Local author Gale Massey, a contributor to “Tampa Bay Noir” at Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg. Photo courtesy Gale Massey.
Anyone who lives in the Tampa Bay area knows there are stories of intrigue here, just waiting to be told.
A new book, out August 4, collects crime and mystery short stories written by some of the best-known writers in the area for a new collection in the Akashic Noir series titled “Tampa Bay Noir.”
Akashic Books, a New-York based publisher, debuted its first book in the series, “Brook-lyn Noir,” in 2004 and has since published the Noir series in a variety of other cities and countries with authors like Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos and Joyce Carol Oates.
“Tampa Bay Noir” was edited by Colette Bancroft, book editor for the Tampa Bay Times, who also contributed a story. Other authors who wrote for the collection are well-known to Florida readers and include Ace Atkins, Michael Connelly, Tim Dorsey, Lori Roy, Karen Brown, Lisa Unger, Sterling Watson, Luis Castillo, Sarah Gerard, Danny Lopez, Ladee Hubbard, Gale Massey, Yuly Restrepo Garces and Eliot Schrefer.
Readers will not only recognize the authors but also locations around the Tampa Bay, from the beaches to the suburbs, and others in between. The location of each story is noted in the table of contents.
Gale Massey, the St. Petersburg author of the novel “The Girl From Blind River,” contributed a story to the anthology titled “Marked,” set in Pinellas Park.
“I hold a great deal of admiration for both Colette Bancroft and Akashic Books’ Noir series, so being asked to contribute a story to the Tampa Bay volume was very exciting. As an emerging writer, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to find myself in the company of such great authors. It’s an excellent collection of stories that people are really going to enjoy.”
Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg hosted a virtual book launch and panel discussion on August 4 featuring contributors Colette Bancroft, Gale Massey, Lisa Unger and Sterling Watson.
On August 9, Oxford Exchange in Tampa also presented contributors Colette Bancroft, Tim Dorsey, Lori Roy and Eliot Schrefer in a virtual event.
