Crimes in Southern Indiana

Welcome to Heartland America circa right about now, when the union jobs and family farms that kept the white on the picket fences have given way to meth labs, backwoods gunrunners, and bare-knuckle brawling. Frank Bill's people are men and women pressed to the brink—and beyond. They are survivors, and in Frank Bill's hands, their stories bristle with noir energy. Flat-out fearless and unputdownable, Crimes in Southern Indiana is at once a gut punch and a wake-up call—and the announcement of an authentic, original American literary voice we simply can't ignore.  

Praise

“What can I say about this book? This: planning a summer trip north from Mississippi, these stories caused me to reroute to avoid Southern Indiana. Mr. Bill knows his people well, and writes like they live—on the edge of the edge. Just plain unforgettable fiction.”—Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

 

“Good Lord, where in the hell did this guy come from? Blasts off like a frigging rocket ship and hits as hard as an ax handle to the side of the head after you’ve eaten a live rattlesnake for breakfast. One of the wildest damn rides you’re ever going to take inside a book.”—Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff

 

“These stories form the ideal nexus between literary art and pulp fiction: beautifully crafted, compulsively readable, and as addictive as crystal meth.”—Pinckney Benedict, author of Dogs of God and The Wrecking Yard

 

“Frank Bill’s characters all seem to be hurtling at ninety miles an hour down dead end streets, and his recounting of their passage is vivid and unforgettable. Like Barry Hannah on amphetamines, but the voice is undeniably Bill’s own.”—William Gay, author of Provinces of Night

 

“This gritty, violent debut collection begins rather like pulp genre fiction then deepens into something much more significant and powerful. Set in a dilapidated, seedy, nightmare version of southern Indiana, complete with meth labs, dog-fighting rings, and all manner of substance abuse, the stories are connected by recurring characters. The collection opens with vignettes focused mainly on carnage. But as readers go deeper, the stories lengthen, with Bill turning his attention to psychology and character development and bringing the community to life in fascinating ways . . . Bill’s characters live in a fractured world where there are no good jobs, not much respect for life, and not much hope. It’s a bleak, hard-boiled vision of America.”—Library Journal

 

“Flowing like awful mud and written in pulpy style, these stories paint a grisly portrait of the author’s homeland. You might want to have your brass knuckles handy when reading.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Author(s)

Frank Bill

Frank Bill lives and writes in southern Indiana. Crimes in Southern Indiana is his first book.

photo: ©Israel Byrd

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