Rating: 4 1/2 stars

I'm happy to report that DANGER CITY induced a nightmare. I was in "dealer school," and the teacher was using a unique teaching tool to drive home his lesson -- a giant jar with a partially embalmed, decomposing hand holding a bag of coke. In a very serious voice, he intoned "Don't steal from The Man."

In this wonderfully degenerate collection of thirteen short stories, losing a hand wouldn't be out of the norm. Losing an entire body isn't uncommon either, and some characters deserve to disappear. Populated by a diverse group of the best (and worst) in noir, the residents of DANGER CITY are more than willing to help that process along.

I have no choice but to review this book as a single cell organism, since I truly enjoy leaving the mystique of short fiction intact for the next unsuspecting tourist. Each of these contributions is an adventure in itself -- one may be hilarious when reality is turned on its head, while another vignette holds a gruesome, unpredictable outcome. When read straight through, it is an excellent blending of different voices from the same genre. Every expected element can be found in these stories, including the ubiquitous private detective in a trench coat.

If you're dead set on visiting this landscape, I can only impart two pieces of wisdom: don't steal from The Man, and don't trust a woman when it comes to money.