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 bot+Y6h 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.

It’s been three years since Mustafa Bahdoon, one-time leader of the Southside Killaz, saved his fugitive son Adem from the clutches of pirates in Somalia. But when Mustafa is asked to rescue a young girl from the gang’s sex trafficking empire, he returns from retirement to seize control once again. But his coup ignites a vicious gang war on the streets of Minneapolis. Meanwhile, still haunted by guilt over the girl he left behind in Somalia, Adem reprises the role of Mr. Mohammed, legendary pirate negotiator. But the CIA is on his tail and he soon finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in a deadly campaign against organized crime. Half a world apart, survival for both father and son depends upon telling friend from enemy, truth from lie, and their own true selves from the roles they must play. Once A Warrior is the highly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning All The Young Warriors . Praise for ONCE A “A complex book with likeable, complete characters who I was rooting for despite their many faults. THIS is the kind of thriller that should be on every airport bookshelf.” —Chris Rhatigan, author of Wake Up, Time to Die “This is a book that can make a long trans-Atlantic flight pass as if it’s barely been minutes since take-off. It would be perfect for the beach on a lazy holiday. It’s just what you need to take your mind off the cold outside when you’re sitting by a fire in mid-winter. It’s a great read start to finish wherever you happen to be and whatever the situation.” —Nigel Bird, author of Southsiders “The novel takes on some of the most urgent social justice issues of our sex-trafficking (making young girls into slave-prostitutes, to be blunt), drug and gang violence, the disillusionment of unwelcome immigrants, the chaos and despair that comes in the blend of terrorism and ungoverned Middle East/African nations and territories...I don’t have answers to those questions, and I’m not sure Smith does, either. But he raises the questions, and that may be the more important thing.” —Dana Yost, poet and essayist