Detroit Noir

While the many fans of Akashic's consistently high-quality series might have expected the Motor City to be tapped sooner (maybe before the Twin Cities), they will find the delay well worth the wait. Few cities are as well suited to the genre as Detroit, with its embattled inner city and history of urban decline and blight, and the editors have assembled a talented lineup to do it justice with 16 original short stories. The always superb Loren D. Estleman starts the anthology off on a high note with his spare hard-boiled whodunit short, “Kill the Cat.” The constantly simmering background threat of violence informs two very different but equally accomplished tales: Joyce Carol Oates's “Panic” and Detroit Free Press columnist Desiree Cooper's “Night Coming.” The editors also include some well-done period pieces, like the 1950s-era “The Coffee Break” by Detroit News business editor Melissa Preddy, and their discerning selections maintain Akashic's excellent track record. (Nov.)