What do you think?
Rate this book
Nice Girl Does Noir #2
Nice Girl Does Noir -- Vol. 2
Foreword by Joe Konrath:To read Libby Fischer Hellmann is to love Libby Fischer Hellmann. Her writing is tight, fast, and highly entertaining. But I had no idea Libby was so versatile. My first inkling of this came a few years ago, when I asked her to contribute a story to an anthology I was editing. Frankly, I didn't think she'd make the cut. While Libby doesn't shy away from being tough in her writing, her Ellie Foreman books were not what I'd call hardboiled, and my anthology was a collection of hit man stories. Boy, was I wrong. Her story, DETOUR, was pure, adrenalin-fueled noir, and wound up being one of the best of the book. Soon after DETOUR Libby began writing some seriously diverse and seriously good yarns in various genres and sub-genres. She also edited the acclaimed hardboiled anthology, CHICAGO BLUES. She's still great at the light-hearted suspense she's known for, but the stories in NICE GIRL DOES NOIR -- all previously published -- offer a wide variety of styles, tones, and topics. Funny. Dark. Poignant. Exciting. Surprising. And yes, plenty of hardboiled. CONTENTSApprox 47,000 wordsCHICAGO: THEN AND NOW:YOUR SWEET MANTHE JADE ELEPHANTDUMBER THAN DIRTTHE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHINGOTHER PLACES, OTHER TIMES:HOUSE RULESDETOURTHE RAINFOREST MESSIAHHIGH YELLOWA BERLIN STORYJOSEF’S ANGELREVIEWS (SHORT STORIES)“Standouts include Libby Fischer Hellmann’s clever twist on a redemption tale…” Publishers Weekly on THE JADE ELEPHANT (in THESE GUNS FOR HIRE)“Her own contribution sets high standards…” Oline Cogdill, Mystery Scene on YOUR SWEET MAN (in HELL OF A WOMAN)“Hellmann’s story is remarkable…” Janielle Martin, Eclectic Closet on THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING (in SISTERS ON THE CASE)ABOUT THE AUTHORAward winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann writes two crime fiction series. Two novels, EASY INNOCENCE (2008) and DOUBLEBACK (2009) feature Chicago P.I Georgia Davis. In addition Libby has published four novels featuring Chicago video producer and single mother Ellie Foreman. The first, AN EYE FOR MURDER, was an Anthony nominee for Best First. Libby has also published over 15 short stories (now in NICE GIRL DOES NOIR) and edited the acclaimed crime fiction anthology CHICAGO BLUES. Look for her stand alone thriller, SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE, December, 2010.More, including the first page of each story, reviews, and information about her novels at http://libbyhellmann.com
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2010
12 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Libby Fischer Hellmann
79 books969 followersLibby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago a long time ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. She soon began writing historical fiction as well. Eighteen novels and twenty-five short stories later, she claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery writing community and has even won a few. Her newest work is MAX'S WAR, her 6th historical saga. MAX, set before and during WW2, It will be released in April, 2024.
Libby began her career as an assistant film editor for NBC News in New York before moving back to DC to work with Robin McNeil and Jim Lehrer at N-PACT, the public affairs production arm of PBS. Retrained as an assistant director when Watergate broke, Libby helped produce PBS’s night-time broadcast of the hearings. She went on to work for public relations firm Burson-Marsteller in Chicago in 1978, where she stayed until she left to found Fischer Hellmann Communications in 1985.
Originally from Washington, D.C.—where, she says, “When you’re sitting around the dinner table gossiping about the neighbors, you’re talking politics”—Libby earned a Masters Degree in Film Production from New York University and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to writing, Libby writes and produces videos, and conducts speaker training programs in platform speaking, presentation skills, media training and crisis communications.
Libby’s best-selling novels have won widespread acclaim since her first novel, AN EYE FOR MURDER, which was nominated for several awards and described by Publisher’s Weekly as “a masterful blend of politics, history, and suspense”.
Libby is known for her portrayal of strong female characters. EYE introduced Ellie Foreman, a video producer and single mother who went on to star in five more novels in a series described by Libby as “a cross between Desperate Housewives and 24.”
Libby’s second series, also six novels now, follows Chicago PI Georgia Davis, a no-nonsense hard-boiled detective operating in the Northern suburbs and beyond.
In addition to her popular series, Libby has also written five standalone thrillers in diverse settings and historical periods that demonstrate her versatility as a writer. Readers will meet young activists during the late Sixties, a young American woman who marries and moves to Tehran, three women forced to make dire choices during WW2, and a female Mafia boss who chases power at the expense of love. And in A BEND IN THE RIVER, she takes a break from her thrillers to write an award-winning novel of two Vietnamese sisters trying to survive the Vietnam war. MAX is the upcoming 6th addition to the loosely-linked series she calls her "Revolution Sagas."
Libby began her career as an assistant film editor for NBC News in New York before moving back to DC to work with Robin McNeil and Jim Lehrer at N-PACT, the public affairs production arm of PBS. Retrained as an assistant director when Watergate broke, Libby helped produce PBS’s night-time broadcast of the hearings. She went on to work for public relations firm Burson-Marsteller in Chicago in 1978, where she stayed until she left to found Fischer Hellmann Communications in 1985.
Originally from Washington, D.C.—where, she says, “When you’re sitting around the dinner table gossiping about the neighbors, you’re talking politics”—Libby earned a Masters Degree in Film Production from New York University and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to writing, Libby writes and produces videos, and conducts speaker training programs in platform speaking, presentation skills, media training and crisis communications.
Libby’s best-selling novels have won widespread acclaim since her first novel, AN EYE FOR MURDER, which was nominated for several awards and described by Publisher’s Weekly as “a masterful blend of politics, history, and suspense”.
Libby is known for her portrayal of strong female characters. EYE introduced Ellie Foreman, a video producer and single mother who went on to star in five more novels in a series described by Libby as “a cross between Desperate Housewives and 24.”
Libby’s second series, also six novels now, follows Chicago PI Georgia Davis, a no-nonsense hard-boiled detective operating in the Northern suburbs and beyond.
In addition to her popular series, Libby has also written five standalone thrillers in diverse settings and historical periods that demonstrate her versatility as a writer. Readers will meet young activists during the late Sixties, a young American woman who marries and moves to Tehran, three women forced to make dire choices during WW2, and a female Mafia boss who chases power at the expense of love. And in A BEND IN THE RIVER, she takes a break from her thrillers to write an award-winning novel of two Vietnamese sisters trying to survive the Vietnam war. MAX is the upcoming 6th addition to the loosely-linked series she calls her "Revolution Sagas."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 7, 2019
Great compilation of short reads/ listen from author Libby Fischer Hellman. Pam Turlo’s talented narration adds to the enjoyment of the book. I was given an Audible copy of this book & I’m voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
January 22, 2023
A short story of a young man whose father played the blues and his mama who sang the blues. It tells us of how he came to be born and the disaster that befell the family. A sad story with an unforseen ending.
June 8, 2010
From The Drowning Machine, May, 2010
http://drowningmachine.blogspot.com/
Naomi Johnson
When I received two volumes of short stories by Libby Fischer Hellmann to preview, I was not unaware of her writing credentials. I even have her novel, Easy Innocence, in my TBR stacks, and I had read Jen Forbus's interview with her. I lacked firsthand knowledge of her work though.
If you're like me in that regard, NICE GIRL DOES NOIR Volumes I and II, are a great place to get acquainted with Hellmann's talent. Volume I is an especially good choice for those readers wanting to break into Hellmann's two series of novels, featuring police detective Georgia Davis and video producer Ellie Foreman, as four of the five stories involve one or both of those characters. Those four stories are traditional detective stories.
In Common Scents, Davis sniffs out a killer whose MO is distinctive but easily hidden. Ellie Foreman takes center stage in The Last Radical, as the author expands on the old Satchel Paige axiom: Don't ever look back, something might be gaining on you. In A Winter's Tale, Ellie lends support to a widowed neighbor and finds herself fitting together a picture puzzle of greed in suburbia. And in The Murder of Katie Boyle, the author brings her two series' protagonists together for the first time, as Ellie discovers a murder and Davis investigates. And isn't it interesting that the two characters don't immediately become bosom buddies?
The fifth story -- or the first one, I should say, as it appears first in the book -- is The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared, which has the deserved distinction of having won the 1999 Bouchercon Short Story Contest. In this story, the author steps back to 1938, and delivers a different kind of coming of age tale as two young students witness the doomed romance between a stage actress and a numbers runner. Hellmann does a stellar job of creating a time and place where these characters live, so memorable and vivid one can watch them mentally on screen in black and white as Benny Goodman's clarinet provides the soundtrack to heartache, and as Hitler is beginning to rattle sabers in the background.
Volume II of NICE GIRL DOES NOIR is made up of nine stories broken into two sections: 'Chicago, Then and Now,' and 'Other Places, Other Times.' And it is in this collection, along with The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared, that the reader really begins to fully appreciate Hellmann's talent. Freed from the necessity of framing the story to fit the demands of the traditional mystery, she brings forth those shades of gray that paint true noir. With the Foreman/Davis stories, the author's particular 'crime in suburbia' niche is good reading, but when Hellmann explores the less sunlit areas of Chicago and times gone by, her canvas becomes not only more universal but has greater depth and emotional value. Aspiring short-story writers would do well to pay attention to how Hellmann creates both story and character arcs within the small framework.
In Dumber Than Dirt, Hellmann relates the story of a young man, not too bright but who epitomizes the old saw that it is better to be lucky than good. My particular favorite in this volume is The Whole World Is Watching, about a young Chicago police officer on duty during the civil unrest in that city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In both of these stories the characters are engrossing and the arcs are perfect without being predictable.
And guess what? Both volumes are available now as e-books at Smashwords and amazon. Yes, it's true that I usually won't provide links to amazon, but as far as I'm aware Smashwords and amazon are the only places a reader will find these works (for now anyway), so because these stories are worth your while, I'll make a rare exception:
NICE GIRL DOES NOIR on Kindle
Vol. 1 $2.99
Vol. 2 $3.99
NICE GIRL DOES NOIR on Smashwords
Vol 1 $2.99
Vol 2 $3.99
http://drowningmachine.blogspot.com/
Naomi Johnson
When I received two volumes of short stories by Libby Fischer Hellmann to preview, I was not unaware of her writing credentials. I even have her novel, Easy Innocence, in my TBR stacks, and I had read Jen Forbus's interview with her. I lacked firsthand knowledge of her work though.
If you're like me in that regard, NICE GIRL DOES NOIR Volumes I and II, are a great place to get acquainted with Hellmann's talent. Volume I is an especially good choice for those readers wanting to break into Hellmann's two series of novels, featuring police detective Georgia Davis and video producer Ellie Foreman, as four of the five stories involve one or both of those characters. Those four stories are traditional detective stories.
In Common Scents, Davis sniffs out a killer whose MO is distinctive but easily hidden. Ellie Foreman takes center stage in The Last Radical, as the author expands on the old Satchel Paige axiom: Don't ever look back, something might be gaining on you. In A Winter's Tale, Ellie lends support to a widowed neighbor and finds herself fitting together a picture puzzle of greed in suburbia. And in The Murder of Katie Boyle, the author brings her two series' protagonists together for the first time, as Ellie discovers a murder and Davis investigates. And isn't it interesting that the two characters don't immediately become bosom buddies?
The fifth story -- or the first one, I should say, as it appears first in the book -- is The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared, which has the deserved distinction of having won the 1999 Bouchercon Short Story Contest. In this story, the author steps back to 1938, and delivers a different kind of coming of age tale as two young students witness the doomed romance between a stage actress and a numbers runner. Hellmann does a stellar job of creating a time and place where these characters live, so memorable and vivid one can watch them mentally on screen in black and white as Benny Goodman's clarinet provides the soundtrack to heartache, and as Hitler is beginning to rattle sabers in the background.
Volume II of NICE GIRL DOES NOIR is made up of nine stories broken into two sections: 'Chicago, Then and Now,' and 'Other Places, Other Times.' And it is in this collection, along with The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared, that the reader really begins to fully appreciate Hellmann's talent. Freed from the necessity of framing the story to fit the demands of the traditional mystery, she brings forth those shades of gray that paint true noir. With the Foreman/Davis stories, the author's particular 'crime in suburbia' niche is good reading, but when Hellmann explores the less sunlit areas of Chicago and times gone by, her canvas becomes not only more universal but has greater depth and emotional value. Aspiring short-story writers would do well to pay attention to how Hellmann creates both story and character arcs within the small framework.
In Dumber Than Dirt, Hellmann relates the story of a young man, not too bright but who epitomizes the old saw that it is better to be lucky than good. My particular favorite in this volume is The Whole World Is Watching, about a young Chicago police officer on duty during the civil unrest in that city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In both of these stories the characters are engrossing and the arcs are perfect without being predictable.
And guess what? Both volumes are available now as e-books at Smashwords and amazon. Yes, it's true that I usually won't provide links to amazon, but as far as I'm aware Smashwords and amazon are the only places a reader will find these works (for now anyway), so because these stories are worth your while, I'll make a rare exception:
NICE GIRL DOES NOIR on Kindle
Vol. 1 $2.99
Vol. 2 $3.99
NICE GIRL DOES NOIR on Smashwords
Vol 1 $2.99
Vol 2 $3.99
June 6, 2012
These are well written stories of the noir variety. I got this book off the free list. It's not really my thing, but if you're into that it's quality writing.
July 31, 2014
was ok, not exactly what i think of in the noir genre, but not bad
August 26, 2016
Not usually a fan of short stories but these were an enjoyable read! Thanks, Libby Fischer Hellmann!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews