I have read many books in the Akashic Noir series, and this is one of the better ones. That may be because I am fond of the style of writing and the subject matter, but the stories were interesting and engaging. ( )

I have enjoyed several books of these Noir series which holds up well in this latest installment: Tel Aviv Noir. Edited by the critically acclaimed Etgar Keret these stories give the reader a glimpse of the underside of life that exists not just in Tel Aviv but in most cosmopolitan settings.

Like in any city there are businessmen cutting corners, gangsters taking advantage of others, and everyday people who get caught up in a web of suspense.

I recommend this volume to fans of suspense with an interest in present day Israeli life. ( )

This is a nice collection with a fairly wide range of stories. Some of them feel like true, hard-boiled, I'm-surprised-that-Philip-Marlowe-hasn't-showed-up-yet stories, while others are more akin to bizarre/weird/difficult to understand ghost stories. Although all of these stories do take place in Israel (mostly in Tel Aviv), the setting has more of a supporting role as opposed to the lead; most of these characters seem like they could be found in the underbelly of any big city. The stories "Sleeping Mask", "Swirl", "Allergies", and "Center" each struck me as being particularly strong, but I was happy to have read almost all of the chapters in this collection. ( )

A fascinating look look into the seedy underbelly of Israel's capital, this collection of short stories range from terrifying, to mystical to humorous. At a time when most of the world looks at Israel through the lens of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, this book is a great reminder of the fact that Israel is a nation of ordinary people. Religious, atheist, police and criminal, all kinds of people make an appearance here. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in either noir, or just getting a glimpse of the seedy underbelly of Israel. ( )

I really enjoyed this selection of stories, even though Noir is not normally my genre. I took the advise of another reviewer, and read these stories on at a time (one a day for me) which I think was helpful. In his introduction, explains that Tel Aviv Noir is a bit of a stretch, since Tel Aviv is a lovely, sunny, safe city, however, there is an underbelly. This book is about the underbelly; stories about criminals, drug-users, prostitutes, etc. Stories that make your skin crawl. That said, the scariest of the stories was the story by Keret himself, “Allergies,” which is about a seemingly regular, middle class, childless story.

Not all of these stories are winners, but the over-all quality is very high. Some of my other favorites: “”Sleeping Mask” by [[Gadi Taub]]; “Slow Cooking” by [[Deakla Keydar]] and “The Tour Guide” by [[Yoav Katz]] ( )