Cleveland Noir [Paperback]

What do you get when you put some of the most well-known authors in Northeast Ohioa list that includes Dana McSwain, Paula McLain, Michael Ruhlman and Thrity Umrigartogether for a spooky story collection? Fifteen new tales of murder and mayhem as diverse as the city that spawned them . . . Ruhlman and Headen draft an outstanding crew of writers to chronicle the misery of folks who can't get out of their own ways. Cleveland, a city of extremes, is a near-perfect location for these dark tales of deception, violence, and despair . . . All of the stories are tied in well with place, and the range of approaches is admirably wide. VERDICT One of the best in a very good series, this title should fly off the shelves. The best entries in the collection shy away from pat scenarios entirely . . . [T]here's Mary Grimm's 'Over the Hill,' in which an obsessed lover searches high and low for his woman on Halloween nighta woman who may actually be a witch. Gassed up on grungy, gritty storytelling, the tale is both a vivid journey into Cleveland's Flats, a neighborhood perched on the side of a cliff (and imminent disaster), and a love story where no one dies, but sex feels an awful lot like death. Moments like these remind us why Akashic's noir series are enjoyable and sometimes surprising; James M. Cain himself would have approved. Michael Ruhlman and his coeditor Miesha Wilson Headen, who also penned a story for the book, have curated a helluva lineup. Cleveland Noir comprises a variety of styles and moods that push the genre's potential and add texture to the city's terrain. One need not be a local to enjoy it. In fact, read it even if you don't know the citylet it be your dark guide. The vivid visuals each author brought to