New Orleans Noir: The Classics

New Orleans Noir, The Classics from Editor Julie Smith is a dark journey to the city the “care forgot”. These tales in the words of the editor are “dark and brooding.” They are more about crime and criminals with the introduction noting that there is not a rich early tradition of detective stories from The Big Easy. That is a more recent phenomenon, but it does not make into this collection.

There i, however, a lot to choose from with many writers having been inspired by New Orleans. The collection is also diverse and multicultural. Some might not like dark tales and wonder what the purpose of them are when they lean towards the Gothic. They do remind people of a dangerous world. It sure shows things falling to the wayside, the dark side of Noir, when someone needs to hire a private detective because police are too busy and criminals have become too smart. Part of the appeal of Noir is the criminals usually get caught, and in the movies there are beautiful people, fashion, jazz, and fascinating cinematography. Surprisingly, Katrina was the darkest thing to hit the city, even though the town also probably needed The Civil Rights Movement.