overll, excellent short stories based on noir principles, part of the extensive Akashic publishers series. ( )

Uneven collection of short stories, spotlighting Paris' underbelly. Sex, drugs, mental illness and murder abound. A bit too noir for me. ( )

I read about this series of noir books in a magazine and found this particular one in the library while I was nosing around in the mystery section. Paris Noir is not what one would consider traditional noir, but all of the stories certainly contained a noir undertone, although set in recent times. For example, 911, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Ipod's are all mentioned.

Each of the twelve stories takes place in a certain section of Paris, some at local cafes, others in train stations or dark and mysterious rues.

The Chauffer- a man tries to save the love of his life, a badly beaten prostitute

Christmas-a not so happy holiday season for two lovers arranging to meet in a neighborhood cafe, and what happens when a private detective happens to run into them.

La Vie En Rose-a sad tale of an 18 year old and her unfufilled dreams.

Didier Daeninckx- a reporter who tracks rumors on the internet and meets with an unfortunate end.

Some of these stories are better than other, a few are very graphic, and a few were "out there" but I enjoyed them all. I will look for more books in this Noir series. ( )