Dallas Noir (Akashic Noir)
In contrast to most entries in Akashic's noir series, the Dallas volume lacks a strong sense of place. While the better tales among the 16 selections satisfy, a number read as if their authors were given a class assignment to write a noir story. Harry Hunsicker's slick The Stickup Girl chronicles the efforts of a descendant of Bonnie Parker to follow Bonnie's example, with her sister for a partner in crime. Daniel J. Hale's In the Air includes an unusual frame-up. James Hime's Texas Ranger captain, Jeremiah Spur, handles a killer with his usual panache in Like Kissing Your Sister. Fran Hillyer strikes a powerful chord with An Angel from Heaven, about a special caretaker. A woman seeks revenge on her ex-husband in Suzanne Frank's Miss Direction, but nothing goes according to her careful plans. Other contributors include Matt Bondurant, Oscar C. Peña, Clay Reynolds, Kathleen Kent, and Catherine Cuellar. (Nov.)