Worm

Worm is a great gritty crime noir by an author who is becoming one of my favorite gritty crime noir authors. Smith's worlds are rough but all of the humanity isn't lost. This story is set in the oil fields of North Dakota, which apparently still contains some type of outlaw frontier vibe to it. I've seen complaints about the authenticity of the oil worker world or whatever and honestly I don't care because this story is entertaining. As a medical professional, sometimes it gets on my nerves when people are wildly off base with their procedure descriptions and clinical terminologies, but that's only when it's blatant the author didn't attempt any research and was just throwing stuff out there. If the reader can tell an effort was made then the occasional slip up is irrelevant especially if the story is on point. If there really are any slip ups in this book anyways.Anyways there are drug dealers, murders, biker gangs, Bosnian war criminals and many other exciting things going on in Worm. There are some twists in the story and great characters too. If your into gritty crime novels then pick up Worm and read it. While you do that I will continue to work my way through the rest of Anthony Neil Smiths Catalog. I think I am going to check out the Adem and Mustafa series.

I can’t think of anyone who tops Anthony Neil Smith in writing Everyman tales in which the average Joe, up against the world, makes the wrong choices for the right reasons and keeps plunging deeper and deeper into the abyss. Lee Child said the secret to creating page-turners was to keep posing story questions on every page. This is exactly what Smith does in every novel he writes and his latest, Worm, is a master’s class in how to keep tension on every single page. His character Ferret just wants what most of us want—to provide a better life for his family. His desire is honorable but unfortunately his options are limited and what happens to him as he pursues the American dream is all-too-often what happens to many others with that same dream—disaster. Years from now, Smith will be viewed as one of the best writers of our generation—he’s just not capable of writing anything but a fantastic novel. If you haven’t yet read him, glom onto this book and when you finish it, pick up another masterpiece by this writer who is, indeed, a literary treasure. And, kudos to Blasted Heath books for putting out another winner.

This book was typical Blasted Heath, they put out the best books and ive yet to read a bad one. This one has it all, the setting is great, North Dakota, and original. The characters are all depraved lowlifes looking to make it rich quick and they will do anything to get there. Ferret tries to do the right thing by his family, but gets mixed up in the wrongdoings. Just an all around great noir read, loved every word of it.

This book kept me engaged even though I was repulsed at the human condition all over again. Why would I read it? The author shows us the despair that exists in the pursuit of economic gain (a job) in the face of overwhelming odds. Desperation breeds monsters and slaves and this book tells us they are living in those trailer houses around the oil towns (and lumber towns, fishing towns, mining towns) where greed and need force people to do unthinkable things in a fruitless effort to get ahead. Fascinating portrayal.

Worm was a great book about a place I knew very little about. The fracking boom in the northwest is a wild west of hard work and fast cash and isolation. Worm captures it well, really took me into a life I'd never be able to stomach. It was a great read, fast but not rushed. Good characters and just enough backstory to give it depth. And there's one pretty sick thing that runs throughout the story that's so vile, I'll leave it to you to figure it out.

Noir to the absolute fullest. Ferret is in for a wild ride when he gets wrapped in a burgeoning meth operation--makes pretty good money in the Bakken oil fields. But there's a cost. There's always a cost. Worm is part post-war saga and very much an exciting, terror-riddled noir novel. Full of action and high drama. Damn. Good. Book.

Book was a bit more graphic than I was expecting. I don't have a problem with that, just caught me off guard. Good story, had my engaged throughout. Always torn on reviewing these kinds of books. It's not a 5 star book, but for the kind of book it is, it's actually pretty good. Solid read, 3 stars.

This book made me smile and it made me grit my teeth, but mostly it made me feel dirty—in a good way. The North Dakota oil boom, as described here, is as close as you'll get to the brutality and desperation of the old west in modern day America.