Synopses & Reviews
"As everything goes up in flames, Mayfield leans all the way into the discomfort zone" - Sarah Weinman, The New York Times
"A fresh and fierce new voice to crime fiction...a stunning book that takes the reader on an intense and harrowing journey that is truly unforgettable. Consider me a big fan." – Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of The Cartel, The Force and City on Fire
"Jahmal Mayfield roars to the top of the writer-to-watch list with this sizzling debut. Smoke Kings is straight fire. Every page simmers with an undercurrent of rage, each line a hard dose of smoldering truth. I can't wait to see what Mayfield does next." – Eli Cranor, Edgar Award Winning Novelist of Don't Know Tough
In the vein of Get Out and Razorblade Tears, a feast of noir fiction and probing social commentary that asks us to consider what would happen if reparations were finally charged and exacted.
Nate Evers, a young black political activist, struggles with rage as his people are still being killed in the streets 62 years after Emmett Till. When his little cousin is murdered, Nate shuns the graffiti murals, candlelight vigils, and Twitter hashtags that are commonplace after these senseless deaths. Instead, he leads 3 grief-stricken friends on a mission of retribution, kidnapping the descendants of long-ago perpetrators of hate crimes, confronting the targets with their racist lineages, and forcing them to pay reparations to a community fund. For 3 of the group members, the results mean justice; for Nate — pure revenge.
Not all targets go quietly into the night, though, and Nate and his friends' world spirals out of control when they confront the wrong man. Now the leader of a white supremacist group is hot on their tail as is a jaded lawman with some disturbingly racist views of his own.
As the 4 vigilantes fight to thwart their ruthless pursuers, they're forced to accept an age-old truth: "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."
Smoke Kings is a powerful and propulsive novel with a diverse and unforgettable cast of characters. Like Steph Cha's Your House Will Pay it explores decades of racial tensions through a fictional landscape where the line between justice and revenge is blurred.
Review
"To say
Smoke Kings is insightful and topical are understatements. To
say this searing novel could have been written fifty years ago or twenty
years from now says a lot about our country and the deft storytelling
of Jahmal Mayfield." Gary Phillips, author of One-Shot Harry
Review
"Fearless, soulful, and timely.
Smoke Kings is a gripping revenge thriller and sly social commentary all rolled into one. Everyone needs to read this book!" Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Second Life of Nick Mason
Review
"[A] powerful debut...propulsive narrative, lucid prose, breakneck
pacing, and confident handling of controversial subject matter make him
a writer to watch." Publishers Weekly,
STARRED Review
Review
"A bravura debut ... A provocative, page-turning treatment of racism in
America ... rarely captured as powerfully or affectingly as it is here." Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review
Review
"Fearless writers like Mayfield are a good sign that the truth will remain... A THRILLING LOOK AT VIGILANTE JUSTICE" The Washington Post
Review
"Can there ever be restitution for the harm done to generations of Black
people in America? Jahmal Mayfield, in his debut novel, takes this
question to a provocative extreme." The New York Times
About the Author
Jahmal Mayfield was born in Virginia but currently resides in New
Jersey. In addition to writing crime fiction, he serves as the director
of a nonprofit program that provides employment support to people with
disabilities. SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones' passionate
viral video, "How can we win?"