The state of Ohio could only escape the Akashic Noir Series for so long.

The state of Ohio could only escape the Akashic Noir Series for so long.

"Perfect for fans of crime novels and mysteries. The book tells stories of Columbus' dark doppelganger, where greed and pride have run rampant."
--Columbus Monthly Magazine

"Like the rest of the state of Ohio, Columbus has been hit hard by the opioid crisis, and the stories included in Akashic's ode to the city are as full of misery as the city currently is in real life. Moments of humanity shine through in many of the tales in this collection, and epic takes on pride and greed make many of the stories in this collection go beyond small miseries into the realm of Shakespearian tragedy. Urgent, beautiful, and not to be missed."
--CrimeReads, included in CrimeReads' Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020

"When author Andrew Welsh-Huggins started on his latest work, he knew he wanted the stories to be focused in and around Columbus, his adopted hometown of 22 years. But it wasn't the area's bustling arts scene, avid sports culture or homey Midwestern feel that the writer and journalist wanted to highlight. Instead, he wanted to focus on the seedy inner workings of the city's underbelly--at least fictitiously--in Columbus Noir."
--Columbus Dispatch

"[Huggins] says Columbus is the perfect setting for the kind of mayhem that occurs when dreamers become schemers...Now he has convinced 13 local writers to join him in investigating Columbus' dark corners and imagining the kinds of things that can happen when relationships turn vicious and ambition trumps ethics."
--Columbus Monthly, Seven Questions with editor Andrew Welsh-Huggins

"Femmes fatales, shady clubs and antiheroes: all the elements are here in Columbus Noir, a satisfying collection of 14 stories by some of Ohio's best authors, in a series of more than a hundred books in an award-winning series that includes locales like Baghdad Noir and Wall Street Noir."
--Akron Beacon Journal

"Welsh-Huggins did an excellent job of rounding up writers who know how to delve into the depth of the human soul...If you enjoy reading James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, James Ellroy et. al, you will not be disappointed by this book."
--Swords Against Boredom

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Brand-new stories by: Lee Martin, Robin Yocum, Kristen Lepionka, Craig McDonald, Chris Bournea, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Tom Barlow, Mercedes King, Daniel Best, Laura Bickle, Yolonda Tonette Sanders, Julia Keller, Khalid Moalim, and Nancy Zafris.

From the introduction by Andrew Welsh-Huggins:

Today, Columbus is an epicenter of the opioid epidemic, awash in heroin and the even deadlier fentanyl as dealers flood the city with their wares...The wealth gap in the city is growing, and Columbus is now one of the deadliest places in the state for babies trying to make it to their first birthday, even more so if their mothers are African American. These days, Columbus is a place forensic investigators are moving to. Overdoses, homicides, infant mortality: at long last, we're finally as lethal as any big American city.

In that light (and darkness) I'm pleased to present Columbus Noir, a collection of shadowy tales from the city's best storytellers set in neighborhoods across the metropolis. Sexual passion drives many of the stories, appropriate for a genre marked by protagonists striving for things out of their reach. Racism makes an appearance or two, as do those twin pillars of noir, greed and pride. Still, a deep appreciation of Columbus runs through the book as forcefully as the swath cut by the Olentangy after a couple of days of hard rain.

Introduction

Part I: Sin in Cbus
"The Satin Fox" by Robin Yocum (Victorian Village)
"Gun People" by Kristen Lepionka (Olde Towne East)
"Curb Appeal" by Craig McDonald (German Village)
"My Name Is Not Susan" by Chris Bournea (Eastmoor)

Part II: Capital Offenses
"Going Places" by Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Ohio Statehouse)
"Honor Guard" by Tom Barlow (Clintonville)
"An Agreeable Wife for a Suitable Husband" by Mercedes King (South End)
"Take the Wheel" by Daniel Best (Short North)
"The Dead and the Quiet" by Laura Bickle (Union Cemetery)

Part III: Buckeye Betrayals
"The Luckiest Man Alive" by Lee Martin (San Margherita)
"The Valley" by Yolanda Tonette Sanders (Whitehall)
"All That Burns the Mind" by Julia Keller (Ohio State University)
"Long Ears" by Khalid Moalim (North Side)
"Foreign Study" by Nancy Zafris (West Broad Street)