Received from the publisher, Kelp Books, LLC, through NetGalley long after the December 2024 publication date, The Amber Waves of Autumn: Noir Stories is an interesting read that certainly lives up to the title. Edited by David M. Olsen, several of the stories contain fantasy and horror elements while relating a noir style story. Others are more straight forward crime fiction style tales. The 17 stories in the book make use of the sea, directly or indirectly, as a backdrop to the characters and the events in the tale. Some of the stories that resonated with this reader were:

Bev Vincent’s short story, “A Tawny Brown Liveaboard” main character isn’t a fan of having to stay onboard a houseboat moored in San Diego’s Shelter Cove Marina. Travis McGee made it sound great in his novels. The reality has been far different and not nearly as positive. That was before the angry loud voices and the gunshot wake up call at three in the morning.

The only folks that refer to a certain area as “The Hamptons” are those folks not from there. Everybody born and raised, going back generations, still refer to it as Long Island. The occasionally cynical narrator of “Hampton Bays Tommy on the Backstairs” by Michael Newirth is on the job for East Hamptons PD. Late one night, or very early one morning as it depends on how you look at it, he is called out to an apparent murder. The victim used to be one of the top five criminal defense attorneys in New York City. Now he is just very dead. It is going to be a mess in more ways than one.

“Keller’s Therapy” by the legendary Lawrence Block is one of two reprints in the book. In this one, Keller is working various problems as they come up. Some of those problems are out of town. Some are local. All of them require planning and precautions as a man has to do what he has to in order to protect his secrets.

She thought she was doing a good thing in “Dead Calm” by Ruthie Marlenée. Phil is so not pleased when she shows up at the dock in Marina Del Rey. But, she is on the boat, he has a schedule to keep, and so they must make it all work.

While 2 of the stories are reprints, the other 15 are original for this anthology. All the tales in The Amber Waves of Autumn: Noir Stories are good ones. No doubt you will find several ones you very much like in this anthology edited by David M. Olsen.



My digital ARC was provided by the publisher, Kelp Books, LLC, through NetGalley and with no expectation of a review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Lots of interesting authors and excellent stories
Due to health issues cannot will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mineA more extensive review will follow

The Amber Waves of Autumn is an excellent collection of noir-themed stories. While they’re not connected, they all share a stunning, dark, beachy atmosphere. There are some definite 5-star standouts. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a stormy night, letting the crashing waves outside match the dark tension within its pages.

So many good novellas in this collection it actually blew my mind. I love the divrsity between the stories bit it still has a theme. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this book.

This had everything that I was looking for in a Noir collection of stories, it had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the way it worked in the theme. Each author wrote their story perfectly and had that feel that I was looking for in this type of book.

When asked to recommend an author, I typically offer up some of my favorite anthologies. These collections of short stories are written by some of the best authors in the genre plus many who will become great. These authors must flex their skills to write a complete mystery in fewer pages than most chapters in a novel. THE AMBER WAVES OF AUTUMN is a collection of beach noir. None of the stories are connected, yet they all share a dark picture of a visit to the beach. As always, some stories are better than others, but all of them will leave you searching for more by your favorites.