Patricia Powell

Dale's passionate relationship with Nevin is foundering. Hope and despair, jealousy and yearning battle within him. He must confront the antagonism of family, church and society to his homosexuality. A mysterious illness is threatening the gay community of late 1970s Jamaica. When Dale's friends succumb to it, his own isolation increases and he is pushed towards desperate action.

Gwennie lives in a sleepy rural Jamaican backwater. Weighed down by a wayward brood of children and trapped in her unhappy marriage to Walter, she seeks solace in the company of her friends. Soon she is faced with a hard choice: does she flee from her past and the everyday cruelties of family life, or is she to remain a victim of her sense of duty? Me Dying Trial is a poignant tale of a woman's response to sudden change. It combines lightness and joie de vivre with an infinite sadness.

Brand-new stories by: Dennis Lehane, Stewart O'Nan, Patricia Powell, John Dufresne, Lynne Heitman, Don Lee, Russ Aborn, Itabari Njeri, Jim Fusilli, Brendan DuBois, and Dana Cameron.Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, The Given Day) has proven himself to be a master of both crime-fiction and literary fiction. Here, he extends his literary prowess to that of master curator. In keeping with the Akashic Noir Series tradition, each story in Boston Noir is set in a different neighborhood of the city; the impressively diverse collection extends from Roxbury to Cambridge, from Southie to the Boston Harbor; and all stops in between. Lehane's own contribution—the longest story in the volume—is set in his beloved home neighborhood of Dorchester and showcases his phenomenal ability to grip the heart, soul, and throat of the reader.In 2003, Lehane's novel Mystic River was adapted into film and quickly garnered six Academy Award nominations (with Sean Penn and Tim Robbins each winning Academy Awards).