Description

American Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to US Crime Fiction, Film & TV by Barry Forshaw

In American Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to US Crime Fiction, Film & TV, Barry Forshaw, the author of Nordic Noir, Brit Noir, and Euro Noir, tackles the largest and, some might argue, the most impressive body of crime fiction from a single country, producing the perfect reader’s guide to modern American crime fiction.

The word “noir” is used here in its loosest sense: every major living American writer is considered (including the giants Harlan Coben, Patricia Cornwell, James Lee Burke, James Ellroy, and Sara Paretsky, as well as non-crime writers, such as Stephen King, who stray into the genre), often through a concentration on one or two key books. Many exciting new talents are highlighted and Barry Forshaw’s knowledge of—and personal acquaintance with—many of the writers grants valuable insights into this massively popular field. But the crime genre is as much about films and TV as it is about books, and this book is a celebration of the former, as well as the latter. American television crime drama in particular is enjoying a new golden age, and all of the important current series are covered here, as well as key recent films.