Akashic Noir Series

by Beth Carswell

Brooklyn Noir
The collection that began it all.
Edited by Tim McLoughlin

There's been a murder at a Mumbai spice market, the corpse's fingers sunset-stained with turmeric and saffron. A grisly discovery on a Copenhagen beach sends Danish police scurrying for answers. A woman with eyes like warnings and a terrible secret walks into a Pittsburgh P.I.'s office and won't be denied...
If you love the grit, grime and sultry sweat of a good piece of noir fiction, the Akashic Noir series is for you. Akashic Books is an independent publisher based in Brooklyn, and begun by musician Johnny Temple, the former bassist for long-running post-hardcore band Girls Against Boys. Temple founded Akashic Books in 1996, with the goal of publishing shining writing stars who might otherwise go overlooked, particularly in the arenas of urban literary fiction and political non-fiction.
Akashic had a surprise blessing in 2011, when they published Go the F*ck to Sleep, a "children's book for adults" by Adam Mansbach and illustrated by Ricardo Cortes. The book is a spoof of tender-hearted, loving poems from parents to infants, but in the voice of an exhausted, frustrated parent at wits' end, begging their infant to please, for the love of God, just go to sleep. The book went viral unintentionally, when advance PDF copies of the text were leaked, shared, and became a big hit. Akashic, which were suddenly in the spotlight, credit social media with the book's intense popularity.
The Akashic Noir series began in 2004 with the first book, called simply "Brooklyn Noir". Edited by Brooklyn-based novelist Tim McLoughlin (author of the critically-acclaimed Heart of the Old Country, and adapted to the film The Narrows in 2008), Brooklyn Noir is a series of 19 new pieces of short noir fiction, set in different Brooklyn neighborhoods. Spanning every age group, social status, class level, gender and ethnicity, this selection of stories vibrates and hums with the authentic underground buzz of Brooklyn. McLoughlin - who was also a contributor to the collection with his offering, When All This Was Bay Ridge - was clearly meticulous about maintaining the genuine article in his selection process. The collection earned so much attention and acclaim that it became the first in a series, that has now expanded - so far - to include over 50 titles in locales criss-crossing the globe. It seems the incorporation of familiar, well-known locations with excellent writing and plot is a winning combination that readers can't resist. Those who have stepped into the ring to edit the collections run the gamut from little-known talents to big names like Joyce Carol Oates and Dennis Lehane.
Enjoy a selection of excellent noir fiction from around the globe below.

Akashic Noir Books

Mumbai Noir
Edited by Altaf Tyrewala

New Jersey Noir
Edited by Joyce Carol Oates

Baltimore Noir
Edited by Laura Lippman

Barcelona Noir
Edited by Adriana V. Lopez & Carmen Ospina

Pittsburgh Noir
Edited by Kathleen George

Boston Noir
Edited by Dennis Lehane

Bronx Noir
Edited by S.J. Rozan

Brooklyn Noir 2
Edited by Tim McLoughlin

Copenhagen Noir
Edited by Bo Tao Michaelis

DC Noir
Edited by George Pelecanos

Venice Noir
edited by Maxim Jakubowski

Trinidad Noir
Edited by Lisa Allen-Agostini & Jeanne Mason

Toronto Noir
Edited by Janine Armin & Nathaniel G. Moore

Cape Cod Noir
Edited by David L. Ulin

Miami Noir
Edited by Les Standiford

Los Angeles Noir
Edited by Denise Hamilton

Chicago Noir
Edited by Neal Pollack

Istanbul Noir
Edited by Mustafa Ziyalan & Amy Spangler

DC Noir 2
Edited by George Pelecanos

Detroit Noir
Edited by E.J. Olsen & John C. Hocking

Delhi Noir
Edited by Hirsh Sawhney

Havana Noir
Edited by Achy Obejas

Dublin Noir
Edited by Ken Bruen

Haiti Noir
Edited by Edwidge Danticat

Indian Country Noir
Edited by Sarah Cortez & Liz Martinez