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Quiet and the Darkness: Stories of Rural Noir
Not for the weak of mind or spirit, this collection of rural noir—set in the deserts of California, Arizona, and Nevada—follows the exploits of hit men, charlatans, killers, and crooks.
Taken together, the stories in Quiet and the Darkness are a searing portrait of a darkening rural American psyche—forgotten, lonely, cast-off, violent, enraged…and afraid. But beneath the grit and blood is a cruel these are stories about people grieving for mothers, fathers, sons, daughters…grieving for the lives they should have had and for the lives they destroyed of their own accord.
Fusing the pulp aesthetics of Jim Thompson and Charles Williams with the literary sensibilities of Breece D’jPancake and Flannery O’Connor, lauded American noirist Matt Phillips has crafted a collection equally at home in the jailhouse library as it is on the literature professor’s nightstand.PREVIOUS PRAISE FOR MATT PHILLIPS
"Phillips...in a just world, will someday get his due alongside some of those more celebrated Gold Medal authors. Because there's still an audience for storytelling that marries propulsive darkness with painstaking skill.” Jim Thomsen, writer and editor
“Slick, razor-sharp dialogue and realistic characters make Phillips The Crime Writer to Binge Read.” - Stephen J. Golds, author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone and I’ll Pray When I’m Dying
"I can't get enough of Matt Phillips these days, and hope a sh*t-ton of other readers will soon feel the same." - Anthony Neil Smith, author of Slow Bear, All the Young Warriors and Yellow Medicine
"Phillips is a writer who should be on everyone's radar for his lean, taut prose, authentic dialogue, and mastery of noir." - Sarah Chen, Derringer award-winning author of Cleaning Up Finn
“A master storyteller in this genre...” - Readers’ Favorite
“Lucky for us…Phillips knows his way around the dark recesses of the heart…” - Tough Crime
Taken together, the stories in Quiet and the Darkness are a searing portrait of a darkening rural American psyche—forgotten, lonely, cast-off, violent, enraged…and afraid. But beneath the grit and blood is a cruel these are stories about people grieving for mothers, fathers, sons, daughters…grieving for the lives they should have had and for the lives they destroyed of their own accord.
Fusing the pulp aesthetics of Jim Thompson and Charles Williams with the literary sensibilities of Breece D’jPancake and Flannery O’Connor, lauded American noirist Matt Phillips has crafted a collection equally at home in the jailhouse library as it is on the literature professor’s nightstand.PREVIOUS PRAISE FOR MATT PHILLIPS
"Phillips...in a just world, will someday get his due alongside some of those more celebrated Gold Medal authors. Because there's still an audience for storytelling that marries propulsive darkness with painstaking skill.” Jim Thomsen, writer and editor
“Slick, razor-sharp dialogue and realistic characters make Phillips The Crime Writer to Binge Read.” - Stephen J. Golds, author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone and I’ll Pray When I’m Dying
"I can't get enough of Matt Phillips these days, and hope a sh*t-ton of other readers will soon feel the same." - Anthony Neil Smith, author of Slow Bear, All the Young Warriors and Yellow Medicine
"Phillips is a writer who should be on everyone's radar for his lean, taut prose, authentic dialogue, and mastery of noir." - Sarah Chen, Derringer award-winning author of Cleaning Up Finn
“A master storyteller in this genre...” - Readers’ Favorite
“Lucky for us…Phillips knows his way around the dark recesses of the heart…” - Tough Crime
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2024
4 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Matt Phillips
22 books91 followersMatt Phillips lives in San Diego. His books are A GOOD RUSH OF BLOOD, QUIET AND THE DARKNESS, TO BRING MY SHADOW, COUNTDOWN, KNOW ME FROM SMOKE, THE BAD KIND OF LUCKY, ACCIDENTAL OUTLAWS, REDBONE, BAD LUCK CITY, and THREE KINDS OF FOOL. His short fiction has been published in Tough, Mystery Tribune, Retreats from Oblivion, Shotgun Honey, and Out of the Gutter. More info at www.mattphillipswriter.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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August 10, 2025not for me at all. bailing out at 38%.
January 21, 2024
I’ve read and enjoyed several of Matt Phillip’s novels but this is the first collection of short stories of his that I’ve come across. It’s only been recently published and at the time of ‘buying’ it was free on Amazon Kindle !
As the Goodreads ‘blurb’ says, it’s a collection of crime stories written mostly from the perspectives of killers, crooks, thieves and conmen. The writing is the darkest of noirs and is sparse and spare but despite this, Phillip’s can pack a whole lot of story into just a few pages. It’s often what he doesn’t say or what’s implied that mean the most. The majority of the stories are quite short, interspersed with a few longer ones but they all pack a punch. Short story writing is an art in itself, as it takes great skill to create a believable character and a gripping story over the course of just a few pages but Matt Phillips has that skill in abundance. Some of these tales aren’t an easy read and a few of them have stayed with me long after I’ve finished the collection.
Do yourself a favour and read this collection, as if you like your writing dark and mean you won’t regret it.
As the Goodreads ‘blurb’ says, it’s a collection of crime stories written mostly from the perspectives of killers, crooks, thieves and conmen. The writing is the darkest of noirs and is sparse and spare but despite this, Phillip’s can pack a whole lot of story into just a few pages. It’s often what he doesn’t say or what’s implied that mean the most. The majority of the stories are quite short, interspersed with a few longer ones but they all pack a punch. Short story writing is an art in itself, as it takes great skill to create a believable character and a gripping story over the course of just a few pages but Matt Phillips has that skill in abundance. Some of these tales aren’t an easy read and a few of them have stayed with me long after I’ve finished the collection.
Do yourself a favour and read this collection, as if you like your writing dark and mean you won’t regret it.
June 24, 2024
Rural noir at it's best
I've been a fan of Matt Phillips for a while, and the man has never disappointed with his raw, gritty, yet poetic writing style. Every story in this collection hit hard and rang true to those down and out souls that don't go down easy. Without a doubt, Matt could write books and teach masterclasses on writing noir and characters.
I've been a fan of Matt Phillips for a while, and the man has never disappointed with his raw, gritty, yet poetic writing style. Every story in this collection hit hard and rang true to those down and out souls that don't go down easy. Without a doubt, Matt could write books and teach masterclasses on writing noir and characters.
January 23, 2024
Noir AF
This is a great collection of down to earth, raw, and gritty crime fiction. Each one noir as f##k. The stories get progressively better, deeper, and darker as they roll on. Some standouts include Casting Call, Thoman's Word, Days Work, and King and Jailer..., with Black Rose being a personal favorite. Crime fiction fans -especially noir fans- will eat this up. 4 1\2 stars.
This is a great collection of down to earth, raw, and gritty crime fiction. Each one noir as f##k. The stories get progressively better, deeper, and darker as they roll on. Some standouts include Casting Call, Thoman's Word, Days Work, and King and Jailer..., with Black Rose being a personal favorite. Crime fiction fans -especially noir fans- will eat this up. 4 1\2 stars.
July 7, 2024
A great collection of tough, gritty, country noir stories.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews