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Catalog » Browse by Title: V » Venice Noir (Italy)

Venice Noir (Italy)

Edited by:

Venice, Italy, behind the tourist veil, is revealed and dissected.

$15.95 $11.96

Available as an e-book for:


What people are saying…

“Drifter” by Emily Mandel was selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013, edited by Otto Penzler and Lisa Scottoline!

“Forget the magnificence of Venice’s art, architecture, and music, and delve into this tour of the City of Water’s murky depths . . . visions of a Venice not seen in tourist brochures.”
Publishers Weekly

“Sex, food and real estate inspire 14 hot-blooded new takes on crime in the magical city of Venice . . . Rather than crimes of passion, this collection focuses on the passion of crime, painting its noir in robust tones rather than gritty gray.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Editor Jakubowski does an excellent job of selecting a variety of stories that represent all strata of Venetian life, from tourists visiting for Carnevale to criminals running illegal operations in the bay . . . A must-read for lovers of Venice . . . the presence of a new and intriguing voices, many of them Italian, will pique the interest of international-mystery readers.”
Booklist

Venice Noir, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, aims to shred through our preconceptions of this remarkable city. The 14 writers featured in this anthology of short stories take our travel brochure images of Venice and scatter them like confetti.”
New York Journal of Books


Description

Read “Lido Winter” by Maxim Jakubowski, featured as part of Akashic’s celebration of Short Story Month 2013.

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Brand-new stories by: Peter James, Emily St. John Mandel, Barbara Baraldi, Mike Hodges, Mary Hoffman, Maria Tronca, Matteo Righetto, Tony Cartano, Francesco Ferracin, Isabella Santacroce, Michelle Lovric, Francesca Mazzucato, Maxim Jakubowski, and Michael Gregorio.

From the introduction by Maxim Jakubowski:

It’s one of the most famous cities in the world. Immortalized by writers throughout the years, frozen in amber by film and photography, the picturesque survivor of a wild history whose centuries encompass splendor, decay, pestilence, beauty, and never-ending wonders. A city built on water, whose geographical position once saw it rule the world and form a vital crossing point between West and East. A city of marchants, artists, glamour, abject poverty, philosophers, corrupt nobles, refugees, courtesans, and unforgettable lovers, buffeted by the tides of wars, a unique place whose architecture is a subtle palette reflecting the successive waves of settlers, invaders, religions, and short-term rulers . . .

Change in this most curious of cities is something almost imperceptible and invisible to the naked eye. Walking just a few minutes away from the Rialto Bridge, for instance, and losing yourself in backstreets, where the canals and small connecting bridges leave just enough space to pass along the buildings without falling into the water, it’s as if you are stepping into a past century altogether, with no indication whatsoever of modernity. You wade through a labyrinth of stone, water, and wrought-iron bridges, and after dark feel part of another world where electricity isn’t yet invented, a most unsettle feeling nothing can prepare you for . . .”

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Amongst the Venetians
“Cloudy Water” by Matteo Righetto (Cannaregio)
“The Comedy Is Over” by Francesco Ferracin (Calcavia)
“Commissario Clelia Vinci” by Barbara Baraldi (Mestre)
“Little Sister” by Francesca Mazzucato (Ghetto Vecchio)

Part II: Shadows of the Past
“Lido Winter” by Maxim Jakubowski (Lido)
“Pantegana” by Michelle Lovric (Santa Stefano)
“Desdemona Undicesima” by Isabella Santacroce (Piazza San Marco)

Part III: Tourists & Other Troubled Folk
“Venice Aphrodisiac” by Peter James (Canal Grande)
“Drifter” by Emily St. John Mandel (Ponte dei Sospiri)
“Rendezvous” by Tony Cartano (Calle Larga XXII Marzo)
“Signor Gauke’s Tongue” by Mike Hodges (Palazzo Ducale)

Part IV: An Imperfect Present
“Tourists for Supper” by Maria Tronca (Santa Maria Formosa)
“Laguna Blues” by Michael Gregorio (Porto Marghera)
“A Closed Book” by Mary Hoffman (Rialto Bridge)


Book Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Published: 6/12/12
  • IBSN: 9781617750731
  • e-IBSN: 9781617751189

Author

MAXIM JAKUBOWSKI is a British editor and writer. Following a long career in book publishing, during which he was responsible for several major crime imprints, he opened London’s mystery bookshop Murder One. He reviews crime fiction for the Guardian, runs London’s Crime Scene Festival, and is an advisor to Italy’s annual Courmayeur Noir in Festival. His latest crime novel is Ekaterina and the Night, and he edits the annual Best British Mysteries series. He is editor of Venice Noir and was coeditor, with Chiara Stangalino, of Rome Noir.

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