In the Bakken oil field of North Dakota, they call the new guys "worms." Ferret is a worm from Alabama, trying to kickstart a new life for his family, while back home his in-laws whisper break-up songs in his wife Dee Dee's ear. His boss, a shadowy old guy called Pancrazio, drags in Ferret, Gene Handy, and two roustabouts from Oklahoma to deal with a new meth empire on the prairie. Meanwhile, a reservation cop keeps a close eye on the big picture. All Ferret wants is some easy money and the love of his family. But he quickly finds out that there's danger around every corner, in every drill, truck and train car. And if the machines or chemicals don't get him, then the other roughnecks will. Because beneath the dirt and grease, nobody is what they seem. Also by Anthony Neil Smith, the Spinetingler Award-winning police thriller, All The Young Warriors "a brilliant book, possibly the best novel of the year." – Les Edgerton "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'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