“Among them these writers encompass, if not a Baghdad entire, then at least a Baghdad of diverse experiences and perspectives, and absolutely a Baghdad focused on the Arabic world and not the Western.”
—NPR Books

“This anthology’s status as perhaps the first collection of Iraqi crime fiction ever published makes it a landmark.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Baghdad Noir, edited by Samuel Shimon as part of the Akashic Noir series, is an anthology of crime stories exploring contemporary life in the capital city, and the effect of Sadaam Hussein’s regime, U.N. sanctions, the fracturing of Iraqi society during U.S. occupation and the war waged by ISIS. In true noir fashion, these stories are tantalizing whodunnits that reveal the daily struggles of regular people against the surreal backdrop of kidnappings and car bombs.”
—Shelf Awareness for Readers, included in “From My Shelf” column

“A riveting collection of stories by writers based in Iraq and abroad, edited by Samuel Shimon.”
—Kirkus Reviews, featured in Radha Vatsal’s International Crime Fiction Column, “Is Noir Possible in Iraq? On International Crime Fiction, Part I”

“Including literary heavyweights such as Ahmed Saadawi, whose novel Frankenstein in Baghdad was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize, Baghdad Noir offers a unique opportunity to explore the inventive genius of various authors and to read haunting stories set in a rich and diverse city.”
—Arab News

“Baghdad Noir is a monumental achievement for Akashic’s long-running Noir series. The collection goes so far beyond the Iraq most of us have been exposed to over the last twenty years and offers up a vision of this important world city in all its complexity and humanity. Crime fiction may not have a long tradition in Iraqi literature, but the authors assembled here by editor Samuel Shimon embrace the finest noir traditions by shining a critical, incisive light on their city, ravaged by war and discord but full of moments of life and hope, some fulfilled, others crushed. This is a vital book, in every sense of the word.”
—CrimeReads, included in The Best International Crime Fiction of 2018

“Characters in this collection are frequently on the receiving end of unpleasant epiphanies. And as this engaging group of stories amply demonstrates, betrayal — whether by authorities, religious leaders, neighbors, colleagues, or liberators — is a subject that Iraqis know all too well.”
—Los Angeles Review of Books

“Most of the 14 entries in what the editor believes is probably the first collection of Iraqi crime fiction to focus on the aftermath of the 2003 American invasion are by contributors, 10 of them Iraqi, who will be unknown to U.S. readers.”
—Publishers Weekly, Fall 2018 Announcements

“The overall effect of this gathering of stories is kaleidoscopic: shifting fragments that, coming together in the collection, create a sense of Baghdad’s uneasily beating heart . . . It is a superbly multidimensional, many-voiced, defiant collection.”
—Banipal

“Characters in this collection are frequently on the receiving end of unpleasant epiphanies. And as this engaging group of stories amply demonstrates, betrayal — whether by authorities, religious leaders, neighbors, colleagues, or liberators — is a subject that Iraqis know all too well.”
—The National, UAE

“While each new addition to the Akashic World Noir series includes a moody image of the volume’s setting, Baghdad Noir, with its minaret shrouded in fog, is perhaps the best evocation of a city that’s undergone many a transformation, and an acknowledgment that this anthology (which took 10 years to come together) can only hint at the true experience of life in Baghdad.”
—Crime Reads, One of the Best Book Covers of 2018

“Baghdad Noir is a monumental achievement for Akashic’s long-running Noir series. The collection goes so far beyond the Iraq most of us have been exposed to over the last twenty years and offers up a vision of this important world city in all its complexity and humanity . . . This is a vital book, in every sense of the word.”
—CrimeReads, Included in August’s Best International Crime Fiction

“If any city qualifies for noir status today, it is strife-tattered Baghdad . . . The latest volume in Akashic’s “Noir series” maintains its high level of quality but adds a fillip: How do you address crime in a society that no longer has working protocols to cope with even the worst forms of violence?”
—Library Journal Xpress Reviews

“One of the newest additions to the massively expanding series, Baghdad Noir, details the chilling accounts of murders, crimes and those involved on both sides of the capers in one of the most war-torn cities worldwide.”
—Go Nomad

Included in ArabLit’s 5 to Look For in August 2018,