Real Rating: 4.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Stories covering Long Island's extremes, from the comfortable rich to the horribly poor, and all the darkness between.

Launched with the summer '04 award-winning best seller Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies. Each book is comprised of all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the geographical area of the book. KAYLIE JONES, JULES FEIFFER, REED FARREL COLEMAN, SHEILA KOHLER, and others reveal how Long Island has always been a playground for the rich and famous—and while it used to be that only a select few could afford it, now everyone wants a piece of the pie.

The McMansions pop up like mushrooms, limiting resources and destroying an already taxed environment. It feels a little like Rome in its last days—a kind of collective amnesia and blindness to the outside world has taken over. Everyone knows this, but no one wants to do anything about it, because big money is being spent—and made. And as the rich grow richer, the poor grow poorer and more disenfranchised; and greed only breeds more greed and violence.

These stories cover the range of Long Island's extremes, from the comfortably rich, to the horribly poor—people pushed to desperate acts in order to protect what they already have, or to try to take what they don't from those who do.

I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.

My Review: This series of anthologies is always welcome. It's a darn good series, well edited and clever in its conception and execution. Original stories by an array of people from, or who live(d) on, Long Island, all very talented writers though not always of thriller fiction; that did not work perfectly in this anthology's case but hey, it got a lot of great stuff in front of us.

I'm using the Bryce Method of giving a short assessment of the individual stories so you'll be able to assess the whole as well as the parts.

Home Invasion starts us off with a bitter, angry generational bang. The silences within families are probably scarier than anything that a stranger could dream up. 4 stars

The Shiny Car in the Night is probably the best piece in the collection. It's a slightly less domestic, yest still family centered, tale of men whose losses are no less horribly disfiguring for being self-inflicted; a son whose father can't find a way to escape the funhouse-mirror lined labyrinth of rage and regret against his brother, ends up...ending up. 5 stars

Anjali's America is an immigrant woman doctor's story of how narrowly she escaped the horror of being a woman locked in a joyless prison of motherhood and victimhood and subservience to the men who couldn't understand anything she's ever thought. Nor would they try...she exists to serve. Nightmarish, intense, and vivid. 4 stars

A Starr Burns Bright is a grifter's wet dream of The Big Strike, if he can just pull it off. He needs the strike for sure, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed...the secrets he now knows aren't the best way to stay healthy and alive for a long time. Hijinks, as hey must, ensue...4 stars

Mastermind really made me sit up and take notice, it's by Reed Farrel Coleman and it's got the biggest heart and the scariest fall. When someone knows he's not top-drawer material for his particular corner of the world, and he keeps working his ass off to Make It anyway, it's poignant and it's admirable in a weird way even when he's not a nice guy. But the world knocks the best over, imagine how bad it is when they're not close to the best...5 stars

Contents of House was a bitter pill indeed, bad sex and smashed-up love and revenge all stewed in a heart that simply isn't up to the task of coldness and instead succumbs to shame. 4 stars

Snow Job is hilariously wicked. It's short, but twisty, and it's got the sheer narrative drive of an entire novel...the pace does not let up, the stuff that happens is terrible but you just can't help laughing...schadenfreude, thy name is me, when people who deserve it get come-uppances...and, by the time it's done, I wanted to start over again. 5 stars

The other pieces, eg "Semiconscious," "Blood Drive," "Jabo's," and "Terror," were three or more star decent efforts but didn't rise to the heights the others did. A few, eg "Seven Eleven" and "Boob Noir" by Jules Feiffer, just weren't up to the standard set by the superior works. Still, there are seventeen stories in here, so a few not-to-my-liking ones are more than likely going to sneak in. It's definitely a very good way to spend your Sunday afternoon at the beach! Labor Day has lots of hours in it. Spend some here.

Another solid entery into Akashic's "[Insert Locale Here] Noir" series. As with any short story anthology, some are better than others. And it's not "Noir" in the classical sense, but all of them are decent if not earth shattering. Except for the hastily-drawn comic (oops, I meant to say "graphic short story") in the middle, it was an enjoyable read. ( )

A few stories made this a 4-star, a few made it 3-star, and some, 2-star (it was okay). I went with four stars because of these two: Anali's America, by Qanta Ahmed and Home Invasion by Kaylie Jones. ( )

Despite all attempts, Long Island Noir unfortunately wasn’t as engaging as others I’ve read in the series. It was surprising to me, as I’d read about seven others prior to this, and all of those books managed to resonate with me in the manner I’d come to expect of the Akashic Noir series.

In Long Island Noir, I only ended up having one memorable story when I was finished reading, and that was the very first one in the book. Needless to say, the rest of it I really don’t have many strong impressions remaining.

One thing that this book does have in common with others in the Akashic Noir series is the grounding in the place where the stories are set. In this case, I think native Long Islanders would probably have a better experience with the stories, as they would be more immediately relevant.

“Fresh Meat” by Kathleen Ryan for Criminal Element

The counties of Nassau and Suffolk (collectively known as Long Island) have patiently waited their turn in the Akashic Books Noir series since their neighbor to the west, Brooklyn, started the frenzy in 2004.

Long Island Noir has been worth the wait.

Edited by Kaylie Jones, this volume features original stories by writers—veteran and emerging—with personal and professional ties to Long Island: Jules Feiffer, Matthew McGevna, Nick Mamatas, Kaylie Jones, Qanta Ahmed, Charles Salzberg, Reed Farrel Coleman, Tim McLoughlin, Sarah Weinman, JZ Holden, Richie Narvaez, Sheila Kohler, Jane Ciabattari, Steven Wishnia, Kenneth Wishnia, Amani Scipio, and Tim Tomlinson.

Many of the tales will evoke memories of actual events for native Long Islanders. They did for me. Some are disguised, while others are clearly identified. Either way, the pages are locally authentic. Current and displaced Long Islanders will recognize the lingo and locations, while folks who’ve never visited will identify with the longing and lusting experienced by many of the characters.

The collection is as diverse as the population of Long Island (which, if it became a state, would be number one in density), providing insight from voices of the struggling poor to the troubled rich. Wealth (or lack of it) can be an equal-opportunity motivator in the shocking—but always entertaining—fiction known as noir.

Read the rest at: http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/04/fresh-meat-long-island-noir-antholo...