Libido: Reviews: Noirotica 3

By Adrienne Benedicks
Erotica Readers Association

I read dozens of review copies. Often it feels as though I'm slugging through thousands of the same old same old with a little twist here and there. Noirotica 3 is like a breath of fresh air, although a raw and chilling one.

Writing styles run from post-modern to private-detectivese. Every story is about the dark side of the human condition; emphasis is, of course, on eroticism. What surprises me is that I like Noirotica 3. I expected pure harsh ugliness, demeaning, humiliating, insulting tales (we are talking about the dark side of humanity, after all). And yes, there are some like that and worse; twisted and degenerate, but the range of works is unexpected and unique, and always bad in a very exciting way.

One story I particularly liked, "Private Dick," by Sukie de la Croix, is hilarious. Fun in noir? How unexpected. "The Ghost of Her," by Trey R. Barker is heart-breaking and beautifully written. Thomas S. Roche's story, "The Last Words of Charlie Ballerina," is an edgy work as nearly all his stories are. That man can write a damn good tale.

"Syndromes," by Brian Hodge is another gem, about a gay 'personals' meeting gone very wrong. Clever of Roche to offer this story first. I was hooked after that. The quality of writing is excellent. My favorite authors didn't disappoint me; Bill Brent, M. Christian, Simon Sheppard and Maxim Jakubowski have stellar works in Noirotica 3.

If Black Books hadn’t send me a review copy, I may not have picked up Noirotica 3. And that definitely would have been my loss. There's nothing like broadening erotic horizons.