New Orleans Noir

This is an interesting read. So many different things to find out about the city, both present and past. Some of the stories are a bit hard to hear, but they belong here. ( )

A seriously depressing anthology - which I should have been prepared for, given the genre of stories. Also, lots of folks seem to have forgotten the 'end' portion of story structure - a lot of sketches and scenes, not many actual stories. Highlights are: 'Schevoski', 'All I Could Do Was Cry', 'There Shall Your Heart Be Also', 'Muddy Pond', 'Lawyers' Tongues', 'Loot', and 'Angola South'. ( )

I really didn't like the first half of the book at all, entitled "Part I: Before The Levees Broke". All of the stories in that section seemed flat and predictable, especially since short stories are not my preferred genre. But the second half, entitled "Part II: Life In Atlantis", really came to life. The stories were heartfelt and entertaining with substantial plots and storylines and dimensional characters. I would love to read more works from those authors that were featured in Part II. ( )