Short stories are the poetry of prose. They are precise, cut to the bone, every word a necessity. Not many authors develop that control. Libby Fischer Hellmann has the hand of a master. The stories in this first volume of Nice Girl Does Noir have all been published previously in traditional venues. They’re unified by the presence of two remarkable women: Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis. Anyone familiar with Libby’s novels knows these names. The two characters are different in history, family, appearance, and outlook, but they’re alike in the ways that matter. They care about justice. They’re fiercely protective of those they love. They can’t let a mystery go uninvestigated nor a crime unsolved. And they’re always struggling to be better than they fear they are. Take it from a guy who knows her well: Libby is a nice girl. But she writes noir with a savvy edge honed on the hard, dark knowledge of the evil possible in us all. With each story she opens a door to a room that holds a demon—bigotry and politics in her award-winning debut effort “The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared”, greed in “Common Scents”, deadly desire in “A Winter’s Tale”—and with prose too damn good to resist, she seduces us inside. So you should probably take this not only as an invitation but also as a warning. If you choose to read on, I can guarantee that Libby’s stories will take you places nice people don’t often go. CONTENTS: Approx 24,000 words THE DAY MIRIAM HIRSCH DISAPPEARED, 2000 An Ellie Foreman Story COMMON SCENTS, 2004 A Georgia Davis Story THE LAST RADICAL, 2001 An Ellie Foreman Story A WINTER’S TALE, 2005 An Ellie Foreman Story THE MURDER OF KATIE BOYLE, 2009 A Georgia Davis/Ellie Foreman Story