June 2010 Debut of the Month.

Set in a barbecue restaurant, Smoke Meat, in Kansas City, this is not for vegetarians or atheists.  Despite Kansas being a big place the world of Smoke Meat has a small-town feel with everyone knowing and – more or less – liking everyone else regardless of racial and economic differences.  Worgul builds up layered portraits of his characters’ lives in short chapters written in an easy, conversational style.  We get tragedy and drama as well as affectionate accounts of day-to-day events, a good smattering of homespun philosophy and plenty of religion.  A charming portrait of a certain kind of American life.

Comparison: Garrison Keillor, Fannie Flagg.

Synopsis

LaVerne Williams is a reformed felon, ex-ballplayer, and owner of Kansas City's best barbecue joint. Ferguson Glen is an Episcopal priest and faded literary star, lover of God, women and liquor (but not necessarily in that order). Their lives intersect at LaVerne's diner - 'Smoke Meat', as the regulars call it. There they are joined by a cast of remarkable characters, including LaVerne's devoted right-hand man, A.B. Clayton; blues legend 'Mother' Mary Weaver; and Sammy Merzeti, a young man with a bloody past - and a bloodier future. Thin Blue Smoke is an epic redemption tale, the story of two men coming to terms with their pasts. It is also a novel about faith, race, storytelling, bourbon, the language of rabbits, and the finer points of barbecue technique. Heartrending and bitterly funny, it marks the arrival of a vital new voice in American fiction.

About the Author

Doug Worgul was born into a family of preachers, teachers, and writers, in the state of Michigan. He now resides in Kansas City where barbecue and the blues are a way of life. A strong sense of place is a major theme in Doug Worgul's fiction, as it has been in his career as a newspaper journalist and editor of regional and national magazines. Married, with four daughetrs, he is a nationally-recognized authority on the history and cultural significance of American barbecue traditions. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation