Mystery writing titan Lawrence Block takes a bite into Manhattan crime.

Brand new crime fiction stories from Jeffery Deaver, Lawrence Block, Charles Ardai, Carol Lea Benjamin, Thomas H. Cook, Jim Fusilli, Robert Knightly, John Lutz, Liz Martinez, Maan Meyers, Martin Meyers, S.J. Rozan, Justin Scott, C.J. Sullivan, and Xu Xi.

"A pleasing variety of Manhattan neighborhoods come to life in Block's solid anthology, the latest entry in Akashic's city-themed noir series (Brooklyn Noir, etc.). "Building" by S.J. Rozan, for example, brings the reader a strong sense of Harlem, while "The Most Beautiful Apartment in New York" by Justin Scott perfectly presents the Chelsea landscape. Purists may balk at a tale like Liz Martínez's "Freddie Prinze Is My Guardian Angel," which is offbeat and funny but not really noir. Charles Ardai's "The Good Samaritan," on the other hand, offers bad weather, night and even cigarettes. Thomas H. Cook's "Rain" is nothing if not bleak, though it's really just an elaborate sketch. The most satisfying story, Jeffery Deaver's "A Nice Place to Visit," is long enough to develop a full plot, and it's got a hell of a twist at the end. Block contributes a respectable entry, "If You Can't Stand the Heat," but it certainly doesn't rival his best writing. Though not all the story lines are uniformly compelling, the writing is of a high order and a nice mix of styles." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Mystery writing titan Lawrence Block takes a bite into Manhattan crime.

Brand new stories by: Jeffery Deaver, Lawrence Block, Charles Ardai, Carol Lea Benjamin, Thomas H. Cook, Jim Fusilli, Robert Knightly, John Lutz, Liz Martinez, Maan Meyers, Martin Meyers, S.J. Rozan, Justin Scott, C.J. Sullivan, and Xu Xi.

From the introduction by Lawrence Block:

Readers of Brooklyn Noirwill recall that its contents were labeled by neighborhood--Bay Ridge, Canarsie, Greenpoint, etc. We have chosen the same p rinciple here, and the book's contents do a good job of covering the island, from C.J. Sullivan's Inwood and Charles Ardai's Upper East Side, to Justin Scott's Chelsea and Carol Lea Benjamin's Greenwich Village. The range in mood and literary style is at least as great; noir can be funny, it can stretch to include magic realism, it can be ample or stark, told in the past or present tense, and in the first or third person. I wouldn't presume to define noir--if we could define it, we wouldn't need to use a French word for it - but it seems to me that it's more a way of looking at the world than what one sees.

Lawrence Blockhas won most of the major mystery awards, and has been called the quintessential New York writer, although he insists the city's far too big to have a quintessential writer. His series characters - Matthew Scudder, Bernie Rhodenbarr, Evan Tanner, Chip Harrison, and Keller - all live in Manhattan; like their creator, they wouldn't really be happy anywhere else.

Lawrence Block has won most of the major mystery awards and has been called the quintessential New York writer, although he insists the city's far too big to have a quintessential writer. His series characters — Matthew Scudder, Bernie Rhodenbarr, Evan Tanner, Chip Harrison, and Keller — all live in Manhattan; like their creator, they wouldn't really be happy anywhere else.

Introduction

"The Good Samaritan" by Charles Ardai (Midtown)
"The Last Supper" by Carol Lea Benjamin (Greenwich Village)
"If You Can't Stand the Heat" by Lawrence Block (Clinton)
"Rain" by Thomas H. Cook (Battery Park)
"A Nice Place to Visit" by Jeffery Deaver (Hell's Kitchen)
"The Next Best Thing Bridge" by Jim Fusilli (George Washington)
"Take the Man's Pay" by Robert Knightly (Garment District)
"The Laundry Room" by John Lutz (Upper West Side)
"Freddie Prinze Is My Guardian Angel" by Liz Martínez (Washington Heights)
"The Organ Grinder" by Maan Meyers (Lower East Side)
"Why Do They Have to Hit?" by Martin Meyers (Yorkville)
"Building" by S.J. Rozan (Harlem)
"The Most Beautiful Apartment in New York" by Justin Scott (Chelsea)
"The Last Round" by C.J. Sullivan (Inwood)
"Crying with Audrey Hepburn" by Xu Xi (Times Square)