Yellow Medicine (Hardcover)

~ Anthony Neil Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deputy Billy Lafitte's ethically-flexible approach to law enforcement has led to his dismissal from the force in Gulfport, Miss., and the break-up of his marriage in this well-written if grim contemporary noir from Smith (The Drummer). Through the intercession of his brother-in-law, Lafitte has found a new job in remote Yellow Medicine County, Minn., but his continuing corrupt ways land him in all sorts of trouble, with a trail of bodies following in his wake. His involvement with some meth dealers leads him to cross paths with some Malaysian terrorists, who are plotting to strike at America's heartland. The terrorists frame Lafitte for some gruesome murders, using the knife he'd gotten from his father to decapitate some of their victims. Smith deserves credit for taking a risk by creating a character like Lafitte, whose private code of honor-if any-is far more obscure than an antihero like Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
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From Booklist

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a wiseacre southern deputy with vigilante overtones got himself transferred, thanks to Hurricane Katrina, to the frozen wastes of the Minnesota prairie? Probably not, but Smith, himself a Gulf Coast migrant to the northern flatlands, is determined to find out in this series debut that stars Deputy Billy Lafitte, a troubled transplant with a plethora of personal problems. His ex-wife and two kids, whom he professes to love devoutly, are sequestered by his in-laws Down South, leaving him no choice but to dally with a singer named Drew, who is unhappily but madly infatuated with a boyfriend of her own. That boyfriend ends up not only murdered but decapitated, and the last person with whom he can be placed is the deputy himself. Intent to clear himself, Deputy Billy is soon tangling with a drug mob and—not again!—terrorists (in Minnesota!). All in all, though, Smith has a powerful voice and delivers quite a romp, offering along the way a sort of Tony Hillerman glimpse into a part of the country that is not often the subject of crime fiction. --Steve Glassman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Bleak House Books (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932557709
• ISBN-13: 978-1932557701
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,934,088 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psychobilly Madness Coming Your Way!, June 13, 2008

By	Kent Gowran (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Yellow Medicine (Paperback)

It's no secret that I am a big fan of Anthony Neil Smith's YELLOW MEDICINE, and a fan of his other novels and stories, too. And then there's the PLOTS WITH GUNS online noir fiction zine he edits...

Face it, the dude simply does not disappoint.

With this, his third novel, Smith delivers what I've come to expect from him, and then amps it up some more and drives it home with this slambang full-throttle tale of crime, corruption, wannabe terrorists, and psychobilly madness.

Deputy Billy Lafitte, in many ways, is like a character outta a Harry Crews novel, except Neil takes Lafitte outta the South, drops him into the frozen wastelands of rural Minnesota, and then lets this guy speak for himself. It quite a ride. One every lover of crime and noir should want to take.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lou Ford meets Keyser Soze, July 7, 2008

By	Lily Courthope - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yellow Medicine (Paperback)

Well, that sounds more interesting than it turns out to be. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the quality of this author's writing, it's in keeping with the type of book he's written, gives a nod to Jim Thompson and the like, but the writing still belongs to no one but Smith. You won't think he's handing you a cheap imitation of James Cain, for example. At the same time, the characterization of Deputy Billy Lafitte is uncomfortably similar to Thompson's Lou Ford. Toss in terrorists and enough violence to satisfy those who require it in megadoses, and there's your story. So in a nutshell; I liked the writing but I didn't care for the characters and the story. But I liked enough of this book that I'm happy to try this author again. I think he's capable of taking that one leap of imagination that will put him into the same category of originality as a Cain or a Thompson.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, dark crime fiction at it's best., September 6, 2009

By	Jennifer Jordan "Editor, EXPLETIVE DELETED" (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Yellow Medicine (Paperback)

Many protagonists have straddled the fence between good and bad guy but none so much or so well in recent years as Anthony Neil Smith's Deputy Billy Lafitte. Not exactly amoral, Billy cares about what he wants and does what he has to do to get it. But, in the end, even he has a moral line that he will not cross.

One of thousands displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Billy sowed the seeds of his own destruction in a few dicey games of bad cop, worse cop. Displaced from the warmth of the Bayou to the cold Minnesota tundra, he is separated from all he once cared about (ex-wife and kids). All that draws him to action is affection for a
Psychobilly singer named Drew. When he tries to "help" Drew's boyfriend, Ian, a slow and powerful chain of events is set off. This isn't just meth mixing madmen. This isn't just a psychotic man with a fast draw. This is bad guys gone international. And Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota is just as good a place to start a jihad as any.

When it comes to fiction, Smith does it cleaner, darker and harder than anybody. He creates a story that runs to extremes and is utterly real. A character that seems despicable is not lovable nor empathetic yet utterly engrossing. And a book that has you racing to the end, regretting having read it so damn fast when you're done. Can't wait for the next one!