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premium_huhn's review against another edition
4.0
Die Anthologie habe ich zum letztjährigen Buchwichteln geschenkt bekommen und war schon ganz erpicht darauf, sie endlich in Ruhe zu schmökern. Mein Fazit ist, dass mir Kurzgeschichten sehr liegen und ich mich frage, warum ich eigentlich nicht mehr davon lese. Viele der Geschichten haben mir wirklich gut gefallen - gerade weil sie durch ihre Kürze schön knackig und auf den Punkt geschrieben waren. Ohne lange Einleitung führen sie direkt zu den Charakteren und in die Handlung. Ins Gedächtnis eingebrannt hat sich mir gleich die einleitende Geschichte um eine psychisch kranke Obdachlose, geschrieben aus der Sicht ihres Bruders. Da hätte es das Verbrechen eigentlich gar nicht mehr gebraucht - ich war so schon gefesselt. Äußerst vergnüglich war auch die Erzählung mit dem toten Benno in der Kühltruhe. Einige wenige Geschichten waren nicht so unbedingt meins (ich steh nicht so auf so Hochglanz-Mafia-Verbrecherstorys), aber auch die waren durch die Bank weg gut geschrieben und dank ihrer Kürze auch dann noch lesenswert, wenn ich die Grundthematik nicht so mochte. Einziges Manko, das mich bei mehreren Geschichten störte: Ich mag es nicht, wenn man einer Story anmerkt, dass der/die Autor_in etwas zu einem speziellen Thema recherchiert hat und nun Berge an "total stimmungsvollen" Details einbaut, um zu beweisen, wie viel er/sie recherchiert hat. Ich find das immer so unintuitiv. Kein Experte denkt pausenlos über Grundlagen seines Expertenwissens nach. Und ich als Leserin interessiere mich auch nicht so wirklich dafür, so weit es nicht für die Handlung von Relevanz ist. Aber auch das mag jetzt einfach nur mein persönlicher Geschmack sein. Insgesamt jedenfalls eine spannende und abwechslungsreiche Lektüre und ein empfehlenswertes Wichtelgeschenk. :)
ridgewaygirl's review
2.0
This is a collection of crime-oriented short stories written by authors living in Berlin. Chosen and edited by Thomas Wörtche, the stories range from solid to very bad, but the overall quality is a bit lower than has been the case with the other books in the Akashic Noir series. The center of the collection is padded with lazy entries, including a few that could have been set anywhere, with a simple alteration in the street names. I will admit that I expected more than this collection given Germany's love of crime novels and Berlin's reputation as an artistic center. Berlin is such a unique and vibrant city and it's a shame that some of the stories could have easily been set elsewhere.
Most of my dissatisfaction boiled down to one story that irked. I fail to see the value of writing a story from the point of view of a violent misogynist if the payoff is just to read a graphic description of the narrator achieving his dreams. It's 2019, and this read as both tired and exploitative, and I question the value of reading the ways a man might find women to be gross and disgusting and murder-worthy. This was an author looking to be edgy, while walking down an well-worn path.
Complaints aside, there were some stand-out stories, primarily Local Train by Mark Annas, in which a group of football fans plan the murder of a fan from the rival team. Their comic ineptness doesn't hide the brutality of what they are doing. I Spy with My Little Eye by Ulrich Woelk concerns a reporter drawn in to the story of a missing schoolgirl and thinking hard about his relationship with his own daughter. This story managed to both show a heart underneath a callous exterior and delivered a surprising ending. And while the ending of One of These Days by Robert Rescue was tacked on as an afterthought, the picture Rescue drew of the working class neighborhood of Wedding was wonderful.
Most of my dissatisfaction boiled down to one story that irked. I fail to see the value of writing a story from the point of view of a violent misogynist if the payoff is just to read a graphic description of the narrator achieving his dreams. It's 2019, and this read as both tired and exploitative, and I question the value of reading the ways a man might find women to be gross and disgusting and murder-worthy. This was an author looking to be edgy, while walking down an well-worn path.
Complaints aside, there were some stand-out stories, primarily Local Train by Mark Annas, in which a group of football fans plan the murder of a fan from the rival team. Their comic ineptness doesn't hide the brutality of what they are doing. I Spy with My Little Eye by Ulrich Woelk concerns a reporter drawn in to the story of a missing schoolgirl and thinking hard about his relationship with his own daughter. This story managed to both show a heart underneath a callous exterior and delivered a surprising ending. And while the ending of One of These Days by Robert Rescue was tacked on as an afterthought, the picture Rescue drew of the working class neighborhood of Wedding was wonderful.
iollankheldar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I picked this up from my local library never having heard of the series, with few expectations. I've studied noir film but never read any books or short stories in this genre; I think this collection does a great job!
I especially loved Fashion Week, and the twists in The Invisible Man kept me guessing. Will definitely be searching out more of these!!
I especially loved Fashion Week, and the twists in The Invisible Man kept me guessing. Will definitely be searching out more of these!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
dgrachel's review
3.0
These were all well crafted stories, but very few of them were satisfying. Three of the four on the last section were especially disappointing in their lack of solid endings. Overall, worth the read, but not my favorite of the Akashic Noir collections.
tonstantweader's review against another edition
4.0
Berlin Noir is another edition of the Akashic Noir series. It has thirteen chapters organized in three parts: Stress in the City; Cops and Gangsters; and Berlin Scenes. They range from the heartbreaking story of mental illness fracturing a family in Dora to the disturbing grotesquerie of Valverde, a story that made me put the book down for a few days just to recover.
There are ingenious mysteries such as The Invisible Man where a clever serial killer is too clever by half. I loved Fashion Week, though I hoped for a better ending for our fashion designer. Kaddish for Lazar is a satisfying mystery. The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy reminds me a bit of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Executioner’s Song” for the best of reasons.
“Berlin Noir” is an excellent anthology. I appreciate the writers resisted the temptation to rely on Nazi history for their noir. Even the story that relied most heavily on World War II history takes place in the present. It was an intelligent choice that made an anthology full of unexpected and fresh stories.
I have loved since Brooklyn Noir fifteen years ago. I wonder if Akashic will do something special for the anniversary or wait until the series is twenty. For fifteen years I have eagerly read every edition. When friends were traveling, I would look for an edition for their travel destination. I have gifted Portland Noir a few times, especially to new transplants. Each anthology can stand on its own and “Berlin Noir” is a great introduction.
“Berlin Noir” will be published on May 7th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Berlin Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir series
Thomas Wörtche at Wikipedia
★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/04/25/9781617756320/
There are ingenious mysteries such as The Invisible Man where a clever serial killer is too clever by half. I loved Fashion Week, though I hoped for a better ending for our fashion designer. Kaddish for Lazar is a satisfying mystery. The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy reminds me a bit of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Executioner’s Song” for the best of reasons.
“Berlin Noir” is an excellent anthology. I appreciate the writers resisted the temptation to rely on Nazi history for their noir. Even the story that relied most heavily on World War II history takes place in the present. It was an intelligent choice that made an anthology full of unexpected and fresh stories.
I have loved since Brooklyn Noir fifteen years ago. I wonder if Akashic will do something special for the anniversary or wait until the series is twenty. For fifteen years I have eagerly read every edition. When friends were traveling, I would look for an edition for their travel destination. I have gifted Portland Noir a few times, especially to new transplants. Each anthology can stand on its own and “Berlin Noir” is a great introduction.
“Berlin Noir” will be published on May 7th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Berlin Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir series
Thomas Wörtche at Wikipedia
★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/04/25/9781617756320/
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