The Green Ghetto

by Vern Smith

Mitchell Hosowich is pleased as a puppy with two tails that the great American rust-out has rendered parts of Detroit rural again, wild. For him, the “green ghetto,” as the bureaucrats have come to call it, is a safe place to grow some fairly decent Detroit dope. But when two DEA agents start sniffing around his spread, only to wind up dead, Mitchell finds himself with a lot of explaining to do. Left with two stiffs, a dead dog, a shot cow, and fifty-nine missing marijuana plants, Mitchell decides not to wait around for the law to come down on him. Instead, he goes after his stolen pot, a chase that becomes a tense, and at times hilarious, cross-border road trip to nearby rural Canada. Set in a hyper post-9/11 culture, The Green Ghetto explores the universal theme of being compromised. But mostly, it is the story of how America got here from there in the war on drugs, terror, and words.

Genres: Crime, Fiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2019

About the author

Vern Smith’s novel Scratching the Flint was named Best Indie Novel of 2023 by Crime Fiction Lover. He is also author of the novels Under the Table and The Green Ghetto. Winner of the Chinaski Award as editor of the Jacked crime fiction anthology, Smith is a former newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio host, and political staffer. His novelette, The Gimmick—a finalist for Canada’s highest crime-writing honor, the Arthur Ellis Award—is the title track to his second collection of fiction.

Reviews

[Jon Zelazny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of hard-boiled crime fiction will have to re-set their palates for this regional delicacy I can only call Canadian-boiled. Our protag, Mitchell Hosowich, isn't your typical drug lord. A thoughtful, vegetarian hippie-cum-cowboy with farmland north of Detroit, plus a few animals to make it look legit, he’s actually growing artisanal pot, which he distributes via his own dealers, most of whom seem to toil in border town strip joints. When a post-9/11-obsessed DEA agent comes stomping into his DiY set-up, humiliating Mitch’s hard-luck associates with anal searches, our gentleman outlaw finds himself thrust into the kind of noir roundelay he’s always tried to avoid.

Like his sympathetic lawman Olin Blue, author Vern Smith prefers stopping to smell the roses of local lore to slam-bang action. Which isn’t to say he can’t pull off a short, sharp, shock when the narrative demands, but he’s all for having a blissed-out time along the way, and don’t care no two ways how you might feel about that.

I was happy to take the ride. I also grew up in a Canadian border region, Rochester, NY, but with Lake Ontario separating us from Toronto, we had little contact with our northern neighbors. Mr. Smith comes from Windsor, and has a real feeling for U.S.-Canadian cultural differences. If you like crime with a heavy dose of anthropology, and a wry sense of humor, this is the ghetto you’ve been waiting for.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Green Ghetto is kinda, sorta, almost, a little bit like what you might get if you tossed a couple of Carl Hiaasen's more zany characters into an Elmore Leonard novel.

Take one environmentalist, vegan, cowboy, pot-farmer (complete with spurs) add a third rate burlesque comic, a Canadian stripper, and an agent from the DEA with a penchant for performing body cavity searches then place them all in the highly-charged atmosphere of America on the first anniversary of 9/11 and what you get is an explosive novel of irreverent humor and hard truths. I thought it was great!

I can honestly say that this one kept me guessing most all the way through. The writing style is somewhat abrupt at times, almost like it was written in a type of conversational shorthand. It drops you right in the story with little preamble and it takes a chapter or two to catch up to what's happening (at least it did me) but then it's awfully hard to put down.

I highly recommend The Green Ghetto by Vern Smith to all lovers of quirky, outlandish or irreverent crime fiction.

This book contains strong language, adult situations, violence, and drug use - NOT For the sensitive reader.

***Thanks to NetGalley, Run Amok Books, and author Vern Smith for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of The Green Ghetto in exchange for an honest review.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Green Ghetto by Vern Smith

Mitchell lives in rural Detroit in a rural area referred to as "The Green Ghetto". There he is growing weed, and trying to have a low key life. That is until two DEA Agents end up dead, and his pot stolen. Determined not to be blamed he sets out to find out who robbed him and clear his name.

The plot is original that moves at a steady pace. The characters are well rounded, unique and likable despite their eccentricity. The story takes place about a year after the 9/11 attacks, which adds an original touch, and taking us back in time. Also hoping the Canadian border, with a bit of humor, suspense, and intense moments I was drawn into the story anticipating the final outcome. Overall I really enjoyed The Green Ghetto an highly recommend to those who love a great read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This story was a lot of fun!

In The Green Ghetto we are introduced to Mitchell, a small farmer making his living in the prairie of Detroit. His cash crop? Pot. With a small network of dealers, he keeps everything low key and only looks to make as much as he needs to. Unfortunately, an overzealous DEA agent and her partner are looking into his ring as a source of funding for terrorists. Before long, the federal agents are dead, Mitchell is left for dead, and his plants are stolen by a stripper as she makes her way towards Canada. And it just keeps going from there.

Overall I felt it was well written with a great pace and sufficient character development, but it seems to have been written by Mitchell, using a lot of his phrases and lingo even when focusing on other characters. I didn't dislike it, just have a hard time thinking that when inserting a CD everyone refers to it as "putting the platter in the player". Outside of that, it was a blast.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received his book as part of LibraryThings early reviewer program.

The Green Ghetto is a pretty wild ride and that's why I liked it. It was funny and the characters were unique and pretty well developed. Mitchell is one of the most unique individuals I've read about for some time. It was all about drugs, and crime, but it has heart and I liked the ending.

The only two issues I had was that it took me a few chapters to hook into the author's style and lingo. But once I was immersed it zipped right along. Second, I found the use of all the street names and turn by turn directions distracting. I don't know if they are the names of real streets or not, and I understand Smith did this to make the setting more real, but having never been to this area, I just couldn't relate.

Bottom line, a satisfying and entertaining read.

[Theodore Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich setting and quirky characters help move this fast-paced crime novel. Classic noir mixed with fresh absurdity.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are three types of ghettoes…economic, racial and green. Detroit, where this book takes place, is probably all three, but the concentration of given to the latter, which is what occurs when nature comes to reclaim what people leave behind. It is in such a place in a post 9/11 paranoia of 2002 that one marijuana cowboy farmer finds himself having to contend with theft, competition, federal agents and other chaotic elements. The book is supposed to be one of those comedic thrillers, which is usually a very entertaining genre, at least cinematically, but for some reason this one didn’t quite work for me. And to be fair, there is a very good chance it’s just a basic lack of author/reader chemistry, because the book was, objectively speaking, quite good and certainly very competent. And I very much enjoyed Mitchell as the protagonist, his vegan (maybe) cowboy with a library card persona was very charming. The rest of the characters were all fun creations, conceptually, but not quite in the same league, they are all very consciously zany. The plot was somewhat overwhelmingly convoluted by all the goings on. The general atmosphere was too folksy and homespun for my taste. It was a quirky novel and one that really worked for it, which may just be a debut sort of thing. There were a lot of fun things about it, but maybe even too many. Like a quirk on top of a quirk riding a whim. So, basically, slightly overdone. But entertaining in its way and quite humorous. For me personally it didn’t quite live up to the pages and pages of praise preceding the novel, but your mileage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.

[Brian Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 2002 and situated between a rusted-out corner of Detroit and over the border into Windsor, Ontario, The Green Ghetto’s focal point is a marijuana growing and selling operation run by a hippie-ish urban cowboy named Mitchell Hosowich. Hosowich’s illegal business is running smoothly enough -in a grown-over area of the Motor City once referred to in the book as a “Midwest Stonehenge” – until some post 9/11 paranoia leads DEA agents to some of his customers, then onto him.

Between the exploits of the comically mismatched narco duo and all the outrageous chatter and actions taken by the marginal characters involved in the weed ring, the book is bent enough to make you feel high just from reading it. The entertainers and hosts from the “honky tonk titty bars” and outdated burlesque parlors put you squarely in the environment of shady persons existing on the fringes in economically and professionally depressed circumstances. Throw in the ridiculousness of one of the narcs thinking she’s hot on the trail of both the Taliban and the Sandinistas as she’s chasing around these unwitting Michiganders … and the overall effect is an ongoing comedy of errors that makes for a wild and deliriously entertaining ride.

This is the second of Smith’s novels that I’ve read. A big part of what makes them stand out for me is the author’s unique style and rhythm involving language. Whether the omniscient narrators are talking or all the cartoony characters have the floor, the words come out in an offbeat manner that’s closer to the fragmented patterns of people’s thoughts than to standard, linear prose. It’s a funky method that may take some readers a few chapters to pick up on, but once you’ve gotten in sync with the rhythm, it makes perfect sense and flows in a way that becomes both comfortable and uniquely revelatory.

Some gravy that adds flavor and texture to this read is all the great music that gets mentioned. Between choice selections from The Clash’s London Calling, Johnny Cash in his American Recordings years, crooner era Nick Lowe, etc. The Green Ghetto: The Soundtrack would be a heckuva spin, preferably on the car stereo if you happen to be driving around a peculiar section of a big city that features more trees than people.

[Bryant William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well paced romp through the ‘rural’ parts of Detroit, Michigan and surrounding area. Out of sorts characters with out of sort plot trajectories provide a unique read. Once you pick up and adjust to the character dialog, this becomes an enjoyable page turner.

[Susan Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Futuristic scientific story of the future.

[Marcie Canuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more, but I couldn’t - probably more like a 3.5, but I can’t pick that.

The glitchy writing was tough for me - creative though!

[Melanie Brinkman]

I won a copy of The Green Ghetto from the publisher, Run Amok Books and the author, Vern Smith. A huge thank you to them!

There are three types of ghettos, green, racial, and economic. Mitchell lives in a green ghetto, the rust out portion of Detroit. Here he finds himself allowed to grow a lot of dope. He's pleased as can be. That is until two DEA agents investigate and wind up dead. Not wanting to be caught up in the aftermath, Mitchell makes a run for it. This leads him on an adventure across the border to Canada with a third-rate comedian and a stripper to evade capture and get his pot back.

The Green Ghetto is just as crazy as it sounds.
This book was one wild, confusing ride. Absolutely crazy.

Set in the aftermath of 9/11, that sounds like it should have been crazy in a good way. Unfortunately it wasn't. Whether it was the use of made up or outdated lingo and slang, or the fact that I'm not very hip to lingo dealing with drugs, this novel didn't make a lot of sense. Not that I think that was the intended purpose anyways.

The plot also kind of got me because you are kind of thrust into the middle of this story. If you don't read the synopsis, you have absolutely no idea what's going on until a couple of chapters in the book. ( I read the synopsis on the back of the book and I was still very confused. ) This definitely suffered from not having more background or setup. As the story goes on you also kind of have to suspend belief in reality. It just doesn't hold up to be a realistic story.

The Green Ghetto is told in third person POV. This didn't really allow us to get inside any other characters very personally. I liked the ideas and concepts of the characters but they just lacked depth. That made them kind of hard to connect with and it put a damper on this story at least for me personally because characters are a big thing for me in making a story. I think the only thing that I really liked about the third person point of view is just that - the third person point of view. At least we were able to have a vague idea of what was going on with all the different characters if we weren't able to actually feel connected to them.

The writing wasn't my favorite either. It felt like Vern Smith was trying to put an " awe shucks" feeling into the novel and it just came off as gimmicky and immature. Which was off setting for a novel that has such mature content.

Trigger warnings for drug use, extreme violence, and animal abuse.

I hate how vague of a a review this is, because I hate to deter anyone from reading the book. It just felt like a hollow shell of a book and that's how the review comes off unfortunately.

I loved the concept of this novel but unfortunately The Green Ghetto just doesn't deliver on any count.

[Liz McCullough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read - funny and challenging.