"While certain cities in past Akashic volumes might appear to lack an obvious noir element, Manila (like Mexico City, which shares many of the same problems) practically defines it, as shown by the 14 selections in this excellent anthology. As Hagedorn points out in her insightful introduction, Manila is a city burdened with a violent and painful past, with a long heritage of foreign occupation. The specters of WWII (during which the city suffered from U.S. saturation bombing), and the oppressive 20-year reign of dictator Ferdinand Marcos live on in recent memory. The Filipino take on noir includes a liberal dose of the gothic and supernatural, with disappearance and loss being constants."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)"This Southeast sampler is unique, possessing an overall gritty tone. Each slice of supernatural splendor pulls the reader in with their nontraditional heroes…Ultimately, readers get a strong taste of the real Manila and all her dark secrets, wanting more of while being slightly afraid of what she might do next. Manila is the perfect place for noir scenes to occur, and it is easy to get sucked into its deadly nightshade of doom."--Criminal Class PressBrand-new stories by: Lourd De Veyra, Gina Apostol, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, F.H. Batacan, Jose Dalisay Jr., Eric Gamalinda, Jessica Hagedorn, Angelo Lacuesta, R. Zamora Linmark, Rosario Cruz-Lucero, Sabina Murray, Jonas Vitman, Marianne Villanueva, and Lysley Tenorio.Manila provides the ideal, torrid setting for an Akashic Noir series volume. It's where the rich rub shoulders with the poor, where five-star hotels coexist with informal settlements, where religious zeal coexists with superstition, and where politics is often synonymous with celebrity and corruption.From the Introduction by Jessica Hagedorn:Manila is not for the faint of heart. Built on water and reclaimed land, it’s an intense, congested, teeming megalopolis, the vital core of an urban network of sixteen cities and one municipality collectively known as Metro Manila. Population: over ten million and growing by the minute. Climate: tropical. Which means hot, humid, prone to torrential monsoon rains of biblical proportions.I think of Manila as the ultimate femme fatale. Complicated and mysterious, with a tainted, painful past. She’s been invaded, plundered, raped, and pillaged, colonized for four hundred years by Spain and fifty years by the US, bombed and pretty much decimated by Japanese and American forces during an epic, month-long battle in 1945.Yet somehow, and with no thanks to the corrupt politicians, the crime syndicates, and the indifferent rich who rule the roost, Manila bounces back. The people’s ability to endure, adapt, and forgive never ceases to amaze, whether it’s about rebuilding from the latest round of catastrophic flooding, or rebuilding from the ashes of a horrific world war, or the ashes of the brutal, twenty-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos . . .Many years have passed since the end of the Marcos dictatorship. People are free to write and say what they want, yet nothing is different. The poor are still poor, the rich are still rich, and overseas workers toil in faraway places like Saudi Arabia, Israel, Germany, and Finland. Glaring inequities are a source of dark humor to many Filipinos, but really—just another day in the life . . .Writers from the Americas and Europe are known for a certain style of noir fiction, but the rest of the world approaches the crime story from a culturally unique perspective. In Manila Noir we find that the genre is flexible enough to incorporate flamboyant emotion and the supernatural, along with the usual elements noir fans have come to expect: moody atmospherics, terse dialogue, sudden violence, mordant humor, a fatalist vision.Review"For those who love travel, history, and a little bit of lore, this anthology transports you to the Philippines and is filled with riveting and sometimes dark stories of the capital city."--Glamour (summer reading pick)"[Manila Noir] is among the most moving, effective and altogether noir entry in the entire series."--Bookgasm"Suffice it to say that what the Noir series in general, and Manila Noir in particular, does so well is to create a 360-degree mosaic of a place…By including so many perspectives, from so many walks of life, Manila Noir makes Manila seem as vibrant, and dangerous, and exciting, and confounding as it really felt to live there."--Lit Wrap"A collection of stories like Akashic’s forthcoming Manila Noir is enough to set a crime-fiction addict’s mouth watering."--New York Observer"In…Manila Noir, the latest addition to Akashic Book’s series of original noir anthologies, poet, novelist, and artist Jessica Hagedorn writes of how ghosts of past occupations, buried secrets, corrupt political dealings, crime, and inequality have shaped the fabric of the Philippine capital city."--The Margins"Held closely to their breasts by the stories are messy, edged lives flaring out in seemingly random directions. But the 14 stories themselves are all elegant and smooth, like a bladed weapon concealed in a jacket. They strike suddenly but thoroughly, leaving you wounded. Embedded in each story is a deep acceptance of the fantastically flawed life in the big city and a step out of the ordinary…Manila Noir is a masterfully crafted anthology that reminds us that, if you truly love your city, you embrace its darkness as much as—if not more than—its brightness."--Inquirer (Philippines)"Excellently crafted and woven together, Jessica has compiled a series of short stories that exhibit the perfect setting and story for noir. Wonderful!"--FMAM MagazineAbout the AuthorJessica Hagedorn was born in Manila and now lives in New York. A novelist, poet, and playwright, her published works include Toxicology, The Gangster of Love, and Dogeaters, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. She also edited both volumes of the groundbreaking anthology Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction. Views: 17
SHORT STORY - PREQUELThe story of Emily and Evan, the secrets he kept from her, and how they ended up in Paradise Valley, Idaho. For young Emily, love is blind—maybe she needs her eyes opened. Views: 17
A selection of spooky, scintillating, and scary stories from some of Accent Press's best-loved authors. Featuring gruesome crime from Bill Kitson and Andrea Frazer, a frighteningly modern fairy tale from Helena Fairfax, ghostly goings-on from Christina Jones, David Rogers, Jane Risdon, Marie Laval, and Tricia Maw, a twisted take on a national pastime from Cara Cooper, and the supernatural side of reality TV from Caroline Dunford. So this Hallowe'en, if you're hankering for a haunting, could murder a mystery, or are prepared to be scared – let Accent make you shiver. Views: 17
Leo Maxwell grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Teddy, a successful yet reviled criminal defense attorney who racked up enemies as quickly as he racked up acquittals. As children, their father was jailed for the murder of their mother, and Teddy was left to care for Leo who tried to emulate his older brother, even following him into the legal profession.The two are at lunch one day when Teddy, supposed to give the closing argument of his current trial that afternoon, is shot: in public, in cold blood, the shooter escaping without Leo being able to identify him. As Teddy lies in a coma, Leo comes to the conclusion that the search for his brother’s shooter falls upon him and him alone, as his brother’s enemies were not merely the scum on the street but embedded within the police department as well. As he begins to examine the life of a brother he realizes he barely knew, Leo quickly realizes that the list of possible suspects is much larger than he could... Views: 17
Still mourning the death of her husband, Miranda remains haunted by Alex Manoussi, the enigmatic Greek who rescued her from the cruel sea that had claimed Tom. And when Alex turns up at her boss's party, she fears the appearance of 'the Angel of Death' heralds another disaster.Then Miranda witnesses a murder and is forced into hiding for her own protection. The job in a luxury hotel on the idyllic Greek island of Delephores seems heaven sent. But this Eden contains a serpent. Can it be mere coincidence that Alex is there, too? Has the Angel of Death come to make her his own?Review'A potent mixture of murder, mystery and intrigue ... you simply won't be able to put the book down' -- Woman's Realm A winner ... An intriguing mystery -- Prizes Galore.com 'An intriguing romantic mystery' -- Family Circle 'Interesting characters and a satisfyingly structured story, as polished as ever' -- Bolton Evening News 'A fascinating mixture of murder, intrigue, and mystery; you simply will not be able to put the book down!' -- Newcastle Evening Chronicle '... a thoroughly good read.' -- Woman's Weekly 'Tense, chilling drama.' -- South Hams Newspaper About the AuthorCharlotte Lamb is Mills & Boon's top-selling author. Her novels have been translated in many languages and are bestsellers around the world. Views: 17
Love at first sight doesn't exist...right? So how could Alisa explain the instant intense attraction to a man she collided with on a lovely night in Paris at a streetside cafe? She was dying, a diagnosis that left her with perhaps three years left in her life...maybe that was why. Whatever it was, she wanted him and there was no reason not to take this beautiful man and find pleasure she has never known. This journey she was on was a final trip to places she had always loved in this world. To experience life as much as possible while she still could. She's never done anything like this before, and it turns out to be the memory of a lifetime. The only sorrow she felt while leaving that next morning, was that she may have found love, too late. Koen's been alive for over a thousand years. This past year of his life has been wonderful. He couldn't imagine anything better. Until he has a chance collision on a trip to Paris with blue eyes that burned into his soul, and stayed there. After the most incredible night of his life, she disappeared. He didn't know she was dying. She didn't know he was vampire and could save her life. Would Koen find her...in time? This fifth in the series about First Blood vampires is wonderful on its own, but follows the fourth book in the series closely, so reading in sequence will bring greater connection with the story and characters.ReviewAll volumes of this series have been on Amazon.com's top 100 bestsellers list in Parnormal romance. Views: 17
