The Smoke in Our Eyes

by James Grady

An action-filled coming of age novel about love, vengeance, corruption, and justice by the acclaimed author of Six Days of the Condor.

"Grady's style is loose, colorful, challenging and fun. I sometimes thought of Orwell’s novel 1984 , sometimes of the Dylan song 'Desolation Row.'"— Patrick Anderson , The Washington Post

"Grady is a master of intrigue."— John Grisham

Set in 1959, the "year the music died," The Smoke in Our Eyes is a cinematic, clock-ticking saga set in a small Montana town. When a fatal car accident shatters ten-year-old Lucas's world, he finds himself confronting crime and vengeance, humor and heroism, all against the backdrop of growing up.

Alongside the tightly written drama of Lucas and his family, Grady, author of the classic "Condor" series, evokes a heady mood and sense of place. From the Space Race and the first warnings of global climate change, to the brutal racism of segregation and the hope of a new generation to move us forward, The Smoke in Our Eyes is a fresh rending of rural noir that captures both an intimate story and the volitility of mid-century America.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Audiobook

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2024

About the author

James Grady is a longtime author of thrillers, police procedural and espionage novels. He graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 1974. During college, he worked for United States Senator Lee Metcalf of Montana as an staff member.

From 1974 - 1978 he was an investigative journalist for the famous muckraker Jack Anderson. Best known as the author of Six Days of the Condor , which was adapted to film as Three Days of the Condor starring Robert Redford in 1975.

James Grady has gone on to write almost a dozen more novels in the thirty-eight years since Six Days of the Condor was published.

In the past James Grady has written under the pseudonyms of James Dalton and Brit Shelby.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Grady pivots from the intrigue of The Condor to a powerful, heartfelt coming-of-age tale set in the Last Best Place. Young Lucas gets his first pair of glasses and a good, long look at the underbelly of his hometown. From first crushes and family ties to profound love and deep injustice, THE SMOKE IN OUR EYES is a brilliant portrait of an era. This book feels like home.

[Mel Schenck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a couple of reviews on Amazon that gave this book, “The Smoke in Our Eyes”, a single-star rating because these readers could not follow the dialogue. They evidently expected a linear book with a linear plot. This book is definitely not that. It is a layered book, which reflects those times of the mid-century. Those of us who grew up in those days, including in small towns like Vernon, developed a mindset of modernism, which entailed compositions of parts, often layered together as in this book.

There was a lot of unexpected things going on all at the same time in the small town of my youth, but they all added up to the new complexity of the mid-century. Mr. Grady skillfully captures this milieu, and it is his mastery of dialogue that knits together the multiple plots and diverse characters.

[I.M. Aiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading "The Smoke in Our Eyes" allowed me to see the world through a 10 year old boy in rural Montana goodly (and important) number of years before I was born. James' narrative held me tight to this truth. The author invited me to interpret the signs, sounds, smells, and experiences through my 60 year old mind. He never called her drunk. And in our hero's eyes, she never poured whiskey into her coffee cup. But I sure did watch her gradually slide down that slope. I knew what she was doing, even if my 10 year old hero was still a bit clueless. That is masterful story telling. Thank you.

I decided to give a 15 minute read after a midnight trip to the WC. I ended up watching dawn approach from the wrong-side. Then another night lost to a good read.

[Plover · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't get it. There's been a car accident. A teenager got killed. The POV character's sister apparently knows something about the accident. And . . . . . . . nothing. Page after page of random, sometimes confusing, often mind-numbing dialogue and gossip, much of it snippets overheard by the main character . . . and, so what? The story, if there is one, never moves forward. One review calls it "layered." Layers of unconnected one-sentence paragraphs, perhaps. I gave up a third of the way in. Either there's no story here, or it's the slowest developing plot ever.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told from the eyes and experience of a 10 year old boy, this story beautifully captures what it was like growing up in the late 50’s in a small rural town in Montana. It’s an homage to youth, to the music, to the politics and to the world events of the time. To family, friendship and America. I couldn’t wait to turn each page to read more— and to remember my own growing up in a small town in the 50’s and 60’s.

[Robert Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent coming of age novel about a boy and his small town in Montana and the goings on in his life with family, friends and events that will shape the young boy's life. There are elements in this that remind me of "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon which is one of my favorite novels. An enjoyable read and I really liked this book.

[Lenny Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I could read about Lucas all day long. It’s a great tale of small town America and a way of life sorely missed. So much happens in this story to so many colorful characters. I hope there is a sequel.

[Lisa Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent. Well written, well narrated audio. A slice of life in 1 year of the central plains in 1959. We followa 10 year old boy from 5th to 6th grade, intimately learning of his family, teachers, best friends, and the dramas that can take place in small town America.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deeeeeeeeeepressing.

[Oel Wingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Greats

I really needed a great book to read and this book is one of the greats. They are few and far between…now I need to see what else James Grady has written!

[Christopher Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It spoke of the time and how life was. The characters were diverse and well shaped. I will read more of his books.

[Dolphine David · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME BOOK

[Kristine Bastin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to like this book so much more! Love the perspective of the 10yo boy, the time frame and setting, but it was quite slow and honestly not much really happened.

[Adrian Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written In A Way That’s Hard To Follow. Jumps Around Too Much For Me. Abandoned About A Fifth Of The Way In, Too Much Like Hard Work.

[Donnagordon9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slice of Americana. Montana, 1959.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend James Grady's newest and most soulful book to date to fans of small towns, historic (1959) fiction, coming-of-age revelations and anyone who cares about Montana.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Grady pivots from the intrigue of The Condor to a powerful, heartfelt coming-of-age tale set in the Last Best Place. Young Lucas gets his first pair of glasses and a good, long look at the underbelly of his hometown. From first crushes and family ties to profound love and deep injustice, THE SMOKE IN OUR EYES is a brilliant portrait of an era. This book feels like home.