Trinidad Noir

Trinidad Noir delivers all the crime a reader expects from Akashic's

Noir Series: murder, kidnapping, rape, drugs, prostitution, theft, extortion,

and more. Yet in fictionalizing crime in the real crime setting of Trinidad,

acclaimed authors Lawrence Scott, Robert Antoni, Elizabeth Nunez, Oonya

Kempadoo, Ramabai Espinet, Keith Jardim, Tiphanie Yanique, Willi Chen, and

others have created a decidedly literary noir collection.

These authors' quality characterizations, plots, and styles concurrently

reveal the country's darkness and its appeal with an unexpected and gratifying

result: In their captivating and occasionally humorous stories, the Trinidad

that emerges is as intriguing and contradictory as the island and its people.

Trinidad Noir is as much a delightful crime romp as it is an expose of

the seedy side of life.

Lisa Allen-Agostini is a poet, playwright, and fiction writer from

Trinidad and Tobago. She is the author of a children's novel, The Chalice

Project (forthcoming, 2008). An award-winning journalist, she is the

Internet editor and a columnist with the Trinidad Guardian.

Jeanne Mason is a freelance editor who also writes short stories and

poetry. She has lived in Paris, France, where she edited medical articles for

U.S. and U.K. journals. She currently resides in Trinidad and

Tobago.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

PART I: COUNTRY"Pot Luck" LISA ALLEN-AGOSTINI (Sans Souci)"The

Rape" KEVIN BALDEOSINGH (Couva)"The Funeral Party" SHANI MOOTOO (San

Fernando)"Dougla" REENA ANDREA MANICKCHAND (Caroni Swamp)"Norwegian

Blues" RAMABAI ESPINET (Santa Cruz)"Betrayal" WILLI CHEN (Godineau)"Bury

Your Mother" JAIME LEE LOY (Palmiste)"Standing on Thin Skin" OONYA KEMPADOO

(Maracas)

PART II: TOWN"Woman Is Boss" ELISHA EFUA BARTELS (Diego

Martin)"Prophet" LAWRENCE SCOTT (Maraval)"How to Make Photocopies in the

Trinidad Tobago National Archives" ROBERT ANTONI (Uptown

Port-of-Spain)"The Best Laid Plans" DARBY MALONEY (San Juan)"The Jaguar"

KEITH JARDIM (Emperor Valley Zoo)"Eric's Turn" RIAN MARIE EXTAVOUR

(Tunapuna)"Lucille" ELIZABETH NUNEZ (St. James)"Peacock Blue" VAHNI

CAPILDEO (Fort George)"Dark Nights" JUDITH THEODORE (East Dry

River)"Gita Pinky Manachandi" TIPHANIE YANIQUE (Chaguaramas)