Florida Heat Wave

by James W. Hall

Florida—like hell, only hotter.

Florida Heat Wave, edited by Michael Lister, is a collection of crime stories set in the gun-shaped state by Florida’s foremost crime writers.

Oppressive.

Stifling.

Crazy-making.

The suffocating heat makes you do things—it seeps in through your pores and sucks the life out of you. Like the bloody smear of a swatted mosquito on sweat-soaked skin, violence erupts suddenly, but the damage it does lingers long after.

From the pine-tree lined rural highways of North Florida through the tourist traps of Central Florida to the tropical, international environs of SOBE, come stories of sun-faded noir, orange pulp served up freshly squeezed by the Sunshine State’s very best practitioners.

Stories from: James O. Born, James W. Hall, Lisa Unger, Alice Jackson, Jonathon King, Jim Pascoe, Carolyn Haines, Tom Corcoran, Raven McMillian, Mark Raymond Falk, Christine Kling, John Lutz, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Michael Lister, John Dufresne, Bob Morris, John Bond, and Mary Anna Evans.

Genres: Short Stories, Anthologies

363 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James W. Hall is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author whose books have been translated into a dozen languages. He has written twenty-one novels, four books of poetry, two collections of short stories, and two works of non-fiction. He also won a John D. MacDonald Award for Excellence in Florida Fiction, presented by the JDM Bibliophile.

He has a master’s degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in literature from the University of Utah. He was a professor of literature and creative writing at Florida International University for 40 years where he taught such writers as Vicky Hendricks, Christine Kling, Barbara Parker and Dennis Lehane.

Reviews

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection, some you are really into, others more dark, good selection over all, to pick up and read one or all. My favorite to read was the Introduction by Michael Lister, he does have a way with words, the description of Florida was great.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't realize this was short stories until received from library. A couple were very good, a few good, a few ok, and a couple horrible. I am not a short story connoisseur apparently. I keep trying but not enough time for proper development.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of excellent stories in this collection, which is glazed over with the heat of noir inevitability. James W. Hall's narrator, obsessed with the photo of a nude woman he saw as a child, kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen. James O. Born's Revenge of the Emerging Market is a vivid portrait of Florida hucksters with an ending I didn't see coming. Iffy, by John Dufresne, was particularly interesting to me because it takes place in my own neighborhood, and the portrait of an aimless local was really chilling. Carolina Garcia Aguilera's Personal Experience is another great story-- a compelling narrator, lots of Florida color, and an unexpected twist. Tom Corcoran's story, set on a cruise ship and in Key West, was very intriguing even if I missed a few things, and I really enjoyed Lily and Men by John Lutz and Wild Card by Lisa Unger. These are just the high points of a great anthology.

[Meran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I put this book down for nearly two months in the middle because there was a string of stories that I didn't particularly like. I'm glad I picked it back up, though - the last half of the book was really good. It's much darker than my usual fare, but it was an interesting read as well as a nice intro to a different genre.

[Carolyn Holden · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to this, and was so disappointed in it. As a native Floridian, I generally love any book that takes place in Florida, but this collection of short stories was very disappointing. Don't waste your time. I couldn't even read all of them, they were so bad.

[Matthew Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book (or collection or stories). Most of them had the same ending though, someone got killed in some ironic way. It started to get repetitive after the first few stories but the themes and settings kept me going.

[Cheli Barfus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care for this book. Not my kind of thing.

[Kami · Rating 5 out of 5]

with a story by raven mack, it dont matter what else was in there, its already five stars (yeah, im biased, but i admit it)

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories centered in Florida. Some of the stories will stay with you for a long time. Great writing. Interesting variety.

[Charlene Childers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like I said earlier I am not much on short stories but something about these books set in my home area kept me coming back for more

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well......as I was reading by my pool, enduring one, I really enjoyed these short stories! They all nailed the heat and humidity!!