True Romance
edited by Troy Lambert & Vincent Zandri
DETAILS:
Publication Date: May 15, 2026
Format: e-Book
Length: 286 pg.
Read Date: July 1-17, 2026
You’ll also meet deep characters in dark places and maybe learn that love isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Or maybe it is…
What’s True Romance About?
Part of the blurb reads:
From quiet suburban rot to organized crime empires, from calculated seduction to explosive violence, these stories explore the dangerous intersection where love and darkness meet.
Because in noir, love isn’t salvation. It’s motive.
I wish I’d written that, because it’s such a great way to summarize this collection of noir short stories from some of the best I’ve read—like Reed Farrel Coleman and Paul D. Brazill; authors I’ve meant to read, like Frank Zafiro; to a bunch of people I’ve never heard of, but want to hear of again.
Each of these stories approaches the themes of darkness, love, lust, and romance in a different way. But all of them tell us something about the human condition—what we want it to be like, and what it really is.
So, what did I think about True Romance?
Part of me wants to take issue with the title for this—there’s very little Romance to be found here, not much love either. And sure, you can say, “well, that’s because it’s noir, HC.” And there’s a lot to be said for that. But it can be done. Know Me from Smoke by Matt Phillips is the only example I can come up with off the top of my head (which is embarrassing). Sure, it’s tricky—but it can be done.
Sadly, not by most of these authors. Paul D. Brazill’s “Red Esperanto” (which is just a cool title) probably has the best depiction of love (along with a hefty dose of lust, crime, and lying). Samantha Ripley probably comes closest to romance in “Killing in the Name Of” (but there’s a lot of violence, mayhem, and quips before that).
Most of the stories are about lust, love twisted into something else, love that’s very lost, or something else. This doesn’t mean they’re bad, they’re just not romantic. (eh, one exception—but every anthology has to have one. And each reader will pick a different one to qualify). Scott Kikkawa’s “The Buyout” is a fantastic story, but the love there…eh, I’m not sure it qualifies as romantic.
I’ve spent more words on that than I figured I would—whoops. And I still feel like I could go on—but I won’t. The writing is crisp and snappy. The stories are just twisted and noir enough to stick in your minds longer than they might otherwise. Some of these are real gems. Charles Salzberg’s “All for the Love” is written in the Second Person—which is normally a deal-breaker for me, but I didn’t really notice it until the penultimate paragraph—that’s an achievement. Zafiro’s “Ask Me Tomorrow” was just delicious.
I think I could do an entire post about Lawrence Kelter’s “Midnight Confession.” It caught me by surprise more than once.
Before I dig into each story—and I’m close to doing that, but I don’t think it’d serve the collection for me to do so—just know that this is a great anthology with some very strong stories, some decent ones, and a couple that got a “meh” out of me. Which, really, is all I’m looking for in a collection—even those that don’t really have a theme. So it really doesn’t bother me too much that this one doesn’t stick to the theme in the way I’d like it to (your results may vary, and probably will).
I’m so glad I read this and I encourage those who like a good crime fiction short story—particularly with a noir flavor—to check this out. You’ll be happy you did.
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