Saturday, May 10, 2008

Pg. 69: Anthony Neil Smith's "Yellow Medicine"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Anthony Neil Smith's Yellow Medicine.

About the book, from the publisher:
Deputy Billy Lafitte is not unfamiliar with the law—he just prefers to enforce it, rather than abide by it. But his rule-bending and bribe-taking have gotten him kicked off the force in Gulfport, Mississippi, and he’s been given a second chance—in the desolate, Siberian wastelands of rural Minnesota. Now Billy’s only got the local girls and local booze to keep him company.

Until one of the local girls—cute little Drew, bassist for a psychobilly band—asks Billy for help with her boyfriend. Something about the drugs Ian’s been selling, some product he may have lost, and the men who are threatening him because of it. Billy agrees to look into it, and before long he’s speeding down a snowy road, tracking a cell of terrorists, with a severed head in his truck’s cab. And that’s only the start.
Among the early praise for Yellow Medicine:
Yellow Medicine starts with one of the most memorable and engaging anti-heroes in recent memory. Mix in bent cops, a psychobilly band called Elvis Antichrist, meth cookers in the Minnesota sticks, and a truly nasty pack of wannabe jihadists. Add a liberal helping of guns, knives and explosives. Serve it up at a breakneck pace in Anthony Neil Smith's stripped-down, unflinching prose style. You're gonna love it. ”
—J.D. Rhoades, author of A Good Day in Hell

"In Yellow Medicine, Anthony Neil Smith delves into the psyche of a man driven by an outside-the-law concept of right and wrong. Billy is more anti-hero than good guy, with only his devotion to Drew as a saving grace. The plot has a noir feel to it that's heightened by the bleak winter setting, tough characters, and unrelenting suspense. Compelling writing drives this story to a satisfying, if bloody, conclusion."
—Mary Welk, Mystery Scene

"Plenty of action and the usual Smith weird take on things make this one something you'll want to grab as soon as it's in print and take your medicine."
Bill Crider
Learn more about Yellow Medicine and its author at Anthony Neil Smith's website and his MySpace page.

Anthony Neil Smith is also the editor of Plots With Guns and the author of Pyschosomatic and The Drummer.

"My Book, The Movie" -- Pyschosomatic.

The Page 69 Test: Yellow Medicine.

--Marshal Zeringue