D.C. Noir 2: The Classics (Akashic Noir)

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Featuring stories by: Edward P. Jones, George Pelecanos, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, James Grady, Julian Mayfield, Marita Golden, Elizabeth Hand, Julian Mazor, Ross Thomas, Ward Just, Benjamin M. Schutz, Jean Toomer, Rhozier “Roach” Brown, and Larry Neal.

From the introduction by George Pelecanos:

“The first name on my wish list was Edward P. Jones. I consider him to be the finest fiction writer to ever come out of Washington, D.C., and in the bargain he is a homegrown talent and graduate of Cardozo High School. From the collection All Aunt Hagar’s Children, we chose “A Rich Man,” which is not only a stunning piece of craftsmanship, but is full noir in its depiction of a man trapped inside a cage of his own making . . . Our earliest-set story, “A Council of State,” was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar. It is a telling and troubling tale of the reality of racial politics in the Federal City at the turn of the last century. Dunbar, the son of escaped slaves, was the first eminent African American poet, as well as a noted short story writer, playwright, essayist, and novelist . . .

Ross Thomas’s witty, urbane political thrillers, many of which were set in our town, are some of the finest Washington novels, regardless of genre, ever written. He wrote knowingly of the backroom deals made here, of dinner parties in Georgetown, and of trysts in the Mayflower and three-martini lunches at Paul Young’s Restaurant, but he could also riff accurately on any neighborhood of the four quadrants. If there was a D.C. Literary Hall of Fame, Mr. Thomas would surely be in it . . .

I’ll leave you to enjoy these outstanding stories. With pride, and once again with hope and anticipation, here is D.C. Noir 2: The Classics.”