Few cities are as well suited to the Noir genre as Detroit, with its embattled inner city & history of urban decline & blight, & the editors have assembled a talented lineup to do it justice with 16 original short stories. The always superb Loren D. Estleman starts the anthology off on a high note with his spare hard-boiled whodunit short, Kill the Cat. The constantly simmering background threat of violence informs two very different but equally accomplished tales: Joyce Carol Oates`s Panic & Detroit Free Press columnist Desiree Cooper`s Night Coming. The editors also include some well-done period pieces, like the 1950s-era The Coffee Break by Detroit News business editor Melissa Preddy, & their discerning selections maintain Akashic`s excellent track record.