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elvang's review against another edition
4.0
This anthology was a pleasure to read. Most stories are not for the faint of heart, just like I like them. Some favourite authors here along with some new ones I will be checking out in the future.
Laura Lippman’s A.R.M and the Woman
Desperate housewives in Washington.
Clever plan, definitely a cold and calculating mean girl approach to solving a financial problem.
3*
Den Of Iniquity by Lori L. Lake
A one woman crusade to rid the world of scum. I like the quick buildup of tension and the all around bad assery of this woman.
3.5*
Boomerang by Carsen Taite
Luca Bennett, Bounty Hunter, down to her last ten bucks and desperate for a job takes on a job hunting for a mob boss’s girlfriend on the run from the law. Crime noir done well.
4*
The Economics of Desire by Jeane Harris
The ups and downs of age-gap romances. Reality achieved. Enjoyed this.
4*
Some Kind of Killing by Miranda Kent
Told in first person from the only survivor in a household of death and destruction. A thirteen year old girl survives the carnage. Is she a reliable narrator or the mad one in a family of mad ones? Loved the build up of tension, the not knowing who to believe, the courage of the young girl or the insanity. You’ll have to read this to decide.
5*
Anything for the Theater by Clifford Henderson
Some women will do anything to save a theater, or cop a feel.
3.5*
Social Work by Kendra Sennett
I could see it coming but I couldn’t look away. Things which seem to be too good to be true usually are.
3.5*
Devil in Training by Ali Vali
Cain Casey’s graduation night celebrations from business school proves to friends and enemies that she is capable of carrying the Casey family business into the future. Don’t mess with Cain.
4.5*
The Darkest Night of the Year by Victoria A. Bronworth.
A Charlie Manson- esque killing. Graphic violence and cold sociopaths. Not for the faint of heart. So well done.
4*
Lost by JM Redman
Mickey Knight puts in the time and serves up some long overdue revenge.
3.5*
Chasing Athena by Diane Anderson-Minshall
Who is this author I’ve never read before. A PI searching for a five night stand who left without saying goodbye follows a trail of dead strippers searching for the one that got away. Loved this and will look for more books by this author.
5*
Lucky Thirteen by Anne Laughlin
Chilling and well done. Don’t go into Real Estate. Don’t do it.
5*
Feedback by Lindy Cameron
Dystopian future. Way too sci-fi for me.Nothing against the author. I’m not the right reader for this one.
DNF
Laura Lippman’s A.R.M and the Woman
Desperate housewives in Washington.
Clever plan, definitely a cold and calculating mean girl approach to solving a financial problem.
3*
Den Of Iniquity by Lori L. Lake
A one woman crusade to rid the world of scum. I like the quick buildup of tension and the all around bad assery of this woman.
3.5*
Boomerang by Carsen Taite
Luca Bennett, Bounty Hunter, down to her last ten bucks and desperate for a job takes on a job hunting for a mob boss’s girlfriend on the run from the law. Crime noir done well.
4*
The Economics of Desire by Jeane Harris
The ups and downs of age-gap romances. Reality achieved. Enjoyed this.
4*
Some Kind of Killing by Miranda Kent
Told in first person from the only survivor in a household of death and destruction. A thirteen year old girl survives the carnage. Is she a reliable narrator or the mad one in a family of mad ones? Loved the build up of tension, the not knowing who to believe, the courage of the young girl or the insanity. You’ll have to read this to decide.
5*
Anything for the Theater by Clifford Henderson
Some women will do anything to save a theater, or cop a feel.
3.5*
Social Work by Kendra Sennett
I could see it coming but I couldn’t look away. Things which seem to be too good to be true usually are.
3.5*
Devil in Training by Ali Vali
Cain Casey’s graduation night celebrations from business school proves to friends and enemies that she is capable of carrying the Casey family business into the future. Don’t mess with Cain.
4.5*
The Darkest Night of the Year by Victoria A. Bronworth.
A Charlie Manson- esque killing. Graphic violence and cold sociopaths. Not for the faint of heart. So well done.
4*
Lost by JM Redman
Mickey Knight puts in the time and serves up some long overdue revenge.
3.5*
Chasing Athena by Diane Anderson-Minshall
Who is this author I’ve never read before. A PI searching for a five night stand who left without saying goodbye follows a trail of dead strippers searching for the one that got away. Loved this and will look for more books by this author.
5*
Lucky Thirteen by Anne Laughlin
Chilling and well done. Don’t go into Real Estate. Don’t do it.
5*
Feedback by Lindy Cameron
Dystopian future. Way too sci-fi for me.Nothing against the author. I’m not the right reader for this one.
DNF
rogue_lurker's review against another edition
3.0
A good collection of mystery/crime short stories by some well known (and well loved) authors as well as some interesting entries by authors I'm not familiar with. The noir genre is near and dear to my heart (gotta love the bad girls) and some of the stories knocked it out of the park while others just didn't fit my idea of noir.
For me the standout stories that captured the noir feel best were:
For me the standout stories that captured the noir feel best were:
ARM and the Woman by Laura Lippman - An upper middle class divorcee comes up with a rather dark solution to her problems with a baloon mortgage.
Some Kind of Killing by Miranda Kent - A fascinating tale told in first person that has you second and third guessing what happened behind closed doors.
Lost by J M Redmann - Not necessarily a noir story, but it has Mickey Knight, and it lets Mickey close up a few loose ends.
Lucky 13 by Ann Laughlin - A story about karma and revenge - the ending worked very well in this one.
munleigh's review against another edition
3.0
The stories started off sow but then became more interesting as I read on. Some stories surprised me in a good way as I was not expecting it to go that route.
It was nice to revisit characters I've red from some of the authors' full length novels.
Overall, it was a pretty good read.
Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-N1
It was nice to revisit characters I've red from some of the authors' full length novels.
Overall, it was a pretty good read.
Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-N1
corrie's review
4.0
Women of the Mean Streets, put together by J.M. Redmann (of Mickey Knight fame) and Greg Herren promised tough women in hard places and we certainly got that.
I was lured to this anthology because of the J.M. Redmann short that was included and to my utter joy it was one starring Mickey Knight. Mickey somewhere after hurricane Katrina. We follow her looking for bad seed cousin Bayard (remember him?) who has disappeared and let me tell you it is a highly satisfying tale.
The stories are not really noir, at least I didn’t get that noir feeling. It was tough and the women didn’t always met a happy end. Don't expect warm fuzzies anytime soon.
Contributing to this anthology were: Laura Lippman, Lori L. Lake, Carsen Taite, Jeane Harris, Miranda Kent, Clifford Henderson, Kendra Sennett, Ali Vali, Victoria A. Brownworth, J.M. Redmann, Diane Anderson-Minshall, Annie Laughlin and Lindy Cameron.
I basically loved all stories but some really stood out, like Lori L. Lake’s tale of sweet revenge, Carsen Taite’s introduction to bounty hunter Luca Bennett pointing me to a series of books about the same character I bookmarked straight away (yay!), Miranda Kent’s story almost brought me to tears, Diana Anderson-Minshall is another author I need to read more off. Victoria A. Brownworth's story made me shiver. I will never look at duct tape the same way! The only sci-fy dystopian story (by Lindy Cameron) was the odd duck in this mix. I’ve read it before but don’t remember where or when.
As always, reading an anthology proves to be fruitful for my to-read pile as I usually discover new authors (or authors I forgot about). If you like crime this is certainly a book you want on your shelf.
f/f
Themes: bad girls, betrayal, revenge, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, no happy ending for everyone, high quality writing.
4 Stars
I was lured to this anthology because of the J.M. Redmann short that was included and to my utter joy it was one starring Mickey Knight. Mickey somewhere after hurricane Katrina. We follow her looking for bad seed cousin Bayard (remember him?) who has disappeared and let me tell you it is a highly satisfying tale.
The stories are not really noir, at least I didn’t get that noir feeling. It was tough and the women didn’t always met a happy end. Don't expect warm fuzzies anytime soon.
Contributing to this anthology were: Laura Lippman, Lori L. Lake, Carsen Taite, Jeane Harris, Miranda Kent, Clifford Henderson, Kendra Sennett, Ali Vali, Victoria A. Brownworth, J.M. Redmann, Diane Anderson-Minshall, Annie Laughlin and Lindy Cameron.
I basically loved all stories but some really stood out, like Lori L. Lake’s tale of sweet revenge, Carsen Taite’s introduction to bounty hunter Luca Bennett pointing me to a series of books about the same character I bookmarked straight away (yay!), Miranda Kent’s story almost brought me to tears, Diana Anderson-Minshall is another author I need to read more off. Victoria A. Brownworth's story made me shiver. I will never look at duct tape the same way! The only sci-fy dystopian story (by Lindy Cameron) was the odd duck in this mix. I’ve read it before but don’t remember where or when.
As always, reading an anthology proves to be fruitful for my to-read pile as I usually discover new authors (or authors I forgot about). If you like crime this is certainly a book you want on your shelf.
f/f
Themes: bad girls, betrayal, revenge, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, no happy ending for everyone, high quality writing.
4 Stars
rickerje's review
5.0
Wow. J.M. Redmann and Greg Herren really put together a fantastic collection of stories and show how differently writers can interpret the noir genre. There isn't a weak one in the bunch, but one of my favorites was the last story, "Feedback" by Lindy Cameron, who creates a hard, bitter war veteran in a grim future and gives her a glimpse of hope by the end. I really want to read more of this character.
Other stories that stood out for me were "Some Kind of Killing" by Miranda Kent, "Lucky Thirteen" by Anne Laughlin, and "Chasing Athena" by Diane Anderson-Minshall— but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire anthology.
Other stories that stood out for me were "Some Kind of Killing" by Miranda Kent, "Lucky Thirteen" by Anne Laughlin, and "Chasing Athena" by Diane Anderson-Minshall— but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire anthology.
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