This collection of fifteen short stories by Iranian authors may not always be easy to read, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that Tehran Noir is not only a solid collection of crime stories, but it's also an illuminating depiction of day-to-day life in Iran complete with its religious, political, and racial tensions.

In Iran, the number thirteen is considered to be so unlucky that if that's your house number, it's shown as 12+1. Political tensions run so high that, if your loved one dies on the wrong side of the border, you can hire a "corpse fixer" to find the body and bring it to you for a proper burial. Afghans and Armenians are Iranians' choice for menial jobs, and the participants in a woman's stoning take photos with their cell phones in between sessions of rock-throwing.

The stories also show us a bank robbery and what led to it; Qesas, the brutal "eye for an eye" of Islamic law; two men in love with the same woman; investigative reporters; and what mothers will do to protect their children.

This is a culture that's very different from my comfortable existence here in the United States. I enjoy the Akashic Noir series because I love crime fiction, and there are plenty of solid crime-fueled stories to be found here, but what I've also found to be true is that the series also provides a look into other cultures, other customs, other points of view. This added insight is worth its weight in gold, above and beyond the talent shown in the collected short stories. ( )

As people who follow me know, I am very into the Akashic Noir series of books. This is my fifth or sixth review of a book in the series. The series focuses on a city or country and every story is written by a different author. I can’t recommend the series highky enough.

Tehran Noir was one of the best I have read so far. One of my the main reasons I enjoyed it so thoroughly is because it gives readers and alternate picture of Tehran from the people who live there. And everything you think you know about that city and Iran, you should pretty much toss out.

The book is divided into four parts: The Crime Pages, When a War’s Not Over, Proper Burial and The Executioners Song. Every story was strong and every one can stand on its own but I did have my favorites.

From The Crime Pages, I loved “Fear Is the Best Keeper of Secrets” by Rey. It is kind of an underworld story and it has a cast of characters that are so well drawn, you can imagine it as a movie. Great stuff.

In the next section, I loved “The Whitest Set of Teeth in Tehran” by Salar Abdoh. I just could not put the book down while I read that story. All of the stories in part two reflect life where war is the primary occupation of most people and how difficult it is to get to a peaceful place.

If you think women do not have power in Iran, I can disabuse you of that idea just by reading this book. They are leading a silent revolution and my favorite story in the whole book was “My Own Marble Jesus” by Mahsa Mohebali. That story was simply brilliant and spoke to the issues of all kinds of minorities in a country run by religion. So powerful and just a wonderful piece.

My second favorite was “The Restlessness of a Serial Killer at the Finish Line” by Shush. It was quite chilling and also very interesting. It is about death and it does have both a grim and grisly quality but I can highly recommend it.

The final section piece that I enjoyed was written set in what many in the Iranian community call Tehrangeles, which is Los Angeles. It is written from the point of view of an expat. Very entertaining.

Even with my favorites, there is really not a bad story in the bunch. I highly recommend this book. It provides a glimpse into a life and culture that too often is damned by slanted news media portrayals. Tehran is more than the news. ( )

I have read several of the Noir series, and Tehran is one of my favorite. It really gave me an idea of the beauty and darkness of the city, and some of the lives of the Iranians. The stories were by far some of the harshest to read in the Noir series, but it felt as though the writers were coming from a place as difficult and traumatic as the original writers of the first wave of noir fiction, survivors of the first world war. The stories were nicely varied in the authors and styles. I would highly recommmend Tehran Noir for fans of detective and pulp fiction. ( )

Ok... I am a sucker for short story collections. I found Tehran Noir to be another solid installment in the Noir setting. I enjoyed the sneak peak into another culture and writing scene. While I did not have a specific favorite story, I found that overall, I would read again, which is normally a key to whether I enjoyed the reading experience or more importantly enjoyed the book as a whole. I will update my review I reread the stories. ( )

I’m starting to get the idea that modern noir is not my cup of tea. A lot of these stories were uncomfortably gritty and overly violent for my taste. I guess that proves the stories were well done? Although, I hate to say it, I did think that the stories that were written in English were stronger and the writing was superior to the ones that were translated.

This is the second collection I’ve read from the Akashic Noir series and I am continued to be impressed by the ability of this series to transport me to a place and culture I’m unfamiliar with. In the case of this book, and Haiti Noir, I can say that I am glad that the transportation is limited to the literary realm. It is noir after all! ( )