Paris Noir: The Suburbs

 Edited by Hervé DeLouche

Akashic     2022

280 pages           Noir

Why did the Baroness engage in the drug trade? “I wanted to spice up my life.” 

Why do I read noir fiction, especially the noir that comes from the Akashic Noir Series? Because I want to spice up my life! I am not sure, however, that this particular iteration of the series, Paris Noir: The Suburbs, will spice up life too much. Dirty, gritty, and crime-laden, indeed the stories are that, but I was disappointed that they were not very intriguing or immersive. Not even the story about the Baroness. Having just read and reviewed Palm Springs Noir, which I really enjoyed, I was a bit disappointed. 

The editor says that the goal of the book “was to depict the Parisian suburbs in all their plurality and diversity.” Thus, the editor elected to let the authors pick the suburb they wanted to depict in the story each had in mind. The stories in these settings are not the cozy neighborhoods Americans connect with the term “suburb”, but factory sites, run-down apartments, and neighborhood dives. The editor says, “When the suburbs are dumping grounds for the excluded, they breed insulted and rebellious individuals.” Many of the characters in the stories are just that—few are appealing at all.

It was hard to get involved in the thirteen stories in the anthology. If you want to delve into the Akashic Noir series, I would not start with Paris Noir: The Suburbs. The Publishers Weekly reviewer suggests that “this entry in this acclaimed series is only average at best.”

I am moving on to Denver Noir, which will be coming out soon. At least, the scenery there is beautiful.