I always appreciate Kevin Tipple’s reviews of story collections. Today, he introduces us to The Amber Waves of Autumn: Noir Stories. Thank you, Kevin.

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