Dashiell Hammett and William Vollmann are just two treats in this stellar sequel to the smash-hit original volume of  San Francisco Noir , which captures the dark mythology of a world-class locale. 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. Featuring stories by: Ambrose Bierce, Frank Norris, Mark Twain, Jack London, Dashiell Hammett, Fletcher Flora, Bill Pronzini, Joe Gores, Don Herron, Ernest J. Gaines, Marcia Muller, Oscar Peñaranda, Janet Dawson, Seth Morgan, Craig Clevenger, William T. Vollmann, and John Shirley. From the introduction by Peter Maravelis: “San Francisco is a town made for noir. Long before Hammett’s muse seduced him with fog and mist to pen  The Maltese Falcon , European explorers and Christian missionaries had already laid the groundwork for the genre. Just ask the Ohlone indigenous peoples. The city’s history is a shadowy one. It is founded upon the spilling of blood . . . With the release of the first volume of  San Francisco Noir , we brought together a team of seasoned writers to compose original works that gave the reader a sinister sense of the city. The success of that volume was encouraging and we have returned with a new task at hand: to present a collection of classic reprints, some hitherto buried by the passage of time, which depict a town riddled by inequity from its very beginnings . . . We see San Francisco reflected in these tales. A city haunted by the specters of its past―a past that is quickly fleeting, leaving little trace as it disappears into oblivion. Perhaps the final vestiges of this town will someday be found in this handy little volume of pulp. Enjoy it while you can, before it, too, returns to dust.“ PETER MARAVELIS is a native San Franciscan with a life-long involvement in the art and literary scenes. He programs the events calendar at City Lights Bookstore and is editor of both San Francisco Noir and San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics. He’s been known to occasionally moonlight with private investigators. San Francisco Noir 2 The Classics Akashic Books Copyright © 2009 Akashic Books All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-933354-65-1 Contents Introduction....................................................................................23Ambrose Bierce A Watcher By the Dead North Beach 1889........................................37Frank Norris The Third Circle Chinatown 1897.................................................47Mark Twain The Black Hole of San Francisco Portsmouth Square 1865............................50Jack London South of the Slot South of Market 1909...........................................73Dashiell Hammett The Scorched Face Telegraph Hill 1925.......................................120Fletcher Flora The Collector Comes After Payday Lower Market Street 1953.....................142Bill Pronzini Souls Burning Civic Center 1991................................................152Joe Gores The Second Coming San Quentin 1966.................................................165Don Herron Knives in the Dark Nob Hill 2002..................................................189Ernest J. Gaines Christ Walked Down Market Street Market Street 2005.........................200Marcia Muller Deceptions Golden Gate Bridge 1987.............................................227Oscar Pearanda The King Butcher of Bristol Bay Manilatown 2004..............................247Janet Dawson Invisible Time Union Square 1998................................................271Seth Morgan Street Court Outer Mission 1990..................................................289Craig Clevenger The Numbers Game The Sunset 2009.............................................307William T. Vollmann The Woman Who Laughed Tenderloin 1989....................................312John Shirley Ash The Mission 1991............................................................332 Introduction Chasing Shadows San Francisco is a town made for noir. Long before Hammett's muse seduced him with fog and mist to pen The Maltese Falcon , European explorers and Christian missionaries had already laid the groundwork for the genre. Just ask the Ohlone indigenous peoples. The city's history is a shadowy one. It is founded upon the spilling of blood. From its origins as a frontier boomtown to its ascent as an imperial financial giant, the city of Saint Francis has served as an inviting home to all manner of transgression and villainy. Drawn to the romantic landscape by the lure of possibility, millions have flocked here to cast their stakes in the hope for prosperity, pleasure, and a personal freedom seldom dreamed of elsewhere. Following the imperatives of manifest destiny, the city's pioneers engaged in fraud, larceny, kidnapping, and murder. The prospect of gold led many to their demise while establishing a terrain ruled b