Phoenix Noir

by Patrick Millikin, Jon Talton (Contributor), Charles Kelly (Contributor)

Brand-new stories by: Diana Gabaldon, Lee Child, James Sallis, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jon Talton, Megan Abbott, Charles Kelly, Robert Anglen, Patrick Millikin, Laura Tohe, Kurt Reichenbaugh, Gary Phillips, David Corbett, Don Winslow, Dogo Barry Graham, and Stella Pope Duarte.

Patrick Millikin is a bookseller at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. As a freelance writer, his articles, interviews, and reviews have appeared in Publishers Weekly, Firsts Magazine, Paradoxa, Yourflesh Quarterly, and other publications. Millikin currently lives in central Phoenix.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Noir, Anthologies, Crime, American

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Patrick Millikin is a bookseller at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. As a freelance writer, his articles, interviews, and reviews have appeared in Publishers Weekly, Firsts Magazine, Paradoxa, Yourflesh Quarterly, and other publications. Millikin currently lives in central Phoenix.

Reviews

[James Thane · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the opening titles fade in Alfred Hitchcock's immortal film "Psycho," the camera begins to pan slowly across the gray urban landscape of Phoenix, Arizona in the late 1950s. Finally the camera selects a building and slowly zooms in through the open window of a seedy hotel room. Janet Leigh lies on the bed, wearing only a white slip and bra, and before her lover can even deliver the first line of dialogue, you know damn well that nothing good can possibly come of this.

Now, nearly fifty years later, Patrick Millikin's "Phoenix Noir" captures perfectly that same sense of dread, suggesting that something may be terribly wrong at the core of this city. Millikin has recruited an impressive array of crime fiction writers who have contributed stories to this book, including Lee Child, Don Winslow, Jon Talton and James Sallis. The stories are uniformly good and cut a broad swath through the Valley of the Sun, both in time and in space, showing readers a side of Phoenix that the Convention and Visitors Bureau would never dare feature in its glossy brochures. The stories are gritty, sexy and violent, revealing the sordid underbelly of a city much better known these days for its sunshine and superficiality.

Millikin's own story, "Devil Doll," is among the best in the book, and the editor more than holds his own in the company of the better-known writers. Fans of noir fiction anywhere, but especially those who know the Phoenix area, will enjoy this collection immensely. As a footnote, one of the stories from the book, “Amapola,” by Luis Alberto Urrea has just won the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Short Story.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akashic Books has become known for its series of short story anthologies set in locations around the globe, and since I'm a resident of Phoenix, picking up a copy of Phoenix Noir (from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore where editor Patrick Millikin works no less) was a no-brainer.

This collection of sixteen stories is a good one. There's only one story that I refused to finish, and that was due more to my mood than the writer's ability. Readers are taken from Phoenix in the 1940s (Jon Talton's Bull) to the here and now with characters from all walks of life.

My favorites in this collection were Lee Child's Public Transportation that had a lovely little twist at the end, Laura Tohe's Tom Snag that tells of a Native American who picks up the wrong woman at the Flying Eagle Bar, Others of My Kind by James Sallis, and Don Winslow's Whiteout on Van Buren which teaches a hitman why no one should visit Phoenix in August.

Diana Gabaldon's Dirty Scottsdale wins the prize for memorable phrases. When explaining why she was delayed in coming to the door, a woman says, "Sorry. I was drowning squirrels in the garage" (!) and then there's a perfect description of the Phoenix heat: "Yeah, it's a dry heat. Meaning that instead of being poached when you walk outside, you're flash-fried."

Phoenix Noir isn't my first Akashic short story anthology, and it won't be my last. It's tough to beat this publisher's one-two punch of prime location and prime storytelling.

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read and rated only Diana Gabaldon's story - Dirty Scottsdale. Nothing particularly exciting - nice AZ atmosphere, a couple of memorable characters, but Gabaldon needed another probably hundred pages to make this short mystery worthwhile (we all know how wordy she is). The ending of the story was choppy, easy, and unimpressive, as if wrapped up too early.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some cities seem to produce an abundance of talented writers, and in this case this collection includes stories by Diana Gabaldon, Lee Childs, Don Winslow, and Luis Alberto Urrea. I read this these collections to find new authors to read, and I will look forward to reading more work by these authors.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read a few stories in this collection. Enjoyed Laura Tohe's "Tom Snag" and Luis Alberto Urrea's "Amapola."

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a VERY edited but tantalising version of James Sallis - Others of My Kind

[Matt Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rounding up. This is the second Akashic city noir book I have read. I found 75% of these stories really good, the rest I felt either didnt have a strong connection to Phoenix and/or were just dark and violent for shock value. Phoenix is a very bipolar slice of the American Southwest, with the endless sprawl of seemingly squeaky clean tract house neighborhoods contrasting with the abject poverty and racism that is also obvious if you look at many areas. I feel the editors did a good job selecting stories from different eras in the city as well as different perpectives. One favorite was Diana Galbadon's Dirty Scottsdale centered on a murder involving a desert botanical garden orchid expert and the wealthy party scene of rich,bored and horny Scottsdale trophy wives. Also really cool was Gary Phillips' story about the real life soul scene of the 70s. My favorite was David Corbett's Dead by Christmas about a sad divorced cop who is tracking a restaurant owner who robs other restaurants. Be warned that most stories really take the noir thing seriously. I dont mind gritty content if it serves the story, but a couple stories seemed built around shock value. I felt the same way about 'Mexico City Noir'. I read mysteries for several reason but foremost is that I feel it is a way to understand places in the world. This collection is great if you want to explore the contradictions and gritty underbelly of the United States through one of its largest,most contradictory cities.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will be reviewed / discussed indepth for an On the Fly Episode of Biggest Little Library for April 14th. I really liked this collection of short stories edited by Patrick Millikin, whom Amie Newberry and I met on our recent trip to Phoenix on March 4th. He is a book seller at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona and suggested this collection by notable authors like Diana Gabaldon, Lee Child and Luis Alerto Urrea, just to name a few. He choose it for me because I wanted to read something about Phoenix - a place I've visited all of my life. My grandparents had a business on Grand Avenue for almost 50 years. It was really great reading about all of the locations (albeit mostly seedy) across Phoenix that hold great memories for me.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the noir story series. And I enjoyed this one. The stories are by various authors and they explore the dark side of human nature. The stories cover crime, jealousy, greed, lust, anger, larceny, etc. What the stories have in common is place. Too many of the stories in this collection were unsatisfying because they ended with no real resolution. There were too many unanswered questions and I got frustrated. However, the stories by Lee Child, Barry Graham and Kurt Reichenbaugh were very satisfying and were true to the noir theme.

[TKO reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary, weird, interesting. This is the first noir book I have read. Some excellent stories.

These are dark stories and if I had not been to Phoenix. I’m not sure I would go after reading these short stories.
Every city has a dark side and most of us have never seen it, if we are lucky.

I will read Chicago Noir at some point.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of noir short stories set in Phoenix. I loved recognizing streets and peculiarities and comments on the weather. Some of the stories were a little hipster and weird, but most of them were great, and one actually made me say "Oh My God" out loud.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the Diana Gabaldon story. :)

[Paschalis]

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[Ronn · Rating 3 out of 5]

About half of these short stories are pretty good, and definitely in a 'noir' tradition. The other half have me feeling like the last three pages are missing.

[Gail Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories set in Phoenix.

[Jim Bostjancic · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars for curios - 4 stars for Pulp Fiction fans - gritty stuff going on in the "Valley of the Sun."

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any compilation like this, some are much stronger than others. Very fun to learn some of the seedier side of life in the Valley of the Sun and to recognize places and learn of others.

[Marie Zhuikov · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was great. Noir is just definitely not my genre.

[Sheldon Wiebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of crime fiction.

[Eric B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Some good, some really bad. Nothing great.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading a description of Phoenix Noir (edited by Patrick Millikin), I was really looking forward to the book. It's a collection of murder mystery short stories set in the Phoenix Metro area. Being a resident of the Phoenix area and enjoying the works of Tony Hillerman and JA Jance whose mysteries are also set in the Southwest, I expected comparable writing. I was sorely disappointed.

Half of the stories in this anthology were, in my opinion, at the level of a community college creative writing course. They lacked polish and a sense of completion. Murder mysteries provide authors the chance to use numerous literary devices through intricate plots, interesting characters and engaging dialogue. There were plenty of missed opportunities in this collection.

“Dead by Christmas” by David Corbett was an exception and stood above the rest in its detail and craftsmanship. Done in the style of a police procedural, it kept my interest. “Public Transportation” by Lee Child deserves to be mentioned for its twist ending within the last few sentences of the story. This quick read is worthy of attention just to enjoy its use of an unreliable narrator. This implement was popular with Agatha Christie and it was refreshing to see its use in a modern tale.

I haven’t read any other anthologies in the Noir series offered by Akashic Books. It would be interesting to learn how the Phoenix edition compares to others in the line.

[Tuxlie]

'Patrick Millikin...as if to prove his witty claim that 'sunshine is the new noir,' offers one superb specimen, 'Whiteout on Van Buren,' in which [author] Don Winslow makes skillful use of a city street at high noon to provide the perfect metaphor for life and death.' - New York Times Book Review

Brand-new stories by: Diana Gabaldon, Lee Child, James Sallis, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jon Talton, Megan Abbott, Charles Kelly, Robert Anglen, Patrick Millikin, Laura Tohe, Kurt Reichenbaugh, Gary Phillips, David Corbett, Don Winslow, Dogo Barry Graham, and Stella Pope Duarte.

Patrick Millikin is a bookseller at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. As a freelance writer, his articles, interviews, and reviews have appeared in Publishers Weekly, Firsts Magazine, Paradoxa, Yourflesh Quarterly, and other publications. Millikin currently lives in central Phoenix.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this while visiting AZ, and enjoyed being able to picture where the stories took place. (Otherwise, I probably would have given it one star). Like most short story collections, it's very uneven, some stories are very well written, and then just end. I have a feeling some of the novelists who contributed have a hard time with the form...Also, this collection is not just dark, some of the stories are fairly gruesome.My favorites were Blazin' on Broadway (Gary Phillips), Dirty Scottsdale (Diana Gabaldon), Public Transportation (Lee Child). If you like noir and have been or are planning to go to Phoenix, I'd definitely recommend it.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Akashic Noir volume, the writing is impeccable, but the stories are hard to take, hence NOIR. Phoenix and its surrounding Metropolitan area, the fifth largest city in the US, is unkind to many of its residents while others live a life of plenty in facade. It is a place where karma comes to die. It is as if the beautiful but unforgiving desert has cursed this juvenile city in Arizona for disturbing its quiet, its flora and fauna, and the mountains whose flowing foothills have been eaten away by development. This book reflects the many dimensions of this curse both historical and present day.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually had to return this to the library before I got to read all the stories, but I hope to finish them all in good time. I hopped around through the anthology picking out the tales of various authors, some familiar, some brand new. There's some great stuff in here, and it was fun to recognize so many of the settings since I live in Phoenix. Dark stories about crime, murder and betrayal in the desert

[Joey Robert Parks · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first story is so quickly less than average than I have no desire to persist. I bought it because I know the editor and I love Phoenix, but this book leads, supposedly, with it's best work and I find that downright depressing. I know the first author, too, somewhat, and truth be told, I wish I'd stick with reading his commentary type blogs, which I find far more interesting than this.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do I begin at the very beginning? It's a very good place to start. Hmmmm.... Or, perhaps I will skip directly to Diana's short story, with Tom. I've been wanting to meet him for several years now.

Decisions, decisions.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phoenix, a good place to be from, especially in August when the heat is triple digit. Not as many stories as you would think that elevate the heat as a character, but just as many dark and surprising endings as you would find in New Orleans and the other places of this series.

[Linda Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally read this collection of stories, having had it a while (thanks Pat!)

Interesting collection.....not really my scene but the best one was definitely by Diana Gabaldon, which is why we had the book in the first place.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely a fast read. It reminded me of the writing classes I took at community college - every now and then there's an amazing line or bit of writing, but otherwise necessary details and character development may be lacking.