If you have never read any of the Noir series by Akashic press, I highly recommend them. This forensic series is short stories set in various cities that give the reader a brief but crystal clear snapshot of life in that city. I have read several but the one that I am going to talk about is South Central Noir. It exceeded my expectations. Seriously. South Central L.A. is the setting for stories about life in this hardened area with all its hopes, triumphs and brutal disappointments. From a story about unsolved murders in the 30s, to a fellow watching storefronts on his block burn during the Watts riots and worrying about his restaurant, these stories are amazing. I love stories that pull an emotion out of me and these definitely do. I love stories that give a glimpse into the characters' hearts. These fill that order. I love stories that leave an imprint. These do. I have read several of the authors and will be on the hunt for anything by the ones I met via this book. They are all talented.
I think a lot of the other reviews say what I am feeling much better than I can. All I know is that this book is well worth reading and is on my recommended list. Thank you to the Early Reviewers program for a really wonderful read. ( )

South Central Noir (2022) by Gary Phillips, Ed. Akashic Books has a long string of “Noir” anthologies out. Each book is a wonderful example of the short stories to be found in the world. What sets these collections apart is that they focus attention on one part of the world only, be it Dublin, Ireland, Chicago, prison, Miami or a hundred different spots. And each book highlights about a dozen or so of the best written shorts available. And usually the authors are talent central to the location as in this case.
South Central is an approximately 35 square mile section of Los Angeles. I expected gang bangers, rap music, anti-police sentiment, and lots of hatred. What I got was a compelling selection that went from deadly serious to comic. The population of this book spanned many ethnicities, ages, and temperament. And the times went from the 1930s to the modern day.
Trying to pick a favorite is difficult as the stories have such a diverse range in emotions and personal involvement for me. I especially liked the tale of the Watt’s Towers and its splendid humor. The Last time I Died is a nice touch of the macabre. Mae’s Family Dining manages to cross through time to tell about the life of a woman and her “family’.
Murder, crime, the unexpected, horror and fun swirl together in this collection. I have found the Akashic books have always provided me with hours of enthralling reading. And I always discover something, fact or fiction, that I didn’t know before but love. ( )

This anthology in the Akashic Noir Series depicts a wide array of people, situations, and eras in a common location, South Central Los Angeles, where the only constant is change, for better or worse. Development breeds gentrification: better for new arrivals and worse for the residents it excludes. Class divides are illuminated when a narrator’s school volleyball team travels from South Central to play rich girls in green hills they’d only seen on TV, passing “expensive houses… and not one of them had bars on the windows” (“If Found Please Return to Abigail Serna”). Multidimensional characters – not the least of which is South Central itself – face steep challenges, and teeter on the edges of legality and reality. Bad cops face good detectives (“Sabor a Mi”); an honest woman steals cash (“Mae’s Family Dining”); a bookstore manager flirts with the spirit world (“Haint in the Window”). A well-written collection of stories that are definitely worth reading. ( )

Once again, Akashic has put together a superb collection of stories, this time centered in South Central LA. I was surprised at the diversity of stories told - characters reflected the reality of that area rather than the stereotype. And even though this is a collection of darker stories, there some rays of sunshine that break through. We’ll worth the time spent! ( )

South Central Noir is a spectacular addition to the Akashic Noir Series. Here’s the thing. I always know each volume in the Noir Series will be interesting and enjoyable, but some locations simply are more noir than others. In some places, noir is not even a genre and must be explained by the editor, and the stories, while still interesting, miss the mark a bit. But what can be more noir than South Central?

I also want to thank editor Gary Phillips for writing the most noir introduction of the series. Noir does not explain. Noir has the confidence to just put it out there with a nice, short introduction without any justification for his choices other than he made them.

He knew what he was doing. Not one of the fourteen stories bored or disappointed me. Some were truly superb. Haint in the Window by Tananarive Due was particularly inventive. Besides, I always love stories in bookstores. I also loved Mae’s Family Dining by Penny Mickelbury about a woman, a restaurant, and some very bad cops. How Hope Found Chauncey by Jervey Tervalon was heartbreaking but still so rich in the love of friendship.

I can just about guarantee that I will love an Akashic Noir book. They are a completely different kind of armchair traveling, giving us a gritty, and probably more realistic view of a place we’ve never been. South Central Noir succeeds on all fronts, as good stories and as a unique insight to a place I have never been.

I received an ARC of South Central Noir from the publisher through LibraryThing.

South Central Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir Series
Gary Phillips author site

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