All The Young Warriors — Anthony Neil Smith

From a double cop-killing on the frozen streets of Minnesota to the burning sands of Mogadishu, Somali pirates and a brutal civil war, All The Young Warriors is an epic thriller spanning continents and cultures.

Murder, warfare, piracy, love, betrayal and revenge �" this is a white-knuckle ride for fans of James Lee Burke (the Dave Robicheaux series), Richard Price (Lush Life) and Michael Connelly (the Harry Bosch series).

"A brilliant book, possibly the best novel of the year." �" Les Edgerton

Winner of the 2012 Spinetingler Award for Best Novel: Rising Star

The story…

When two of the Twin Cities' “Lost Boys” -- young Somali men drafted to fight for terrorists back in the homeland -- kill a pair of cops on his home turf, detective Ray Bleeker is left devastated. One of the dead cops was his girlfriend.

The investigation grinds to a halt when he discovers that the young murderers have fled to Somalia to fight in the rebel army. He's at his wits' end until the father of one of the boys, an ex-gang leader called Mustafa, comes looking for answers. Bleeker and Mustafa form an uneasy alliance, teaming up to help bring the boys back home.

But little do they know what Somalia has in store for them.

What they're saying…

"written with a sureness of hand and a depth of character that are impressive. A highly accomplished crime novel exposing an often unseen world." �" The Big Issue

All The Young Warriors will grip readers who enjoy the chance to slip into a foreign culture and also those who want a page-turning thriller" �" Spinetingler Magazine

"a powerful story that is both riveting and meaningful" �" Crime Fiction Lover

"this book is a classic in the making" �" I Meant To Read That

"All The Young Warriors is a pretty rare beast, a clever page-turner. It deserves to be a bestseller and has film adaptation stamped all over it." �" Loitering With Intent

"a courageous novel that raises a lot of pertinent questions" �" Dead End Follies

“Smith writes with force and clarity” �" The Chicago Tribune

“Smith's version of Minnesota is no Lake Wobegon; the inhabitants are refreshingly made up entirely of the deranged, the damaged, and the doomed. If you can picture the intellectual and physical mayhem that might have resulted from a Jim Thompson and Harry Crews collaboration, you'd be on the right track. But Anthony Neil Smith is his own writer -- and a very fine one, indeed.” �" Booklist

From the author…

“The book examines loyalty, heritage, and the havoc that fundamentalism has waged on the modern world.

“It's a novel of crime, but also a novel of war. A story of a father's search for his son, the son's search for meaning, and a bitter detective's search for justice for his dead girlfriend, who was pregnant with his daughter. How far will each of these men go to find what they're looking for?”

About the author…

Anthony Neil Smith is the author of the novels Choke On Your Lies, Hogdoggin', Yellow Medicine, The Drummer and Psychosomatic, and is the editor of Plots With Guns: A Noir Anthology.

Neil describes himself as shy and grumpy. He doesn't drink much but he acts like he does online.

He likes tacos. He likes steaks. He likes pizza.

And they came back to bite him in the ass.

He lives in Minnesota.