Mexico City enters the Akashic Noir series arena, edited by one of Mexico's most revered novelists. “Set across Mexico City in a variety of neighborhoods, the stories feature a cast of characters as diverse as the city, from homeless people to young children to innocent passersby. This is a strong collection, both for the way it showcases outstanding short fiction in the noir style and for the way it demonstrates how a strong sense of place can drive a narrative.” —Booklist Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Brand-new stories by: Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Eugenio Aguirre, Eduardo Antonia Parra, Bernardo Fernández, Óscar de la Borbolla, Rolo Diez, Víctor Luiz González, F.G. Haghenbeck, Juan Hernández Luna, Myriam Laurini, Eduardo Monteverde, and Julia Rodríguez. The latest entry in Akashic’s Noir series is centered on one of the largest and most violent cities in the world, Mexico City. For readers unfamiliar with Mexico City’s distinctive culture of crime and corruption, a short foreword by editor Taibo, himself a critically acclaimed crime novelist, provides background and sets the stage for the 12 stories. Set across Mexico City in a variety of neighborhoods, the stories feature a cast of characters as diverse as the city, from homeless people to young children to innocent passersby. This is a strong collection, both for the way it showcases outstanding short fiction in the noir style and for the way it demonstrates how a strong sense of place can drive a narrative. Contributors feature editor Taibo and an array of lesser-known but talented Mexican writers, including Eugenio Aguirre and Julia Rodriguez. Definitely one of the better entries in a sometimes uneven series. --Jessica Moyer "With volumes devoted to numerous US cities and quite a few foreign capitals, it sometimes seems as if Akashic Books’ expanding line of noir story anthologies will wind up covering virtually every major metropolis on earth . . . The warped humor here, especially in Taibo’s contribution about the struggle for the soul of an embattled street corner, is part of the survival mechanism of people who have seen too much of life at its worst but must keep laughing anyway." ― San Francisco Bay Guardian PACO IGNACIO TAIBO II was born in Gijon, Spain and has lived in Mexico since 1958. He is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, which have been published in many languages around the world, including a mystery series starring Mexican Private Investigator Hector Belascoaran Shayne. He is the coauthor, with Subcomandante Marcos, of  The Uncomfortable Dead (What’s Missing is Missing)  and is the editor of  Mexico City Noir. He is a professor of history at the Metropolitan University of Mexico City. Mexico City Noir Akashic Books Copyright © 2010 Akashic Books All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-933354-90-3 Contents Introduction.......................................................................23Eduardo Antonio Parra I'm Nobody Narvarte.......................................36Bernardo Fernndez Private Collection Vallejo....................................44Paco Ignacio Taibo II The Corner Doctores........................................54F.G. Haghenbeck The Unsmiling Comedian Condesa...................................73Juan Hernndez Luna BANG! Roma...................................................82Eugenio Aguirre Judas Burning Calle Tacuba.......................................88Myriam Laurini Violeta Isn't Here Anymore Hipdromo..............................113scar De La Borbolla Outside the Door Barrio Unknown.............................121Rolo Diez A Squirrel without a Tree Centro Histrico.............................130Eduardo Monteverde God Is Fanatical, Hija San Fernando...........................153Vctor Luis Gonzlez Of Cats and Murderers Colonia del Valle.....................166Julia Rodrguez RENO Buenos Aires................................................172 Introduction Snow White vs. Dr . Frankenstein I Twenty-one million residents in the metropolitan area. An infinite city, one of the biggest in the world, a fascinating blanket of lights for those arriving on planes; a huge Christmas tree on its side-red, green, yellow, white; mercury, tungsten, sodium, neon. A city gone crazy with pollution, rain, traffic; an economic crisis that's been going on for twenty-five years. A city famously notable for the strangest reasons: for being the urban counterpoint to the Chiapas jungle; for having the most diverse collection of jokes about death; for setting the record for most political protests in one year; for having two invisible volcanoes and the most corrupt police force on the planet. Mexico is talked about more in jest than in earnest-how local law enforcement agents made martyrs of torturers in Argentin