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Damn Near Dead: An Anthology of Geezer Noir
An original anthology.
A collection of twenty-seven original “geezer noir” stories by some of today’s top crime writers, including John Harvey, Laura Lippman, Ken Bruen, Colin Cotterill, and more.
Bill Crider’s “Cranked” was nominated for the Edgar and Anthony awards and won the Derringer Award. Megan Abbott’s “Policy” was nominated for the Anthony Award and became the basis for her novel Queenpin, which won the 2008 Edgar Award.
A collection of twenty-seven original “geezer noir” stories by some of today’s top crime writers, including John Harvey, Laura Lippman, Ken Bruen, Colin Cotterill, and more.
Bill Crider’s “Cranked” was nominated for the Edgar and Anthony awards and won the Derringer Award. Megan Abbott’s “Policy” was nominated for the Anthony Award and became the basis for her novel Queenpin, which won the 2008 Edgar Award.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Duane Swierczynski
526 books926 followersDuane Swierczynski is an American crime writer who has written a number of non-fiction books, novels and also writes for comic books.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 22, 2008
Read this one on a long train ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and the thing this book had in common with my train ride is the fact that old guys love taking the train!
What a comp, mostly crime stories from the UK & Ireland with a few Yanks thrown in.
Best stories are "Geezer Tricks" about a bunch of old birds working a phone sex pool who take the law into their own hands, "The Deadsters", a sort of EC comics tale of an old pool shark who hustles a stupid thug of his flesh, and "Daphne McAndrews and The Smack-Head Junkies", a sort of psycho Mrs. Wilberforce who bludgeons her way through the London underworld to get her late husband's ashes back.
But the best yarn is Victor Gischler's hilarious "Duffers of the Apocalypse" about three old-timers dealing with a dead golf course grounds keeper. Strap on the Depends for this one!
What a comp, mostly crime stories from the UK & Ireland with a few Yanks thrown in.
Best stories are "Geezer Tricks" about a bunch of old birds working a phone sex pool who take the law into their own hands, "The Deadsters", a sort of EC comics tale of an old pool shark who hustles a stupid thug of his flesh, and "Daphne McAndrews and The Smack-Head Junkies", a sort of psycho Mrs. Wilberforce who bludgeons her way through the London underworld to get her late husband's ashes back.
But the best yarn is Victor Gischler's hilarious "Duffers of the Apocalypse" about three old-timers dealing with a dead golf course grounds keeper. Strap on the Depends for this one!
July 9, 2008
Ladies and Gentleman I am here today to let you know of a trip you need to take. Where is it to and how do you get there you ask? Well let me tell you...
You need to hop aboard the Busted Flush Express, roll on down to the dark back alleys of the Blvd. of the Broken Hips, and check yourself into the Prune-Fields Nursing Home where the tenants that are Damn Near Dead refuse to go quietly into the night and act as if they are still in there 20's.
This trips only required reading is, Damn Near Dead, an Anthology of Geezer Noir that features some of the best short stories in the crime/mystery genre from writers today including: Ken Bruen, Steve Brewer, Jeff Abbott, and Sean Dolittle.
This anthology is Damn Near one of the best anthologies I have read in along time. Its highly original and a brilliant idea to have all the main characters being senior citizens, especially in a genre that the main characters are usually in the late 20s on up to the 40s.
From gun carrying granpas to cane-wielding grandmas to a 90 year old man getting that one last fling in with another woman to the Senior Citizens just looking to find ways to extend there lives through various forms of transplants these stories will humor you, excite you, and you probably won't look at your grandparents the same way again after reading this collection of stories.
Out of 27 stories (all of which were great and perfectly excuted the concept) it was hard to pick out the best one in this anthology. However there were 2 that stuck out in my head once I finished the anthology, David White and Stuart MacBride. Both of these authors are people that mystery fans will want to remember.
Congratulations go out to the editor Duane Sweirczynski and to David Thompson of Busted Flush Press you guys did an outstanding job on getting this together. From the authors all the way down to the nicely designed cover.
So if you do happen to take this trip as I did you must remember one thing, Respect your elders and you might just survive your trip down the Blvd. of the Broken Hips.
You need to hop aboard the Busted Flush Express, roll on down to the dark back alleys of the Blvd. of the Broken Hips, and check yourself into the Prune-Fields Nursing Home where the tenants that are Damn Near Dead refuse to go quietly into the night and act as if they are still in there 20's.
This trips only required reading is, Damn Near Dead, an Anthology of Geezer Noir that features some of the best short stories in the crime/mystery genre from writers today including: Ken Bruen, Steve Brewer, Jeff Abbott, and Sean Dolittle.
This anthology is Damn Near one of the best anthologies I have read in along time. Its highly original and a brilliant idea to have all the main characters being senior citizens, especially in a genre that the main characters are usually in the late 20s on up to the 40s.
From gun carrying granpas to cane-wielding grandmas to a 90 year old man getting that one last fling in with another woman to the Senior Citizens just looking to find ways to extend there lives through various forms of transplants these stories will humor you, excite you, and you probably won't look at your grandparents the same way again after reading this collection of stories.
Out of 27 stories (all of which were great and perfectly excuted the concept) it was hard to pick out the best one in this anthology. However there were 2 that stuck out in my head once I finished the anthology, David White and Stuart MacBride. Both of these authors are people that mystery fans will want to remember.
Congratulations go out to the editor Duane Sweirczynski and to David Thompson of Busted Flush Press you guys did an outstanding job on getting this together. From the authors all the way down to the nicely designed cover.
So if you do happen to take this trip as I did you must remember one thing, Respect your elders and you might just survive your trip down the Blvd. of the Broken Hips.
August 23, 2019
Very uneven writing, a few good stories...
May 20, 2021
A good solid anthology. Not much play from the weakest to the strongest stories . Consistent.
July 31, 2011
Boy this was fun.
Short little stories of "Geezer Noir". I don't suppose it is politically correct to make fun of the elderly, but when the descriptions start reflecting the life of a character you know ...you just gotta laugh.
One of the best things about anthologies is the introduction of authors that you have not heard of before. As if I need to add any more to my "TO READ" list. On several occasions, having completed a story, I rushed to the computer to look up an author's work. Oft times I would have one of their books already marked as "to read", based on a recommendation from A Goodreads member.
Here's the thing, though; the authors' short stories in this collection are often a departure from their usual body of work. Sooo, if you see your favorite author as a contributor here, try this book, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Short little stories of "Geezer Noir". I don't suppose it is politically correct to make fun of the elderly, but when the descriptions start reflecting the life of a character you know ...you just gotta laugh.
One of the best things about anthologies is the introduction of authors that you have not heard of before. As if I need to add any more to my "TO READ" list. On several occasions, having completed a story, I rushed to the computer to look up an author's work. Oft times I would have one of their books already marked as "to read", based on a recommendation from A Goodreads member.
Here's the thing, though; the authors' short stories in this collection are often a departure from their usual body of work. Sooo, if you see your favorite author as a contributor here, try this book, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
August 22, 2015
The title alone gets 5 stars. I could not resist a chance to sample "Geezer Noir!" Perhaps the collection deserves a higher overall rating from someone more attuned to stories of deception and mayhem. The absence of Robert Mitchum from any noir scene is a distraction for me.
Nevertheless, I found a few of the stories to be enjoyable reading, especially the ones with switcheroo endings in which the geezer tough guy or femme triumphs. (Care to guess my demographic?) "Daphne McAndrews and the Smack-Head Junkies," for example, is a wickedly un-cozy "cozy" crime story. The others rather blend together in my mind, partly (I imagine) because not a few of them are of Irish distraction-- but then there's the clear exception of Collin Coterill's Laotian characters in "Has Anyone Seen Mrs. Lightswitch?"
A definite plus is the editor's introductions to each author and the author's own follow-ups at each story's end. Though not all of them are officially geezers, they all sound like fun.
Nevertheless, I found a few of the stories to be enjoyable reading, especially the ones with switcheroo endings in which the geezer tough guy or femme triumphs. (Care to guess my demographic?) "Daphne McAndrews and the Smack-Head Junkies," for example, is a wickedly un-cozy "cozy" crime story. The others rather blend together in my mind, partly (I imagine) because not a few of them are of Irish distraction-- but then there's the clear exception of Collin Coterill's Laotian characters in "Has Anyone Seen Mrs. Lightswitch?"
A definite plus is the editor's introductions to each author and the author's own follow-ups at each story's end. Though not all of them are officially geezers, they all sound like fun.
April 16, 2015
72 pages plus in & out & a few other odd number of pages later?
What's good is great.
What's not so great is not so good.
As always your mileage per author may vary.
Sorely mine did.
Good night & drive safely.
February 9, 2017
Proving that the old can be BAD, showing geezerhood one small step from the devil. With stories to make you a proud and evil octogenarian.
July 11, 2019
Typically I'm not a short story reader. Usually they go for the quick fix, a twist at or near the end. To me stories as short as these, in most cases haven't quite earned that ending surprise. Now these stories were much better than in most anthologies I've read. So I was stuck between giving three stars or four. My answer to the dilemma was to go back and give that star rating to each story. In the end I came up with 1 story with two stars, 13 stories with three stars and 13 stories with four stars. Technically I'm not a math whiz, but that comes out as three stars, just missing four. I guess I should be a short story writer, because to hell with that I'm going to give a twist and give it four stars. I'm not a geezer yet (as evidence my last difficult camping/canoe trip), but I can see it closing in my rear view mirror. I'm going to call it a right of my being older than almost two-thirds of the authors and like an old man do what the hell pleases me.
Seriously, this anthology has a lot going for it. First, the forward by James Crumley, how can you miss with that hard-boiled legend? Next, Duane Swiercynski does a fine job of editing, and has one of the better short stories. I like how they are arranged by age of the author. Notice that generally, they get better as the authors get older, generally. Maybe the best part of this book is that it has made me feel that I'd like to read some of these authors. Reed Farrel Coleman I already read and am a fan. Ken Bruen, John Harvey, Milton Burton and Steve Brewer, I think I'll check out, hopefully before I'm damn near dead.
Seriously, this anthology has a lot going for it. First, the forward by James Crumley, how can you miss with that hard-boiled legend? Next, Duane Swiercynski does a fine job of editing, and has one of the better short stories. I like how they are arranged by age of the author. Notice that generally, they get better as the authors get older, generally. Maybe the best part of this book is that it has made me feel that I'd like to read some of these authors. Reed Farrel Coleman I already read and am a fan. Ken Bruen, John Harvey, Milton Burton and Steve Brewer, I think I'll check out, hopefully before I'm damn near dead.
September 26, 2018
Anthologies are usually put together based on some device: the year of publication, or all women authors, or all women detectives, or a detective and his man servant...some vague hanger on which to build some relationship between one tory and another. This one is "geezers' As an official, I-have-the-badge-and-certificate geezer, I object. These authors are not old enough to be geezers, so they are claiming credit not yet earned. Their protagonists are also generally not geezer qualified, nor do they particularly use geezer characteristics as somehow beneficial to the plot or the detection skills of the hero(ine). These are perfectly fine stories, but nothing out of the ordinary.
July 3, 2023
A wide variety of stories, all of them great.
August 25, 2008
What a terrific anthology - kudo's to editor/author Duane Swierczynski for compiling this collection of short stories that define noir - hardboiled gems written with cracked asphalt and broken beer bottles; brown paper bags with cold cash or cheap whiskey or untraceable .38s. I found many of my favorite authors here - Bruen, Burton, Cotterill, Stella, Brewer, Gischler, Doolittle, and of course Swierczynski, but also some vets and new faces I haven't discovered, but will be reading soon.
While it's hard to award medals in such a rarefied crowd, Ken Bruen's typically dark, bleak and depressing "Old Gun" will fray the edges of your conscious for weeks to come. Milton T. Burton's honey-smooth prose flows easily from a master story teller in "Encore", in neat contrast to Bruen's lean and jagged writing, even though both carry unshakable images of despair without redemption. Victor Gischler's "Duffers of the Apocalypse" is black humor as clever as it is dark, and Robert Ward's macabre "The Deadsters" could as easily show up in a collection of top notch horror. Colin Cotterill's wily Laotian Dr. Siri Paiboun, protagonist of four outstanding Cotterill novels, makes an appearance in author's typically light, well crafted "Has Anyone Seen Mrs. Lightswitch", and Charlie Stella hones his Brooklyn street smart chops with "Geezer Tricks", a story of the phone sex industry as moving as it is cynically funny. And while most noir crime fiction is about tough guys, Swierczynski's mix is liberally and effectively laced with savvy and calculating old broads - notably Laura Lipman's "Femme Fatale", "Policy" by Megan Abbot, Stuart MacBride's "Daphne McAndrews and the Smack-Head Junkies", and the Hitchcockian "Pros and Cons" by Donna Moore. Being noir, irony takes center stage, and none do it better than Swierczynski's own "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy", the venerable Bill Crider's "Cranked", Steve Brewer's "Payoff", and Sean Doolittle's "The Necklace", a crafty and well told tale of age and wisdom trumping youth an inexperience which, if pressed, may be the best of this elite bunch.
So take it from a bona fide geezer - this is crime fiction in it's finest form - an unbeatable bargain of over two-dozen hard hitting dramas of crime, passion, and poignancy from a gang that may be damn near dead, but are certainly far from over the hill.
While it's hard to award medals in such a rarefied crowd, Ken Bruen's typically dark, bleak and depressing "Old Gun" will fray the edges of your conscious for weeks to come. Milton T. Burton's honey-smooth prose flows easily from a master story teller in "Encore", in neat contrast to Bruen's lean and jagged writing, even though both carry unshakable images of despair without redemption. Victor Gischler's "Duffers of the Apocalypse" is black humor as clever as it is dark, and Robert Ward's macabre "The Deadsters" could as easily show up in a collection of top notch horror. Colin Cotterill's wily Laotian Dr. Siri Paiboun, protagonist of four outstanding Cotterill novels, makes an appearance in author's typically light, well crafted "Has Anyone Seen Mrs. Lightswitch", and Charlie Stella hones his Brooklyn street smart chops with "Geezer Tricks", a story of the phone sex industry as moving as it is cynically funny. And while most noir crime fiction is about tough guys, Swierczynski's mix is liberally and effectively laced with savvy and calculating old broads - notably Laura Lipman's "Femme Fatale", "Policy" by Megan Abbot, Stuart MacBride's "Daphne McAndrews and the Smack-Head Junkies", and the Hitchcockian "Pros and Cons" by Donna Moore. Being noir, irony takes center stage, and none do it better than Swierczynski's own "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy", the venerable Bill Crider's "Cranked", Steve Brewer's "Payoff", and Sean Doolittle's "The Necklace", a crafty and well told tale of age and wisdom trumping youth an inexperience which, if pressed, may be the best of this elite bunch.
So take it from a bona fide geezer - this is crime fiction in it's finest form - an unbeatable bargain of over two-dozen hard hitting dramas of crime, passion, and poignancy from a gang that may be damn near dead, but are certainly far from over the hill.
April 27, 2008
about ever story in this collection was sharp and funny. the oldsters are tough and seasoned and mostly likeable. if you are squeamish about the geezer porn industry you might want to skip a couple, though they don't quite tread into the salacious details. the stories are arranged by the age of the author from young whippersnapper to veteran crime-monger.
July 8, 2013
Interesting book; I believe most male authors can write good female characters, and most women authors can write good male characters (I don't believe that that is all that hard), but you wouldn't know it from this collection of short stories. I liked the female geezers way more than the male ones here.... but all in all it is an interesting book w/some great stories.
November 17, 2008
Noir stories that feature older protangonists. My favorite stories were by Stuart MacBride, Megan Abbot, and Bill Crider. A really good collection overall, only a few that I did not care for.
Read
July 31, 2011A book of short stories by a lot of great writers. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to all. Teaches ya to respect your elders cause they are all not as weak as you think. My Dad is 74 years young and I still wouldn't want to mess with him!!! Enjoy this book.
January 30, 2012
This is a great read for a day or a situation when you can't focus on a novel or know you'll be interrupted frequently. I liked some stories better than others and many of them will stay with me for days.
April 28, 2014
Great collection by well-known writers--I also picked up some new names for further reading. As the title indicates, the protagonists are old, but quite a varied group. Some are sassy, some sad, some immoral, some mad, and all twist the nose of Stereotype.
June 13, 2015
Nice collection of varied noir styles: comedic, cozy, femme fatales, and tragic, and all involving geezers! The next collection looks to have some of my favorites (Winslow, Lansdale, Faust), so I will definitely check it out.
September 9, 2016
It's an anthology by authors who were born starting in the 60s, and then get older and older as the book goes on. Not surprisingly, the stories get better as the authors get older. I liked Colin Colerill's story about a forensic doctor in Laos who solves mysteries. Gonna read more about Dr. Siri.
December 28, 2008
Some geezers, it's not smart to fool with.
November 10, 2009
Femme fatales? Over 60? This book is a hoot!
Want to read
June 8, 2009I made it halfway through the book before hitting a story that didn't interest me/put me off, so while I enjoyed the first half, I was never able to pick it up and finish it. Maybe someday.
December 14, 2008
As anthologies go it is very diverse and unusually consistently good.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews