Akashic Books Ignition: 146 books

Sixteen stories reveal the dark side of Arizona’s capital, including tales from #1 New York Times–bestselling authors Lee Child and Diana Gabaldon. Even a desert metropolis has its share of cold-blooded criminals. Along with suburban sprawl, Phoenix is home to shady developers, police corruption,...

A young widow must face the truth about her family—and herself: “At once a suspenseful mystery and a superlatively gripping story of self-discovery.” —Shelf Awareness When Merryn Huntley is told by Dallas police that her wealthy husband has been killed in a car accident, along with...

A girl comes of age in Paris with her expatriate family—and struggles with sibling rivalry—in a “delightful” novel that “captures the essence of childhood” (Library Journal). Based on the author’s life with her famous father, novelist James Jones, A Soldier’s Daughter Never...

“A wide-ranging collection from the beloved but besieged Caribbean island,” from a lineup of authors including two National Book Award finalists (Kirkus Reviews). “The Haitian-born Danticat has brought her country’s literature back into the world of English-speakers. Filled with delights...

“For such a sun-stoked place, Miami sure is shady . . . this batch of dirty deep South Florida fiction might just send you packing . . . your own heat.” —SunPost Don’t let the fabulous weather, the beach bodies, and the high-end boutiques fool you. There is a darkness to Miami that...

An Iranian American returns home to help a friend and finds his life in danger: “Remarkable . . . a smart, eloquent novel.” —Dalia Sofer, author of The Septembers of Shiraz The year is 2008. Reza Malek’s life is modest but manageable—he lives in a small apartment in Harlem, teaches...

A haunted ex-con returns to his hometown: “Fans of hard-boiled pulp fiction will particularly enjoy this novel” (Booklist). Luce Lemay is out on parole three years after an awful tragedy sent him to prison. In his small Illinois town, he does his best to find hope: in a new job at the local...

“Fourteen uniformly strong stories in [this] outstanding noir anthology devoted to Russia’s second city . . . an ideal backdrop for crime fiction.” —Publishers Weekly The origins of St. Petersburg’s rich noir tradition come from the city’s history, urban landscape, and the weather....

“Crane seems to be carving out a younger, brassier, less dystopic territory to complement the fiction of George Saunders and David Foster Wallace.” —The Quarterly Conversation In her third short story collection, following When the Messenger is Hot and All This Heavenly Glory, Elizabeth...

“The truest kind of story: about the inconvenience of love, and the choices people make when they’re most afraid” (Amanda Stern, author of Little Panic). Sarah Marker, an artist who ekes out a living teaching at a fancy Connecticut high school, hasn’t seen her husband in seven years....

“This book is a chance to get a fix on some of India’s best crime writers” (The Globe and Mail, Toronto).   These fourteen original stories, from some of India’s most outstanding literary talents, take you into a world of sex in parks, male prostitution, and vigilante rickshaw drivers. Set...

A police sharpshooter with Asperger’s syndrome is tasked with cleaning up the streets of Mumbai in this “gripping thriller” (Booklist). In recent decades, ostensibly to combat the rising tide of criminality in Mumbai’s underworld, the Indian Police Service has carried out many hundreds...

Gritty crime fiction filled with dark Irish wit from Eoin Colfer, James O. Born, Laura Lippman, and many more. The Irish master of noir Ken Bruen—and an all-star lineup of award-winning authors from both sides of the Atlantic—shine a light on the dark streets of Dublin in this collection...

Stories of crime and corruption set in this Caribbean country by Edwidge Danticat, Roxane Gay, Dany Laferrière, and more.   These darkly suspenseful stories offer a deeper and more nuanced look at a nation that has been plagued by poverty, political upheaval, and natural disaster, yet endures even...