Kansas City Noir

by Steve Paul (Editor), J. Malcolm Garcia, Linda Rodriguez

Brand-new stories from: J. Malcolm Garcia, Grace Suh, Daniel Woodrell, Kevin Prufer, Matthew Eck, Philip Stephens, Catherine Browder, John Lutz, Nancy Pickard, Linda Rodriguez, Andrés Rodríguez, Mitch Brian, Nadia Pflaum, and Phong Nguyen.

Steve Paul has been a writer and editor at the The Kansas City Star since 1975. Currently the arts editor, he writes about music, books, architecture, food, and, occasionally, murder. He's the author of Architecture A to Z: An Elemental, Alphabetical Guide to Kansas City's Built Environment. A former bookseller and a native of Boston, he has served as a board member and officer of the National Book Critics Circle.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, Noir, Crime, Historical Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2012

About the author

Steve Paul grew up in New England, landed in Kansas City with his family, and eventually logged a 40-plus year career as a newspaper writer and editor. His journalism spanned local and national news; book criticism and the arts; long-form features on murder, art fraud, architecture and barbecue; profiles of writers and musicians; restaurant reviewing; and editorial page editing and columnizing. He's a former board member of the National Book Critics Circle as well as the onetime owner of a bookshop. His latest literary biography is "Literary Alchemist: The Writing Life of Evan S. Connell," which aims to revive attention to this under-appreciated American writer. Steve's previous book, "Hemingway at Eighteen" (2017), was the product of many years of off-and-on research and accelerated by his retirement from newspaper work in 2016. He also writes regularly on the arts for KC Studio magazine.

Reviews

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you mention noir to some people they automatically think of black and white movies with characters who wear trench coats and fedoras while smoking a lot of cigarettes. If that’s your version of noir, this collection would probably disappoint because Kansas City’s history of political corruption, gangsters, jazz clubs, and crazy little women really isn’t a big part of these stories.

However, I tend to think of noir according to how Otto Penzler defined it once in an interview he did about a noir collection he co-edited: “Like art, love, and pornography, noir is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. For the purposes of the book and my longtime working understanding and definition of it, noir stories are bleak, existential, alienated, pessimistic tales about losers-people who are so morally challenged that they cannot help but bring about their own ruin.”

If you agree with that definition, then you’d probably like this book a lot because this stuff is just messed up.

I was a little leery of this whole line from Akashic Books of different cities or areas getting their own noir style tales. (Toronto Noir? Really?) But I don’t get a helluva lot of fiction set in KC, and this featured some regional writers like Daniel Woodrell, John Lutz and Nancy Pickard so I gave it a try. I’m glad I did.

The different writers provide an assortment of twisted tales that fit the Penzler definition perfectly. While there were a few that I felt were just name checking some local spots to fit the hometown theme of the book, taken together they paint a bleak picture that show that Kansas City can be just as depraved in its own way as L.A. or New York.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted with every single story in this book. I loved knowing the streets, the cops, the bars and restaurants, and especially the Kansas City culture.

[Chris Minor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, especially if you know much about KC, either present or historically. I don't know he city super well, but enough so that this was an interesting collection of short noir stories. It's part of a pretty large series of different cities. I'll definitely check out some of the others. I will say that I have trouble with the endings of many of the stories, but I think that's more part of the genre, not any fault of the writers. I'm fairly green when it comes to noir writing, so I would definitely not fault them for that. Good stuff.

[Deb Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good discussion everyone at book club over the weekend! I liked several of the stories and very much enjoyed the local references throughout the stories. There are even a few stories that I initially skipped but will give another chance after our meeting. I mostly skipped them because the writing style didn't "grab" me right away. Congrats to our local contributor Cate...hers was one of the best in the collection.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy for me to rate highly since I know the city, its neighborhood, and its streets that appear in the stories. So for such a reader, the book holds much interest. For those not familiar with KC? Hmmm. As in all the "noir" series by the publisher, the stories are uneven, but that is to be expected. Targeting local audiences like this can be audacious but risky.

[Jaclyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finally gave in and abandoned this book about 2/3 of the way through. It was nothing like what I’d expected or hoped it would be. To me, Noir implies darkness, tales that are disturbing and yet still intriguing. I truly believe Kansas City has a dark side, especially in its past. However, half of these short stories weren’t even dark tales, they were just short stories too badly written to become an actual book. For example, there’s a story of a young couple who meet at a convention for victims of violent crimes. The characters are each children of serial killers on different coasts. That’s as dark as the story gets though. The rest is just the story of a one night stand, and not even a good story. Most of the short stories were really boring and a far reach to be included in a collection of Kansas City Noir. This book was disappointing, I do not recommend it.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A set of stories about (mostly) murders in Kansas City. Some of the stories have a decent amount of local color; most of them could have just as easily been set in Louisville. The stories vary significantly in quality- some very good, others less so.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life is too short. I only got 2 stories in.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories, some that were just ok. This was a very dark anthology. Worth a read but not the best in the series.

[Debbie Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to my taste. I endured it for a while. Didn't quite make it half way before getting bogged down by the negativity and language. I'm sure its the genre but I wasn't enjoying myself reading it.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dark imagery however the stories were by and large well written

[Raymond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sure there’s some die hard noir fans who will like it but I don’t think it’s for me.

[Christine Townes · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had alot of short stories.
Some of them had repetitive sayings, and it seems it was put in just to make the story longer.

[Chuck Barksdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I deliberately failed to define “noir” to prospective contributors. As previous anthologies in this series have shown quite effectively, the term represents a big tent. So here you will indeed find serial killers, moral turpitude, and police detectives at work. But you are just as likely to encounter quieter tales of inner turmoil, troubled reflection, and anxiety.” –Steve Paul

One of Akhasic Press’ newest collection of new Noir stories is Kansas City Noir, with 14 stories based in various parts of the larger Missouri city and one in the adjacent Kansas city of the same name. As noted above by the editor, these stories may not all be true noir stories (whatever that really means) and many of the authors are not typical crime fiction writers. Overall, though, this is another great collection of stories in this interesting series of different city based noir collections.

The stories are provided in one of three sections - Heartland, Crazy Little Women, and Smoke and Mirrors. Although I enjoyed stories in each section, I found I enjoyed the four stories in the Crazy Little Women section the best – “The Incident” by Catherine Browder, “The Good Neighbor” by Linda Rodriguez, “Thelma and Laverne” by John Lutz and “Lightbulb” by Nancy Pickard. My favorite in this section and in the entire book is “The Good Neighbor” where James Marvin, a widower who has to deal with The Clarks, neighbors he tries to befriend but who just complain about everything, especially about his garden. The story is told from the perspective of James and the reader really gets a good perspective on his character and frustration with his neighbors.

The book opens with my favorite story in the Heartland section with “Missing Gene” by J. Malcolm Garcia. I’m finding it difficult to really give this story a good description, but it’s a first person story that takes place in a bar (Mike’s Place) with people, especially the story teller (I) wondering what happened to 80-year old and bar regular Gene. The storyteller tells of his relationship with his wife and others in thoughts of his conversations. Hard to explain what’s great about this story, but it is.

My favorite story in the Smoke and Mirrors section were “Last Night at the Rialto” by Mitch Brian and “Charlie Price’s Last Supper” by Nadia Pflaum. The Mitch Brian story has Rance, an old projectionist, making his own decisions in the last night in the Rialto theatre that has been sold to be something else by the owner. “Charlie Price’s Last Supper” has the son of the original owner of a famous Kansas City Barbecue restaurant struggle through decisions on how to stay in business, especially after seeking help with his debt from Major Player, a local drug lord.

I have been collecting these Noir collections for the past 2 years and giving them out as gifts but this book was only the second one I had read myself. The prior collection I had read, Philadelphia Noir, was based in the city I work and lived near all of my life. Despite my general knowledge of the city, I still found areas that I was not really all that familiar and reading the stories helped me gain some additional knowledge of the area. Unfortunately for me, I did not get the same benefit in reading Kansas City Noir. Other than perhaps a plane change, I have never spent any time in Kansas City and I think that overall ignorance kept me from really getting a better look into the city. I learned a little about the city, but really I don’t feel I know Kansas City any more than I had before.

As in the other Noir short story collections, this book also includes a short biography and photo of each author at the end of the book. Since many of these authors are not that well known it was helpful to learn more about them and where to get even more information.

Overall, I enjoyed the stories in this collection. All of the stories were interesting and many were excellent.

[Tuxlie]

"Light Bulb" by Nancy Pickard was selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013, edited by Otto Penzler and Lisa Scottoline

"Kansas City, famous for its jazz, its barbecue, and its shady history, provides the venue for this solid addition to Akashic's acclaimed noir anthology series."
--Publishers Weekly

"Hard-used heroes and heroines seem to live a lifetime in the stories...Each one seems almost novelistic in scope. Half novels-in-waiting, half journalistic anecdotes that are equally likely to appeal to Kansas City boosters and strangers."
--Kirkus Reviews

“Travel has many unexpected benefits, so even if you’ve never had a reason to visit the city itself, you’ll find Kansas City Noir surprisingly well worth the price of the ticket.”
--Bookgasm

"Picture steam rising from a sewer grate on a rain-slicked street. The sound of footsteps comes closer and closer behind you as you walk down a dark, downtown Kansas City alley. If this scenario entices you, then you just might enjoy Kansas City Noir."
--Kansas City Public Television

"What we heard was REALLY GOOD. So good in fact that we picked up a copy. Now we're... getting ready to read it in one sitting."
--Tony's Kansas City

Brand-new stories from: J. Malcolm Garcia, Grace Suh, Daniel Woodrell, Kevin Prufer, Matthew Eck, Philip Stephens, Catherine Browder, John Lutz, Nancy Pickard, Linda Rodriguez, Andrés Rodríguez, Mitch Brian, Nadia Pflaum, and Phong Nguyen.

Steve Paul has been a writer and editor at the The Kansas City Star since 1975. Currently the arts editor, he writes about music, books, architecture, food, and, occasionally, murder. He's the author of Architecture A to Z: An Elemental, Alphabetical Guide to Kansas City's Built Environment. A former bookseller and a native of Boston, he has served as a board member and officer of the National Book Critics Circle.

About the Author

Steve Paul: Steve Paul has been a writer and editor at The Kansas City Star since 1975. Currently the arts editor, he writes about music, books, architecture, food and, occasionally, murder. He's the author of "Architecture A to Z: An Elemental, Alphabetical Guide to Kansas City's Built Environment" (2011) and co-editor of and contributor to "War & Ink," a collection of essays about Ernest Hemingway's early work, forthcoming from Kent State University Press. A former bookseller and a native of Boston, he has served as a board member and officer of the National Book Critics Circle.

Brand-new stories from: J. Malcolm Garcia, Grace Suh, Daniel Woodrell, Kevin Prufer, Matthew Eck, Philip Stephens, Catherine Browder, John Lutz, Nancy Pickard, Linda Rodriguez, Andr�s Rodr�guez, Mitch Brian, Nadia Pflaum, and Phong Nguyen.Steve Paul has been a writer and editor at the The Kansas City Star since 1975. Currently the arts editor, he writes about music, books, architecture, food, and, occasionally, murder. He's the author of Architecture A to Z: An Elemental, Alphabetical Guide to Kansas City's Built Environment. A former bookseller and a native of Boston, he has served as a board member and officer of the National Book Critics Circle."Kansas City, famous for its jazz, its barbecue, and its shady history, provides the venue for this solid addition to Akashic's acclaimed noir anthology series."--Publishers Weekly

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover says it all - a polished Packard in the dim glow of city lights - Kansas City Noir is a classic fusion of film, music and food as true in the 40s as it is today. Set at the crossroads of the country, Kansas City is a jumping off place, and a nexus that draws you inexorably into it's guts. It's a raw noir of crazy bright insanity and dark blues and barbeque.

There's three sections to the work: Heartland, Crazy Little Women and Smoke and Mirrors - I loved them all. It's hard to choose standouts, but I can't help but call out the absolute grief of Rodriguez's Good Neighbor and John Lutz's absolutely nutcase Thelma and Laverne (and Henry too). Last Night at the Rialto by Mitch Bryan is a wonderful tale of nostalgia and revenge and Charlie Price's Last Supper by Nadia Pflaum is spectacularly evil. I read Matthew Eck's The Softest Crime twice, a painful embodiment of fathers' sins visited upon their children.

Steve Paul, you've invited remarkable writers to write their Kansas City stories - thank you! and thanks too to Akashic for keeping them coming.

--Ashland Mystery

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories and as usual with such anthologies, some were better than others. That being said, you really do get a sense of the flavor of Kansas City, MO, from the "noir" angle. "Noir" can be defined, I guess, as the depiction of the seamier side of life, where Murphy's Law will usually prevail, friends will betray you, women are bitches, politicians are corrupt, despair is rampant and the outlook is heavily nihilistic. The book is one of a series of noir anthologies published by Akashic Books, each book set in a different city.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book at work this summer and also on a road trip. The most compelling thing about this book was that all of the stories were based in or referenced Kansas City, so it was fun to actually picture the locations that were mentioned. Other than that, the stories were less than compelling and many of the characters were pretty unlikable. That being said, while I read mysteries, I'm less familiar with noir as a sub genre and this style may not be my kind of book. (I have picked up a copy of Seattle Noir, and will test this theory at a later date.)

[Sara Habein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book more than I did. The book has definite highlights, but not enough of them. Perhaps I'd feel more fondly towards some of the so-so stories if I had a nostalgic connection to their setting. I don't know, but I'm still curious about several other Noir collections.

(My full review appears on Glorified Love Letters.)

[Guinotte Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice bunch of KC stories, places I know, knew, like the back of my hand. Great tough noir, some stories bummers but hey noir isn't usually happy stuff, though some could've used some humor. Some were outclassed. Woodrell had a kickass, hurtling, pell-mell story, breathlessly poetic. I recommend this and other city akashic noir books pretty highly.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really good short stories that will surprise you as a reader...and as someone from Kansas City really good descriptions of some of the areas. One of note that I really enjoyed was Catherine Browder and her contribution of The Incident. Oh...and I want to read more about the history of The Dollmaker!

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This compilation of short stories was more gruesome than I like and definitely showed the worst side of people. Some of the stories settings brought back memories of my youth- I can remember driving through Mission Hills and wondering what the people who lived there were like...the characters presented, at least in that story, didn't stir up any envy!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories are pretty good. One was so odd I had trouble figuring out what was happening and a few ended before they began. I read it in chunks and recommend doing it that way as the stories tend to shift focus and style abruptly. I really think this is more of a three and half stars, but give it up because most of the writing was good even if the story itself was mediocre

[Linda K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very rough and raunchy tales of murder in the Kansas City area. As a "cozy" mystery lover, these stories were not my type, but I wanted to read them as they related to the city and the landmarks around town.

[Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I could give 2.5 stars I would. I liked the KC themes and settings, but not drawn to noir as I had hoped. I was drawn to the earlier tales like "The Pendergast Musket" and the sordid stories involving lost youth, like "Lightbulb."

[Walter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kansas City bore. Ideology swamps storytelling for a mostly dross collection of short fictions. The idea that these are our future storytellers is more threatening than anything found on the pages. Eh, skip.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book although some of the stories were too dark for me. I loved reading about familiar locations in Kansas City. After discussing this at the NE book club, I definitely appreciated the book more. Cate Browder was a joy to listen to.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have enjoyed other (city) Noir collections I've read, didn't like the stories in this one. Am not familiar with Kansas City, though, or any of the authors who contributed to this, so that may be somewhat to blame.

[James Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable collection of short stories about Kansas City. Really cool reading about the happenings, people, and landmarks of my hometown. Not all the stories are great, but overall, it is a solid collection by Kansas City writers.

[Carissa Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was great to read a book set in my hometown with places that I know. However this book was not my style. Some of the stories were okay but some were really boring. None of the stories I would consider good.