The 18 stories in this irresistible sequel to Smith's New Orleans Noir run chronologically from Armand Lanusse's "A Marriage of Conscience" (1843), about an unusual social custom of the day, to Maurice Carlos Ruffin's "Pie Man" (2012), a powerful examination of ethnic tensions in post-Katrina New Orleans. Famous bylines punctuate the book, but even the lesser-known authors hold their own. Former New Orleans police office O'Neil De Noux's "The Man with Moon Hands" has particular relevance in view of recent controversial police shootings. Ace Atkins's "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" mixes New Orleans's traditions of music and crime. There's one outright ghost story, Poppy Z. Brite's "Mussolini and the Axeman's Jazz," a surrealistic swirl of time travel and assassination. Anyone who knows New Orleans even slightly will relish revisiting the city in story after story. For anyone who has never been to New Orleans, this is a great introduction to its neighborhoods and history. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Ten years after the publication of the original New Orleans Noir, Akashic's "Noir" series returns with a follow-up. Stories include classics such as Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and Eudora Welty's "The Purple Hat," as well as contemporary works by popular authors such as James Lee Burke and Nevada Barr. As with other volumes in the series, the stories are mostly dark character studies with an evocative sense of place. Arranged chronologically, the selections provide a glimpse into the Crescent City's evolving attitudes toward race, gender, sexuality, and class. Only one story directly discusses Hurricane Katrina (Burke's "Jesus out to Sea"), but the aftermath is very much a presence in the final pieces in the anthology. Each entry is strong, but the collection is worth reading alone for Poppy Z. Brite's "Mussolini and the Axeman's Jazz," a delirious and brutal ghost story. Verdict Strongly recommended for fans of the Akashic anthologies and Hard Case Crime mysteries and lovers of New Orleans fiction. Devotees of Southern gothic fiction (e.g., the works of Flannery O'Connor and Tom Franklin.) will also find much to enjoy.-Julie Elliott, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.