The Dark End of the Street
New Stories of Sex and Crime by Today's Top Authors
By Jonathan Santlofer and SJ Rozan
May 2010
$16.00
304 pp
5.5 x 8.25 in
Paperback
By Jonathan Santlofer and SJ Rozan
Bold, original new fiction from some of our greatest writers on two irresistible subjects: sex and crime.
In one fast-paced story, a strong and aggravated man considers the pretty woman at the bar while he fingers the knife in his pocket. But what becomes of his prey when they move to the bedroom? In another tale, a man remembers the victim of a ghastly murder who visited the same hair salon as he does. And a Don Juan of a protagonist has a hobby of marrying vulnerable women, getting access to their bank accounts, and then robbing them blind. But there is much more to this collection than dark-haired vixens and crimes of passion. Some stories are brooding, some twisted; some bring righteous satisfaction, some linger in the back of your mind. What is truly on display is an impressive collection of literary talent: a group of some of the best writers we have, weaving fresh and memorable stories from a pair of classic themes. Taken as a whole, they are a rare treat for fans of great fiction, whether it's high literature, good old-fashioned suspense, or anything in between. Original black-and-white art by artist/author Jonathan Santlofer completes this innovative, exciting, and irresistibly intriguing book-a true literary gem.Reviews for The Dark End of the Street:
“Jonathan Santlofer and S.J. Rozan have brought together an impressive group of contributors for THE DARK END OF THE STREET. This is airplane/beach/hotel reading at its best. Smart and entertaining.”—Los Angeles Times. Read full review.
"For this paperback original collection of “sex and crime” stories, the editors S. J. Rozan and Jonathan Santlofer, crime novelists themselves, invited contributors “from both banks of the stream dividing crime writing and literary writing.” (Mr. Santlofer, also an artist, did the illustrations.) That there is such a division seems an old-fashioned notion, and while some of these contributors are clearly on one side — Lee Child, Laura Lippman — others might fall midstream. Joyce Carol Oates , for one, can out-gothic most genre novelists. Lawrence Block’s “Scenarios” at first seems to be an all-too-familiar tale of sexual violence, while Mr. Child’s “Me & Mr. Rafferty” is its own house of mirrors. Edmund White is given the last word with a story set in a place that has made many want to kill — a college writing department."—The New York Times
“An original anthology of stories featuring spine-tingling stunners from such talented tale-tellers as Lawrence Block, Janice Lee, Stephen L. Carter, Lee Child, Patrick McCabe, and Francine Prose, The Dark End of the Street (Bloomsbury), edited by Jonathan Santlofer and S.J. Rozan, presents an elegant, eek-inducing case for seducing readers with kinky, cautionary yarns about sex and crime.” —Elle
"[A] superior anthology of 19 new stories 'on the twin subjects of sex and crime.'"—Publishers Weekly
"Nineteen new stories explore the undeniable connection between sex and crime. Represented are crime fiction luminaries Lee Child, Lawrence Block, Michael Connelly, and Val McDermid, among others. Block takes a standard sexual-predator-on-the-prowl scenario and gives it a half-dozen little twists on the way to a completely unexpected ending. Child, stepping out from his testosterone-heavy Jack Reacher thrillers, presents a tidy little character study about, well . . . it’s not whom it seems to be about. In “The Perfect Triangle,” Connelly’s lawyer-narrator takes a law student–stripper as a client and learns there are similarities in the professions. Janice Lee exposes the sexual and financial tensions faced by two couples who decide to get away for a country weekend. “The Beheading,” by Francine Prose, is a short, haunting tale of a child unhealthily obsessed with decapitation. Uniformly fine writing will attract readers familiar with the marquee authors and introduce them to a talented group of lesser lights."—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist.
John Searles did a summer reading segment on NPR's Weekend TODAY and included The Dark End of the Street.
