YELLOW MEDICINE by Anthony Neil Smith

I've been immersed in edits on my latest book and haven't been reading as much as I normally would, but I made the mistake of picking up a copy of Yellow Medicine and wasn't able to put the damn thing down. Consequently I am running a bit late on turning in my latest manuscript, but it was worth it. This book is phenomenal.

Anthony Neil Smith is the brains behind Plots With Guns, the infamous online crimezine, but he's also a brilliant writer. His characters are perfectly realized and horribly flawed, so real and compelling that you almost feel like you're watching them instead of reading about them. Rarely have I so vividly visualized an author's characters.

Smith tells the story of Deputy Billy Lafitte, a lawman who prefers to bend the rules rather than abide by them, and his entanglement with Drew, a local girl whose no-good boyfriend has gotten in way over his head with something that just might involve terrorists. The story is lightning fast and the writing incredibly visceral.

Yellow Medicine is published by Bleak House Books, one of the finest mystery publishers out there. Buy it now but read it only when you're prepared to drop everything else.