Long Island Noir

By Akashic Books

The Shiny Car in the Night” by Nick Mamatas has been selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013, edited by Otto Penzler and Lisa Scottoline

"There is plenty of mayhem for fans of dark fiction in the pages of Long Island Noir: shootings, killings, all manner of brutality...Suburbia may be even meaner than the big city."
--The New York Times

"Akashic’s Long Island volume in its regional noir series offers an eclectic and effective mix of seasoned pros (Reed Farrel Coleman, Tim McLoughlin, Sarah Weinman) and new voices (Qanta Ahmed, JZ Holden, Amani Scipio). The 17 contributors portray a wonderful diversity of people driven to extremes . . ."
--Publishers Weekly

Original stories by: Jules Feiffer, Matthew McGevna, Nick Mamatas, Kaylie Jones, Qanta Ahmed, Charles Salzberg, Reed Farrel Coleman, Tim McLoughlin, Sarah Weinman, JZ Holden, Richie Narvaez, Sheila Kohler, Jane Ciabattari, Steven Wishnia, Kenneth Wishnia, Amani Scipio, and Tim Tomlinson.

Kaylie Jones moved to Sagaponack, New York, in 1975, where her family continued to live for more than thirty years. She is the author of five novels, including A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries and the memoir Lies My Mother Never Told Me. She teaches in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton and in the Wilkes University low-residency MFA program in professional writing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Apr 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781617751158

Reviews for Long Island Noir

[lehack · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my third noir collection, having previously read Brooklyn Noir and New Orleans Noir. Brooklyn Noir was my favorite. This collection takes us on a tour of Long Island, but not always to the places we expect. We may think of sunny beaches, long summer days and warm evenings, vineyards, and wonderful dinners in the Hamptons. This tour takes us to the darker side of the Island where people do things out of desperation, greed, lust or just being stupid. I love collections of short stories. This was my "pack in the handbag" book the past few weeks. I was able to finish whole stories in those spare moments. Being familiar with NY and surrounding areas, I plan to pick up copies of Manhattan Noir, Brooklyn Noir 2/3 and possibly New Jersey Noir.

[willymammoth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another solid entery into Akashic's "[Insert Locale Here] Noir" series. As with any short story anthology, some are better than others. And it's not "Noir" in the classical sense, but all of them are decent if not earth shattering. Except for the hastily-drawn comic (oops, I meant to say "graphic short story") in the middle, it was an enjoyable read.

[mclane_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The latest in Akashic Books "Noir" series, this is a collection of short stories set on Long Island. As the name implies, each story is about crime and/or some other dark theme. The quality of the stories vary, but all of them are pretty good. Each is set in a different Long Island town, and they do serve to point out that Long Island, like other areas of the country, is a mixture of rich and poor, different ethnic groups, and subject to all the pains and pangs of humanity. Recommended for those who like short fiction.

[blaircai · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an ordinary locality (Long Island) noir book. On the whole, I found the stories to be well-written, but I had a hard time with how many of the stories reeked with Gatsby-style entitlement. Some of the stories fascinated me, but most left me feeling annoyed -- more a function of my tastes than anything about the book itself. Great, light read... if you're into that sort of thing.

[jjnaaucoin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Like others have said, this is a book of short stories. Some better than others, none of any great horror. This book is a book to read here and there not a novel that keeps you reading late into the night. I guess I expected something else, but some of these stories I enjoyed.If you like Noir and something to read here and there this is a great book for you.

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Long Island Noir fully fills only the first half of its title; while all of the stories are set on Long Island, quite a few are not noir. Noir is a sort of off-shoot of those pulp fiction hardboiled tales featuring disgraced private eyes encountering the seamy side of life. It focuses on the dark underbelly, and while the characters often inhabit a hard-scrabble world, noir exists equally well in the corrupt actions and pastimes of the wealthy. Long Island Noir often failed in this, with both traditional mystery stories and one that featured neither crime nor struggle. A few needed a little more time, with the slap-dash feeling of an early draft. Still, I found a few of the stories leading me to want to read more by their authors, always a good outcome. Other stories delivered in spades, telling of plans gone awry and lives squandered.Among the stand-out stories was Anjali's America, in which a young Pakistani doctor encounters a woman whose fate she could have shared, had she not rejected an arranged marriage and completed her education, Gateway to the Stars, where a young man is prevented from finding his younger, drug-addicted brother by an unpleasant cop, and Blood Drive, in which a recently laid-off construction worker finds a new career that is both illegal and morally defensible. The protagonist of this story delivers a monolog that reminded me that appearances can be deceiving.The disappointments were not terrible, but they didn't deliver. In Terror nothing bad happened. Instead, tragedy visited a browner-skinned, poorer acquaintance of the highly educated, white woman who could afford a summer house in the Hamptons. I found this story both offensive and well written. Past President was a traditional mystery story that could have featured Kinsey Millhone or Rina Lazarus. It was enjoyable and well-crafted, but absolutely not noir. And Semiconscious was certainly dark enough, but it was too angry to be well-written. I was reminded of John Steinbeck throwing away a rough draft and then writing The Grapes of Wrath. This was an early draft of what could eventually become something good.

[erin1_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Halfway through the short stories of Long Island Noir, I found that I had skimmed through each one and hadn't connected with a single character. In fact, I found the characters banal and irritating and had to stop reading because I was getting annoyed. I've read noir and truly enjoyed it. As an avid reader of just about anything and everything, I wanted to like this book so badly, and had hoped to come away with some new authors to add to my list, but I just couldn't get through these stories.

[melkor81205 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A book of short stories that take place in the numerous different settings of Long Island. The book was for the most part enjoyable, some of the stories were not as well written as others.The stories are all dark on some level, so if your looking for a light "beach read" you can skip this one.

[cameling_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful collection of short noir stories set in suburbs of Long Island, New York by different authors centered around family values, love, reaching for the American Dream, disappointments and personal tragedies. Each author has his and her own voice, lending a freshness to each story told.

[glendalea_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had not heard of this series of books, and I am now looking forward to reading more! I was glad that one did not have to be familiar with Long Island in order to appreciate the stories (however, local knowledge may have helped in a couple of instances). Overall, the first half of the book seemed to have more depth and drama to the narratives, as the latter stories seemed to fizzle out at times. It was a great "quick read," with some interesting glimpses into the human psyche.

[olgalijo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For being a "noir" book I found it strangely reassuring. Most of the stories have enough to do with day to day life that I found myself wanting to read more. A tip of the hat to the editor.

[jldarden · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

About 20 years ago I read alot of noir. Worked my way through Cornell Woolrich, Some Hammet and the like. Off and on through the years I would pick some up, Jack O'Connell being a contemporary favorite. Not too often, though. When I saw this in ER, I decided to give it a try. Some of the stories brought back fond noir memories and some not so much. My favorite would have to be 'Gateway to the Stars', a story of misplaced family loyalty. We all have family members somewhere making bad decisions and if we're not careful, helping them can get us into trouble of some kind. The poorest choice, in my opinion, was 'Summer Love'. I didn't think it belonged in this collection as it seemed to me to be short fiction from some "popular" women's magazine.If you like real world dark fiction I recommend this.

[dandelionroots · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An anthology of noir short stories based in Long Island centered around the theme of the American dream (or better, its shadow). Some were flat, some were mildly entertaining, a few made me smile. The latter were: Thy Shiny Car in the Night, Home Invasion, Contents of House, Semiconscious, Blood Drive, & Snow Job. None will stick with me and I won't be reading any more of this series.

[shabacus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have lived on Long Island for the last five years, and during that time, I have gotten to know my adopted home pretty well. So when I had the chance to read this book, I was very excited. However, "Long Island" is only half of the title, and when I started to read, I realized that however much I knew about the island, I knew nothing about Noir.And so, I approached this book familiar with the setting, but unfamiliar with the styles and conventions of noir literature. And although I wouldn't say that I've been fully won over to the genre, the book was a thoroughly entertaining read.Only rarely do the stories name-drop, a common failing of regional short story collections. Instead, the setting is integral to the stories. As for the stories themselves, the quality is variable but generally positive. Having just finished the collection, there are only a handful that stand out as particularly good or particularly bad. Here, I think my unfamiliarity with the genre was a hindrance. Where a story left me unsatisfied, as if the really important questions had been left unanswered, I am more likely to attribute the fault to my own expectations rather than a problem with the stories themselves.In short, if you're a Long Islander, you will probably find much in this book to interest you. I leave it to fans of noir to determine how it ranks in that arena. Regardless, I am glad to have read it.

[charlottem_63 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

These books are great if you like noir and anthologies. I think they are tops.

[cathryngrant-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A few stories made this a 4-star, a few made it 3-star, and some, 2-star (it was okay). I went with four stars because of these two: Anali's America, by Qanta Ahmed and Home Invasion by Kaylie Jones.

[abealy_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brooklyn-based Akashic Press has covered the world with their classic “noir” series of short story collections. From Baltimore Noir to Wall Street Noir and over fifty cities in between the series defines the meaning of the seamier, darker side of life — often with a twist of the raw and a dash of humor.With Long Island Noir, editor Kaylie Jones, has gathered together stories by writers with personal connections to Long Island: Jules Feiffer, Matthew McGevna, Nick Mamatas, Kaylie Jones, Qanta Ahmed, Charles Salzberg, Reed Farrel Coleman, Tim McLoughlin, Sarah Weinman, JZ Holden, Richie Narvaez, Sheila Kohler, Jane Ciabattari, Steven Wishnia, Kenneth Wishnia, Amani Scipio, and Tim Tomlinson.In her introduction, Kaylie Jones says: “The most diehard fans of fiction may find a few of these stories a little gris. Not everyone here is literally down and out...They are all characters driven by some twisted notion of the American Dream, which they feel they must achieve at any cost. This is real-life noir.”Some of the better stories are truly dark gems. Matthew McGevna’s “Gateway to the Stars” is a murky tale of disaffected brotherly love.In “ Home Invasion” Kaylie Jones creates a young protagonist who grows up quickly after being taught to handle a gun.The depressing sadness of the arranged marriage and abused wife is masterfully told by Qanta Ahmed in “Anjali’s America” All the stories in this collection bring insight and a dose of the darker side of Nassau and Suffolk counties, including an illustrated story about Southampton by author and illustrator, Jules Feiffer, called “Boob Noir.”Head out to a beach in The Hamptons and bring along Long Island Noir for a great afternoon’s reading on the dark side.

[wordsampersand · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the idea of short story collections that are geographically confined, and I love hardboiled fiction. I don't know why I was so apprehensive about approaching any of these Akashic-published collections that combined both. Aside from a few misses, I think the collection works great. All of the stories in the collection are set in various communities on Long Island, and most are quite good. All of the stories toy with the pursuit of the "American Dream," and — in great hardboiled fashion — the characters often go for a bigger slice of pie than they realize they can manage. Some of the best stories cover territory familiar to fans of hardboiled fiction or film noir, yes, but some are fairly unconventional and really snap into place. I also appreciate how some of the better stories balance attention to detail in the various locales, and enough opaqueness to not alienate folks not overly familiar with Long Island.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of short stories- one volume in a series of dark tales set in various locations- illustrates the dark side of Long Island. Usually thought of as boring suburbia, the area proves to be anything but in these tales of people in bad situations. Poverty, alcoholism, drugs, prejudice, spousal abuse, rape, revenge, murder; these are no pretty fantasy stories but grim reminders of what goes on all the time, most of it under the radar. Editor (and contributor) Jones has done a good job selecting the stories; they represent quite an assortment of ways people’s lives can go out of control. Not all the characters are on a downward slide because of their own actions; many are in their dark situations simply by bad luck. The variety of situations keeps the book interesting- none of the 17 stories is like the others despite being on the same theme. If you like your fiction down to earth and raw, this books for you.

[laffrey_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I began reading the introduction to Long Island Noir, edited by Kaylie Jones, I suddenly remembered that I’m not a fan of short stories nor do I love the dark world of the noir mystery. So why read it? Well, having spent the past 15 years living (near), working and shopping on “the island”, I was curious to see how the various authors would portray it. So, I took a deep breath and dove in. I’m so glad I did.Though all of the stories are dark, none seemed overwhelmingly so, thanks to the length of the stories. The authors do a great job of catching the flavor of the setting and creating real characters out of the LI “characters” who appear in many other, longer books (and movies, and songs, even). Qanta Ahmed’s Anjali’s America, the story of two Pakistani immigrants, one a doctor and one an abused wife in her care, and Reed Farrell Coleman’s Mastermind, about a low-level muscle who’s stumbled on the perfect crime, stand out in this sense. Both also end in the kind of twist that shocks at first, then, on second, seemed inevitable. Several of the stories contained a dark humor that I found quite appealing: the above mentioned Mastermind, Charles Salzberg’s A Starr Burns Bright, about a man delivering a package that might unlock a past murder, and Tim Tomlinson’s Snow Job about two men who have an odd way of keeping busy in retirement. I also really enjoyed Jane Ciabattari’s Contents of House and Jules Feiffer’s creepy cartoon, Boob Noir.These stories are a great introduction to some wonderful new (to me) authors and this book is definitely going in the Christmas stockings of some of friends and family who are current (and former) Islanders. My husband insists that I point out that the cover photo, though technically ON Long Island, is actually taken in Long Island City, Queens, which is part of NYC, not part of Nassau or Suffolk County.

[samsattler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Long Island Noir, by my count the fiftieth offering in the Akashic Noir Series, is a nice collection of seventeen short stories devoted to Long Island’s dark side. Noir fiction, by definition, focuses on the darkness hidden within every human being and what happens when that dark side is allowed to express itself. These stories, consequently, are generally about losers and their victims. These are not “feel good” stories with happy endings and, with an exception or two, there are no nice guys to be found here unless you consider a few of the victims to fit into that category – but, even of that bunch, only a few will qualify. You have to love this stuff.As editor Kaylie Jones puts it in the book’s introduction, “They are all characters driven by some twisted notion of the American Dream, which they feel they must achieve at any cost. This is real-life noir. These people are our neighbors.” Most would hope this to be a bit of an exaggeration, but if not our neighbors, people like these are probably nearer than most of us care to admit.Short story collections, if they include enough stories or writers, tend to be a bit uneven, and this one is no exception. Included in this one are both excellent stories and a couple of dry clunkers that read more as obvious, almost characterless, indictments of spousal abuse and racism. There is even a graphic short story (my first experience with one of those) called “Boob Noir” that turns out to be one of the darkest and most disturbing tales of the bunch.Several of the stories are particularly memorable and fun to read, including the book’s opener, a story by Matthew McGevna called “Gateway to the Stars” in which a young man is kept from rescuing his younger brother from a sexual predator by a local cop who refuses him entrance to a wealthy neighborhood to search for the boy. “Home Invasion,” written by Kaylie Jones, is the striking story of a 16-year-old girl who unexpectedly turns the table on a friend of her father’s who has been taking advantage of her. My favorite, though, is Reed Farrel Coleman’s “Mastermind,” a story about a petty criminal who has finally planned the perfect score, one that will net him enough to live well on for a long time, only to have it all go wrong in a way that would have made the great Alfred Hitchcock smile. Readers of Long Island Noir are likely to have their image of Long Island forever changed – especially those who have not seen it with their own eyes. As these stories remind us, not everyone on Long Island lives in the Hamptons. It’s dark out there; watch yourself.Rated at: 4.0

[jamesbanzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is very interesting reading for the summertime. Considering the fact that there are 17 contributing writers, you are going to find something you like. These contributors write with feeling, and are going to keep you turning the page. My favorite among the lot is Anjali’s America, by Quanta Ahmed, MD. It is written with such realism that it is easy to forget you are reading fiction. If you get the book for no other reason than to read this short story, you will have invested wisely.She tells of a young Anjali Osmaan, who is rushed to the emergency room with a complete uterine rupture. There is a frantic fight among the medical staff to save the woman’s life. She hovers very close to death, and almost miraculously pulls through. Like so many who come to the United States from a culture where women are treated as something less than full human beings, Anjali struggles to cope. The story ends well, with Anjali finally discovering her America. You have to read the story to find out how.Other stories in the book contain very imaginative conceptual ideas. The stories are set in various Long Island communities. The tales are all based on totally different concepts. As a usual reader of non-fiction, this was off the beaten path for me. I believe that truth is usually little easier to swallow. But every one of these stories reflects what could just as easily be truth in its own way. It’s a great compilation.

[sgtbigg_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Long Island Noir features seventeen crime stories featuring murder, mayhem, and assorted bad things written by local authors. As the title indicates all of the stories take place on Long Island, although many of them could have taken place anywhere. As is normal in collections such as this, some stories are good and some not so good. Several of the stories seemed as if they were the setup for something longer, unfortunately this makes them appear incomplete. Long Island Noir is the most recent in Akashic’s series that began in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir.