Maura (maura853) -
Interesting premise, asking writers with a reputation for noir ranging from relatively unknown to the creme de la creme (Michael Connelly, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Robert Olen Butler).
As with mixed collection of stories, especially collections written to a prompt, the results are ... mixed. No story blew my socks off, or works as something that you would remember on its own, and out of the context of this collection. (The way, for example, the story "Man Returns in Form of Parrot," in Robert Olen Butler's equally high concept collection "Tabloid Dreams," blows my socks off every single time I read it.)
The best stories, in my opinion, and in no particular order, are
"Nighthawks," by Michael Connelly, a very readable contribution to Harry Bosch's story, and Bosch's connection to Edward Hopper "Nighthawks," dating from Connelly's very first outing with bosch, Black Echo. (I'm not that clever -- my husband is a big Connelly fan, and rereading the novels from book 1, and he mentioned the Hopper connection ...)
"The Music Room," by Stephen King, which is dark and funny.
"The Woman in the Window," by Joyce Carol Oates, and which is classic Oates: two selfish people, seeing their selfishness from perspectives which begin to seem strikingly similar - -an won't end well ...
As with mixed collection of stories, especially collections written to a prompt, the results are ... mixed. No story blew my socks off, or works as something that you would remember on its own, and out of the context of this collection. (The way, for example, the story "Man Returns in Form of Parrot," in Robert Olen Butler's equally high concept collection "Tabloid Dreams," blows my socks off every single time I read it.)
The best stories, in my opinion, and in no particular order, are
"Nighthawks," by Michael Connelly, a very readable contribution to Harry Bosch's story, and Bosch's connection to Edward Hopper "Nighthawks," dating from Connelly's very first outing with bosch, Black Echo. (I'm not that clever -- my husband is a big Connelly fan, and rereading the novels from book 1, and he mentioned the Hopper connection ...)
"The Music Room," by Stephen King, which is dark and funny.
"The Woman in the Window," by Joyce Carol Oates, and which is classic Oates: two selfish people, seeing their selfishness from perspectives which begin to seem strikingly similar - -an won't end well ...
