Hamburg Noir

This is a solid … collection of dark tales written around the German city of Hamburg … You may not have heard of most or even any of these writers but most assuredly you will remember their tales of Hamburg long after you close the covers of this engrossing assortment of their talents.– “Deadly Pleasures”
[A] vivid and memorable portrait of Hamburg’s seedy past and present.– “Publishers Weekly”
Hamburg, the metropolis on the River Elbe, has always been an important trading city, a gateway to the world, a center for musicals, and a tourist magnet. But there are other sides to Hamburg [and] the editor of this volume shows this in his fourteen short stories by renowned authors … These are short crime stories, but they are also character and milieu studies, masterfully and pointedly told, despite and precisely because of their brevity, and they cast a spotlight on Hamburg’s dark side. Absolutely worth reading, even if you don’t live on the Alster, and therefore recommended to all readers.– “EKZ”
Even the supposedly ‘most beautiful city in the world’ has its dark sides. This well-edited anthology impressively shows them in literary form. Powerful stories: Hamburg from below.– “Hamburger Abendblatt”
Fourteen new stories emphasize the contrast between Hamburg as a home for the affluent and ‘a place for the stranded’ … Hamburg certainly deserves a ‘noir’ to call its own, and Karsten is clearly happy to provide one.– “Kirkus Reviews”
Diversity is the hallmark of the series. While ostensibly dark tales of crime and despair, the genius of the series lies in its ability to use such an uncharacteristic point of entry to convey the identity and essence of a place with remarkably poignant accuracy.– “PopMatters”
Hold the eggnog: What you need is a draft of ‘edgy fatalism and sexy recklessness, ’ of flashy crime, gallows humor, and ‘desperate deals with a variety of devils, ’ served up every year since 2004 by the editors of Akashic Books’ brilliant noir anthologies. From Brooklyn to Boston, from Phoenix to pre- and post-Katrina New Orleans, each volume in the series reveals a city’s distinctive inner darkness.– “O, The Oprah Magazine”
Over the past few years, some of the best collections of short stories have been the Noir anthologies published by Akashic … To me, these collections are total gems, a quality read from some of today’s best authors.–Oline Cogdill “Sun-Sentinel”

JAN KARSTEN is the publisher and editor of CulturBooks, an award-winning independent publishing house based in Germany that specializes in contemporary international literature and crime fiction and has twice won the Deutsche Krimipreis award. Karsten also translates literature from English, including works by Keith Gessen, Carl Nixon, and Kathryn Scanlan. He lives in Hamburg.

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