Brand-new stories by: Thomas Adcock, Ace Atkins, Patty Friedmann, David Fulmer, Barbara Hambly, Greg Herren, Laura Lippman, Tim McLoughlin, James Nolan, Ted O'Brien, Eric Overmyer, Jeri Cain Rossi, Maureen Tan, Jervey Tervalon, Olympia Vernon, Christine Wiltz, Kalamu Ya Salaam, and Julie Smith.

Julie Smithis the author of two detective series set in New Orleans and an Edgar Award winner. A former reporter for the New OrleansTimes-Picayuneand the San Francisco Chronicle,she lives in the Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans, which is much funkier than it sounds.

"The excellent 12th entry in Akashic's city-specific noir series illustrates the diversity of the chosen locale with 18 previously unpublished short stories from authors both well known (Laura Lippman, Barbara Hambly) and emerging (Kalamu Ya Salaam, Jeri Cain Rossi). Appropriately, Smith divides the book into pre- and post-Katrina sections, and many of the more powerful tales describe the disaster's hellish aftermath. Standouts in the first section, 'Before the Levees Broke,' include Laura Lippman's short, twisted tale of victims and victimizers, 'Pony Girl,' and Tim McLoughlin's 'Scared Rabbit,' a tight, punchy account of a police shooting. Among the contributions to the post-Katrina 'Life in Atlantis' section, Thomas Adcock's gritty crime tale, 'Lawyers' Tongues,' captures the chaos of the hurricane's wake with notable skill." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Brand-new stories by: Thomas Adcock, Ace Atkins, Patty Friedmann, David Fulmer, Barbara Hambly, Greg Herren, Laura Lippman, Tim McLoughlin, James Nolan, Ted O'Brien, Eric Overmyer, Jeri Cain Rossi, Maureen Tan, Jervey Tervalon, Olympia Vernon, Christine Wiltz, Kalamu Ya Salaam, and Julie Smith. Julie Smith is the author of two detective series set in New Orleans and an Edgar Award winner. A former reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the San Francisco Chronicle, she lives in the Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans, which is much funkier than it sounds.