Trinidad Noir

June 2, 2008
The volumes in Akashic's locale-based noir anthology series set outside North America (Dublin Noir
, etc.) offer more variety than those set in different major U.S. cities, and this one is no exception. The editors' brief but insightful introduction makes clear that the sun and sea tourist image of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is at odds with the country's “political climate of excess and corruption” and “an element of society afloat in drugs and guns.” While one entry, Robert Antoni's “How to Make Photocopies in the Trinidad & Tobago National Archives,” mostly comprising stream-of-consciousness letters to “mr. robot,” may be tough going for noir fans who prefer traditional storytelling, the other 17 stories are solid. The two standouts are Keith Jardim's mystical “The Jaguar” and Lawrence Scott's “Prophet,” in which a series of child disappearances in a small but corrupt community builds to an appropriately bleak ending.

February 15, 2009
Trinidad Noir is the best of the international entries in Akashics series. Covering the entire island of Trinidad, the stories take readers from the steamy jungle countryside to the tropical beaches and on to the city streets of the capital, where political intrigue thrives. The storiesevoke an atmosphere so strong the reader can practically feel the heat, smell the marijuana, and hear the calypso music. The authors do an especially good job with the dialogue, portraying the speech rhythms and slang of the distinctive Caribbean island.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)