This massive anthology brings together over thirty hard-boiled stories from the acclaimed Akashic Noir series. Featuring heavy hitters like Michael Connelly and Joyce Carol Oates, the collection explores the dark underbelly of cities across the United States. Expect gritty tales of crime, desperation, and the moral ambiguity found in every corner of the country.

Prose complexity: 7/10

Dark Gritty Atmospheric Tense

Morally Grey Anti-Hero Betrayal Multiple POVs Villain Protagonist

Crime Mystery Suspense

Authors

D

Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane is an American novelist born August 4, 1965, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for a series of hardboiled mysteries featuring Boston private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, beginning with A Drink Before the War (1994), and for standalone novels including Mystic River, Shutter Island, The Given Day, and Small Mercies. Four of his novels have been adapted into films: Mystic River (2003, directed by Clint Eastwood), Gone Baby Go...

G

George P. Pelecanos

Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer.

J

Johnny Temple

Johnny Temple is the editor behind the popular USA Noir series. He brings readers gritty crime stories from across America.

P

Pete Hamill

Pete Hamill is an American journalist, novelist, essayist, editor and educator. Widely traveled and having written on a broad range of topics, he is perhaps best known for his career as a New York City journalist, as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavors of New York city. - Wikipedia

S

Susan Straight

Susan Straight is known for her vivid storytelling, from the crime collection USA Noir to the historical novel Million Nightingales (also Un millón de ruiseñores). Her work often explores human connections set against specific American landscapes.