Lit Hub’s 22 Books for the Summer

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hot Summer Reads

Best of May, The Best Thriller Books

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“A bracing fever dream of a novel”

Publisher’s Weekly

 

“Smith once again proves himself a master…he writes with a raw, visceral style that feels almost musical in rhythm, like a Southern hymn interrupted by gunfire. Lay Your Armor Down is raw, redemptive, and relentlessly human.” 

The Clarion-Ledger

 

“Michael Farris Smith continues his exploration of the fluidity of right and wrong, of the constantly shifting boundary between light and dark, in this new novel. The characters are wonderfully crafted.” 

Booklist

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"Lay Your Armor Down is an exceptional exploration of the existential malaise that drives us to find our paths in a cruel and indifferent world. This is not to be missed." 

S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author

of All The Sinners Bleed and Blacktop Wasteland

 

“Michael Farris Smith is not bound by geography. His world is filled with increasing levels of darkness…a world that can be disturbing, because it is an extension of existence. Lay Your Armor Down is an engrossing level of experience not usually encountered.”

Square Books

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"It’s not a surprise that Michael Farris Smith is also the front man for a rock-n-roll bar band. His sentences stalk the stage, flamboyant and visceral and howling, the choral heights of call and response. He possesses a conductor’s mastery and a lead singer’s swagger, and Lay Your Armor Down demands that you pay attention."
Wright Thompson, New York Times bestselling author

of The Barn and Pappyland

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“Michael Farris Smith’s stories are constructed with the kind of patience and artistry that would be used when making a patchwork quilt.  Never too on the nose, his characters leave you yearning to discover what makes them tick. Lay Your Armor Down is the kind of ‘edge of your seat’ and ‘can’t put it down’ stuff that keeps us reading instead of scrolling.”

Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke

 

"Lay Your Armor Down is a prophetic, propulsive tale that is sure to leave its lasting mark on the Southern gothic cannon. Smith is at his best in these pages, his signature prose rendering   a work as dark and beautiful as a summer storm. This novel is a masterclass in storytelling, with characters that are uniquely unforgettable."

Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies With You

 

"Michael Farris Smith’s Lay Your Armor Down is a work of divination. The magic sticks with you long after you’ve read the last page. It’s his best one yet."

Mark Westmoreland, author of A Violent Gospel

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“Michael Farris Smith’s artistry is on full display in Lay Your Armor Down. Layered with biblical imagery and an overwhelming sense of inevitable destruction, his characters aren’t merely chasing their own desires — they are swept into something larger, propelled by fate, prophecy, and forces beyond their control.”

The Laurel Leader-Call