Queens Noir

November 12, 2007
The ethnically diverse New York borough of Queens is the setting for this solid entry in Akashic’s noir anthology series (Brooklyn Noir
, etc.). Rather than featuring big name authors only loosely connected to Queens, Knightly has brought in a crew of local writers that includes many unknowns. The result is a satisfying if unspectacular volume, with protagonists ranging from a young woman out for revenge (Denis Hamill’s “Under the Throgs Neck Bridge”) to a trigger-happy cop protecting her cousin from an abusive ex-husband (Stephen Solomita’s “Crazy Jill Saves the Slinky”). The husband-and-wife team writing as Tori Carrington (Sofie Metropolis
) weighs in with a gritty whodunit set in a Greek diner in “Last Stop, Ditmars.” The standout by far is “Hollywood Lanes” by Megan Abbott (The Song Is You
), a bleak and masterful story of passion and betrayal set in a Forest Hills bowling alley. There’s plenty to enjoy here for Akashic completists and anyone who’s ever cheered (or jeered) the Mets.