Patrick Millikin

Akashic Books has become known for its series of short story anthologies set in locations around the globe, and since I'm a resident of Phoenix, picking up a copy of Phoenix Noir (from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore where editor Patrick Millikin works no less) was a no-brainer.

This collection of sixteen stories is a good one. There's only one story that I refused to finish, and that was due more to my mood than the writer's ability. Readers are taken from Phoenix in the 1940s (Jon Talton's show more Bull) to the here and now with characters from all walks of life.

My favorites in this collection were Lee Child's Public Transportation that had a lovely little twist at the end, Laura Tohe's Tom Snag that tells of a Native American who picks up the wrong woman at the Flying Eagle Bar, Others of My Kind by James Sallis, and Don Winslow's Whiteout on Van Buren which teaches a hitman why no one should visit Phoenix in August.

Diana Gabaldon's Dirty Scottsdale wins the prize for memorable phrases. When explaining why she was delayed in coming to the door, a woman says, "Sorry. I was drowning squirrels in the garage" (!) and then there's a perfect description of the Phoenix heat: "Yeah, it's a dry heat. Meaning that instead of being poached when you walk outside, you're flash-fried."

Phoenix Noir isn't my first Akashic short story anthology, and it won't be my last. It's tough to beat this publisher's one-two punch of prime location and prime storytelling. show less

Collection in the Akasnic city noir series, nicely curated by Patrick Millikin. A mixture of local authors and authors, and a mixture of atmospheric stories and those with more heavily plot-driven narratives. The over all quality is pretty good. To my mind the Don Winslow story does the best job of making the particular place -- both Phoenix and the strip of Van Buren Ave. -- central to the story told. But overall, the collection makes a good argument that Phoenix takes Chandler's L.A. of show more sunshine and corruption, and turns up the heat on both three-fold. show less

The Highway Kind is a collection of short stories of varying lengths by an all-star cast of writers including such famed authors as Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos, and Wil Vilharo. The theme of these stories is the fuel-infected powerful rides that some men spend their whole lives working on and perfecting.

Even what seem like the tamest stories about test driving a "dadmobile" are not tame, but at a certain point become emotionally out of control (winters' Test Drive). Other stories are show more hard crime stories but are almost hauntingly beautiful tales of isolated farmhouses and what comes out of the cold wintry night (Box's Power Wagon). Connelly's Burnt Matches draws on familiar characters from his Lincoln Lawyer series. There are stories about desperation and others about road rage ( Stroby's Night Run). Atkins' Apache Youth takes us on a road through a reservation.

Lots of good stuff here. And too many stories to describe them all even briefly. show less

After reading a description of Phoenix Noir (edited by Patrick Millikin), I was really looking forward to the book. It's a collection of murder mystery short stories set in the Phoenix Metro area. Being a resident of the Phoenix area and enjoying the works of Tony Hillerman and JA Jance whose mysteries are also set in the Southwest, I expected comparable writing. I was sorely disappointed.

Half of the stories in this anthology were, in my opinion, at the level of a community college creative show more writing course. They lacked polish and a sense of completion. Murder mysteries provide authors the chance to use numerous literary devices through intricate plots, interesting characters and engaging dialogue. There were plenty of missed opportunities in this collection.

“Dead by Christmas” by David Corbett was an exception and stood above the rest in its detail and craftsmanship. Done in the style of a police procedural, it kept my interest. “Public Transportation” by Lee Child deserves to be mentioned for its twist ending within the last few sentences of the story. This quick read is worthy of attention just to enjoy its use of an unreliable narrator. This implement was popular with Agatha Christie and it was refreshing to see its use in a modern tale.

I haven’t read any other anthologies in the Noir series offered by Akashic Books. It would be interesting to learn how the Phoenix edition compares to others in the line. show less