Praise for Cactus Jack: ** A delight from paddock to finish line." -- Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) ** Praise for The Return of Kid Cooper : " The Return of Kid Cooper is Brad Smith at his best--clear-eyed, tough-minded and true of heart. Smith-- once a farmer, signalman, truck driver, bartender, teacher and carpenter-- understands that work will take its toll, even when it''s the only thing holding a soul together. This is a powerful novel, fully felt and beautifully written." -- T. Jefferson Parker, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author " The Return of Kid Cooper is a western set in the forgotten time between horses and the sterilizing of the American West. Kid Cooper is a classic tragic hero and Brad Smith''s rendering of him is full-hearted and poignant."-- Dan O''Brien, author of Buffalo for the Broken Heart " The Return of Kid Cooper can claim a secure place in the canon of literature of the American West.
Brad Smith''s tale of old-fashioned courage and western justice is reminiscent, in its high drama, wit, and splendid idiosyncrasy, of Lonesome Dove . I was reminded also of Annie Proulx''s laconic Wyoming stories, and that most iconic of Western loners, Shane." --John Hough, Jr., author of Little Bighorn "A tour de force. Brad Smith explores powerful universal themes while bringing to life unforgettable characters that make this book a must read. If Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtry, and Elmore Leonard collaborated on a book, it might sound very much like The Return of Kid Cooper ." --D.B.
Jackson, Winner of the Western Heritage Award, and author of Slow Moving Parts . "From the soft click of a cue ball in a quiet saloon, to lovers on the run reuniting after thirty years, or the blast of a .44 at the final shootout, Brad Smith can really tell a story. He paints this elegiac tale of early twentieth-century Montana on a big canvas with the easy authority of Larry McMurtry''s Lonesome Dove and the unflinching violence of Dashiell Hammett''s Red Harvest , pulling the Western into this new era with heartbreaking intensity, where tenderness and threat exist in every character, and on every page."-- Bart Paul, author of Under Tower Peak and Cheatgrass "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."--Dennis Lehane, award-winning author of Mystic River "Brad Smith is a writer with lots of skill, lots of heart, [and] lots of brains."--Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls and Mohawk "A compelling, action-packed romp through politics, romance, morality and history by author Brad Smith .
a history buff that who reportedly count the actor Burt Reynolds among his fans."-- Toronto Daily Star "Men trapped outside their times--it was the great theme of Sam Peckinpah''s best movies, and Brad Smith makes it his own in his first-rate novel, The Return of Kid Cooper ."-- True West magazine Praise for Brad Smith "Stellar.Wonderfully wrought characters, delicious wit, and droll storytelling make [ Shoot the Dog ] a delightful romp." -- Publishers Weekly Starred Review "Smith has marvelous control of his material, effortlessly mixing laugh-out-loud comedy with streaks of country noir that call to mind Daniel Woodrell." -- Booklist "With dialogue that crackles like musket fire, Brad Smith''s novel is true to Gettysburg''s heroic past and madcap present, and a deliciously entertaining tale of uncivil war of the legacy of America''s greatest conflict." --Tony Horwitz, author of Confederates in the Attic "Smith has written tight, fast-paced novels his entire career.and reading one is like riding a thoroughbred.
"-- The Chronicle Herald "Brad Smith combines smooth writing with a twisted mind to give readers Carl Hiassen humor, but with horses instead of gators." --Julie Kramer, author of Shunning Sarah.