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Berlin Noir
Ein spannendes literarisches Städteporträt und eine tiefschwarze Liebeserklärung an eine Stadt, die vor allem eines ist: keine Sekunde langweilig.
13 Kurzgeschichten, 13 Blickwinkel, 13 Stadtviertel – und 13 faszinierende Teile eines größeren Puzzles. Das Verbrechen zieht seine blutige Spur vom noblen Grunewald bis in den tiefsten Wedding, vom beschaulichen Altglienicke über das bunte Kreuzberg bis ins lebendige Friedrichshain, spürt den tödlichen Geheimnissen der Geschichte nach und setzt die Gegenwart als dunkel schimmerndes Kaleidoskop neu zusammen.
Eine junge Frau aus gutbürgerlichem Zuhause endet in der Obdachlosenszene um den Bahnhof Zoo; eine Schießerei zwischen einem Ex-Bullen und einem Kleinganoven endet tödlich; die zarte Liebesgeschichte zwischen einer Boutiquebesitzerin und einem ehemaligen Kindersoldaten wird durch einen notwendigen Mord gestört – und wer weiß, was es mit der Leiche auf sich hat, die ein Barmann in der Kühltruhe einer Absturzkneipe findet …
»Berlin Noir« – so vielfältig wie die Stadt. Unberechenbar, überraschend, tragisch und komisch. Ein substanzieller Baustein der Berlin-Literatur. Aktuell und originell, wie Berlin selbst.
13 Kurzgeschichten, 13 Blickwinkel, 13 Stadtviertel – und 13 faszinierende Teile eines größeren Puzzles. Das Verbrechen zieht seine blutige Spur vom noblen Grunewald bis in den tiefsten Wedding, vom beschaulichen Altglienicke über das bunte Kreuzberg bis ins lebendige Friedrichshain, spürt den tödlichen Geheimnissen der Geschichte nach und setzt die Gegenwart als dunkel schimmerndes Kaleidoskop neu zusammen.
Eine junge Frau aus gutbürgerlichem Zuhause endet in der Obdachlosenszene um den Bahnhof Zoo; eine Schießerei zwischen einem Ex-Bullen und einem Kleinganoven endet tödlich; die zarte Liebesgeschichte zwischen einer Boutiquebesitzerin und einem ehemaligen Kindersoldaten wird durch einen notwendigen Mord gestört – und wer weiß, was es mit der Leiche auf sich hat, die ein Barmann in der Kühltruhe einer Absturzkneipe findet …
»Berlin Noir« – so vielfältig wie die Stadt. Unberechenbar, überraschend, tragisch und komisch. Ein substanzieller Baustein der Berlin-Literatur. Aktuell und originell, wie Berlin selbst.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 21, 2019
84th book for 2019.
Berlin, world city and lover of crime fiction—home of Nazis, Communists, the Weimar Era drug users and prostitutes, post-Wall anarchists, hipster expats and tourists—should be overflowing with noir fiction. Little seems to have reached this collection of thirteen stories, amongst which only—The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy by Susanne Saygin, about a serial killer trying to keep order in German society—really stands out. I definitely want to check out her first novel: Feinde.
The rest are forgettable generic, crime stories, which while using some Berlin locations or themes, could be set almost anywhere. Disappointing.
2-stars.
Berlin, world city and lover of crime fiction—home of Nazis, Communists, the Weimar Era drug users and prostitutes, post-Wall anarchists, hipster expats and tourists—should be overflowing with noir fiction. Little seems to have reached this collection of thirteen stories, amongst which only—The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy by Susanne Saygin, about a serial killer trying to keep order in German society—really stands out. I definitely want to check out her first novel: Feinde.
The rest are forgettable generic, crime stories, which while using some Berlin locations or themes, could be set almost anywhere. Disappointing.
2-stars.
October 13, 2019
This is a collection of crime-oriented short stories written by authors living in Berlin. Chosen and edited by Thomas Wörtche, the stories range from solid to very bad, but the overall quality is a bit lower than has been the case with the other books in the Akashic Noir series. The center of the collection is padded with lazy entries, including a few that could have been set anywhere, with a simple alteration in the street names. I will admit that I expected more than this collection given Germany's love of crime novels and Berlin's reputation as an artistic center. Berlin is such a unique and vibrant city and it's a shame that some of the stories could have easily been set elsewhere.
Most of my dissatisfaction boiled down to one story that irked. I fail to see the value of writing a story from the point of view of a violent misogynist if the payoff is just to read a graphic description of the narrator achieving his dreams. It's 2019, and this read as both tired and exploitative, and I question the value of reading the ways a man might find women to be gross and disgusting and murder-worthy. This was an author looking to be edgy, while walking down an well-worn path.
Complaints aside, there were some stand-out stories, primarily Local Train by Mark Annas, in which a group of football fans plan the murder of a fan from the rival team. Their comic ineptness doesn't hide the brutality of what they are doing. I Spy with My Little Eye by Ulrich Woelk concerns a reporter drawn in to the story of a missing schoolgirl and thinking hard about his relationship with his own daughter. This story managed to both show a heart underneath a callous exterior and delivered a surprising ending. And while the ending of One of These Days by Robert Rescue was tacked on as an afterthought, the picture Rescue drew of the working class neighborhood of Wedding was wonderful.
Most of my dissatisfaction boiled down to one story that irked. I fail to see the value of writing a story from the point of view of a violent misogynist if the payoff is just to read a graphic description of the narrator achieving his dreams. It's 2019, and this read as both tired and exploitative, and I question the value of reading the ways a man might find women to be gross and disgusting and murder-worthy. This was an author looking to be edgy, while walking down an well-worn path.
Complaints aside, there were some stand-out stories, primarily Local Train by Mark Annas, in which a group of football fans plan the murder of a fan from the rival team. Their comic ineptness doesn't hide the brutality of what they are doing. I Spy with My Little Eye by Ulrich Woelk concerns a reporter drawn in to the story of a missing schoolgirl and thinking hard about his relationship with his own daughter. This story managed to both show a heart underneath a callous exterior and delivered a surprising ending. And while the ending of One of These Days by Robert Rescue was tacked on as an afterthought, the picture Rescue drew of the working class neighborhood of Wedding was wonderful.
April 11, 2019
Interesting although uneven in quality short story collection in the Akashic noir series: Amsterdam to Zagreb so far. Set in Berlin in the present-day, each treats of some aspect of a crime or crimes. Each is set in a particular area of the city or its suburbs. My rating is such: some stories I really liked [4], some were so-so [2 or 3] and two I started reading but didn't finish [1]. So I averaged out the rating.
The ones I liked best:
"I spy with my little eye": In his search for a missing girl, the narrator, a film critic, conflates the real world with the imaginary.
"The beauty of Kenilworth ivy": a murderess does away with two of her bourgeois neighbors with unusual methods, each tailored to the victim.
"Fashion week": the owner of a chic boutique does away with her abusive husband, a fashion rep.
"One of these days": a humorous story about the various suggestions of the owners and staff of a bar--The Bar [original name!]--on how to dispose of the body of a dead man found in their freezer.
"Dog tag afternoon": As part of an anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, a man solves two cold cases of murder. One of the Airlift pilots is involved in some way. Title is wordplay on the name of the movie, "Dog Day Afternoon".
I thank LibraryThing for sending me an ARC for my honest review.
The ones I liked best:
"I spy with my little eye": In his search for a missing girl, the narrator, a film critic, conflates the real world with the imaginary.
"The beauty of Kenilworth ivy": a murderess does away with two of her bourgeois neighbors with unusual methods, each tailored to the victim.
"Fashion week": the owner of a chic boutique does away with her abusive husband, a fashion rep.
"One of these days": a humorous story about the various suggestions of the owners and staff of a bar--The Bar [original name!]--on how to dispose of the body of a dead man found in their freezer.
"Dog tag afternoon": As part of an anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, a man solves two cold cases of murder. One of the Airlift pilots is involved in some way. Title is wordplay on the name of the movie, "Dog Day Afternoon".
I thank LibraryThing for sending me an ARC for my honest review.
Read
January 2, 2026১) সিরিজটার বেশ কয়েকটা বই পড়লেও হিসেব রাখা হয়নি। বছরের প্রথম পড়া বই হিসেবে গুডরিডসে এটা তুলে রাখলাম। আর, সিরিজের আগের পড়া বইগুলোর তুলনায় এই সংকলনে গল্পগুলো গড়ে বেশ ভালো।
২)
... গুডরিডসে টার্গেট বড় করলাম গত বছরের তুলনায়। কিন্তু এই সংখ্যা-পূরণের বাইরে বেশি করে চাই আগ্রহের তালিকায় রাখা অন্ততঃ একজন লেখককে শেষ করতে। সেই আশা পূরণ হবে কি না, কে জানে।
২)
... গুডরিডসে টার্গেট বড় করলাম গত বছরের তুলনায়। কিন্তু এই সংখ্যা-পূরণের বাইরে বেশি করে চাই আগ্রহের তালিকায় রাখা অন্ততঃ একজন লেখককে শেষ করতে। সেই আশা পূরণ হবে কি না, কে জানে।
November 22, 2019
I enjoy this "Noir" series. Quality twisted short stories that are great to read if you're familiar with, live in, or have visited the title cities in the title.
February 26, 2020
Die Anthologie habe ich zum letztjährigen Buchwichteln geschenkt bekommen und war schon ganz erpicht darauf, sie endlich in Ruhe zu schmökern. Mein Fazit ist, dass mir Kurzgeschichten sehr liegen und ich mich frage, warum ich eigentlich nicht mehr davon lese. Viele der Geschichten haben mir wirklich gut gefallen - gerade weil sie durch ihre Kürze schön knackig und auf den Punkt geschrieben waren. Ohne lange Einleitung führen sie direkt zu den Charakteren und in die Handlung. Ins Gedächtnis eingebrannt hat sich mir gleich die einleitende Geschichte um eine psychisch kranke Obdachlose, geschrieben aus der Sicht ihres Bruders. Da hätte es das Verbrechen eigentlich gar nicht mehr gebraucht - ich war so schon gefesselt. Äußerst vergnüglich war auch die Erzählung mit dem toten Benno in der Kühltruhe. Einige wenige Geschichten waren nicht so unbedingt meins (ich steh nicht so auf so Hochglanz-Mafia-Verbrecherstorys), aber auch die waren durch die Bank weg gut geschrieben und dank ihrer Kürze auch dann noch lesenswert, wenn ich die Grundthematik nicht so mochte. Einziges Manko, das mich bei mehreren Geschichten störte: Ich mag es nicht, wenn man einer Story anmerkt, dass der/die Autor_in etwas zu einem speziellen Thema recherchiert hat und nun Berge an "total stimmungsvollen" Details einbaut, um zu beweisen, wie viel er/sie recherchiert hat. Ich find das immer so unintuitiv. Kein Experte denkt pausenlos über Grundlagen seines Expertenwissens nach. Und ich als Leserin interessiere mich auch nicht so wirklich dafür, so weit es nicht für die Handlung von Relevanz ist. Aber auch das mag jetzt einfach nur mein persönlicher Geschmack sein. Insgesamt jedenfalls eine spannende und abwechslungsreiche Lektüre und ein empfehlenswertes Wichtelgeschenk. :)
August 6, 2019
As with many of the Akashic Noir series, a mixed bag of stories skewed towards. But this one is redemed by Susanne Saygin's "The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy," a nifty little story reminiscent of Jack Ritchie's "For All the Rude People."
May 2, 2019
BERLIN NOIR, edited by Thomas Wortche, is one of Akashik Books newest publications in its very prolific and popular Noir series. The Noir series consists of short story anthologies of very noir style stories - all taking place in a particular city or area.
I have read many of the titles and have been impressed by every one. While the locations are all different, the stories all have a common denominator - noir. Noir is a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. Hard-boiled, cynical characters and bleak, sleazy settings set the tone for the dark (very dark), brooding and raw stories.
Each title has a familiar set-up. There is a very intriguing cover in dark, sepia tones; a map of the city or area which points out the different areas/neighborhoods where the stories take place; a Table of Contents; an interesting, descriptive introduction by the editor(s); and About the Contributors - information about the various authors.
In BERLIN NOIR, Thomas Wortche writes a very interesting introduction which sets a tone for the city of Berlin and the stories to follow.
“Berlin, as we want to show, is a “SynchroniCity” (Pieke Biermann), a city of the most disparate and diverse simultaneities, firmly attached to the rigging of its political and literary history and always moving forward in the present. And noir, in its very essence, does that too. In this respect BERLIN NOIR is a snapshot, and as I write this today, I fully expect that everything will look completely different in just another year’s time.” (Thomas Wortche, February, 2019)
Authors include - Zoe Beck - Ulrich Woelk - Susanne Saygin - Max Annas - Kai Hensel - Matthias Wittekindt - Miron Zownir - Ute Cohen - Johannes Groschupf - Michael Wuliger - Katja Bohnet - Robert Rescue - Rob Alef.
My personal favorite story was “Dora” by Zoe Beck, taking place in the Bahnhof Zoo area of Berlin.
Thanks to Akashik Books for sending me an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of BERLIN NOIR in exchange for an honest review.
I have read many of the titles and have been impressed by every one. While the locations are all different, the stories all have a common denominator - noir. Noir is a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. Hard-boiled, cynical characters and bleak, sleazy settings set the tone for the dark (very dark), brooding and raw stories.
Each title has a familiar set-up. There is a very intriguing cover in dark, sepia tones; a map of the city or area which points out the different areas/neighborhoods where the stories take place; a Table of Contents; an interesting, descriptive introduction by the editor(s); and About the Contributors - information about the various authors.
In BERLIN NOIR, Thomas Wortche writes a very interesting introduction which sets a tone for the city of Berlin and the stories to follow.
“Berlin, as we want to show, is a “SynchroniCity” (Pieke Biermann), a city of the most disparate and diverse simultaneities, firmly attached to the rigging of its political and literary history and always moving forward in the present. And noir, in its very essence, does that too. In this respect BERLIN NOIR is a snapshot, and as I write this today, I fully expect that everything will look completely different in just another year’s time.” (Thomas Wortche, February, 2019)
Authors include - Zoe Beck - Ulrich Woelk - Susanne Saygin - Max Annas - Kai Hensel - Matthias Wittekindt - Miron Zownir - Ute Cohen - Johannes Groschupf - Michael Wuliger - Katja Bohnet - Robert Rescue - Rob Alef.
My personal favorite story was “Dora” by Zoe Beck, taking place in the Bahnhof Zoo area of Berlin.
Thanks to Akashik Books for sending me an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of BERLIN NOIR in exchange for an honest review.
Read
September 29, 2023"Dora" by Zöe Beck: 3.5
- Nice to see a non-sf Anthology Dud that nonetheless still proves the rule. The aimlessness reveals itself immediately in the organization, as general reflection on a life tries to sit in place of pointed narrative, in the faux immediacy of the direkte rede narration, and, especially, the dually tacked on ending , both coming quite literally in the final two pages. Uninspired.
"I Spy With My Little Eye" by Ulrich Woelk: 7
- The problem, as I saw it, with any angle of Berlin or German Noir was primarily on the noir, as 1) Berlin's storied history as espionage backdrop will be vestigial baggage hard to drop; and 2) German krimi instincts tend towards an interest in the detection less than the criminality itself — again, a tendency sooo close to "noir" that it would predispose many foreign and native alike to think the former would come naturally, whereas there's little less embarrassing than the cousin misfiring. For the majority of it, this story matched quite clearly onto the latter of these concerns — a down and out reporter taking up a missing persons case, meeting the girls grieving sister, and dealing with his own marital issues as he struggles to figure out the details — before it wrenches into a third possibility of defective/abortive/confused noir I hadn't even considered: the ghost story, for it turns out Now, as a story, was not actually terrible — some weak, paint by numbers prose, even if it moved the story along — although, as noir, quite misplaced.
- Nice to see a non-sf Anthology Dud that nonetheless still proves the rule. The aimlessness reveals itself immediately in the organization, as general reflection on a life tries to sit in place of pointed narrative, in the faux immediacy of the direkte rede narration, and, especially, the dually tacked on ending , both coming quite literally in the final two pages. Uninspired.
"I Spy With My Little Eye" by Ulrich Woelk: 7
- The problem, as I saw it, with any angle of Berlin or German Noir was primarily on the noir, as 1) Berlin's storied history as espionage backdrop will be vestigial baggage hard to drop; and 2) German krimi instincts tend towards an interest in the detection less than the criminality itself — again, a tendency sooo close to "noir" that it would predispose many foreign and native alike to think the former would come naturally, whereas there's little less embarrassing than the cousin misfiring. For the majority of it, this story matched quite clearly onto the latter of these concerns — a down and out reporter taking up a missing persons case, meeting the girls grieving sister, and dealing with his own marital issues as he struggles to figure out the details — before it wrenches into a third possibility of defective/abortive/confused noir I hadn't even considered: the ghost story, for it turns out Now, as a story, was not actually terrible — some weak, paint by numbers prose, even if it moved the story along — although, as noir, quite misplaced.
April 25, 2019
Berlin Noir is another edition of the Akashic Noir series. It has thirteen chapters organized in three parts: Stress in the City; Cops and Gangsters; and Berlin Scenes. They range from the heartbreaking story of mental illness fracturing a family in Dora to the disturbing grotesquerie of Valverde, a story that made me put the book down for a few days just to recover.
There are ingenious mysteries such as The Invisible Man where a clever serial killer is too clever by half. I loved Fashion Week, though I hoped for a better ending for our fashion designer. Kaddish for Lazar is a satisfying mystery. The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy reminds me a bit of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Executioner’s Song” for the best of reasons.
“Berlin Noir” is an excellent anthology. I appreciate the writers resisted the temptation to rely on Nazi history for their noir. Even the story that relied most heavily on World War II history takes place in the present. It was an intelligent choice that made an anthology full of unexpected and fresh stories.
I have loved since Brooklyn Noir fifteen years ago. I wonder if Akashic will do something special for the anniversary or wait until the series is twenty. For fifteen years I have eagerly read every edition. When friends were traveling, I would look for an edition for their travel destination. I have gifted Portland Noir a few times, especially to new transplants. Each anthology can stand on its own and “Berlin Noir” is a great introduction.
“Berlin Noir” will be published on May 7th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Berlin Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir series
Thomas Wörtche at Wikipedia
★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
There are ingenious mysteries such as The Invisible Man where a clever serial killer is too clever by half. I loved Fashion Week, though I hoped for a better ending for our fashion designer. Kaddish for Lazar is a satisfying mystery. The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy reminds me a bit of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Executioner’s Song” for the best of reasons.
“Berlin Noir” is an excellent anthology. I appreciate the writers resisted the temptation to rely on Nazi history for their noir. Even the story that relied most heavily on World War II history takes place in the present. It was an intelligent choice that made an anthology full of unexpected and fresh stories.
I have loved since Brooklyn Noir fifteen years ago. I wonder if Akashic will do something special for the anniversary or wait until the series is twenty. For fifteen years I have eagerly read every edition. When friends were traveling, I would look for an edition for their travel destination. I have gifted Portland Noir a few times, especially to new transplants. Each anthology can stand on its own and “Berlin Noir” is a great introduction.
“Berlin Noir” will be published on May 7th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Berlin Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir series
Thomas Wörtche at Wikipedia
★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
August 25, 2019
Berlin Noir, edited by Thomas Wortche, is another wonderful addition to the Akashic Noir series.
While most of the volumes that I have read so far make an effort to interpret noir in a broader scope than the narrow "dark and crime" definition, I think this one succeeds better than most. Noir is definitely dark, no matter how else one considers it. But the more interesting stories tend to play with the ideas of ethical/unethical, moral/immoral, and of course legal/illegal. Ideally, more than one of these. The better crime based stories look at the crime through a dark lens of ethics or morals, not simply dark criminal activity. And the more peripheral any crime is to the story the better (most of the time).
As a collection from different writers this will likely have stories the reader will like more and less. That is normal and generally can't be avoided. this collection is a strong one and one story has stayed with me for the past month since I read it (yes, I'm late posting this, life happens). The others have come and gone numerous times, usually if something in life makes me think of it. But the first story in the collection involves the ideas I mentioned before coupled with familial obligations and what one must do for a family member. I admit, I didn't anticipate the resolution of the story.
If you like short stories and noir, I would recommend this collection. You may, as I did, discover a couple new writers you want to check out.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.
While most of the volumes that I have read so far make an effort to interpret noir in a broader scope than the narrow "dark and crime" definition, I think this one succeeds better than most. Noir is definitely dark, no matter how else one considers it. But the more interesting stories tend to play with the ideas of ethical/unethical, moral/immoral, and of course legal/illegal. Ideally, more than one of these. The better crime based stories look at the crime through a dark lens of ethics or morals, not simply dark criminal activity. And the more peripheral any crime is to the story the better (most of the time).
As a collection from different writers this will likely have stories the reader will like more and less. That is normal and generally can't be avoided. this collection is a strong one and one story has stayed with me for the past month since I read it (yes, I'm late posting this, life happens). The others have come and gone numerous times, usually if something in life makes me think of it. But the first story in the collection involves the ideas I mentioned before coupled with familial obligations and what one must do for a family member. I admit, I didn't anticipate the resolution of the story.
If you like short stories and noir, I would recommend this collection. You may, as I did, discover a couple new writers you want to check out.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.
April 27, 2019
These anthologies are terrific introductions to the noir of various series. While some stories are not as strong as others, there's always one or two that will really grab you. This set is organized by neighborhood and by Stress, Cops, and Scenes. I appreciated this most for the chance to read authors not widely available in the US. Loved the setting too. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Short story fans should try this one.
May 12, 2019
I've enjoyed others in this series of short story collections each centered on a specific city. Most of the stories in this particular collection just didn't captivate me. To be fair, there were a couple truly dark and intriguing tales that made the book worthwhile. Others were either too flat or two ambiguous. It's as if the Berlin locale went more abstract than noir.
July 30, 2019
I was really disappointed in this book. The caliber of talent involved is pretty amazing, but the stories were lacking in a necessary substantial element. There were too few shadows. There was little evocative imagery. The stories were lacking feeling and character.
May 30, 2020
These were all well crafted stories, but very few of them were satisfying. Three of the four on the last section were especially disappointing in their lack of solid endings. Overall, worth the read, but not my favorite of the Akashic Noir collections.
January 13, 2022
Not my favorite in the series, unfortunately. I had lofty expectations for this one given Berlin’s history and place within the genre. Alas, other entries set in much less “romantic” locales do a better job of evoking both a sense of place and the criminal underbelly and dark happenings therein.
August 1, 2019
this is not a review per se, but I will say that the quality of the stories contained in this anthology varied to widely to be reviewed.
July 7, 2022
Always dark, often clever, sometimes compelling.
March 24, 2020
Another Early Reads from Library Thing.
I've read a few other noir collections published by Akashic Books. Each collection is from a different area. This gives not only a different location for the stories to come from, but even different cultures. They may share the noir attitude but each is its own.
The selection of authors in each book are top notch, in my opinion. They write with the atmosphere of noir prevalent through-out their story. There is a subtlely and at time just a slight taste of the darkness of their tale. Sometimes the ending is not what is expected.
"I Spy With My Little Eye" is about a film critic who has maybe viewed too many movies and is now not able to distinguish life from film.
"Fashion Week" takes place during Fashion Week in Mitte. Can fashion be ecological, progressive, politically correct and still keep on top? Or does the dark side carry more weight and pulls fashion down to the corrupt level that has always been?
There are 13 stories, grouped into 'Stress In The City,' Cops & Gangsters' and 'Berlin Scenes.' There is also a section with a brief bio on each of the writers, giving their creds in the writing world. More interesting reading.
All in all, some excellent reading....and food for thought.
I've read a few other noir collections published by Akashic Books. Each collection is from a different area. This gives not only a different location for the stories to come from, but even different cultures. They may share the noir attitude but each is its own.
The selection of authors in each book are top notch, in my opinion. They write with the atmosphere of noir prevalent through-out their story. There is a subtlely and at time just a slight taste of the darkness of their tale. Sometimes the ending is not what is expected.
"I Spy With My Little Eye" is about a film critic who has maybe viewed too many movies and is now not able to distinguish life from film.
"Fashion Week" takes place during Fashion Week in Mitte. Can fashion be ecological, progressive, politically correct and still keep on top? Or does the dark side carry more weight and pulls fashion down to the corrupt level that has always been?
There are 13 stories, grouped into 'Stress In The City,' Cops & Gangsters' and 'Berlin Scenes.' There is also a section with a brief bio on each of the writers, giving their creds in the writing world. More interesting reading.
All in all, some excellent reading....and food for thought.
July 4, 2019
Review coming soon
July 22, 2019
There was not one story in this whole book that I could engage with and enjoy.
Maybe you have to be German?
Maybe you have to be German?
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews