I continue to enjoy Akashic's series of short story anthologies that are set in locations around the world. The fourteen stories in Nairobi Noir are an excellent collection that had me moving from neighborhood to neighborhood within that city. As I moved from place to place, I met Somali refugees and Kenya Cowboys; I confronted life, death, poverty, and love, side by side with people from all walks of life.

There's not a single bad story in the entire collection, but I have to admit that two made a profound impression on me. "She Dug Two Graves" by Winfred Kionga is centered on a proverb about revenge, and it's one that I shall never forget: "When seeking revenge, dig two graves-- one for yourself." The second story is Kinyanjui Kombaru's "Andaki." This incredibly powerful story tells readers just what mothers will do to save and to protect their sons who have been falsely accused of crimes. Wow.

More than some of the other anthologies in this series, Nairobi Noir drew me into life in this city in Kenya-- an example of armchair travel at its very best. I look forward to my next trip with Akashic, and if you haven't tried any of the books in this series, I highly recommend that you do so. ( )

Another great bunch of short (noir) stories from the Akashic. This one of course is all from Nairobi, and makes one very leery about even wanting to visit the city. Since most of the stories dealt with dirty cops, it does suggest that it is a big problem to be so prevalent in the fiction, written by people who live there.

I keep reading these anthologies and I keep enjoying them. Great writers all.

I’m a big fan of Akashic Books’ Noir series. They feature a dozen or so stories about a city or state by authors native to the region. They are a wonderful way to do some armchair traveling and to be introduced to new authors as well as revisiting favorite authors.

This collection is one of my favorites of the series – from Peter Kimani’s Introduction giving a thumbnail sketch of this capital city of Kenya and its fifteen million people, to the diversity of the stories and authors, this volume hits the mark.

My favorite story was The Hermit in the Helmet, a cautionary folk tale by well known author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o; but whom I hadn’t read previously. He is one of several of the authors featured in this edition that I plan to read more of their work.

Overall, a very strong collection. Highly recommended. ( )

Pretty amazing stories written by Kenyan authors, all of whom were new to me. Based on what I read here, they won't be new to me for long! The series is noir so expect some grit and some violence, with some great, very real characters. Highly recommended. ( )