Indian Country Noir

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Brand-new stories by: Mistina Bates, Jean Rae Baxter, Lawrence Block, Joseph Bruchac, David Cole, Reed Farrel Coleman, O’Neil De Noux, A.A. HedgeCoke, Gerard Houarner, Liz Martínez, R. Narvaez, Kimberly Roppolo, Leonard Schonberg, and Melissa Yi.

From the introduction by Sarah Cortez:

＂Many who inhabit Indian Country love it, and they often stay after their time on Earth is done. Others have died trying to claim it. They continue to wander there in the endless circle of time. This book has stories by both Native and non-Native authors reflecting them all . . .

＂As you step back into the troubled history of Joseph Bruchac’s ＂Helper＂ and Liz Martínez’s ＂Prowling Wolves,＂ you will find yourself swept up by a fresh and powerful look into personal revisionist histories. It is, perhaps, not unpredictable that some of these tales show the narrator partaking in what appears to be an eminently satisfying dose of revenge . . . Two of the stories are breathtakingly lyrical in their approach and articulation of the hard price paid by some Indians for spiritual homelessness and transgression: Kimberly Roppolo’s ＂Quilt like a Night Sky＂ and A.A. HedgeCoke’s ＂On Drowning Pond＂ . . .

＂Before you journey with these talented authors through the north, south, east, and west of Indian Country, you might wish to reflect upon the words of the famous Oglala Lakota teacher Black Elk: ＂Birds make their nests in circles; we dance in circles; the circle stands for the Sun and Moon and all round things in the natural world. The circle is an endless creation, with endless connections to the present, all that went before and all that will come in the future.＂

Sarah Cortez, a law-enforcement officer, is the author of the poetry collection How to Undress a Cop. Winner of the 1999 PEN Texas Literary award in poetry, she has edited or coedited Urban-Speak: Poetry of the City, Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives, and Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery. Liz Martínez’s stories have appeared in Manhattan Noir, Queens Noir, Cop Tales 2000, and other publications. She is the author of The Retail Manager’s Guide to Crime and Loss Prevention; her articles about security and law enforcement have appeared in publications worldwide. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers.