Austin Noir

Edited By Hopeton Hay, Scott Montgomery, Molly Ordintz.

Akashic     2023

296 pages     Noir

I haven’t read any Noir for quite a while, so I was excited to pick up Austin Noir. I spent several days on a trip to Austin probably 15 years ago, so I was eager to see if my memories were represented in the stories in this volume. And indeed they were. Lady Bird Lake, where we attended a wedding (the reason for our trip), the bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge, as well as the downtown entertainment district are all in the book. Here are the stories:

*Part I - Crossfire
The pink monkey by Gabino Iglesias
Stunts by Ace Atkins
Reflections by Amanda Moore
The Good Neighbor by Jeff Abbott
A Thousand Bats on an Austin Night by Scott Montgomery
*Part II - Nothing I can do about it now
Rush Hour by Richard Z. Santos
Sapphire Blue by Alexandra Burt
Charles Bronson by Lee Thomas
Saving by Miriam Kuznets
A Time and Place by Jacob Grovey
*Part III
The Foundation by Chaitali Sen
Michael’s Perfect Penis by Molly Odintz
Stitches by Amy Gentry
Bangface vs. Cleaning Solutions, LLC by Andrew Hilbert

 I thought the stories represented the city well. I got a big kick out of “Michael’s Perfect Penis” by Molly Odintz, one of the book’s editors, although it is probably more a Neo-Noir story than actual noir. I enjoyed “A Thousand Bats on an Austin Night” by Scott Montgomery simply because I could visualize exactly where the story was taking place. And, of course, I had to read “Saving” by Miriam Kuznets, because she is named Miriam. It is a very good story. Oh, and by the way, lots of people will recognize the craziness of “Stitches” and the college scene as remembered by Amy Gentry. I was impressed that even at the darkest moments in the stories, the authors were still able to capture the vibrancy of the city of Austin.

I am always fascinated by what authors and publishers consider to be noir. And I know that readers feel that way as well. I wrote an essay for my site several years ago about Noir and Neo-Noir. It remains one of my most-read entries. Here it is.

Akashic has just sent me two noir books coming out this fall—one set in East Jerusalem and the other set in West Jerusalem. Look for my reviews later. I just love this series. Anywhere you want to visit, check out the noir versions of the city before you go. There’s a book for that!