir should be.A Ticket Out – Brendan DuboisBrad and Monroe two teenage boys dream of going to college and escaping/leaving their small town of Boston Falls. But the need for money and a dangerous robbery leave one of the boys scarred for life in this moving, evocative story.Since I Don’t Have You – James EllroyA fixer who works for both Howard Hughes and gangster Mickey Cohen is tasked with tracking down a mysterious girl who both his bosses want back. But who is smarter the dame with the brains or the fixer in the mix? Written in a highly stylised way this is a tough talking and gripping crime piece from a well known author.Texas City, 1947 - James Lee BurkeA young boy and his siblings suffer poverty and cruelty from their father’s girlfriend in this evocative and moving story that squeezes the heart and stays with you long after finishing. Truly memorable.Mefisto In Onyx – Harlan EllisonA man with psychic powers finds himself face to face with a death row serial killer but did the prisoner really commit the hideous crimes? A lengthy mystery story but worth sticking with for the killer payoff.Out There in the Darkness - Ed GormanFour friends who have a regular poker night capture an intruder and suffer the consequences of rough justice in this gripping, involving story from the modern age of crime.Hot Springs - James CrumleyBenbow and Mona Sue, a couple on the run hide out in a mountain lodge at Hidden Springs Canyon. Even with a familiar noir plot the talented writer James Crumley creates a rich and colourful tale that heads to a dark and graphic conclusion.The Weekender - Jeffery DeaverOn the run from a drugstore armed robbery two criminals Jack Prescot and Joe Roy Toth hideout in a remote town called Winchester. They have a hostage Randall Weller who tries to plea for his freedom and life in a compelling story with a true noir kick in the guts ending. Great work from a well known author.Like a Bone in the Throat - Lawrence BlockWilliam Croydon, a killer on death row strikes up an unlikely friendship with Paul Dandridge, the brother of a young woman Croydon murdered. But who is kidding who in this riveting slice of gritty crime drama with a twisted ending.Crack - James W. HallA University teacher living near Bilbao, Spain discovers a crack in the wall between his home and his neighbours, so begins a downward spiral of voyeurism, obsession and doom as he spies on the young girl next door. A short yet hypnotic piece that stays long in the memory.Running Out of Dog - Dennis LehaneIn the small Southern town of Eden a dangerous equation of people exists – Elgin, his partner Shelley Briggs, his girlfriend Jewel Lut, her husband Perkin Lut and Elgin’s odd friend Blue. What follows is a mixture of friendship, love, lust and madness superbly told by Dennis Lehane. You can feel the dust at the back of your throat with this story, another stand out piece in this collection.Midnight Emissions - F. X. TooleA masculine story of promising heavyweight boxer Kenny Coyle and the trainers and business people around him. Full of sweat, grit and greed this is a lengthy developed story full of realistic details yet still noir at its core.When the Women come Out to Dance - Elmore LeonardLourdes is hired as a personal maid to Mrs Mahmood, soon after they’re talking about murder. Events lead to a dark conclusion in this classic smooth piece of storytelling from one of the masters of crime fiction.Controlled Burn - Scott WolvenBill Allen is hiding out after an armed robbery that went wrong. While working at a remote woodlot he goes on a job to burn some fields then disappears on the run again in a poetic reflection of one man’s troubled life on the run.What She Offered - Thomas H. CookAn author meets Victoria, a strange woman in a bar with an offer that’s both unusual and enticing to him in this original story.Her Lord and Master - Andrew KlavanSusan and Jim are having a masochistic relationship that leads them to dark things in this original yet highly controversial and thought provoking story.Stab - Chris AdrianSomeone is murdering small animals in the quiet neighbourhood of Severna Forest. Calvin, a young boy who mourns the loss of his identical twin discovers who is behind the stabbings but can he stop them? A truly haunting tale of the loss of childhood innocence and mortality.The Hoarder - Bradford MorrowIn Bayside Park a young man gets a job at a rundown miniature golf course. As he begins spying on the players he becomes obsessed with Penny, his brother’s girlfriend which leads to a heart of darkness in this hypnotic and poetic story of desire.Missing the Morning Bus - Lorenzo CarcaterraA husband uses his weekly poker evening to try to find out which of his card buddies is responsible for the death of his wife in this friendship story with a surprising twist in the tale.To summarise you may not like all the stories contained within The Best American Noir of the Century but you’re sure to find something that will spark your interest among the wide variety of authors featured in the book. Enjoy.

Reviewer: Robert H Silverman
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The "best" is perhaps a bit overrated, but they are good stories, and a few are REALLY good. Many of these stories are the basis of well-known film noirs. If you like the genre, you'll like these.