The Best American Noir of the Century is a strong anthology of noir crime fiction, with an insightful introduction by Otto Penzler and James Ellroy.
The selection brings together both the “old school” noir tradition and more contemporary voices.
Among the classic authors, the standout stories include:
- James M. Cain – Pastorale
- Steve Fisher – You’ll Always Remember Me
- Day Keene – Nothing to Worry About
- David Goodis – Professional Man (a melancholic, restrained piece)
- Dorothy B. Hughes – The Homecoming
- Gil Brewer – The Gesture
- Cornell Woolrich – For the Rest of Her Life (famously adapted by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Martha)
- Patricia Highsmith – Slowly, Slowly in the Wind
The “new blood” section also contains interesting and diverse interpretations of noir, including:
- James Lee Burke – Texas City, 1947
- Harlan Ellison - Mephisto in Onyx (a strange blend of noir and supernatural)
- Jeffrey Deaver – The Weekender
- Lawrence Block – Like a Bone in the Throat
- James W. Hall – Crack
- F. X. Toole – Midnight Emissions (boxing-themed noir)
- Elmore Leonard – When the Women Come Out to Dance
- Scott Wolven – Controlled Burn
- Thomas H. Cook – What She Offered
- Andrew Klavan – Her Lord and Master
Overall, I enjoyed reading this anthology. However, its length (around 600 pages) and softcover format, combined with relatively small print, sometimes made it physically uncomfortable to read for long periods.
The original hardcover edition published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is probably more comfortable and better designed, but the Windmill Books edition I own still offers a strong reading experience.
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