In the introduction to Belfast Noir, editors Adrian McKinty and Stuart Neville point out that "few cities have had as disturbed and violent a history as Belfast over the last half-century." The dark legacy of the Troubles (when Protestants and Catholics clashed violently between 1968 and 1998) still looms large in Northern Ireland's capital city, and these works are full of this grim history.
McKinty and Neville have gathered a collection of noir short stories that plainly show the gritty, murky, disturbing side of Belfast: gun-smugglers and possible pedophiles, lunatics and hit men. The conflict is never far from anyone's mind, whether it's the socially awkward teenager obsessed with creating montages full of Republican heroes or the "Prod" parents concerned about their daughter's Catholic boyfriend. Some of the stories--like "Rosie Grant's Finger" by Claire McGowan, which stars a teenaged detective named Aloysius, and "The Undertaking" by Brian McGilloway--are quite funny. Gerard Brennan's "Ligature" and "Pure Game" by Arlene Hunt, on the other hand, are unsettling. As Lee Child has said, Belfast is "still the most noir place on earth."
Fans of the other genre anthologies in this Akashic series--such as Brooklyn Noir and London Noir--are sure to enjoy Belfast Noir, as will anyone with an interest in this complicated city. The works are short, allowing readers to savor each snippet or devour the entire compelling book in a day, depending on just how deliciously gloomy they're feeling. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm