Tart Noir: An Anthology Book

Heroines, bad girls, murderesses have their day in this cheeky collection of short stories featuring 20 distaff crime writers and their protagonists--unabashedly politically incorrect and tough as Revlon-frosted nails. As the editors point out in their introduction, tart noir, like all versions of the genre, "can taste as sad and bitter at times as a pint of cheap gin in an after-hours bar." It can also be frankly erotic, like Val McDermid's tale of an obsession that ends in murder; fantastically compelling, like Vicki Hendricks's story about a woman and her dolphin lover; or coolly manipulative, like the well-mannered protagonist of Laura Lipman's recounting of a controlling husband and his resentful wife. While most of the authors are Brits who may not be too well known among American readers, their offerings are smart and snappy enough to send those making their acquaintance for the first time to the backlist in search of their earlier works. --Jane AdamsRead More