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Indian Country Noir
Step into Indian Country. Enter the dark welter of troubled history throughout the Americas, where the heritage of violence meets the ferocity of intent.Features brand-new stories by: Mistina Bates, Jean Rae Baxter, Lawrence Block, Joseph Bruchac, David Cole, Reed Farrel Coleman, O'Neil De Noux, A.A. Hedge Coke, Gerard Houarner, Liz Martínez, R. Narvaez, Kimberly Roppolo, Leonard Schonberg, and Melissa Yi.
Sarah Cortez, a law enforcement officer, is the award-winning author of the poetry collection How to Undress a Cop. She brings her heritage as a Tejana with Mexican, French, Comanche, and Spanish blood to the written page.Liz Martínez’s stories have appeared in Manhattan Noir, Queens Noir, and Cop Tales 2000. She is a member of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, and she lives in New York.
Sarah Cortez, a law enforcement officer, is the award-winning author of the poetry collection How to Undress a Cop. She brings her heritage as a Tejana with Mexican, French, Comanche, and Spanish blood to the written page.Liz Martínez’s stories have appeared in Manhattan Noir, Queens Noir, and Cop Tales 2000. She is a member of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, and she lives in New York.
282 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
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285 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Cortez
25 books16 followersSARAH CORTEZ, resident of Houston and member of the Texas Institute of Letters, is the author of two poetry collections and winner of the PEN Texas literary award in poetry. Her mixed-genre memoir, Walking Home: Growing up Hispanic in Houston, was published by Texas Review Press in 2012. She has edited six anthologies, ranging from crime fiction to memoir to poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 15, 2016
Indian Country Noir is a collection of noir tales focusing on Native Americans.
Helper: As two men are coming for him, Indian Charlie remembers the past deeds that brought them to him. This story starts the collection with some action and dirty deeds. Good stuff.
Osprey Lake: On the run after a hold up, Don and Heather hole up in a secluded cabin built on a sacred hill. I could feel the biting cold while reading this. I felt bad for Heather as the situation unfolded.
Dead Medicine Snake Woman: A former marine sees a woman thrown off a subway platform and tries to help. But does the woman really exist? This was an interesting tale but I'm not precisely sure what happened. Was it a tale of a man fighting a monster or fighting the monsters inside himself?
Indian Time: Fred, an Indian man, gets time with his kids for the first time in two years. He and his girlfriend teach them about their heritage. This was an emotional tale with a great ending.
On Drowning Pond: A homeless woman drowns in a pond under suspicious circumstances. In the years following, numerous men are found dead under similar conditions. This one was pretty spooky and illuminates the plight of Native American alcoholics.
Daddy's Girl: Daniel Carson is hired to track down a missing girl and retrieve some stolen money. Will he bring her back alive?
This one was a fairly standard PI tale with a Native American lead. The ending surprised the shit out of me.
The Raven and the Wolf: Detective John Raven Beau is hunting for the killer of a cop, a man calling himself The Wolf.
This one reminded me of the last one, only the Native American lead is a cop, not a PI. So far, The Raven and the Wolf is neck and neck with Daddy's Girl as the best story in the book.
Juracan: Papo goes to Puerto Rico for a wedding and gets entangled in sinister dealings involving the Taino, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico.
This one was long and convoluted. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it. The Taino culture was interesting, though.
JaneJohnDoe.com A deposed drug dealer forces a PI to create a new identity for her in exchange for a list of meth dealers on all Indian reservations.
This one had some twists and turns. The ending was pretty sweet.
Lame Elk: After a beating during a drunken bender, a man offers Lame Elk a chance to turn his life around.
This was a touching, depressing tale about an alcoholic not really being given a chance to make things right.
Another Role: Washed up Indian actor Harry Garson gets tapped to play the role of a lifetime. But is it too good to be true?
Yes, yes it was. Another Role was a tale of double and triple crosses. Pretty good.
Getting Lucky: Lucretia "Lucky" Eagle Feather meets a gambler in an Indian reservation casino in Michigan. Will he get Lucky?
Lawrence Block penned this tale and it's one of the stars of the show. There's some kink and a great twist ending, as befits the master.
Prowling Wolves: Ira Hayes struggles with drink and flashbacks after Iwo Jima.
This was a pretty powerful tale.
Quilt like a Night Sky: Boone Lone Rider finally comes home.
Geez, this was a dark note to end the anthology on. Another story of a Native American laid low by substance abuse.
End Thoughts: I thought this collection was much better than the last Akashic Noir book I read, Prison Noir. The best stories of the collection, in my opinion, were Getting Lucky, Daddy's Girl, and The Raven and the Wolf. Four out of five stars.
Helper: As two men are coming for him, Indian Charlie remembers the past deeds that brought them to him. This story starts the collection with some action and dirty deeds. Good stuff.
Osprey Lake: On the run after a hold up, Don and Heather hole up in a secluded cabin built on a sacred hill. I could feel the biting cold while reading this. I felt bad for Heather as the situation unfolded.
Dead Medicine Snake Woman: A former marine sees a woman thrown off a subway platform and tries to help. But does the woman really exist? This was an interesting tale but I'm not precisely sure what happened. Was it a tale of a man fighting a monster or fighting the monsters inside himself?
Indian Time: Fred, an Indian man, gets time with his kids for the first time in two years. He and his girlfriend teach them about their heritage. This was an emotional tale with a great ending.
On Drowning Pond: A homeless woman drowns in a pond under suspicious circumstances. In the years following, numerous men are found dead under similar conditions. This one was pretty spooky and illuminates the plight of Native American alcoholics.
Daddy's Girl: Daniel Carson is hired to track down a missing girl and retrieve some stolen money. Will he bring her back alive?
This one was a fairly standard PI tale with a Native American lead. The ending surprised the shit out of me.
The Raven and the Wolf: Detective John Raven Beau is hunting for the killer of a cop, a man calling himself The Wolf.
This one reminded me of the last one, only the Native American lead is a cop, not a PI. So far, The Raven and the Wolf is neck and neck with Daddy's Girl as the best story in the book.
Juracan: Papo goes to Puerto Rico for a wedding and gets entangled in sinister dealings involving the Taino, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico.
This one was long and convoluted. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it. The Taino culture was interesting, though.
JaneJohnDoe.com A deposed drug dealer forces a PI to create a new identity for her in exchange for a list of meth dealers on all Indian reservations.
This one had some twists and turns. The ending was pretty sweet.
Lame Elk: After a beating during a drunken bender, a man offers Lame Elk a chance to turn his life around.
This was a touching, depressing tale about an alcoholic not really being given a chance to make things right.
Another Role: Washed up Indian actor Harry Garson gets tapped to play the role of a lifetime. But is it too good to be true?
Yes, yes it was. Another Role was a tale of double and triple crosses. Pretty good.
Getting Lucky: Lucretia "Lucky" Eagle Feather meets a gambler in an Indian reservation casino in Michigan. Will he get Lucky?
Lawrence Block penned this tale and it's one of the stars of the show. There's some kink and a great twist ending, as befits the master.
Prowling Wolves: Ira Hayes struggles with drink and flashbacks after Iwo Jima.
This was a pretty powerful tale.
Quilt like a Night Sky: Boone Lone Rider finally comes home.
Geez, this was a dark note to end the anthology on. Another story of a Native American laid low by substance abuse.
End Thoughts: I thought this collection was much better than the last Akashic Noir book I read, Prison Noir. The best stories of the collection, in my opinion, were Getting Lucky, Daddy's Girl, and The Raven and the Wolf. Four out of five stars.
June 21, 2019
Indian Country Noir is an anthology from the Akashic Noir series. This is my first foray into the series, which I’ve been a bit skeptical about, in part due to the number of titles (45 and counting – which includes Richmond?) that the series has produced. Are there really that many good noir stories out there? Historically, geography (which is the focus of each book in the series) has played a role in Detective fiction, with various authors exploring the unique underbelly of their chosen cities. San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, etc., have their own particular seediness, and good authors (Chandler, Ellroy, Wambaugh, others) can really bring that seediness to life. But here’s the problem, Noir is not always Detective fiction. It’s more of an atmosphere, a world view. I’m probably doing a poor job describing it, but I’m pretty certain that it’s not always Detective fiction, and geography has nothing to do with it.
All of that said, Indian Country Noir is a pleasant surprise, because it’s filled with a lot of really good unpleasant stories. The success or failure of each of these Akashic books probably depends a great deal on the work of the editors in ferreting out the good stuff. If so, Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez did their job – and then some. In addition, Indian Country Noir is different than the other books in the series, since it focuses on a race of people (Indians), not limiting the editors to a particular neck of the woods. The problems Indians face, racism, drugs, poverty, etc., have no geographic limits. And most of these stories drive that point home – sometimes with a heartbreaking sadness. Anthologies, more often than not, are (for Goodreads purposes) 3 star efforts, but this one I’m giving 4 stars. A few comments below on the stories:
1.“Helper,” by Joseph Bruchac. Very cool, pulpy Mission-of-Vengeance story that has a former football player and World War I vet named “Indian Charley” on the trail of a killer. Robert E. Howard would smile at a scene that has a 300 pound giant holding an 80 pound snarling guard dog out at arm’s length. Great kick off story.
2.“Osprey Lake,” by Jean Rae Baxter. A young couple on the run, at the height of winter. Very polished piece of writing that combines the focus of the anthology with the elements of noir. Quite possibly the most classically noir story in the collection. This lady can write.
3.“Dead Medicine Woman,” by Gerard Houarner. This one didn’t work for me. A lot of mystical mumbo jumbo in the subway. It’s very “literary,” and the editors, in their Introduction, seem genuinely excited about it. Maybe it’s just me.
4.“Indian Time,” by Melissa Yi. A story about a young Mohawk trying to get his life together, get back into his kids’ lives (who are in the custody of his mother-in-law). Probably the weakest story in the collection. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with noir.
5.“On Drowning Pond,” by A.A. HedgeCoke. A haunted pond story that could just as easily showed up in your upper end horror anthologies. The prose is darkly poetic, the kind that has you going back to re-read portions of it. My only complaint is that it’s too short.
6.“Daddy’s Girl,” by Mistina Bates. The Indian element here seemed like a tack-on. That aside, this is a nasty, well paced piece that I really enjoyed.
7.“The Raven and the Wolf,’ by O’Neil De Noux. A by-the-numbers police story that has a detective (and Sioux) on the trail of a former Green Beret with woman issues. I didn’t like this story, the characters were flat, and the Indian element seemed a tack on.
8.“Juracan,” by R. Navarez. Didn’t read it. The first few pages are laced with Spanish. I can’t read Spanish, and I didn’t feel like looking all those phrases up, which is too bad, since this story takes place in Puerto Rico. I wanted to see what the author would do with that setting.
9.“JaneJohnDoe.com,” by David Cole. Private investigator is kidnapped by a Mexican drug lord on the run. Solid (if improbable) story, with some good action. I liked the parking lot scene the best. The border is a mean place.
10.“Lame Elk,” Leonard Schonberg. A fine example of why noir isn’t always about crime. An Indian with a drinking problem tries to get his life back together. The bleak Montana setting really adds to this one. This story could easily fit into a good literary journal.
11.“Another Role,” by Reed Farrell Coleman. An old character actor (and Indian) has one more role to play. Terrific Elmore Leonard-like story, with double dealing , bad people, and great dialogue.
12.“Getting Lucky,” by Lawrence Block. Really nasty and mean story that takes place at a Michigan casino. Block is the most famous name in this anthology, and it was nice to see that he didn’t mail it in. What a pro.
13.“Prowling Wolves,” by Liz Martinez. OK story about Ira Hayes (Iwo Jima) getting drunk and having battle field flashbacks. The flashbacks, after a while, got to be annoying and repetitive, messing with the overall flow of the story. Less would have been more.
14.“Quilt like a Night Sky,” by Kimberly Roppolo. Outstanding end story for the collection. An Indian taking a long walk in the dark, filled with regrets, and something else. Very sad, very poetic. Nice placement by the editors.
All of that said, Indian Country Noir is a pleasant surprise, because it’s filled with a lot of really good unpleasant stories. The success or failure of each of these Akashic books probably depends a great deal on the work of the editors in ferreting out the good stuff. If so, Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez did their job – and then some. In addition, Indian Country Noir is different than the other books in the series, since it focuses on a race of people (Indians), not limiting the editors to a particular neck of the woods. The problems Indians face, racism, drugs, poverty, etc., have no geographic limits. And most of these stories drive that point home – sometimes with a heartbreaking sadness. Anthologies, more often than not, are (for Goodreads purposes) 3 star efforts, but this one I’m giving 4 stars. A few comments below on the stories:
1.“Helper,” by Joseph Bruchac. Very cool, pulpy Mission-of-Vengeance story that has a former football player and World War I vet named “Indian Charley” on the trail of a killer. Robert E. Howard would smile at a scene that has a 300 pound giant holding an 80 pound snarling guard dog out at arm’s length. Great kick off story.
2.“Osprey Lake,” by Jean Rae Baxter. A young couple on the run, at the height of winter. Very polished piece of writing that combines the focus of the anthology with the elements of noir. Quite possibly the most classically noir story in the collection. This lady can write.
3.“Dead Medicine Woman,” by Gerard Houarner. This one didn’t work for me. A lot of mystical mumbo jumbo in the subway. It’s very “literary,” and the editors, in their Introduction, seem genuinely excited about it. Maybe it’s just me.
4.“Indian Time,” by Melissa Yi. A story about a young Mohawk trying to get his life together, get back into his kids’ lives (who are in the custody of his mother-in-law). Probably the weakest story in the collection. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with noir.
5.“On Drowning Pond,” by A.A. HedgeCoke. A haunted pond story that could just as easily showed up in your upper end horror anthologies. The prose is darkly poetic, the kind that has you going back to re-read portions of it. My only complaint is that it’s too short.
6.“Daddy’s Girl,” by Mistina Bates. The Indian element here seemed like a tack-on. That aside, this is a nasty, well paced piece that I really enjoyed.
7.“The Raven and the Wolf,’ by O’Neil De Noux. A by-the-numbers police story that has a detective (and Sioux) on the trail of a former Green Beret with woman issues. I didn’t like this story, the characters were flat, and the Indian element seemed a tack on.
8.“Juracan,” by R. Navarez. Didn’t read it. The first few pages are laced with Spanish. I can’t read Spanish, and I didn’t feel like looking all those phrases up, which is too bad, since this story takes place in Puerto Rico. I wanted to see what the author would do with that setting.
9.“JaneJohnDoe.com,” by David Cole. Private investigator is kidnapped by a Mexican drug lord on the run. Solid (if improbable) story, with some good action. I liked the parking lot scene the best. The border is a mean place.
10.“Lame Elk,” Leonard Schonberg. A fine example of why noir isn’t always about crime. An Indian with a drinking problem tries to get his life back together. The bleak Montana setting really adds to this one. This story could easily fit into a good literary journal.
11.“Another Role,” by Reed Farrell Coleman. An old character actor (and Indian) has one more role to play. Terrific Elmore Leonard-like story, with double dealing , bad people, and great dialogue.
12.“Getting Lucky,” by Lawrence Block. Really nasty and mean story that takes place at a Michigan casino. Block is the most famous name in this anthology, and it was nice to see that he didn’t mail it in. What a pro.
13.“Prowling Wolves,” by Liz Martinez. OK story about Ira Hayes (Iwo Jima) getting drunk and having battle field flashbacks. The flashbacks, after a while, got to be annoying and repetitive, messing with the overall flow of the story. Less would have been more.
14.“Quilt like a Night Sky,” by Kimberly Roppolo. Outstanding end story for the collection. An Indian taking a long walk in the dark, filled with regrets, and something else. Very sad, very poetic. Nice placement by the editors.
November 18, 2025
I was hoping to find that more of the contributors to this anthology were Native Americans. Indian Country Noir was something of a disappointment because it was not Indian enough and not noir enough. The only story in it that I liked was David Cole's "JaneJohnDoe.com," and he's not even Indian. My guess is that life for American Indians is noir enough, but not in a way that neatly fits in the genre.
July 9, 2012
Short stories by many Naative American authors including the editors and Joseph Bruchac.
Many stories involve solving murder mysteries or evil done to Native American characters. All stories well crafted, and interesting. Felt real.
Many stories involve solving murder mysteries or evil done to Native American characters. All stories well crafted, and interesting. Felt real.
May 15, 2020
Indian Country Noir is a short story collection around the well advertised theme of noir with Native protagonists. It's organized by geography, with the groups "East," "South," "West," and "North."
Like all short story collections, the quality is uneven. The first story, "Helper," I think is one of the strongest, and carries off the theme better than some. It's a strong opening. My favorite was "JaneJohnDoe.com," with "Another Role" as a close second. I also like "Indian Time" quite a bit, though I think it only just counts as noir.
There were a number of stories I ended up skipping for various reasons, with overuse of epithets as the main one. "Daddy's Girl" and "Prowling Wolves" were the weakest of the stories, in my opinion, and I didn't finish either.
It was different than what I've been reading lately, and was fun in that respect. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the premise, but it's not necessarily so strong that I would recommend it to anyone else.
Like all short story collections, the quality is uneven. The first story, "Helper," I think is one of the strongest, and carries off the theme better than some. It's a strong opening. My favorite was "JaneJohnDoe.com," with "Another Role" as a close second. I also like "Indian Time" quite a bit, though I think it only just counts as noir.
There were a number of stories I ended up skipping for various reasons, with overuse of epithets as the main one. "Daddy's Girl" and "Prowling Wolves" were the weakest of the stories, in my opinion, and I didn't finish either.
It was different than what I've been reading lately, and was fun in that respect. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the premise, but it's not necessarily so strong that I would recommend it to anyone else.
June 3, 2020
The star adverage is 2.535 so, I'm rounding up to 3. The first part is the strongest.
Part 1:East
Helperis by Joseph Bruchac Adirondacks, NY ⭐⭐⭐
Osprey Lake by Jean Rae Baxter Eastern Woodlands Canada ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dead Medicine Snake Woman by Gerard Houarner New York, NY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Indian Time by Melissa Yi Ontario, Canada ⭐⭐⭐
Part 2: South
On Drowing Pond by AA Hedgecoke Charlotte, NC ⭐⭐⭐
Daddy's Girl by Mistina Bates Memphis, TN ⭐⭐
The Raven & the Wolf by O'Neal De Noux New Orleans ⭐
Juracán by R. Narvaez San Juan, PR ⭐⭐⭐.5
Part III
JaneJohnDoe . com by David Cole Yuscon, AZ ⭐⭐
Lame Elk by Leonard Schonberg Ashland, Montana ⭐
Another Role by Reed FARREL Coleman LA, Cali ⭐
Part 4: North
Getting Lucky by Lawrence Block Upper Peninsula, Michigan ⭐⭐
Prowling Wolves by Liz Martinez Chicago ⭐⭐⭐
Quilt like a Night Sky by Kimberly Roppolo Alberta, Canada ⭐
Part 1:East
Helperis by Joseph Bruchac Adirondacks, NY ⭐⭐⭐
Osprey Lake by Jean Rae Baxter Eastern Woodlands Canada ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dead Medicine Snake Woman by Gerard Houarner New York, NY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Indian Time by Melissa Yi Ontario, Canada ⭐⭐⭐
Part 2: South
On Drowing Pond by AA Hedgecoke Charlotte, NC ⭐⭐⭐
Daddy's Girl by Mistina Bates Memphis, TN ⭐⭐
The Raven & the Wolf by O'Neal De Noux New Orleans ⭐
Juracán by R. Narvaez San Juan, PR ⭐⭐⭐.5
Part III
JaneJohnDoe . com by David Cole Yuscon, AZ ⭐⭐
Lame Elk by Leonard Schonberg Ashland, Montana ⭐
Another Role by Reed FARREL Coleman LA, Cali ⭐
Part 4: North
Getting Lucky by Lawrence Block Upper Peninsula, Michigan ⭐⭐
Prowling Wolves by Liz Martinez Chicago ⭐⭐⭐
Quilt like a Night Sky by Kimberly Roppolo Alberta, Canada ⭐
December 24, 2016
I thought checking this book out would provide me with some Native/indigenous writers to read more of. It was a mixed bag on this end. I skipped most of the non-indigenous writers and when I went back on that read to regret it ("Getting Lucky" by Lawrence Block was horrible to read - who cares about a two-character story about two people not worth caring about). It is noir, so some of the boilerplate story lines and verbiage (how much can alcoholism be talked about within 14 stories when the stories come from across the U.S., Canada and in Puerto Rico) rolled right along. I most enjoyed the opening two stories - "Helper" by Joseph Bruchac and "Osprey Lake" by Jean Rae Baxter "Indian Time" by Melissa Yi was memorable too. The collection is divided into East, South, West and North and while I never had a chance at understanding "Dead Medicine Snake Woman" (because I couldn't bend my mind that way) these other three are in the West section. Each section had at least one story that made me want to check out an author's other work. Until I got to the North section, which closed the book. I could have done without all three of those stories though I tried to like "Prowling Wolves" but it felt like an Indian Odysseus just taking too long to get "home", but maybe if I read them out of order (except for the Block story), I would have been able to get something out of Martinez's and Roppolo's contributions, which I wanted to like - but no dice. Maybe I was too ready to finish the collection at that point. Interesting read and perhaps I'll check our more in the very extensive Noir series. They could stand to do another one of this one though - perhaps with some of the same authors while replacing others. Or not. This is kinda what I get for taking a shortcut instead of bothering with 20 minutes worth of research to find Native authors on my own. Had I done that I could have come across writers with a full range of indigenous backgrounds and if they are of mixed heritage, the blended background extending beyond different countries in Europe. Maybe that's already out there and I just need to look. Welp, this has become a personal reflection with a somewhat ambiguous assignment rather than a book review at this point so I'll stop here.
February 24, 2026
Part I: East
“Helper” by Joseph Bruchac (Adirondacks, New York) 3*
“Osprey Lake” by Jean Rae Baxter (Eastern Woodlands, Canada) 3*
“Dead Medicine Snake Woman” by Gerard Houarner (New York, New York) 4*
“Indian Time” by Melissa Yi (Ontario, Canada) 3*
Part II: South
“On Drowning Pond” by A.A. HedgeCoke (Charlotte, North Carolina) 4*
“Daddy’s Girl” by Mistina Bates (Memphis, Tennessee) 4*
“The Raven and the Wolf” by O’Neil De Noux (New Orleans, Louisiana) 3*
“Juracán” by R. Narvaez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 4*
Part III: West
“JaneJohnDoe.com” by David Cole (Tuscon, Arizona) 4*
“Lame Elk” by Leonard Schonberg (Ashland, Montana) 4*
“Another Role” by Reed, Farrel Coleman (Los Angeles, California) 3*
Part IV: North
“Getting Lucky” by Lawrence Block (Upper Peninsula, Michigan) 3*
“Prowling Wolves” by Liz Martínez (Chicago, Illinois) 4*
“Quilt like a Night Sky” by Kimberly Roppolo (Alberta, Canada) 4*
“Helper” by Joseph Bruchac (Adirondacks, New York) 3*
“Osprey Lake” by Jean Rae Baxter (Eastern Woodlands, Canada) 3*
“Dead Medicine Snake Woman” by Gerard Houarner (New York, New York) 4*
“Indian Time” by Melissa Yi (Ontario, Canada) 3*
Part II: South
“On Drowning Pond” by A.A. HedgeCoke (Charlotte, North Carolina) 4*
“Daddy’s Girl” by Mistina Bates (Memphis, Tennessee) 4*
“The Raven and the Wolf” by O’Neil De Noux (New Orleans, Louisiana) 3*
“Juracán” by R. Narvaez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 4*
Part III: West
“JaneJohnDoe.com” by David Cole (Tuscon, Arizona) 4*
“Lame Elk” by Leonard Schonberg (Ashland, Montana) 4*
“Another Role” by Reed, Farrel Coleman (Los Angeles, California) 3*
Part IV: North
“Getting Lucky” by Lawrence Block (Upper Peninsula, Michigan) 3*
“Prowling Wolves” by Liz Martínez (Chicago, Illinois) 4*
“Quilt like a Night Sky” by Kimberly Roppolo (Alberta, Canada) 4*
January 1, 2016
If you like noir stories then the Akashic Noir series is always a good source for some dark tales. The stories in this book are a little more varied than the title may suggest to you. Yes the theme is Indian but the locals cover most of North America and one from the Caribbean. Also surprising to me were several of the writers involved, mainly, Reed Farrel Coleman and Lawrence Block. Not the first names that would come to my mind in an anthology with this title, but then both good tales as would be expected from these talented writers.
August 6, 2011
Stories about Indians by Indians and non-Indians, that is the commone denominator in this unique non-geographic specific noir volume. We have stories set not just in the US but in Canada and Puerto Rico. I'm really enjoying this series. It should become a collectible.
Read
June 28, 2019Excellent stories. Highly recommend.
March 27, 2020
Excellent collection of “Indian” based short stories. Most mysteries, most sad. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed short stories. Recommended.
May 2, 2019
INDIAN COUNTRY NOIR is edited by Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez. It is a short story anthology published by Akashik Books and is part of its prolific and very popular Noir series.
Authors include Joseph Bruchac - Jean Rae Baxter - Gerard Houarner - Melisa Yi - A.A. Hedgecoke - Mistina Bates - O’Neil De Noux - R. Narvaez - David Cole - Leonard Schonberg - Reed Farrel Coleman - Lawrence Block - Liz Martinez - Kimberly Roppolo.
All stories represent ‘noir’ - a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. The settings are bleak, raw, sleazy, and often upsetting (as are the characters).
The anthology includes a Foreword by Richard B. Williams; an Introduction by Sarah Cortez; a map of the United States showing the locations of the stories; a Table of Contents and an About the Contributors which gives a short bio of the authors.
Stand out stories (for me) were “Helper” by Joseph Bruchac and Osprey Lake by Jean Rae Baxter.
INDIAN COUNTRY NOIR is an excellent addition to Akashik’s Noir series.
Authors include Joseph Bruchac - Jean Rae Baxter - Gerard Houarner - Melisa Yi - A.A. Hedgecoke - Mistina Bates - O’Neil De Noux - R. Narvaez - David Cole - Leonard Schonberg - Reed Farrel Coleman - Lawrence Block - Liz Martinez - Kimberly Roppolo.
All stories represent ‘noir’ - a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. The settings are bleak, raw, sleazy, and often upsetting (as are the characters).
The anthology includes a Foreword by Richard B. Williams; an Introduction by Sarah Cortez; a map of the United States showing the locations of the stories; a Table of Contents and an About the Contributors which gives a short bio of the authors.
Stand out stories (for me) were “Helper” by Joseph Bruchac and Osprey Lake by Jean Rae Baxter.
INDIAN COUNTRY NOIR is an excellent addition to Akashik’s Noir series.
September 27, 2018
Some stories were okay, I just couldn’t find the authenticity in many of them.
December 20, 2018
Generally poor selection of stories
March 9, 2019
[3.5 stars]
July 8, 2019
This book was suspenseful, intriguing and sometimes shocking, just like a noir should be. Each story is different, and I enjoyed every one, even those that made me *gasp* at the end...
May 13, 2020
Boring
Who would have thought that noir can be boring?
Nothing specifically wrong with any of the stories, just lackluster and instantly forgettable. All of them.
Who would have thought that noir can be boring?
Nothing specifically wrong with any of the stories, just lackluster and instantly forgettable. All of them.
January 5, 2022
So so collection of short stories, none of them particularly noir.
May 9, 2023
Really more like ghost stories than noir.
March 5, 2026
I would actually rate this 4.25 - one of the best in the series in my opinion!
June 15, 2019
This book was interesting. I chose the audio version and some of the performances are really great. The stories are organized by the Four Directions, something that I did not realize or understand when I first listened to this book. Part I: East, Part II: South, Part III: West, Part IV: North. For me, the East stories were not as relatable as the others were. Many of the stories are strong and some of them do contain elements of Noir. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to explore Indian Country, rather than purists/fans of Noir.
February 12, 2017
Sardonic, delightfully twisting with a degree of satisfaction as the (anti)hero delivers a poke-in-the-eye to power or oppression (sides of the same coin in noir-world): I enjoy a good bit of noir-land. In this case it is woven into 14 stories native lead characters or native themes, mainly in the US mainland but taking in Puerto Rico and Canada and for the most part written by native authors. There are tales of revenge, of self-protection, of the grime-laden world outside the confines of what the law usually (or ever) allows.
Several of the stories are unremittingly bleak, where either a racist system, attitude or bad choices and a combination of all three conspire to drive the (anti)hero to misery, destitution or an untimely end. With one exception there is a welcome absence of mysticism, while there is a decent handful of femmes fatale, one seemingly murderous child and another cynical exploitation of indigenous political movements.
Yet, the thing noir does best is the power it gives to the powerless; the outsider is often the one who comes out best – even if that is the remain alive. Even when he does, one central character strikes a blow against contemporary exploitation as well as the personal costs of living in a colonial régime where even those who try to do good do damage.
Aside from the most bleak – four contemporary and historical tales – and one where it is clear that no good can come of anything each of these stories leads to a satisfying sense of come-uppance and (anti)heroic success. Despite that sense of satisfaction, short story collections are always a mixed bag, whether multi- or single-authored: for the most part however this collection is rewarding, and has introduced me to a group of native authors I’d not met before – I’ll certainly be looking for more by Mistina Bates and A A HedgeCoke.
Several of the stories are unremittingly bleak, where either a racist system, attitude or bad choices and a combination of all three conspire to drive the (anti)hero to misery, destitution or an untimely end. With one exception there is a welcome absence of mysticism, while there is a decent handful of femmes fatale, one seemingly murderous child and another cynical exploitation of indigenous political movements.
Yet, the thing noir does best is the power it gives to the powerless; the outsider is often the one who comes out best – even if that is the remain alive. Even when he does, one central character strikes a blow against contemporary exploitation as well as the personal costs of living in a colonial régime where even those who try to do good do damage.
Aside from the most bleak – four contemporary and historical tales – and one where it is clear that no good can come of anything each of these stories leads to a satisfying sense of come-uppance and (anti)heroic success. Despite that sense of satisfaction, short story collections are always a mixed bag, whether multi- or single-authored: for the most part however this collection is rewarding, and has introduced me to a group of native authors I’d not met before – I’ll certainly be looking for more by Mistina Bates and A A HedgeCoke.
October 30, 2016
Akashic Books does a phenomenal job with their Noir anthologies. I originally found out about this series from Curt Colbert, a mystery writer in Seattle who edited the Seattle Noir anthology. Incidentally, Curt does a wonderful series of detective noir based in Seattle. Check out Rat City, the first in the series to get a taste of what it is all about.
Indian Country Noir did not disappoint. The book is divided into four parts representing tribal areas in the North, South, East and West of the United States and Canada. The stories all have indigenous people as the central character b ut they are by no means stereotypical.
In the section titled East, my two favorite short stories were “Dead Medicine Snake Woman” which had kind of an other worldly feel to it and “Indian Time” about a Native American Mohawk man’s custody battle with his white mother-in-law.
In South, “Daddy’s Girl” is a very entertaining detective story set in Memphis, Tennessee. I really enjoyed the marrying of two genre’s in this one. My other fave was “Juracan” which is about the indigenous population in Puerto Rico. I really loved this because it included a territory well away from the more travelled path. I had never considered or even known there was an indigenous group there. My sister-in-law is Puerto Rican and we have talked about Puerto Rico but now I have new information and questions.
I was slightly disappointed with West. It included stories set in Los Angeles, Tuscon and Montana. I lived in a state that has multiple established tribes, tribal areas and reservations. The Native Americans on the west side of my state have a history and culture completely different from the east side of the state. Not one story was set here. Nor were there any set in Alaska.
All that being said, my favorite was “Another Role”. It was one of those stories that has that little twist at the end that is just slightly reminiscent of the “Twilight Zone.” I also really enjoyed “JaneJohnDoe.com”. This covered a Navajo and a drug cartel.
Finally, there is North. “Prowling Wolves” is a great period piece covering the World War II era and “Quilt Like a Night Sky” was my favorite in this section. The northern stories were a little more forlorn than some of the others but that was fitting for the north which is kind of mournful itself.
If you haven’t read any of the Noir series books, please check them out. They are all wonderful. “Indian Noir” holds up and represents the franchise well. Great for readers and great for people who like to sample authors through some short stories.
Indian Country Noir did not disappoint. The book is divided into four parts representing tribal areas in the North, South, East and West of the United States and Canada. The stories all have indigenous people as the central character b ut they are by no means stereotypical.
In the section titled East, my two favorite short stories were “Dead Medicine Snake Woman” which had kind of an other worldly feel to it and “Indian Time” about a Native American Mohawk man’s custody battle with his white mother-in-law.
In South, “Daddy’s Girl” is a very entertaining detective story set in Memphis, Tennessee. I really enjoyed the marrying of two genre’s in this one. My other fave was “Juracan” which is about the indigenous population in Puerto Rico. I really loved this because it included a territory well away from the more travelled path. I had never considered or even known there was an indigenous group there. My sister-in-law is Puerto Rican and we have talked about Puerto Rico but now I have new information and questions.
I was slightly disappointed with West. It included stories set in Los Angeles, Tuscon and Montana. I lived in a state that has multiple established tribes, tribal areas and reservations. The Native Americans on the west side of my state have a history and culture completely different from the east side of the state. Not one story was set here. Nor were there any set in Alaska.
All that being said, my favorite was “Another Role”. It was one of those stories that has that little twist at the end that is just slightly reminiscent of the “Twilight Zone.” I also really enjoyed “JaneJohnDoe.com”. This covered a Navajo and a drug cartel.
Finally, there is North. “Prowling Wolves” is a great period piece covering the World War II era and “Quilt Like a Night Sky” was my favorite in this section. The northern stories were a little more forlorn than some of the others but that was fitting for the north which is kind of mournful itself.
If you haven’t read any of the Noir series books, please check them out. They are all wonderful. “Indian Noir” holds up and represents the franchise well. Great for readers and great for people who like to sample authors through some short stories.
Want to read
July 29, 2015Step into Indian Country. Enter the dark welter of troubled history throughout the Americas, where the heritage of violence meets the ferocity of intent. Features brand-new stories by: Mistina Bates, Jean Rae Baxter, Lawrence Block, Joseph Bruchac, David Cole, Reed Farrel Coleman, O'Neil De Noux, A.A. Hedge Coke, Gerard Houarner, Liz Mart�nez, R. Narvaez, Kimberly Roppolo, Leonard Schonberg, and Melissa Yi. Sarah Cortez, a law enforcement officer, is the award-winning author of the poetry collection How to Undress a Cop. She brings her heritage as a Tejana with Mexican, French, Comanche, and Spanish blood to the written page. Liz Mart�nez�s stories have appeared in Manhattan Noir, Queens Noir, and Cop Tales 2000. She is a member of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, and she lives in New York.
August 4, 2012
Extremely well written anthology bends the boudnaries between fiction and non-fiction.
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February 22, 2016couldn't really finish this book. it wasn't that great to me. I got bored of life's under class delinquents.
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