Manhattan Noir 2: The Classics

Akashic’s MANHATTAN NOIR 2: THE CLASSICS is a history lesson for crime readers, as editor Lawrence Block picks a cavalcade of writers who went on to influence countless others. In the introduction, he explains the reasons behind some of his choices, including a controversial pick of a certain poem, especially since that writer wrote some other great stories which could have fit much better.

I’m referring to the inclusion of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” a poem that most people have read at least once in their lives, usually around Halloween and at some point in their school years. But Block explains his choice and understands that its inclusion will confound a few. But I’m getting way ahead of myself; the anthology is divided into three sections: “The Old School,” “The Poets” and “Darkness Visible.”

The first section is a who’s who of the literary set: people such as O. Henry, Stephen Crane, Langston Hughes, Cornell Woolrich, and Damon Runyon. Now, theirs are not dark tales of crime and noir that you might expect, but more like the seeds that will become the foundation of the crime fiction world. As you progress, it becomes apparent that Block picked this order for a reason, since the section closes with one of the bleakest tales written by one of the masters: Edith Wharton’s “Mrs. Manstey’s View.” It starts off with what seems like a simple story of an old woman who enjoys the view from her apartment — that is, until a neighbor decides to build an extension.

Hughes tells of some gangster upstarts who try to start their own club in Harlem in “Spanish Blood.” It’s not only a story of a man who thinks he is better than his surroundings, but what happens when you let things go to your head. Jerome Weidman’s “My Aunt from Twelfth Street” is about a young man who visits his aunt, who lives a few blocks away from the other relatives at a time when people of certain ethnic groups stuck together, while Runyon shows that some bad guys do have a soft side in a tale of a shot-up gangster and the stray cat he makes friends with, in “Johnny One-Eye.” Evan Hunter’s short little story called “The Last Spin” deals with two gang members playing a very dangerous game. The section closes with Woolrich’s “New York Blues,” which is probably the best story to get people turned onto his work, since it hits every note that his writing is associated with; it does not end happy.

The second section moves into poetry, starting with the aforementioned Poe, followed by Horace Gregory, whose works from his CHELSEA ROOMING HOUSE collection are not your typical poetry fare, since they deal with characters such as Longface Mahoney and Bridgewater Jones. Closing out this section is a selection of poems from Geoffrey Bartholomew, telling tales of people like Jimmy Fats and Misyck, the Night Watchmen. I’m no poetry expert, but these pack enough of a story in their few stanzas that you get a clear vision of their characters.

The final section contains tales that go from 1969 to 2008, starting with Jerrold Mundis’ story of a gun owner who knows the decision he has to make long in advance, while Donald E. Westlake provides a bit of humor amid insurance claims and marriage in “Love in the Lean Years.” Joyce Carol Oates’ “A Manhattan Romance” is told through the eyes of a young girl who witnesses her father’s evil ways through childhood’s innocent eyes. Since these stories are quite short, it ruins the whole point to explain this plot any further.

Block includes one of his own pieces, “In for a Penny,” which plays so well on that title at the end of this killing-based story. The newest contribution is by Susan Isaacs, and a great one to close out the collection: “Two Over Easy,” about a long-married couple who have had enough of each other, going to the point of ending their relationship permanently. To go further spoils its black humor.

MANHATTAN NOIR 2 is a perfect introduction to anyone who always wanted to a get a foothold into mystery reading. Not only will it entice new readers, but old hardened ones as well, since this book is packed with gems that most might never have read, while also exposing some new talent that might not be classic yet. But give them a few years. It’s perfectly put together, with barely a wasted word. If there were ever a writer you could truly trust to edit a noir collection, Block is not a bad choice. —Bruce Grossman

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• BALTIMORE NOIR edited by Laura Lippman
• LAS VEGAS NOIR edited by Jarret Keene and Todd James Pierce
• TRINIDAD NOIR edited by Lisa Allen-Agostini and Jeanne Mason

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF LAWRENCE BLOCK:
• THE BURGLAR IN THE LIBRARY by Lawrence Block
• THE BURGLAR IN THE RYE by Lawrence Block
• THE BURGLAR WHO THOUGHT HE WAS BOGART by Lawrence Block
• THE CANCELED CZECH by Lawrence Block
• A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE by Lawrence Block
• A DIET OF TREACLE by Lawrence Block
• THE GIRL WITH THE LONG GREEN HEART by Lawrence Block
• GRIFTER’S GAME by Lawrence Block
• HIT AND RUN by Lawrence Block
• HIT PARADE by Lawrence Block
• LUCKY AT CARDS by Lawrence Block
• ME TANNER, YOU JANE by Lawrence Block
• ONE NIGHT STANDS AND LOST WEEKENDS by Lawrence Block
• THE SCORELESS THAI by Lawrence Block
• TANNER ON ICE by Lawrence Block
• TANNER’S TIGER by Lawrence Block
• TANNER’S TWELVE SWINGERS by Lawrence Block
• TANNER’S VIRGIN by Lawrence Block
• THE THIEF WHO COULDN’T SLEEP by Lawrence Block

Related posts:

1. Trinidad Noir
2. The Burglar in the Rye
3. One Night Stands and Lost Weekends
4. Hit and Run
5. Hit Parade