Introduction
Top-shelf noir
Part I
The old school
A council of state
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Avey
by Jean Toomer
Trouble with the Angels
by Langston Hughes
The man who killed a shadow
by Richard Wright
Part II
Burning down the house
The last days of Duncan Street
by Julian Mayfield
Washington
by Julian Mazor
Cast a yellow shadow
(excerpt)
by Ross Thomas
Reflecting
by Rhozier “Roach” Brown
Nora
by Ward Just
Our bright tomorrows
by Larry Neal
Part III
In the shadows of Federal City
Kiss the sky
by James Grady
The dead their eyes implore us
by George Pelecanos
A rich man
by Edward P. Jones
Wonderwall
by Elizabeth Hand
Christmas in Dodge City
by Benjamin M. Schutz
After
(excerpt)
by Marita Golden
About the contributors