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Desperation Road

by Michael Farris Smith
Lee Boudreaux: Little, Brown. Feb. 2017. 304p. ISBN 9780316353038. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780316353014. F
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As he did in his debut Rivers, Smith once again uses his native Mississippi as the perfect backdrop for this dark but satisfying novel of coincidence and revenge. Tasting freedom for the first time since high school, Russell Gaines is coming home after serving an 11-year prison sentence for killing a young man while driving drunk. At the same time, a woman named Maben returning to the same town finds herself on the run after a fatal encounter with a corrupt local cop. As their lives intersect, both are forced to face their pasts and decide on their futures. Russell and Maben are well-developed characters, and it's easy to understand their choices even if they don't always seem to be the right ones. Smith's comfortable pacing allows for plenty of action while never rushing readers, so they can enjoy the excellent writing.
VERDICT Smith's second novel is every bit as good as his first, an excellent piece of Southern crime fiction for Daniel Woodrell and Tom Franklin afficionados. [See Prepub Alert, 8/26/16.]
Reviewed by Craig L. Shufelt, Fort Erie P.L., Ont. , Nov 15, 2016
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