Andrew Welsh-Huggins

This is a noir thriller set in rural Ohio about a very bad guy and a woman who wants him out of her family's life. Was this as well written as the last Midwestern noir book I read, The Houseboat? I'd stay that stylistically, no, it wasn't. But it had a more compelling story, and the characters seemed more real and fully fleshed out to me. I was particularly caught up in Penny's odyssey as she hunted down Pryor's whereabouts, but the triangle of Penny, the very bad Pryor, and the sheriff's deputy who enters the story in an unexpected way held my attention and kept me reading. So I did think this was a better book, at least if a fast-paced thriller is what you're looking for. There were a couple of bits at the end that seemed a tad heavy-handed, but by that point, those were only minor quibbles.… (más)

The End of the Road is written by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. Mr. Welsh-Huggins is a prominent journalist and writer from the Columbus, Ohio area. He is best known (by me!) for his Andy Hayes series (Andy Hayes is a disgraced ex-Ohio State football player turned detective) and his editing of Akashic Books’ Columbus Noir, an anthology series of noir stories from different cities, states, areas, countries around the world. His short story pieces have appeared in numerous crime & mystery magazines.
His piece for Crime Reads, “Seeking Crime Fiction Inspiration from the Odyssey” is so interesting, so wonderful, I have read it over and over again.

The End of the Road is the epitome of Noir. Noir is a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. Noir features ‘hard-boiled’ (my favorite Noir adjective), cynical characters and extremely bleak and sleazy settings. Dark, brooding, raw - Noir has been described as “Whiskey neat”.
The End of the Road is also inspired by the Odyssey.

Out of prison for one day, Myles is shot by Pryor for refusing to drive in a bank robbery. Myles’s partner, Penny, is desperate - knowing she, Myles and their young son, will never be free of Pryor unless he is dead. Thus begins Penny’s Odyssey of vengeance.

I am a big fan of Mr. Welsh-Huggins’ work. *****… (más)

A Smith & Wesson with a side of Chorizo is written by Andrew Welsh-Huggins.
The title is a novella (or long short story) and is Episode 18 of the serial Guns and Tacos.
Guns and Tacos is published by Down & Out Books and created and edited by Michael Bracken and Trey R. Barker.
Each episode (or novella) features the story of a Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems; a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. This taco truck in Chicago is known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. It isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the ‘special order’.

This particular novella is quite gritty; suspenseful; serious, serious Noir; a very hard-boiled mystery; fast-moving. A Smith & Wesson with a side of Chorizo is a revenge story on steroids.

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is a favorite author of mine. He works as an Associated Press reporter in Columbus, Ohio; an author of the Andy Hayes private eye series featuring a former (disgraced) Ohio State Quarterback turned investigator; an editor of Columbus Noir published by Akashic Books; author of short story mystery fiction; and author of the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio. Whew! Quite a resume!

Individual titles in the series Guns and Tacos are available or in compilation volumes. They are in Kindle format. I recommend this title and series *****… (más)

Counting Columbus Noir, I have only read three of volumes from Akashic Book's award-winning noir anthology series. One of the things that I enjoy most about the series is the sense of place that each collection attempts to convey—even if it tends to be a darker side of those places than one might normally expect to encounter. With the previous volumes I read, São Paulo Noir and Hong Kong Noir, I appreciated the opportunity to read stories about places that I've never had the chance visit. Columbus Noir appealed to me for a different reason, however: I'm actually familiar with Columbus, having grown up nearby in rural Ohio. Reading Columbus Noir was an engaging experience since I was able to recognize many of the locales and reflections of the city's character in the stories. (In a way it was fun for me, although "fun" may not be the exact term I'm looking for considering the genre.)

Columbus Noir is edited by Andrew Welsh-Huggins who has collected fourteen stories from fourteen contributors with connections either to Columbus specifically or to Ohio more generally: Robin Yocum, Kristen Lepionka, Craig McDonald, Chris Bournea, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Tom Barlow, Mercedes King, Daniel Best, Laura Bickle, Lee Martin, Yolonda Tonette Sanders, Julia Keller, Khalid Moalim, and Nancy Zafris. While I recognized some of these authors, I was a little surprised by how many were completely new to me. But, then again, being introduced to new authors is another reason I enjoy reading anthologies. In general, Columbus Noir a solid anthology, the authors frequently exploring some of the more uncomfortable truths of the city and offering interesting perspectives into the lives lived there.… (más)