BRONX NOIR

As a born-and-bred Bronx boy, I have always been an unapologetic fan of my home borough.  From Mott Haven to Woodlawn, Riverdale to Throgs Neck, I suspect there is no intersection where I haven't dodged traffic against the light.  Reading BRONX NOIR was like crossing 19 of those streets, and stumbling down  shadowy, menacing alleys. 

Edited by S. J. Rozan, who contributes one story set in the Haupt Conservatory in the Botanical Gardens, these dark tales so thoroughly capture the setting, it was almost unsettling.  I was so familiar with the locale of each story, I could remember moments from my life when I walked down these blocks.  That sensation actually heightened my enjoyment of the tales.  Each writer was so diligent in capturing the smells, sounds and sights, that the stories completely surrounded me.  And what stories!  Whether skulking along the nave of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, or swaggering along Arthur Avenue, I found myelf living in the tales.

Live these stories yourself.  I hope you get lost on these mean streets too.

-Ray Norberto @ Paperbacks Plus; Bronx, New York