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L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories #1-8
L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories
L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories features eight short stories from renowned authors Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Joe Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski and Andrew Vachss, many of which revisit the characters and cases in the game, providing a new spin to tell the tales of emotionally torn protagonists, depraved schemers and ill-fated victims.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
88 people are currently reading
1371 people want to read
About the author
Megan Abbott
62 books6,327 followersMegan Abbott is the Edgar®-winning author of the novels Die a Little, Queenpin, The Song Is You, Bury Me Deep, The End of Everything, Dare Me, The Fever, You Will Know Me and Give Me Your Hand.
Abbott is co-showrunner, writer and executive producer of DARE ME, the TV show adapated from her novel. She was also a staff writer on HBO's THE DEUCE. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Believer and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan and received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She has taught at NYU, SUNY and the New School University and has served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at The University of Mississippi.
She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, and the editor of A Hell of a Woman, an anthology of female crime fiction. She is currently developing two of her novels, Dare Me and The Fever, for television.
Abbott is co-showrunner, writer and executive producer of DARE ME, the TV show adapated from her novel. She was also a staff writer on HBO's THE DEUCE. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Believer and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan and received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She has taught at NYU, SUNY and the New School University and has served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at The University of Mississippi.
She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, and the editor of A Hell of a Woman, an anthology of female crime fiction. She is currently developing two of her novels, Dare Me and The Fever, for television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
November 26, 2024
This collection of short stories inspired by the video game LA Noire is an unexpected gem. The stories are punchy, pulpy, crime shorts from some great writers, including Lawrence Block, Andrew Vachss and Joe R Lansdale. For me the highlights were Joyce Carol Oates’ excellent tale of a friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short (the victim of the Black Dahlia murder) and Francine Prose’s wonderful story of an acting class that teaches movie actors who to be convincing murderers.
August 11, 2017
This is a fantastic collection, made better by a great game to serve as a canvas for the authors to draw upon. 5 stars - a must read for fans of noir.
1. THE GIRL by Megan Abbott - 5 stars
June is a once starry-eyed woman with glitter and golden dreams for elaborate promises and finer things. Hollywood as a lifestyle takes a turn to the obscene via overtly yet covertly sexualised activity. Abbott instils a sense of apprehension long lost and an easy innocence given way to manly pleasures for a glimpse at stardom. Similar feel to the novel THE SONG IS YOU.
2. SEE THE WOMAN by Lawrence Block - 5 stars
A beat-cop responds to multiple instances of domestic abuse only to be turned away by the victim. Eventually she is beaten so badly that one of the cops finishes the job as a mercy kill, putting to end a life of misery and bruises. Death, the only way sever the demonic ties the husband holds over her.
3. NAKED ANGEL by Joe. R. Lansdale - 5 stars
A femme-fatale’ ices a friendship in favour of running girls and keeping the clientele’s secrets hidden. Ali is a sly kitten quick to show her sharpened claws, of which a cop and former beau discovers the hard way – a bullet for his ambition, a grave for her.
4. BLACK DAHLIA & WHITE ROSE by Joyce Carol Oates - 3 stars
A transcript-style take on the Black Dahlia murder. Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Short and Norma Jean Baker aka Marilyn Monroe are Hollywood glams at the centre of sexual innuendo and provocative prose. The format was hard to read but the story itself was enjoyable.
5. SCHOOL FOR MURDER by Francine Prose - 5 stars
A fledging actor takes a class learning ‘how to kill’ on screen which will assist him to perform the gruesome tasks in future movie roles. Scarred by an incident in the war, he sees the face of a man which unleashes the primal motivation to act out the scenes. Once he resumes filming post classes the urge to act consumes him with the result art imitating life…or should I say death…
6. WHAT’S IN A NAME? by Jonathan Santlofer - 5 stars
A man with a serious case of missing identity who was cast a poor hand at an early age having a whore for a mother who berated him for his feminine looks and distinct lack of masculinity. Unfortunately this upbringing causes death to many a female who come in contact with the murderous character as he tries to eradicate his past by murdering his mum time and time again. A particular highlight of this short story is the detached from reality male lead who seems to exist in a world entirely his own.
7. HELL OF AN AFFAIR by Duane Swierczynski - 5 stars
One of the best in the collection which could easily have been adapted into a full length novel such is the strength of the characters and interesting plot. A man has a swift con pulled on him by a beautiful and calculating Bonnie - a waitress whose sexual allure is as poignant as her criminality.
8. POSTWAR BOOM by Andrew Vachss - 5 stars
A tale of a hit that is initially driven by heavy dialogue before making way for action. Vachss writes a perfect and eerily mob-like execution carried out by a determined and violent individual. POSTWAR BOOM has one of those real shock moments with a doublecross I didn’t see coming. Brutal and truly cinematic – the epitome of noir.
1. THE GIRL by Megan Abbott - 5 stars
June is a once starry-eyed woman with glitter and golden dreams for elaborate promises and finer things. Hollywood as a lifestyle takes a turn to the obscene via overtly yet covertly sexualised activity. Abbott instils a sense of apprehension long lost and an easy innocence given way to manly pleasures for a glimpse at stardom. Similar feel to the novel THE SONG IS YOU.
2. SEE THE WOMAN by Lawrence Block - 5 stars
A beat-cop responds to multiple instances of domestic abuse only to be turned away by the victim. Eventually she is beaten so badly that one of the cops finishes the job as a mercy kill, putting to end a life of misery and bruises. Death, the only way sever the demonic ties the husband holds over her.
3. NAKED ANGEL by Joe. R. Lansdale - 5 stars
A femme-fatale’ ices a friendship in favour of running girls and keeping the clientele’s secrets hidden. Ali is a sly kitten quick to show her sharpened claws, of which a cop and former beau discovers the hard way – a bullet for his ambition, a grave for her.
4. BLACK DAHLIA & WHITE ROSE by Joyce Carol Oates - 3 stars
A transcript-style take on the Black Dahlia murder. Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Short and Norma Jean Baker aka Marilyn Monroe are Hollywood glams at the centre of sexual innuendo and provocative prose. The format was hard to read but the story itself was enjoyable.
5. SCHOOL FOR MURDER by Francine Prose - 5 stars
A fledging actor takes a class learning ‘how to kill’ on screen which will assist him to perform the gruesome tasks in future movie roles. Scarred by an incident in the war, he sees the face of a man which unleashes the primal motivation to act out the scenes. Once he resumes filming post classes the urge to act consumes him with the result art imitating life…or should I say death…
6. WHAT’S IN A NAME? by Jonathan Santlofer - 5 stars
A man with a serious case of missing identity who was cast a poor hand at an early age having a whore for a mother who berated him for his feminine looks and distinct lack of masculinity. Unfortunately this upbringing causes death to many a female who come in contact with the murderous character as he tries to eradicate his past by murdering his mum time and time again. A particular highlight of this short story is the detached from reality male lead who seems to exist in a world entirely his own.
7. HELL OF AN AFFAIR by Duane Swierczynski - 5 stars
One of the best in the collection which could easily have been adapted into a full length novel such is the strength of the characters and interesting plot. A man has a swift con pulled on him by a beautiful and calculating Bonnie - a waitress whose sexual allure is as poignant as her criminality.
8. POSTWAR BOOM by Andrew Vachss - 5 stars
A tale of a hit that is initially driven by heavy dialogue before making way for action. Vachss writes a perfect and eerily mob-like execution carried out by a determined and violent individual. POSTWAR BOOM has one of those real shock moments with a doublecross I didn’t see coming. Brutal and truly cinematic – the epitome of noir.
June 30, 2011
There's some good writing here but....umm...most of these stories aren't actually of the "noir" genre. (Sort of makes me wonder what the authors' mandate was. I don't think they were offered very much direction.)
You know how when you're given an assignment, and it's something you're totally not interested in, so you try to think of ways to make it about what you're interested in? Author of Blonde
Joyce Carol Oates' story is largely about Marilyn Monroe (compare/contrasting her with The Black Dahlia).
Then there's the story where I was like, A-ha! Yes! This is great! This is what I'm....no, wait. No, I don't believe genetics work like...oh crap. Suspension of disbelief plummeting.
I did like these stories. I think I just had a higher expectation than can be met with such a short word count. And I really like the L.A. Noire game. Although, to be fair, the game isn't truly "noir" either. (Maybe that's why it has an "e" at the end?)
The game (possibly because it's from Rockstar, home of Grand Theft Auto?) is very male-centric, ignoring the fact that noir has always been one of the few genres populated by strong female characters. It also tends to yada-yada the sex/romance/lust aspect, which is another noir staple.
Consequently I want to give props to the story Hell of an Affair by Duane Swierczynski for being the most noir-ish and incorporating sex and for having a plot that could easily be expanded to novel-length.
So... tl;dr this is a 3.5 I think. And regardless of what you think of this book, if you like Los Angeles in the late 1940s, you really should play the game.
You know how when you're given an assignment, and it's something you're totally not interested in, so you try to think of ways to make it about what you're interested in? Author of Blonde
Joyce Carol Oates' story is largely about Marilyn Monroe (compare/contrasting her with The Black Dahlia). Then there's the story where I was like, A-ha! Yes! This is great! This is what I'm....no, wait. No, I don't believe genetics work like...oh crap. Suspension of disbelief plummeting.
I did like these stories. I think I just had a higher expectation than can be met with such a short word count. And I really like the L.A. Noire game. Although, to be fair, the game isn't truly "noir" either. (Maybe that's why it has an "e" at the end?)
The game (possibly because it's from Rockstar, home of Grand Theft Auto?) is very male-centric, ignoring the fact that noir has always been one of the few genres populated by strong female characters. It also tends to yada-yada the sex/romance/lust aspect, which is another noir staple.
Consequently I want to give props to the story Hell of an Affair by Duane Swierczynski for being the most noir-ish and incorporating sex and for having a plot that could easily be expanded to novel-length.
So... tl;dr this is a 3.5 I think. And regardless of what you think of this book, if you like Los Angeles in the late 1940s, you really should play the game.
January 22, 2020
A short anthology of noir fiction. [He said as someone who is not at all familiar with actual noir fiction.] Thematically tied to the L.A. Noire video game, so it's all Los Angeles in the 1950s. As always, some stories were better than others but I didn't find any real stinkers in the bunch. Some relatively big-name authors -- Lawrence Block, Joyce Carol Oates, Joe R. Lansdale and Andrew Vachss were the names I recognized. If you have the itch, this will help you scratch it.
June 25, 2011
I expected a lot more from this, than what I got; but it was free, so I won't complain. The game has a good story line and I was hoping for a bit more of that, but this felt too rushed
March 19, 2023
As a Rockstar Games and film noir-obsessed 15 year old in 2011 who was eagerly anticipating the release of L.A. Noire probably more than anyone else my age in the world, I knew of this book's existence but it never excited me or felt necessary enough to read it because I don't think I'd heard of a single one of the authors. All these years later, I've always been meaning to come back to this as I've slowly come to learn about them one by one -- as well as to marvel in retrospect at the very fact of all of them even agreeing to be part of what is basically a video game promotional tie-in in the first place.
L.A. Noire-related or not, on this whole this is a really spectacular collection of neo-hardboiled fiction with not really a loser in the bunch. Even with only eight stories and barely any of them having to do with the game itself at all, this really is just a bunch of fantastic writers being allowed to play in the sandbox of one of the most evocative settings for crime fiction in history, and it's a total blast that way.
Not everything is on the same wavelength but pretty much all are worthwhile: Megan Abbott and Lawrence Block's stories are brilliant, haunting evocations that straddle the lines of genre; Joe Landsale, Duane Swierczynski, and Andrew Vachss' are fun, pulpy throwbacks written with a huge amount of panache; and Joyce Carol Oates' is... well, it's a Joyce Carol Oates story, so there's a lot of em dashes, italics, and parentheses (as well as being kind of an ur-Blonde, because why not).
L.A. Noire-related or not, on this whole this is a really spectacular collection of neo-hardboiled fiction with not really a loser in the bunch. Even with only eight stories and barely any of them having to do with the game itself at all, this really is just a bunch of fantastic writers being allowed to play in the sandbox of one of the most evocative settings for crime fiction in history, and it's a total blast that way.
Not everything is on the same wavelength but pretty much all are worthwhile: Megan Abbott and Lawrence Block's stories are brilliant, haunting evocations that straddle the lines of genre; Joe Landsale, Duane Swierczynski, and Andrew Vachss' are fun, pulpy throwbacks written with a huge amount of panache; and Joyce Carol Oates' is... well, it's a Joyce Carol Oates story, so there's a lot of em dashes, italics, and parentheses (as well as being kind of an ur-Blonde, because why not).
July 20, 2011
The eight stories in L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories are penned by eight different authors: The Girl, by Megan Abbott; See the Woman, by Lawrence Block; Naked Angel, by Joe R. Lansdale; Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates; School for Murder, by Francine Prose; What’s in a Name?, by Jonathan Santlofer; Hell of an Affair, by Duane Swierczynski; and Postwar Boom, by Andrew Vachss.
The book contains ”eight thrilling tales of crime, deception and murder”, if you believe the front cover. I’m not sure I do — in my opinion, only five of the stories are actually any good.
Of the three stories that I didn’t enjoy, two of them (The Girl and Postwar Boom) I simply didn’t find engaging, but would concede that they were at least well written; the third story (Black Dahlia & White Rose), on the other hand, made me want to tear my eyes out.
These stories are the first noir fiction that I’ve read, so it’s possible that the author’s decision to remove almost all punctuation and connect every sentence with an & symbol is a common stylistic choice, but I found that it detracted from the underlying story (which wouldn’t have been half bad if presented differently).
That said, the book’s hit-to-miss ratio is pretty good — and it’s particularly good value for money (I downloaded it for free, but its price has since risen to $0.99). I’d recommend it to anybody that has considered getting into noir fiction at some point; even if, like me, you find that some of the stories are not to your taste, you’ll at least know which authors to avoid.
The book contains ”eight thrilling tales of crime, deception and murder”, if you believe the front cover. I’m not sure I do — in my opinion, only five of the stories are actually any good.
Of the three stories that I didn’t enjoy, two of them (The Girl and Postwar Boom) I simply didn’t find engaging, but would concede that they were at least well written; the third story (Black Dahlia & White Rose), on the other hand, made me want to tear my eyes out.
These stories are the first noir fiction that I’ve read, so it’s possible that the author’s decision to remove almost all punctuation and connect every sentence with an & symbol is a common stylistic choice, but I found that it detracted from the underlying story (which wouldn’t have been half bad if presented differently).
That said, the book’s hit-to-miss ratio is pretty good — and it’s particularly good value for money (I downloaded it for free, but its price has since risen to $0.99). I’d recommend it to anybody that has considered getting into noir fiction at some point; even if, like me, you find that some of the stories are not to your taste, you’ll at least know which authors to avoid.
August 26, 2011
There is nothing quite like the hard-boiled detective story. I like to think of them as brain candy. These tales are never going to be great literature, no matter how literate the writer who may tackle noire, but they will continue to provide enjoyable reading for as long as they are around.
I must confess, I have seen some trailers for the L.A. Noire video game (also from Rockstar Games), and I am hooked on getting that game. I gave my WII system to my son and his family (along with all that I had accumulated in the way of games and accessories), and I have bought a PS3 from a friend of that same son. I am not a big online gamer; I played the old PC first person shooters back in the day, but very cautiously, and definitely not against other people.
As long as we are talking WII and PS3, I found the WII controllers to be too awkward and annoying. Since my main reason (at least now) for having a game system is to be able to watch Netflix on my television, I started thinking about getting rid of the WII a while ago. I think WII is for kids and not for us old folks.
OK. This is a book site. So why a 4 for my brain candy read? Well, one of the stories, Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates, was written from the point of view of a wannabe starlet, using rather poor English and without much punctuation (at least no punctuation that really made sense). I don't expect literature in every tale I read, but this story was all but unreadable. All the rest met my expectations of noire.
I must confess, I have seen some trailers for the L.A. Noire video game (also from Rockstar Games), and I am hooked on getting that game. I gave my WII system to my son and his family (along with all that I had accumulated in the way of games and accessories), and I have bought a PS3 from a friend of that same son. I am not a big online gamer; I played the old PC first person shooters back in the day, but very cautiously, and definitely not against other people.
As long as we are talking WII and PS3, I found the WII controllers to be too awkward and annoying. Since my main reason (at least now) for having a game system is to be able to watch Netflix on my television, I started thinking about getting rid of the WII a while ago. I think WII is for kids and not for us old folks.
OK. This is a book site. So why a 4 for my brain candy read? Well, one of the stories, Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates, was written from the point of view of a wannabe starlet, using rather poor English and without much punctuation (at least no punctuation that really made sense). I don't expect literature in every tale I read, but this story was all but unreadable. All the rest met my expectations of noire.
June 2, 2012
It would be tempting to dismiss L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories as a marketing gimmick if only the stories were not so good. The stories, after all, are based on Rockstar Games' 'L.A. Noire', a mystery and crime video game centered in Los Angeles in the nineteen forties. As such, the idea of having a volume of crime stories set in the same world and based on some of the same characters and plot points might seem a little heavy handed.
However, in assembling the volume, Rockstar Games pulled in some of the best crime fiction writers around (including one of my favorites, and the reason I bought the book, Joe R. Lansdale) to produce these stories. And they are good.
Although there are only eight stories, and they are different in tone and in style, they work together to showcase the world of the game. What kind of people inhabit this environment and end up in these situations? How do these crimes come about? The book answers these questions without ever stooping to unnecessary exposition, or, worse, marketing speak.
In short, this is a volume of crime stories that any fan of the genre will want to read regardless of whether they have played the game on which the stories are based.
However, in assembling the volume, Rockstar Games pulled in some of the best crime fiction writers around (including one of my favorites, and the reason I bought the book, Joe R. Lansdale) to produce these stories. And they are good.
Although there are only eight stories, and they are different in tone and in style, they work together to showcase the world of the game. What kind of people inhabit this environment and end up in these situations? How do these crimes come about? The book answers these questions without ever stooping to unnecessary exposition, or, worse, marketing speak.
In short, this is a volume of crime stories that any fan of the genre will want to read regardless of whether they have played the game on which the stories are based.
August 28, 2013
I'm not usually big on anthologies, but I had a good time with that one. It was short, action packed and the stories were highly cohesive with one another. It's always a thing for me, to keep things in a coherent universe. L.A NOIRE : THE COLLECTED STORIES is about the broken soul, attracted by the seductive ghost of post-war riches in the land of perdition. Traumatized veterans, opportunistic mobsters and, of course, the broken girl. She'll always remain an object of fascination, will she?
Megan Abbott and Lawrence Block wrote two powerhouses that are difficult to top, right at the start. Block's story was particularly gut wrenching, written in old-timer vernacular and all. Joyce Carol Oates' take on The Black Dahlia and Duane Swierczynski's James Ellroy insipired piece also grabbed me imagination. Andrew Vachss'also closed the door in beauty with POSTWAR BOOM, the fan favorite. Los Angeles lives inside the heart of every American. That, Rockstar Games understood and got their best chronicler to give this mystifying city a proper literary treatment.
Megan Abbott and Lawrence Block wrote two powerhouses that are difficult to top, right at the start. Block's story was particularly gut wrenching, written in old-timer vernacular and all. Joyce Carol Oates' take on The Black Dahlia and Duane Swierczynski's James Ellroy insipired piece also grabbed me imagination. Andrew Vachss'also closed the door in beauty with POSTWAR BOOM, the fan favorite. Los Angeles lives inside the heart of every American. That, Rockstar Games understood and got their best chronicler to give this mystifying city a proper literary treatment.
August 23, 2011
Anyone that enjoys Noire should give this collection a read. Anyone that would like to know what all the fuss is about should give this collection a read.
Forget for the moment that this collection was meant as a tie-in to the video game of the same name (L.A. Noire) by Rockstar Games. [I have also had the pleasure of playing through the game and was pleasantly entertained.] This collection of short stories are what Noire is all about. Dark, gritty, hopeless...If you are expecting a happy ending, you are reading the wrong genre.
Rockstar went the extra mile when they decided to put this together. The book contains eight short stories from some todays best Noire authors - Joyce Carol Oats and Francine Prose to name a couple.
Simple and clean prose coupled with excellent imagery. My favorite story in the collection is "School for Murder" written by Francine Prose. Even so, I look forward to my second read through of all eight stories.
Forget for the moment that this collection was meant as a tie-in to the video game of the same name (L.A. Noire) by Rockstar Games. [I have also had the pleasure of playing through the game and was pleasantly entertained.] This collection of short stories are what Noire is all about. Dark, gritty, hopeless...If you are expecting a happy ending, you are reading the wrong genre.
Rockstar went the extra mile when they decided to put this together. The book contains eight short stories from some todays best Noire authors - Joyce Carol Oats and Francine Prose to name a couple.
Simple and clean prose coupled with excellent imagery. My favorite story in the collection is "School for Murder" written by Francine Prose. Even so, I look forward to my second read through of all eight stories.
July 16, 2020
I got this book for free when I worked at Barnes and Noble. I needed some short stories so I finally pulled it out. Naturally, some stories are better than others. The Joyce Carol Oates was great (of course) but I also loved the Megan Abbott story and have already made plans to read her novel The Song is You. I love ladies writing noir.
June 13, 2011
I did not enjoy this book at all. I played through LA Noire and was hoping for the same quality of story telling. Not at all. Most of the short stories made very little sense and didnt complete.
May 16, 2017
"May 15, 2017 – page 102
56.67% "I CAN'T CONTINUE... ANYMORE THIS WORK, SHOULD I LAUGH OF THE AUTHOR PLAYING WITH ALL AND EVERYTHING AND STILL = "DON'T KNOW"
...
THE REAL TRICK IS TO BE YOU!"
May 15, 2017 – page 102
56.67% "OkaY ... ONES A GOOD START... THEN GOING BAD... GOOD... BAD... PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL AND ASKING DO YOU DARE PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL!?"
May 15, 2017 – page 102
56.67% "The logic here is like
"He is polite... like very polite" - FUCK THAT!"
May 12, 2017 – page 95
52.78%
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% "To be honest... this book is going to go
...
At Level
Speed reading!"
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% "Because of few authors... the book gets and becomes the worst..."
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% ""Only the sound of the man's grunting & the girl trying to draw breath to scream, to scream, to scream --- in silence.""
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% ""Weet"
- So now you have the reader's attention and now stikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% "...
Can't lie that there are strange names like
Tinka or Edna as first as second this with Robert Taylor Reminds me for
Mick Taylor from Wolf-Creek"
May 11, 2017 – page 39
21.67% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "It's very important how much time do you spend on details... killing murders... how much are you into it. Some authors goes the most fucked up way others... deal with the pressure very well."
May 10, 2017 – page 19
10.56% "I am very sorry that I am so long in my opinions!"
May 10, 2017 – page 19
10.56% "If you search something enough times at enough places in the end you gonna find it somewhere... but only that it's free shouldn't stop us from being critical."
May 10, 2017 – page 14
7.78% "I have never been around Noir Collection, for first time I meet some of the authors of this book. So far it's fun!"
May 10, 2017 – Started Reading"
56.67% "I CAN'T CONTINUE... ANYMORE THIS WORK, SHOULD I LAUGH OF THE AUTHOR PLAYING WITH ALL AND EVERYTHING AND STILL = "DON'T KNOW"
...
THE REAL TRICK IS TO BE YOU!"
May 15, 2017 – page 102
56.67% "OkaY ... ONES A GOOD START... THEN GOING BAD... GOOD... BAD... PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL AND ASKING DO YOU DARE PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL!?"
May 15, 2017 – page 102
56.67% "The logic here is like
"He is polite... like very polite" - FUCK THAT!"
May 12, 2017 – page 95
52.78%
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% "To be honest... this book is going to go
...
At Level
Speed reading!"
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% "Because of few authors... the book gets and becomes the worst..."
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% ""Only the sound of the man's grunting & the girl trying to draw breath to scream, to scream, to scream --- in silence.""
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% ""Weet"
- So now you have the reader's attention and now stikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 62
34.44% "...
Can't lie that there are strange names like
Tinka or Edna as first as second this with Robert Taylor Reminds me for
Mick Taylor from Wolf-Creek"
May 11, 2017 – page 39
21.67% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "So now you have the reader attention.. and now strikes the question... where you are going to make the reader to focus?"
May 11, 2017 – page 38
21.11% "It's very important how much time do you spend on details... killing murders... how much are you into it. Some authors goes the most fucked up way others... deal with the pressure very well."
May 10, 2017 – page 19
10.56% "I am very sorry that I am so long in my opinions!"
May 10, 2017 – page 19
10.56% "If you search something enough times at enough places in the end you gonna find it somewhere... but only that it's free shouldn't stop us from being critical."
May 10, 2017 – page 14
7.78% "I have never been around Noir Collection, for first time I meet some of the authors of this book. So far it's fun!"
May 10, 2017 – Started Reading"
November 28, 2024
A short collection of stories set in the world of a video game, with a very LA noir theme. I've never met the game, but the Kindle version of the book has a really nice graphic for each story, which is a plus if you have a full color screen. To my mind, the best story is by Joe R Lansdale, though it's basically a classic noir that could have been written about Philip Marlowe just as well. Still, it was pretty dead on. Megan Abbott did an interesting opener from the perspective of a female character (with one of the book's stories that at least tangentially ties to the Black Dahlia). I also liked Lawrence Block's retrospective story about policing and domestic abuse. The Andrew Vachss piece that closes the volume is as curt and crisp and icy as he gets, but it's very focused. Not the most accessible work from a writer who doesn't really go out of his way to pamper his readers. I liked it. The rest of the stories were excellent quality, as well. The intro was written by Charles Ardai, who is also known as Richard Aleas, who wrote a pretty great pair of hard case crime novels set in New York. He more typically works in editorial roles or film/tv, but he annoyed me in his intro by getting a fact wrong about Elizabeth Short's murder. He didn't need to mention it, since it's not part of the game and only directly involved in one story - which he doesn't talk about. He just notes a couple facts about her murder, and one of them is wrong, and Charles - that's beneath you.
February 27, 2020
I've played the videogame, which in itself was a spectacularly authentic look at the dark side of 1940's LA. I'm happy to say this book accomplished the same feat!
The best thing this book does is blend actual historical events (the Black Dahlia murder featured in one chapter for example) with events and characters in the videogame, though playing LA Noire is by no means a prerequisite for reading this. The stories are strong and stand out on their own without the game's context, each exposing a particular tragedy or crime through a very personal narrative. The tie-ins with the game only further the depth of your understanding of these events. Feel free to play the game and follow Detective Cole Phelps as he investigates these crimes!
Definitely recommend, particularly if you've played the game or are into crime dramas!
The best thing this book does is blend actual historical events (the Black Dahlia murder featured in one chapter for example) with events and characters in the videogame, though playing LA Noire is by no means a prerequisite for reading this. The stories are strong and stand out on their own without the game's context, each exposing a particular tragedy or crime through a very personal narrative. The tie-ins with the game only further the depth of your understanding of these events. Feel free to play the game and follow Detective Cole Phelps as he investigates these crimes!
Definitely recommend, particularly if you've played the game or are into crime dramas!
December 24, 2018
A mixed bag of an anthology book
The best of the 8 stories was
See the woman by Lawrence Block this is a 5 star story tragic and moving
Naked Angel by Joe R landsdale this one had a noir feel but no real suprise or twist in this story a 3 star story
School for murder Francine Prose interestng and captivating story of desperate actor pulled into a trap he doesnt see coming 4 stars
What's in a name
By johnathan Santlofer a powerful look into the life of a killer tragic and haunting 4 stars
The other 4 I give 2 stars interesting but really that good
Over all an ok read
The best of the 8 stories was
See the woman by Lawrence Block this is a 5 star story tragic and moving
Naked Angel by Joe R landsdale this one had a noir feel but no real suprise or twist in this story a 3 star story
School for murder Francine Prose interestng and captivating story of desperate actor pulled into a trap he doesnt see coming 4 stars
What's in a name
By johnathan Santlofer a powerful look into the life of a killer tragic and haunting 4 stars
The other 4 I give 2 stars interesting but really that good
Over all an ok read
September 7, 2022
I don't want to ramble on, so I'll keep these thoughts short.
I was excited when I bought this book for about 99 cents for Kindle. I really enjoy the noir genre and the game the book ties into is one of my favorites.
However, while this book has really good noir stories and there's a number of authors that I recognized that they managed to snag to write for it, I was disappointed in the end. This is definitely a noir/noir-ish anthology, but not a very good L.A. Noire tie in.
I was hoping that when I got into it, we would see more stories that tie into the characters of the game, but there were only three that I remember that directly have game characters in them. While I appreciate what we managed to get, I wish we could have seen a story of how Roy became the corrupt cop he is today or get some insight into Rusty, maybe a story of him working with his old partner before Cole. Maybe even some looks into victims and suspects like in the story, "Hell of an Affair," one of the only stories of the bunch that I really felt tied into the game.
So yeah, if you're looking for a number of stories that have to do with the noir genre, then I would say this would at least give you a taste of what you're looking for and lead you to some great authors that could possibly give you more. However, if you're looking at this as a fan of the video game, then I would just avoid this one.
I was excited when I bought this book for about 99 cents for Kindle. I really enjoy the noir genre and the game the book ties into is one of my favorites.
However, while this book has really good noir stories and there's a number of authors that I recognized that they managed to snag to write for it, I was disappointed in the end. This is definitely a noir/noir-ish anthology, but not a very good L.A. Noire tie in.
I was hoping that when I got into it, we would see more stories that tie into the characters of the game, but there were only three that I remember that directly have game characters in them. While I appreciate what we managed to get, I wish we could have seen a story of how Roy became the corrupt cop he is today or get some insight into Rusty, maybe a story of him working with his old partner before Cole. Maybe even some looks into victims and suspects like in the story, "Hell of an Affair," one of the only stories of the bunch that I really felt tied into the game.
So yeah, if you're looking for a number of stories that have to do with the noir genre, then I would say this would at least give you a taste of what you're looking for and lead you to some great authors that could possibly give you more. However, if you're looking at this as a fan of the video game, then I would just avoid this one.
June 20, 2025
Usually in a collection of stories there is 1 or 2 stories I like but this collection had 0. Joyce Carroll Oats writes a story about the Black Dahlia and has her be roommates with Marilyn Monroe. Everything else in the story is based on the case except for Monroe and who the killer is. There is no evidence that the 2 women knew each other and dragging Monroe into the horrific murder of Short is a disservice to both women.
I finished the whole book, but if it wasn't it being for a book club and podcast I would have DNF's it after the first couple of stories.
I finished the whole book, but if it wasn't it being for a book club and podcast I would have DNF's it after the first couple of stories.
August 14, 2023
An interesting, quick to read set of gritty crime stories. My favorite read was Black Dahlia & White Rose by Joyce Carol Oates. I've heard a bit about this case over the years but have never read an actual account of the facts. This, of course, is fiction but it has really made me question some of the things I've read and now what to move a book about the true crime up on my list of TBR's "soon". There are 7 other good reads included in the collection.
June 27, 2017
Underwhelming fanfic that, at best, attempts to imitate the style and tone of the 1940s greats. This anthology reminds me that, as a rule, it's best to steer clear of video game book tie-ins. Still, fans of the game might find something to enjoy, though there's nothing here that's on par with Cole Phelps' compelling storyline.
January 27, 2018
A surprisingly decent collection of crime stories tangentially related to the title video game (one of my all-time favorites).
No real misses here at all. I’m not getting into a debate over what’s noir and what isn’t in this collection. Much better than it deserves to be. But then again, check out the lineup here... you’re in good hands.
No real misses here at all. I’m not getting into a debate over what’s noir and what isn’t in this collection. Much better than it deserves to be. But then again, check out the lineup here... you’re in good hands.
May 18, 2019
Grab bag pulp
Enjoyed this quick trip to noir land- felt welcome the whole time and made some memories I won’t soon forget.
Enjoyed this quick trip to noir land- felt welcome the whole time and made some memories I won’t soon forget.
August 15, 2019
Actually really good for a 99 cent video game tie-in (a video game that I love, but I confess I wasn't expecting much anyway). I especially loved the stories from Megan Abbott and Joyce Carol Oates!
May 21, 2020
This is a collection of noir fiction short stories. Some I enjoyed more than others. Lawrence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, and Duane Swierczynski are all excellent authors!
November 14, 2020
A 3.5. Moderately interesting. Some very good, some so - so.
July 18, 2021
Very enjoyable
Not played the game much but really enjoyed this short story collection. Nice little surprise. Some great authors in here too.
Not played the game much but really enjoyed this short story collection. Nice little surprise. Some great authors in here too.
June 3, 2025
Great fun. Several different short stories by different authors. Really enjoyed it.
March 12, 2023
For a free collection of stories to get you excited about a video game, this collection of stories is better than I expected. Of course, they did bring some high caliber writers to help guarantee that. Most of the stories are good, in fact, the only I didn't like was "What's in a name" by Jonathan Santlofer. The most interesting for me was BLACK DAHLIA & WHITE ROSE by Joyce Carol Oates, with a history stiry about Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short. They story really left me wishing it was an entire novel and wondering how much of it was true.
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