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Black is the Night: Stories inspired by Cornell Woolrich
A gritty and thrilling anthology of 30 new short stories in tribute to pulp noir master, Cornell Woolrich, author of 'Rear Window' that inspired Alfred Hitchock's classic film.
An anthology of exclusive new short stories in tribute to the master of pulp era crime writing, Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich, also published as William Irish and George Hopley, stands with Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner and Dashiell Hammett as a legend in the genre.
He is a hugely influential figure for crime writers, and is also remembered through the 50+ films made from his novels and stories, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, I Married a Dead Man, Phantom Lady, Truffaut's La Sirène du Mississippi, and Black Alibi.
An anthology of exclusive new short stories in tribute to the master of pulp era crime writing, Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich, also published as William Irish and George Hopley, stands with Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner and Dashiell Hammett as a legend in the genre.
He is a hugely influential figure for crime writers, and is also remembered through the 50+ films made from his novels and stories, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, I Married a Dead Man, Phantom Lady, Truffaut's La Sirène du Mississippi, and Black Alibi.
502 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2022
43 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Maxim Jakubowski
281 books161 followersMaxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.
Jakubowski was born in England by Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively. Jakubowski edited the science fiction anthology Twenty Houses of the Zodiac in 1979 for the 37th World Science Fiction Convention (Seacon '79) in Brighton. He also contributed a short story to that anthology. He has now published almost 100 books in a variety of areas.
He has worked in book publishing for many years, which he left to open the Murder One bookshop[1], the UK's first specialist crime and mystery bookstore. He contributes to a variety of newspapers and magazines, and was for eight years the crime columnist for Time Out and, presently, since 2000, the crime reviewer for The Guardian. He is also the literary director of London's Crime Scene Festival and a consultant for the International Mystery Film Festival, Noir in Fest, held annually in Courmayeur, Italy. He is one the leading editors in the crime and mystery and erotica field, in which he has published many major anthologies.
His novels include "It's You That I Want To Kiss", "Because She Thought She Loved Me", "The State Of Montana", "On Tenderness Express", "Kiss me Sadly" and "Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer". His short story collections are "Life in the World of Women", "Fools for Lust" and the collaborative "American Casanova". He is a regular broadcaster on British TV and radio and was recently voted the 4th Sexiest Writer of 2,007 on a poll on the crimespace website.
Jakubowski was born in England by Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively. Jakubowski edited the science fiction anthology Twenty Houses of the Zodiac in 1979 for the 37th World Science Fiction Convention (Seacon '79) in Brighton. He also contributed a short story to that anthology. He has now published almost 100 books in a variety of areas.
He has worked in book publishing for many years, which he left to open the Murder One bookshop[1], the UK's first specialist crime and mystery bookstore. He contributes to a variety of newspapers and magazines, and was for eight years the crime columnist for Time Out and, presently, since 2000, the crime reviewer for The Guardian. He is also the literary director of London's Crime Scene Festival and a consultant for the International Mystery Film Festival, Noir in Fest, held annually in Courmayeur, Italy. He is one the leading editors in the crime and mystery and erotica field, in which he has published many major anthologies.
His novels include "It's You That I Want To Kiss", "Because She Thought She Loved Me", "The State Of Montana", "On Tenderness Express", "Kiss me Sadly" and "Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer". His short story collections are "Life in the World of Women", "Fools for Lust" and the collaborative "American Casanova". He is a regular broadcaster on British TV and radio and was recently voted the 4th Sexiest Writer of 2,007 on a poll on the crimespace website.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 22, 2022
If you do not know Cornell Woolrich by name, I guarantee you have heard of his work. Between 1926 and 1960, he published twenty-six novels, including The Bride Wore Black and The Black Angel, as well as several short stories. Many of his works were made into movies. Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window was inspired by Woolrich’s It had to be Murder. Even though he died in 1968, this pulp fiction icon’s works and influence live on. Many detective writers are still impacted by Woolrich’s artistry.
Black is the Night is a collection of short stories in tribute to Cornell Woolrich. Curated and edited by Maxim Jakubowski and featuring an all-star list of best-selling and award-winning authors. Contributors include James Sallis, Kim Newman, Mason Cross, and many more, with the introduction written by Neil Gaiman. The stories all honor Woolrich, each one more hard-boiled than the next. Each work is dark and gritty, filled with murder, mystery, and intrigue. Many of these tales were written as noir crime dramas. For the fan of Woolrich and no-nonsense detective stories, you must read Black is the Night.
This review was originally published at https://seattlebookreview.com/product...
Black is the Night is a collection of short stories in tribute to Cornell Woolrich. Curated and edited by Maxim Jakubowski and featuring an all-star list of best-selling and award-winning authors. Contributors include James Sallis, Kim Newman, Mason Cross, and many more, with the introduction written by Neil Gaiman. The stories all honor Woolrich, each one more hard-boiled than the next. Each work is dark and gritty, filled with murder, mystery, and intrigue. Many of these tales were written as noir crime dramas. For the fan of Woolrich and no-nonsense detective stories, you must read Black is the Night.
This review was originally published at https://seattlebookreview.com/product...
October 5, 2022
3.5 stars. ARC provided through netgalley.
It's difficult to write a mystery as a short story. There just isn't the word count available to the author to plant the seeds of a really great twist. It makes sense then that my favourite stories in this collection were longer ones: New York Blues Redux, The Case of Baby X, and A Thin Slice of Heaven. What a lot of the stories did excellently was atmosphere. I could really feel the film noir inspiration in so many of them and I loved it. Unfortunately, because they were all inspired by the same body of work, a lot of them followed the same base plot. I ended up feeling bad for the authors whose work was in the second half of the collection. Their stories were as good as the ones in the first half but by that point I'd read about poisonings and double crossings and elaborate revenge so many times already it all felt a bit stale (through no fault of the authors! It's a hazard of a collection with such a narrow focus.)
I liked most of the stories in this collection but I only loved one or two. If you're a superfan of Cornell Woolrich or noir in general, I think you'd get a lot more enjoyment out of this than a casual fan like me.
It's difficult to write a mystery as a short story. There just isn't the word count available to the author to plant the seeds of a really great twist. It makes sense then that my favourite stories in this collection were longer ones: New York Blues Redux, The Case of Baby X, and A Thin Slice of Heaven. What a lot of the stories did excellently was atmosphere. I could really feel the film noir inspiration in so many of them and I loved it. Unfortunately, because they were all inspired by the same body of work, a lot of them followed the same base plot. I ended up feeling bad for the authors whose work was in the second half of the collection. Their stories were as good as the ones in the first half but by that point I'd read about poisonings and double crossings and elaborate revenge so many times already it all felt a bit stale (through no fault of the authors! It's a hazard of a collection with such a narrow focus.)
I liked most of the stories in this collection but I only loved one or two. If you're a superfan of Cornell Woolrich or noir in general, I think you'd get a lot more enjoyment out of this than a casual fan like me.
January 29, 2025
I had high expectations before reading this crime noir collection in tribute to legendary pulp noir writer Cornell Woolrich. There are 30 short stories offered here by authors from all over the world and if I'm honest all the stories on offer here were just average to good but nothing to write home about (No pun intended). In comparison to say (In Sunlight Or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper) then (Black is the night) really can't hold a candle to that anthology but I will as always list the standouts from the book below.👇
(Missing sister) by Joe.R.Lansdale- An unnerving well paced 4 page turner which will have you guessing right up until the end.
(Two wrongs) by Brandon Barrows- I have to admit this one had me hooked and one of the better stories of the collection. You will never look at your closet in the same way again that I can guarantee, the conclusion to this tale of adultery, lust and revenge was wrapped up perfectly by Barrows.
(The husband machine) by Tara Moss- A cleverly woven short which follows Lara a disabled single woman living within an apartment complex in new York city who spends her time observing the inhabitants of the high rise building and their daily routines. This one was atmospheric and had me compelled all the way through, loved the ending.
(The woman who never was) by Martin Edwards- I thought I had this worked out halfway through but Edwards had other ideas. Compelling and simply satisfying short story reading.
(First you dream, then you die) by Donna Moore - Set within a rundown seaside resort in Scotland which follows a failing amusement arcade owner in huge debt hell bent on fighting for its survival. A sad touching tale of holding on through all the odds.
(The lake, the moon and the murder) by A.K.Benedict- A solid whodunnit which follows detective Clara Seaburgh who is investigating a missing person case during Halloween. Sometimes what are deemed as superstitions could well be a sixth sense that shouldn't be ignored. A clever, moody thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
(The jacket) by Warren Moore- Drifter Bill Weber wakes up in an alley hung over and gets more than he bargained for upon taking a dead mans jacket. A really well told tounge in cheek short with plenty of charm.
(The woman at the late show) by Max Decharne - A woman is caught hiding within a late night movie showing and states she is running from an abusive partner and wants to stay until sunrise until she can catch an early flight out, surely its all straightforward right.?
(The invitation) by Susi Holliday - A wealthy privileged woman invites old friends to her wedding where a previous wedding of hers ended in murder. The invite turns into a whodunit 10 year old murder investigation in unconventional style.
(The long road down) by Bill Pronzini - A body in the boot and a race against time but who is actually in the boot,trust me its not who you think it is and believe me you will think it is.
(Trophy wife) by Samantha Lee Howe- Meet Cillian a predatory control freak who will have you enraged as you follow his not so gullible victim as she follows him.
(Blue moon over burgundy) by O'Neil De Noux- Easily one of the most well written and strongest stories of the anthology. Sometimes wealth comes in the form of advice but what we do with that wealth is another story, we all hate a predictive ending and this is one which isn't in that club, this one will catch you off guard.
(New York blues redux) by William Boyle- A down n dirty, moody noir set within a backstreet drinking hole, a haven for the underworld where things reach a climax that nobody saw coming. Characterisation here is solid and on point especially the principle barmaid Jane the stain, fantastic stuff by Boyle.
If you are a pulp crime enthusiast then I'm sure this offering will satisfy your craving for suspense. The book contains 30 short stories ranging from hardboiled noir to mystery and suspense and while I enjoyed the anthology, it just didn't wow me like (In sunlight or in shadow) but that's just personal preference as I always say so I would say the £10 price tag on the hardback edition is well worth the asking price and would belong on any crime genre fans shelf.
(Missing sister) by Joe.R.Lansdale- An unnerving well paced 4 page turner which will have you guessing right up until the end.
(Two wrongs) by Brandon Barrows- I have to admit this one had me hooked and one of the better stories of the collection. You will never look at your closet in the same way again that I can guarantee, the conclusion to this tale of adultery, lust and revenge was wrapped up perfectly by Barrows.
(The husband machine) by Tara Moss- A cleverly woven short which follows Lara a disabled single woman living within an apartment complex in new York city who spends her time observing the inhabitants of the high rise building and their daily routines. This one was atmospheric and had me compelled all the way through, loved the ending.
(The woman who never was) by Martin Edwards- I thought I had this worked out halfway through but Edwards had other ideas. Compelling and simply satisfying short story reading.
(First you dream, then you die) by Donna Moore - Set within a rundown seaside resort in Scotland which follows a failing amusement arcade owner in huge debt hell bent on fighting for its survival. A sad touching tale of holding on through all the odds.
(The lake, the moon and the murder) by A.K.Benedict- A solid whodunnit which follows detective Clara Seaburgh who is investigating a missing person case during Halloween. Sometimes what are deemed as superstitions could well be a sixth sense that shouldn't be ignored. A clever, moody thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
(The jacket) by Warren Moore- Drifter Bill Weber wakes up in an alley hung over and gets more than he bargained for upon taking a dead mans jacket. A really well told tounge in cheek short with plenty of charm.
(The woman at the late show) by Max Decharne - A woman is caught hiding within a late night movie showing and states she is running from an abusive partner and wants to stay until sunrise until she can catch an early flight out, surely its all straightforward right.?
(The invitation) by Susi Holliday - A wealthy privileged woman invites old friends to her wedding where a previous wedding of hers ended in murder. The invite turns into a whodunit 10 year old murder investigation in unconventional style.
(The long road down) by Bill Pronzini - A body in the boot and a race against time but who is actually in the boot,trust me its not who you think it is and believe me you will think it is.
(Trophy wife) by Samantha Lee Howe- Meet Cillian a predatory control freak who will have you enraged as you follow his not so gullible victim as she follows him.
(Blue moon over burgundy) by O'Neil De Noux- Easily one of the most well written and strongest stories of the anthology. Sometimes wealth comes in the form of advice but what we do with that wealth is another story, we all hate a predictive ending and this is one which isn't in that club, this one will catch you off guard.
(New York blues redux) by William Boyle- A down n dirty, moody noir set within a backstreet drinking hole, a haven for the underworld where things reach a climax that nobody saw coming. Characterisation here is solid and on point especially the principle barmaid Jane the stain, fantastic stuff by Boyle.
If you are a pulp crime enthusiast then I'm sure this offering will satisfy your craving for suspense. The book contains 30 short stories ranging from hardboiled noir to mystery and suspense and while I enjoyed the anthology, it just didn't wow me like (In sunlight or in shadow) but that's just personal preference as I always say so I would say the £10 price tag on the hardback edition is well worth the asking price and would belong on any crime genre fans shelf.
February 10, 2025
I had high expectations before reading this crime noir collection in tribute to legendary pulp noir writer Cornell Woolrich. There are 30 short stories offered here by authors from all over the world and if I'm honest all the stories on offer here were just average to good but nothing to write home about (No pun intended). In comparison to say (In Sunlight Or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper) then (Black is the night) really can't hold a candle to that anthology but I will as always list the standouts from the book below.👇
(Missing sister) by Joe.R.Lansdale- An unnerving well paced 4 page turner which will have you guessing right up until the end.
(Two wrongs) by Brandon Barrows- I have to admit this one had me hooked and one of the better stories of the collection. You will never look at your closet in the same way again that I can guarantee, the conclusion to this tale of adultery, lust and revenge was wrapped up perfectly by Barrows.
(The husband machine) by Tara Moss- A cleverly woven short which follows Lara a disabled single woman living within an apartment complex in new York city who spends her time observing the inhabitants of the high rise building and their daily routines. This one was atmospheric and had me compelled all the way through, loved the ending.
(The woman who never was) by Martin Edwards- I thought I had this worked out halfway through but Edwards had other ideas. Compelling and simply satisfying short story reading.
(First you dream, then you die) by Donna Moore - Set within a rundown seaside resort in Scotland which follows a failing amusement arcade owner in huge debt hell bent on fighting for its survival. A sad touching tale of holding on through all the odds.
(The lake, the moon and the murder) by A.K.Benedict- A solid who-dunnit which follows detective Clara Seaburgh who is investigating a missing person case during Halloween. Sometimes what are deemed as superstitions could well be a sixth sense that shouldn't be ignored. A clever, moody thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
(The jacket) by Warren Moore- Drifter Bill Weber wakes up in an alley hung over and gets more than he bargained for upon taking a dead mans jacket. A really well told tounge in cheek short with plenty of charm.
(The woman at the late show) by Max Decharne - A woman is caught hiding within a late night movie showing and states she is running from an abusive partner and wants to stay until sunrise until she can catch an early flight out, surely its all straightforward right.?
(The invitation) by Susi Holliday - A wealthy privileged woman invites old friends to her wedding where a previous wedding of hers ended in murder. The invite turns into a whodunit 10 year old murder investigation in unconventional style.
(The long road down) by Bill Pronzini - A body in the boot and a race against time but who is actually in the boot,trust me its not who you think it is and believe me you will think it is.
(Trophy wife) by Samantha Lee Howe- Meet Cillian a predatory control freak who will have you enraged as you follow his not so gullible victim as she follows him.
(Blue moon over burgundy) by O'Neil De Noux- Easily one of the most well written and strongest stories of the anthology. Sometimes wealth comes in the form of advice but what we do with that wealth is another story, we all hate a predictive ending and this is one which isn't in that club, this one will catch you off guard.
(New York blues redux) by William Boyle- A down n dirty, moody noir set within a backstreet drinking hole, a haven for the underworld where things reach a climax that nobody saw coming. Characterization here is solid and on point especially the principle barmaid Jane the stain, fantastic stuff by Boyle.
If you are a pulp crime enthusiast then I'm sure this offering will satisfy your craving for suspense. The book contains 30 short stories ranging from hard-boiled noir to mystery and suspense and while I enjoyed the anthology, it just didn't wow me like (In sunlight or in shadow) but that's just personal preference as I always say so I would say the £10 price tag on the hardback edition is well worth the asking price and would belong on any crime genre fans shelf.
(Missing sister) by Joe.R.Lansdale- An unnerving well paced 4 page turner which will have you guessing right up until the end.
(Two wrongs) by Brandon Barrows- I have to admit this one had me hooked and one of the better stories of the collection. You will never look at your closet in the same way again that I can guarantee, the conclusion to this tale of adultery, lust and revenge was wrapped up perfectly by Barrows.
(The husband machine) by Tara Moss- A cleverly woven short which follows Lara a disabled single woman living within an apartment complex in new York city who spends her time observing the inhabitants of the high rise building and their daily routines. This one was atmospheric and had me compelled all the way through, loved the ending.
(The woman who never was) by Martin Edwards- I thought I had this worked out halfway through but Edwards had other ideas. Compelling and simply satisfying short story reading.
(First you dream, then you die) by Donna Moore - Set within a rundown seaside resort in Scotland which follows a failing amusement arcade owner in huge debt hell bent on fighting for its survival. A sad touching tale of holding on through all the odds.
(The lake, the moon and the murder) by A.K.Benedict- A solid who-dunnit which follows detective Clara Seaburgh who is investigating a missing person case during Halloween. Sometimes what are deemed as superstitions could well be a sixth sense that shouldn't be ignored. A clever, moody thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
(The jacket) by Warren Moore- Drifter Bill Weber wakes up in an alley hung over and gets more than he bargained for upon taking a dead mans jacket. A really well told tounge in cheek short with plenty of charm.
(The woman at the late show) by Max Decharne - A woman is caught hiding within a late night movie showing and states she is running from an abusive partner and wants to stay until sunrise until she can catch an early flight out, surely its all straightforward right.?
(The invitation) by Susi Holliday - A wealthy privileged woman invites old friends to her wedding where a previous wedding of hers ended in murder. The invite turns into a whodunit 10 year old murder investigation in unconventional style.
(The long road down) by Bill Pronzini - A body in the boot and a race against time but who is actually in the boot,trust me its not who you think it is and believe me you will think it is.
(Trophy wife) by Samantha Lee Howe- Meet Cillian a predatory control freak who will have you enraged as you follow his not so gullible victim as she follows him.
(Blue moon over burgundy) by O'Neil De Noux- Easily one of the most well written and strongest stories of the anthology. Sometimes wealth comes in the form of advice but what we do with that wealth is another story, we all hate a predictive ending and this is one which isn't in that club, this one will catch you off guard.
(New York blues redux) by William Boyle- A down n dirty, moody noir set within a backstreet drinking hole, a haven for the underworld where things reach a climax that nobody saw coming. Characterization here is solid and on point especially the principle barmaid Jane the stain, fantastic stuff by Boyle.
If you are a pulp crime enthusiast then I'm sure this offering will satisfy your craving for suspense. The book contains 30 short stories ranging from hard-boiled noir to mystery and suspense and while I enjoyed the anthology, it just didn't wow me like (In sunlight or in shadow) but that's just personal preference as I always say so I would say the £10 price tag on the hardback edition is well worth the asking price and would belong on any crime genre fans shelf.
June 19, 2023
In a book dedicated to a particular author of noir stories, it's no surprise that the stories in this book mostly have a similar structure, ending with a noir-ish twist. That similarity becomes a little tiresome after 350+ pages. The stories fell pretty much along the typical bell curve in terms of their entertainment value: a few that ended too ambiguously for me to comprehend, a few that were tidy little packages of humanity and awful coincidence, and a large number in the middle.
October 6, 2024
I’ve read everything by Cornell Woolrich, who was one of my favorite authors, so I was immediately interested in this anthology. Maxim Jakubowski solicited stories in the vein of Woolrich from several authors. One of my favorites was in the opening paragraph of a story by A.K. Benedict: The moon had no face that night. It didn’t want to see what came next. That’s perfect!
The stories are a little hit and miss, but the majority are very reflective of Woolrich, which is why I gave it a 4.
The stories are a little hit and miss, but the majority are very reflective of Woolrich, which is why I gave it a 4.
July 23, 2023
Short stories are meant to be read interspersed between lengthy ones. In addition to the grind of reading short story after short story after short story, do many of these sermed forced. I am a fan of noir - give me Jim Thompson or Dashiell or Cornell, but this book serms like a high school writing assignment.
November 22, 2022
A very entertaining set of noir crime tales in tribute to one of the greats
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
January 7, 2023
Most of the stories were sad. I enjoyed the ones that were actual mysteries and satires, though.
November 7, 2023
I did find the short stories either interesting or entertaining.
August 2, 2024
sadly this was a DNF for now.
the book is way long with way too short stories which are not my cup of tea.
thanks to the publisher for the copy!
the book is way long with way too short stories which are not my cup of tea.
thanks to the publisher for the copy!
January 20, 2025
Some of the stories were okay but I found it more noir than I liked. Not a good read.
October 24, 2022
This was something different: a collection of 30 short stories as a tribute to Cornell Woolrich. It's published by Titan Books and I received a copy via Netgalley. It will be out on the 25th of October.
This was a collection of 30 stories by 30 different authors so not all stories appealed to me. I really like some if the stories as they grabbed my attention right from the start. Some were alright and there were also some I just didn't like and that I thought to be rather boring. Some were just too short, impossible to tell a complete the story with a complete storyline, developed characters etc in such a limited amount of words. Overall, I liked around half of all the stories. The other half could have been much better or just completely different.
This was a collection of 30 stories by 30 different authors so not all stories appealed to me. I really like some if the stories as they grabbed my attention right from the start. Some were alright and there were also some I just didn't like and that I thought to be rather boring. Some were just too short, impossible to tell a complete the story with a complete storyline, developed characters etc in such a limited amount of words. Overall, I liked around half of all the stories. The other half could have been much better or just completely different.
November 14, 2022
I'm not the biggest fan of Cornell Woolrich even if I loved his style of writing and the story I read.
I wanted to read this book as it features a lot of authors I love: Joe Lansdale, Lavie Tidhar, Martin Edwards,Vaseem Khan, Neil Gaiman, MW Craven and many more.
It was a sort of magnet and I loved this stories. They're not always perfect and not all are at the same level but the level is always high and the atmosphere reminded me of the classic noir.
I think it's one of those book that should be read by a lot of persons as Woolrich is a master of noir but not a very popular author.
An excellent anthology, very interesting story and authors.
Highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
I wanted to read this book as it features a lot of authors I love: Joe Lansdale, Lavie Tidhar, Martin Edwards,Vaseem Khan, Neil Gaiman, MW Craven and many more.
It was a sort of magnet and I loved this stories. They're not always perfect and not all are at the same level but the level is always high and the atmosphere reminded me of the classic noir.
I think it's one of those book that should be read by a lot of persons as Woolrich is a master of noir but not a very popular author.
An excellent anthology, very interesting story and authors.
Highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews