Tag Archives: noir

Toulouse Noir – Charles Henri Lavielle (Editor), David and Nicole Ball (translators)

Posted on August 4, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I’ve now read thirteen books in the Akashic Noir series, and one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t need to know a city to appreciate its stories. In fact, I’ve enjoyed several collections set in … Continue reading →

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: New Orleans Noir: The Classics (Akashic Noir) -edited by Julie Smith

Posted on March 7, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   “A hurricane is supposed to have a beginning and an end. It tears the earth up, fills the air with fling trees and bricks and animals and sometimes even people, make you roll up into … Continue reading →

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Rat Town Blues: Slag Ferguson, Book One – Brian Kaufman

Posted on November 28, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Mark “Slag” Ferguson, an unlicensed private investigator and part-time bartender is always trying to make ends meet. However now in his mid-thirties, he finds himself thrust into a pair of cases that quickly spin beyond his … Continue reading →

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California Rain – Frank McAdams

Posted on November 20, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Set against the backdrop of 1950s America, California Rain delivers a gripping noir thriller that blends the intrigue of political scandal, the fight for justice, along with the glamour of old Hollywood. With an evocative sense … Continue reading →

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Blood and Mascara – Colin Krainin

Posted on July 17, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…all the women he had known and loved, the idea of them was there in front of him…and once he had come to love then, had he not carried them about within him forever after, like … Continue reading →

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights – Frank De Blase

Posted on February 14, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas and Jack Frost was pissed.” That’s the intro to my favorite story, “The Night Before the Night Before Christmas” in Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights. But … Continue reading →

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Rose Royal: A Love Story- Nicolas Mathieu (Translated from the French by Sam Taylor)

Posted on March 10, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Looking back over all those men, all those failed relationships, she came to one conclusion. She should never have loved them as much as she                      … Continue reading →

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Paris Noir: The Suburbs: Akashic Noir Series – Hervé Delouche (Editor)

Posted on March 5, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Where was French romanticism? The opulence of the West? I found Paris—Pantin, really—very different from what I had imagined. I found Pantin ugly…”. An Albanian national flees his country in fear for his life and joins … Continue reading →

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The Dark Remains – William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin

Posted on September 9, 2021 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) October 1972, Glasgow –Detective constable Jack Laidlaw is reassigned to the Glasgow crime squad. Though he has a sixth sense on what is happening on the streets, the higher ups feel he needs “handling”, as he … Continue reading →

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The Underbelly (Outspoken Authors Book 3)- Gary Phillips

Posted on August 10, 2021 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) Mulgrew Magrady, an often-times homeless Viet Nam veteran is trying to get his life back on track. Though he is eight months sober, he is still suffering from his earlier impulsive actions. He abandoned responsibility for … Continue reading →

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