Celebrated author continues previous work with some innovations (e.g., mellowness). Title story ("negro" as in "noir") is a thriller, as are "A Santa de Scho neberg" and "O Livro de Panegi ricos." These stories belong to Fonseca's turf of mystery-cum-history characteristic of his latest novels, {Bufo & Spallanzani} (translated into English by Clifford Landers, see {HLAS 52:5038}), {Vastas emoc ʹo es e pensamentos imperfeitos,} and {Agosto.} "A Recusa dos Carniceiros" deals with capital punishment as a legislative issue in 19th-century Brazil. In "Labaredas nas Trevas," a mock Joseph Conrad diary concerns his envy of dead Stephen Crane's writing. Jewel among these fine tales is "A Arte de Andar nas Ruas do Rio de Janeiro," a loving, humorous portrayal of bohemian diehards in 1980s Rio as seen through a 1940s perspective.