Bobby Byrd (1) (–2022)

Lone Star Noir is another short story collection in the Akashic Books series that I first discovered back in 2010. Each collection in this series contains fourteen or fifteen stories that fit comfortably in the genre of noir crime fiction. And, because each of the stories is written by someone from (or very familiar with) the city or region in which all of the stories are set, the collections are long on setting and mood. I have previously read and enjoyed Boston Noir, Mexico City Noir, Long show more Island Noir, Manila Noir, Prison Noir, and Belfast Noir. And now, I can finally add one of Akashic’s Texas books to that list.

I’m a Texas native, and other than a decade during which I lived in Europe and North Africa, I have spent my whole life here. So, speaking from personal observation, I can attest to the validity of editor Bobby Byrd’s statement in the book’s introduction that “Texas, in all its many places, bleeds noir fiction.” Lone Star Noir is, in fact, only one of the Akashic books set in Texas.

As usual in every short story collection I have ever read, Lone Star Noir includes both winners and losers. Some of the stories grab you in the first paragraph – and one or two others might see the reader perplexed even after the last page has been turned. Surprisingly, at least to me, the most disturbing and haunting story in the entire collection was written by a woman.

Claudia Smith’s “Catgirl” is set on the beaches near the island city of Galveston, a place where Texas parents take their children for a day or two in the usually warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For children, it is a small slice of paradise. That however, is not the case for the four little girls who learn about the real world one night from someone they trusted to keep them safe.

Some of the stories are set in the state’s largest cities, others are set in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. The San Antonio story, Ito Romo’s “Crank,” shows what can happen to a big city boy unprepared to visit the meanest of his city’s streets – but thinks that he is. And then as if to remind the reader that major crime occurs in the smallest of little towns, there is “Preacher’s Kid,” a story by Jessica Powers. Also in the mix, is Joe Lansdale “Six-Finger Jack,” a fine story about a bounty killing that the killer soon has reason to regret. This one is set in the heart of East Texas, a region Lansdale knows as well as any writer out there.

There are way more hits than misses in Lone Star Noir and, as usual, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for other books in a series that has become one of my favorites. show less

This is another anthology from Akashic Books, in which the stories are set in a common place. This time it's not a city, it's the state of Texas, mostly east Texas but not at all confined to Dallas or Houston or Austin. And some of them are so good you can feel the grit of dry country between your teeth as you read them. It's divided into three section: Gulf Coast Texas; Back Roads Texas; and Big City Texas. Looking at the table of contents, I began reading it all over again.

Sociology is rarely mesmerizing, but the essays in this anthology are just that. Well researched and truth-telling but also beautifully written, part poetry, part journalism.

This book follows the same format as the other "LOCATION Noir" books put out by Akashic Books. An editor from the city, state, or country in question brings together an anthology of contemporary crime fiction (defined pretty broadly) that all takes place in that location, and that is usually written by authors that live there. Here the editors bring together a diverse group of authors (including quite a few women) that set their stories throughout the state of Texas. This book gives the show more reader a combination of traditional hard-boiled crime fiction, unsettling dark stories, and a few pretty disturbing tales. You don't have to be from Texas to like this writing -- it's just good writing! -- but living in Texas gives another layer to the collection that I really liked. Plus the title is extremely fun to say.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2015/11/lone-star-noir-edited-by-bobby-byrd-and.ht... ] show less