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Philadelphia Noir
Includes brand-new stories by: Diane Ayres, Cordelia Frances Biddle, Keith Gilman, Cary Holladay, Solomon Jones, Gerald Kolpan, Aimee LaBrie, Halimah Marcus, Carlin Romano, Asali Solomon, Laura Spagnoli, Duane Swierczynski, Dennis Tafoya, and Jim Zervanos.
300 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 5, 2025
Akashic Noir In Philadelphia
Akashic Books is an independent Brooklyn-based small publisher which, beginning in 2004, has published over 50 paperback books of noir stories. Each of the books is set in a different place and with a small number of exceptions for classical stories, each consists of never-before published works. Most of the books are set in large American cities, but the series has expanded to include titles such as "Indian country noir" and noir set in foreign locations.
But why Philadelphia noir? I attended law school in Philadelphia many years ago and remember exploring many areas of the city. Much more recently, I fell in love with the noir novels of David Goodis, many of which are set in some of the Philadelphia neighborhoods described in this volume. Finally, I read a recent book, "America the Philosophical" by Carlin Romano, the editor of this volume, on the nature of intellectual life in the United States. Romano opposes the attempts of many to deny the intellectual achievement and potentiality of American life. Among many other things, his book attempts to soften the claimed distinctions between "low-brow", "middle-brow" and "high-brow" culture in American life. His work as the editor of a volume of noir stories seems a movement in that direction.
In a short introduction to the anthology, Romano observes that Philadelphia is often regarded as a nondescript, dull city, with epithets such as "Filthyadelphia" and the old W.C. Fields punchline, "second prize, two weeks in Philadelphia". He points out Philadelphia's long history, including its grime, grit, diversity, and violence. In Philadelphia, Romano states, "we just live our lives" and these varied lives are reflected in the stories.
The book itself consists of 15 stories, each of which is by a different author (including a story by Romano) and each of which describes a different Philadelphia community. The settings range from neighborhoods consisting of wealthy, educated residents to poor, economically depressed areas. There is frequent interaction among individuals of different status. The criminal activity described ranges from gangs, violent murder, and drugs to more subtle forms of crime. Some of the authors included publish frequently while others are little known.
The sense of place is the most critical element of noir writing, and the stories capture the streets, businesses, homes and people of Philadelphia neighborhoods. The individual stories are mixed. A small number suffer from cumbersome or from routine plotting. A few of the stories show little of the elements of noir -- the genre is difficult to pin down precisely. But the volume on the whole has a noir character and is effective in offering new writing about Philadelphia. The stories are not on the level of a master of the genre such as David Goodis. I was surprised, in fact, that Goodis is not so much as mentioned in the volume.
The volume is divided into four groups of loosely related stories. In the first group,"City of Bursts" focusing on street violence, I enjoyed Keith Gilman's "Devil's Pocket" set in the Gray's Ferry neighborhood. Dennis Tafoya's "Above the Imperial" about a young petty criminal who finds love in the neighborhood of Gray's Ferry was the highlight of the second group titled "City of Otherly Love". Diane Ayres' "Seeing Nothing" offers a vignette of urban life in the third group, "The Faker City". In the final group, the stories have historical settings. Noir writer Duane Swierczynski's "Longeran's Girl" is a poignant story set in 1924 on the newly-opened El. It is the work in the collection which reminded me most of Goodis.
I enjoyed this volume of the Akashic Noir series set in a city in which I once lived and walked. The book will appeal to readers of urban noir with a connection to Philadelphia.
Robin Friedman
Akashic Books is an independent Brooklyn-based small publisher which, beginning in 2004, has published over 50 paperback books of noir stories. Each of the books is set in a different place and with a small number of exceptions for classical stories, each consists of never-before published works. Most of the books are set in large American cities, but the series has expanded to include titles such as "Indian country noir" and noir set in foreign locations.
But why Philadelphia noir? I attended law school in Philadelphia many years ago and remember exploring many areas of the city. Much more recently, I fell in love with the noir novels of David Goodis, many of which are set in some of the Philadelphia neighborhoods described in this volume. Finally, I read a recent book, "America the Philosophical" by Carlin Romano, the editor of this volume, on the nature of intellectual life in the United States. Romano opposes the attempts of many to deny the intellectual achievement and potentiality of American life. Among many other things, his book attempts to soften the claimed distinctions between "low-brow", "middle-brow" and "high-brow" culture in American life. His work as the editor of a volume of noir stories seems a movement in that direction.
In a short introduction to the anthology, Romano observes that Philadelphia is often regarded as a nondescript, dull city, with epithets such as "Filthyadelphia" and the old W.C. Fields punchline, "second prize, two weeks in Philadelphia". He points out Philadelphia's long history, including its grime, grit, diversity, and violence. In Philadelphia, Romano states, "we just live our lives" and these varied lives are reflected in the stories.
The book itself consists of 15 stories, each of which is by a different author (including a story by Romano) and each of which describes a different Philadelphia community. The settings range from neighborhoods consisting of wealthy, educated residents to poor, economically depressed areas. There is frequent interaction among individuals of different status. The criminal activity described ranges from gangs, violent murder, and drugs to more subtle forms of crime. Some of the authors included publish frequently while others are little known.
The sense of place is the most critical element of noir writing, and the stories capture the streets, businesses, homes and people of Philadelphia neighborhoods. The individual stories are mixed. A small number suffer from cumbersome or from routine plotting. A few of the stories show little of the elements of noir -- the genre is difficult to pin down precisely. But the volume on the whole has a noir character and is effective in offering new writing about Philadelphia. The stories are not on the level of a master of the genre such as David Goodis. I was surprised, in fact, that Goodis is not so much as mentioned in the volume.
The volume is divided into four groups of loosely related stories. In the first group,"City of Bursts" focusing on street violence, I enjoyed Keith Gilman's "Devil's Pocket" set in the Gray's Ferry neighborhood. Dennis Tafoya's "Above the Imperial" about a young petty criminal who finds love in the neighborhood of Gray's Ferry was the highlight of the second group titled "City of Otherly Love". Diane Ayres' "Seeing Nothing" offers a vignette of urban life in the third group, "The Faker City". In the final group, the stories have historical settings. Noir writer Duane Swierczynski's "Longeran's Girl" is a poignant story set in 1924 on the newly-opened El. It is the work in the collection which reminded me most of Goodis.
I enjoyed this volume of the Akashic Noir series set in a city in which I once lived and walked. The book will appeal to readers of urban noir with a connection to Philadelphia.
Robin Friedman
February 3, 2011
I have a story in this excellent anthology! I'm in great company with the fabulous Duane Swierczynski, DennisTafoya, Cordelia Biddle and more! I live in Manhattan now but I spent a lot of time in Philly with my beloved mother-in-law and know it well. Check out this wonderful collection, edited by the amazing Carlin Romano.
July 29, 2019
Enjoyable collection of short noir stories set in Philly. A few stood out as really sharp, most notably Solomon Jones, Keith Gilman, and A. Solomon. Those authors did the best job of having a compelling story in which Philly was a character itself, without it feeling forced with Yo's, Eagles, and Cheesesteaks. There were other solid stories as well, but too many either could have taken place anywhere, or felt ham fisted in their Philly references, making them feel inauthentic. Cant go above 3 stars because a few too many stories were more of the shrug variety. It's an easy read though, so if you're from Philly or visiting the City of Brotherly Love why not check it out.
February 20, 2023
Female-writers shine on how to fast-track your way into the jailhouse in the "birthplace of liberty."
"Beth "in Laura Spagnoli's "Cut Above" took me for quite a ride, seeking an "artistic outlet for her emotions" turning to credit card fraud till getting"duped" by her partner, escalating into something particularly ugly. From "Fishtown" to the Jet-set suburbs and "Italian Market."
Par usual, these gritty little tales make great expanded into novels.
No nice "Rocky" Benjamin Franklin Parkway runs or lovers arm-in-arm in Fairmount Park in this tome about the "streets of Philadelphia."
"Beth "in Laura Spagnoli's "Cut Above" took me for quite a ride, seeking an "artistic outlet for her emotions" turning to credit card fraud till getting"duped" by her partner, escalating into something particularly ugly. From "Fishtown" to the Jet-set suburbs and "Italian Market."
Par usual, these gritty little tales make great expanded into novels.
No nice "Rocky" Benjamin Franklin Parkway runs or lovers arm-in-arm in Fairmount Park in this tome about the "streets of Philadelphia."
March 22, 2023
The more of these Noir books I read from Akashic Books the more excited I get. I'm reading books set in cities I know, and so far they have not disappointed. Growing up in NJ I spent many weekends in Philly, especially in the rock clubs and eateries. This is the dark side to all of that, and there are so many great noir stories in this edition. Not one bad story, either. Now to figure out what the next city will be for me to read.
December 27, 2022
Tourist fiction. Only a few stories dig under the name-dropping of well-known Philly locations. The most frightening things about this collection is its way too liberal definition of noir, and its pretending these stories have anything to do with the noir inherent in Philly. I'd much rather read a David Goodis story.
March 3, 2019
2.5 stars. I bought this book in Philly, and read most of it in Philly. I didn’t think these stories were written incredibly well and/or weren’t highly engaging. (The Boston short stories in this series were better, for instance.)
November 1, 2019
These were cute because of how specifically Philly located they were. Some creepy, some unlikely, some alarmingly plausible. pretty good for a rainy day.
July 25, 2022
Good shorts stories with a bit of a twist from Philadelphia based authors.
December 2, 2025
This year's selection for Noir-vember
Like "New Jersey Noir," I enjoyed saying to myself "I know where that is. I know EXACTLY where that is!!!"
Like "New Jersey Noir," I enjoyed saying to myself "I know where that is. I know EXACTLY where that is!!!"
April 28, 2011
If you’re not familiar with the award-winning noir anthology series published by Akashic, you’re missing something truly grand! Launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir, the series now has anthologies set in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, D.C., Las Vegas, Phoenix, and many other U.S. locales, as well as cities and places around the globe, including Toronto, Paris, Mexico City, Havana, Dublin, Moscow, London, and many others. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within each respective city. It’s a spectacular publishing effort that is still expanding, with editions set in Cape Cod, Pittsburgh, and San Diego scheduled for publication this year.
The recently released anthology, Philadelphia Noir, is another fabulous addition to the series. As editor Carlin Romano writes in the introduction: “Per capita, Philadelphia matches any city weirdo incident for weirdo incident. But we trump everyone on history.” It’s not surprising that the 15 stories included here not only hint at the mood and flavor of this great city, but imbue a sense of history to their noirish sensibilities.
I particularly liked three stories that harkened back to Philadelphia’s history: “Lonergan’s Girl” by Duane Swierczynski, set in the Frankford area in 1924, with its sudden violence on the Frankford El; “Ghost Walk” by Cary Holladay, set in Chestnut Hill in 1899, and its creepy bartender; and “The Ratcatcher” by Gerald Kolpan, set on South Street also in the mid- or late 1800s, about rodents and entrepreneurship. Like the other stories in the anthology, each had its own distinctive voice and style, and provided keen insight on the culture of Philadelphia over the years. Well done and entertaining!
Some of the stories stretch the definition of “noir”—but all are of high literary quality and well worth reading. And if you’re familiar with Philadelphia, you’ll have fun matching the stories with the locales that you’ve visited (or may even currently live in).
(A version of this review was also published in the April 2011 issue of Suspense Magazine. Read more of my reviews at http://www.weldonburge.com/blog.htm)
The recently released anthology, Philadelphia Noir, is another fabulous addition to the series. As editor Carlin Romano writes in the introduction: “Per capita, Philadelphia matches any city weirdo incident for weirdo incident. But we trump everyone on history.” It’s not surprising that the 15 stories included here not only hint at the mood and flavor of this great city, but imbue a sense of history to their noirish sensibilities.
I particularly liked three stories that harkened back to Philadelphia’s history: “Lonergan’s Girl” by Duane Swierczynski, set in the Frankford area in 1924, with its sudden violence on the Frankford El; “Ghost Walk” by Cary Holladay, set in Chestnut Hill in 1899, and its creepy bartender; and “The Ratcatcher” by Gerald Kolpan, set on South Street also in the mid- or late 1800s, about rodents and entrepreneurship. Like the other stories in the anthology, each had its own distinctive voice and style, and provided keen insight on the culture of Philadelphia over the years. Well done and entertaining!
Some of the stories stretch the definition of “noir”—but all are of high literary quality and well worth reading. And if you’re familiar with Philadelphia, you’ll have fun matching the stories with the locales that you’ve visited (or may even currently live in).
(A version of this review was also published in the April 2011 issue of Suspense Magazine. Read more of my reviews at http://www.weldonburge.com/blog.htm)
July 22, 2013
Meh, guess not every city can do noir. I did like the Rittenhouse Square story, about the woman who takes up with the con man, also thought that the Narberth story, about the psychiatrist, could have gone in several directions - so while perhaps not good, it is worthy of a discussion; the South Street story, among the "past" stories, about the rat catcher conjured up some strong images, and I got a smile out of it. Overall though I am left with a sense of some loser teenagers/young adults in shabby surroundings, with some amount of drugs ever-present; also that "noir" in Philadelphia does not really exist - none of these stories gave me a foreboding feeling of say James M. Cain (Double Indemnity, The Cocktail Waitress) or any cinema noir - things just look ugly. The Strawberry Mansion story, Scarred, about the vet who had married his nurse, is ludicrous in every detail, and I don't think the editor was trying at all in including that.
December 1, 2016
I can count on the fingers on one hand, the number of books I hated so much that I did not bother to finish. This book was given me by a friend who picked it up at a used book store when we were together in Philadelphia one day. When he was done (no review provided) he gave it to me and said there were many points of interest that we'd know about mentioned in the stories. That was enough to give it a try, in addition to my interest in noir-cinema.
Most of the stories are written no better than college literature majors. Even the ones that actually show any promise stop abruptly and no satisfactory end. I was about two stories from the end when I got to a story to seemed to be about rats vs. dogs and said out loud: 'that's it, I'm done!'
Most of the stories are written no better than college literature majors. Even the ones that actually show any promise stop abruptly and no satisfactory end. I was about two stories from the end when I got to a story to seemed to be about rats vs. dogs and said out loud: 'that's it, I'm done!'
September 11, 2014
Love the Noir short story series. There are many, many cities and areas published now.I had this one on the Kindle while traveling in Philly. Great sense of place. I went through some of the neighborhoods in the book, so it was a good companion on the trip.
As expected, these stories are dark, but also some have a dark humor that I really like.
As with any other short story collection, the quality is varied. But, the good thing about short stories is that I could dump any that didn't grab me. In this book, I liked all of them good enough.
As expected, these stories are dark, but also some have a dark humor that I really like.
As with any other short story collection, the quality is varied. But, the good thing about short stories is that I could dump any that didn't grab me. In this book, I liked all of them good enough.
July 31, 2012
intro was poorly written and borderline offensive in some places...
solomon jones' story was pretty good.
overall a pretty good read. some stories were much better than others. i'll have to go through the toc and make a list before i return it to the library.
one pet peeve, whenever they referred to an intersection, like "3rd and market," they said it like "market and 3rd." we always say the numbered street first!!!! argh!
solomon jones' story was pretty good.
overall a pretty good read. some stories were much better than others. i'll have to go through the toc and make a list before i return it to the library.
one pet peeve, whenever they referred to an intersection, like "3rd and market," they said it like "market and 3rd." we always say the numbered street first!!!! argh!
March 22, 2013
This was an unexpected find at my local library. I scoured the shelves looking for a new book and happened upon this unfamiliar work. usually this doesn't work in my favor, but I took a chance and I am very glad that I did. It is a collection of short stories written by Philadelphia authors, about the city in which they live. The title gives away the rest. Do not expect stories about sports teams, cheesesteaks, or Ben Franklin. Dark stories about dark people in a very real Philly.
November 10, 2014
This is the first of the noir book series that I have read, and though it's not particularly my favorite genre, I did connect with the different neighborhoods of Philadelphia that are referenced, since I am from the area. None of the stories made a lasting impact on me, except for "Ghost Walk" by Cary Holloday, which I liked very much. Overall, it was interesting to me for the reason that I picked it up in the first place...it's about Philadelphia.
March 23, 2011
This collection of short stories was really disappointing. The only connection most of the stories have to Philadelphia are street names and over the top accents. There are a couple that are pretty good, though formulaic (what can you ask for in a genre short story). All in all, this book was pretty bad and I would not recommend it.
April 19, 2011
Some real stinkers, but some great ones, too. In many of the stories, the "Philadelphia" part of noir feels pasted in, like an afterthought--street names, neighborhoods, food. Dennis Tafoya's "Above the Imperial" is a keeper.
July 3, 2011
It's alright. Stories in part 1 and 2 are better. Given the very limited span of short stories, it has to pack as much punch with a clever plot and crisp writing. Some of the stories fall short on either (or both) front.
August 29, 2011
Couldn't read the last story in the collection, as I am rodent-phobic and it was about rats. Other than that, still loving these collections. This one didn't seem as dark as the others though, but I enjoyed it anyway.
September 10, 2011
A disappointing 2 stars that could be attributed either to weak writing or to my smoldering opinion that LA is the Capital of Noir and that other cities don't count. I will read other books in the series to see which hypothesis wins out...
January 19, 2012
It was an interesting read. A good combination of drama and suspense/ghost tales. It was also neat being able to put the stories in a true geographical context since I've been to a lot of the spots in which the tales are based.
March 10, 2012
Great collection of short stories based in Philadelphia. Slightly dark, definitely entertaining! Loved that most of the stories accurately reflected the look and character of various Philly neighborhoods. A must read for all my friends back home!
July 6, 2016
Some of these stories qualify as first-rate noir, and I loved the varying locales (which is the theme of these Akashic Noir books.) A few others struck me as horror, magical realism, or other less noirish genres-- still enjoyable, though, since I loved reading about Philly.
March 17, 2012
This is one of many series containing many short stories all set in Philadelphia. The stories are written by different authors. It was fun reading about the different sections of Philadelphia.
December 1, 2014
Thus book was fun to read, just not anything outstanding.
October 8, 2012
It's...fine. Read it if someone loans/gives you a copy.
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