Bemoaned by the likes of Rosemary Jenkinson, the market for such work has only grown over the years. And for good reason as our society is ripe for such exploration. Going from the historical battlefield of the Falls Road, through to the leafy suburbs of Dundonald and the grim, decaying streets of the Shore Road, there is a lot of scope here for writers to explore.
A lot of people just think noir means 'dark', but it's so much more than that. The best noir conjures up an amoral world where supposed heroes are more corrupt than the supposed bad guys and cynicism runs through every page. Hence why we’re the perfect place for the genre.
And with writers like Simon Maltman, the genre is in great hands.
On the go for over a decade, Malman has been prolific. With ten books to his name (a variety of short story collections as well as stand-alone novels and ones with recurring characters) he has made a name for himself in the ever-growing NI noir scene.
I’m of the view that good short story collections should be something that can be dipped into at leisure and enjoyed in isolation. The best ones, however, have a flow and rhyme to them that connect all the stories, no matter how disparate the writing style, and make the reader feel they're reading a proper novel. There are examples of such a thing: The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis, War All the Time by Charles Bukowski, Dubliners, Metamorphosis and Other Stories. It's an art form in itself, and a highly underrated one.
Therefore it gives me great pleasure to report that Short Grift is an excellent collection of tales that demonstrate that the best is yet to come from Maltman. Rich in atmosphere, in characters that both fascinate and repel as well as ideas, this is an exciting read.
Take the following example from ‘The Rider’ which opens the collection:
With the other hand, The Rider swiftly produced a Stanley knife and dug it into the man’s neck. He ripped it back out- the man’s face torn between shock, terror and pain. Blood spurted from the gouged hole. The Rider dug the knife in again.
Twice more.
Three times.
The man crumpled to the ground, clutching his spurting artery.
Soon he stopped moving.
The Rider walked off, back to the motel and to bed.
Notice how clipped and hard boiled the writing is, as if the narrator was trying to sound both bored and nonchalant at the same time? It’s a great combination and extenuates the brutality on the page.
Yet the next story is very different. Lush, philosophical and with a menacing undertone, ‘Under the Rowan Tree’ reflects its nature-oriented setting:
Rory spun around, his pulse quickening further. It had come from behind him, from up the bank. From where other local folk might have been digging a century ago. People digging for peat, digging for a way to keep themselves warm, to keep their families safe. Those people wanted to protect their families, just the same as people always have. Just like Rory wanted. Some things never change. Yes, those may have been simpler times, but had their hopes and dreams been any less important? Are we not all destined for the same fate? Will we not all make our way into the ground, one way or another?
This differing approach to writing styles may sacrifice consistency for individuality but it works in the collection’s favour as each story guarantees a different setting, a different perspective and a different adventure. And what adventures!
From deranged phone calls to sociopathic killers to ruminations on the past and much more, Short Grift has it all. Another welcome addition to NI noir.
Simon Maltman, Short Grift, 2026 Stone of the Hound Publishing. ISBN-13: 9798198542181
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist and is the author of A Vortex of Securocrats and “dethrone god”.
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