Henry Holt 2003
Canada: Penguin
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All Hat
Just out of prison for attacking the man who assaulted his sister, Ray Dokes heads back to the small town where he was raised. Vowing to lie low, he moves in with Pete Culpepper, a Texas cowboy who has always been a grounding influence on Ray, but whose debts are growing faster than his corn. Between roofing houses and watching Pete's nine-year-old gelding at the races, Ray soon develops a plan to con his sister's attacker, a local heir to an electronics fortune and a know-nothing horse breeder, out of a considerable chunk of money. Surprisingly poignant yet laugh-out-loud funny, All Hat tells a classic story of little guys fighting big guys and reaffirming the meaning of honesty and friendship — and second chances — in the process.
The Charlotte Observer:
Brad Smith could give clinics on how to write a mystery novel.
Booklist (starred review):
Canadian author Smith has marvelous control of his material, effortlessly mixing laugh-out-loud comedy with streaks of country noir that call to mind Daniel Woodrell. This is Smith's first novel to be published in the U.S., and it's the best American crime-fiction debut since C.J. Box's OPEN SEASON.
Publishers Weekly:
Smith (One-Eyed Jacks) serves up a fast-paced, wickedly funny tale of revenge in his second novel (and U.S. debut), set in a close-knit farming community in Ontario. The novel offers a well drawn ensemble cast and wry, memorable observations. Smith is a topnotch storyteller, and though some of the plot points are familiar and the ending too tidy, readers will be charmed.
Richard Russo:
It's been awhile since I've read a novel so packed with vivid, energetic, pulsating characters. Their creator -- Brad Smith -- is a writer with lots of skill, lots of heart, lots of brains, and, yes, lots of hat.
Dennis Lehane:
ALL HAT is an incendiary example of pedal-to-the-floor country noir. Brad Smith has got the goods -- he's funny, poignant, evocative, and he tells a blistering tale. A writer to watch, a comet on the horizon.
Ray Robertson, author of Moody Food:
Dashiell Hammett meets Hank Williams meets James Lee Burke -- ALL HAT is all novel. Lean and mean, dark and smart, Brad Smith's latest is a long, cool drink of first-rate fiction.