The Jones Men

By Vern E. Smith

Book Overview

A 1974 New York Times Notable Book and 1975 Edgar Award Nominee BEFORE THERE WAS STREET LIT, THERE WERE THE STREETS ... AND THE JONES MEN RULED THEM "It was The Wire before there was The Wire." - Gar Anthony Haywood DETROIT, 1974 To become the King, you have to take the crown. It won't be given up lightly. Heroin kingpin, Willis McDaniel, has been wearing that particular piece of jewelry for far too long, and youngblood, Lennie Jack, thinks it would look really good on his head. When a junkie tells Jack about a big delivery, the young Vietnam vet makes his move. Feeling his empire crumble, McDaniel puts the word out to find whoever's responsible. The hunt is on, the battle is engaged, and the streets of Detroit run red with blood. In 1974 Vern E. Smith took the crime fiction world by storm with his debut novel, The Jones Men. Heralded as "a large accomplishment in the art of fiction" by the New York Times, The Jones Men went on to be nominated for an Edgar Award and became a New York Times Notable Book. The art of crime fiction has never been the same since. Vern E. Smith The Jones Men was Vern E. Smith's first and last published novel. He currently resides in Atlanta.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0989141187
• ISBN13: 9780989141185
• Release Date: May 2014
• Publisher: Rosarium Publishing
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Emerging Drug Trade!

I felt like I was there living the experience...MackDaddy at His Best!The Jones Men was a Chapter One BookClub Selection. As such, it's not a book that I would have selected on my own. However,The Jones Men is a short, quick, easy to read story and also a well-written novel which chronicles the lives and times of drug dealers in a major city during the `70s. The story's primary protagonist/antagonist...depending on which side of the law you're on...Lennie Jack, is a young, up & coming heroin dealer who's primary goal at the moment is to knock off the number-one drug kingpin-Willis McDaniel. Mr. Smith takes us on a roller-coaster ride through the dens of addicts, dealers and corrupt cops as Lennie Jack and Willis McDaniel come face to face.The Jones Men was written in the '70s so it seems a little outdated, however, that aside,the novel is exciting, filled with drama, action, mystery and suspense and will keep you quite entertained until the last page.

Brilliantly written

If you have read any books by Donald Goines or Iceberg Slim, you will love these books!!! They take you on a mental ride, if you have never lived in the ghetto you may not understand, but if you have it will take you on a high speed ride.....