roger smith

Cape Town

South Africa

Profile Information:

About Me:

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before turning to a life of crime, I was a screenwriter, director and producer. I now live in Cape Town, a city as violent as it is beautiful.

My first novel, MIXED BLOOD, was published in the U.S. in hardcover by Henry Holt in March 2009 and Picador paperback in December.

MIXED BLOOD was named among the best books of 2009: Dave Zeltserman @ Flashlight Worthy, Alan Cranis @ Bookgasm, and Deadly Pleasures Magazine (a best first novel)

MIXED BLOOD was published in Germany as "KAP DER FINSTERNIS" and won the DEUTSCHER KRIMI PREIS 2010 (German Crime Award) and was voted #1 crime novel of the year by the influential KRIMIWELT.

My next book, WAKE UP DEAD, is now available in the U.S.

PRAISE FOR WAKE UP DEAD

"[A] stellar thriller. Bad choices, not bad luck, drive human depravity in this brutal fable. One fundamental irony unforgettably lingers: that these characters, trapped in poverty, ignorance, and prejudice, have really had no choice at all." – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"From the terrific first sentence, the reader is firmly hooked in this dark South African thriller of murder, drugs, corruption, and revenge . . . with bizarre characters Elmore Leonard might appreciate and an intricate plot of tangled relationships across racial divides. Highly recommended for those wanting their noir as hard-boiled as it gets" – Library Journal (starred review)

"An intricate Robert Altman–like narrative that, when the pieces finally connect, forms a terrifying portrait of the Cape Flats. [A] searing vision of characters trapped in a fetid purgatory." Kirkus Reviews

"Racial tension, gang warfare, prison life, and witchcraft – with a nod to cannibalism – will make this thriller a prime destination for readers who like to detour from crime-fiction’s beaten path." – Booklist

"Violent, uncompromising, unflinching, Wake Up Dead grabs you by the throat and will haunt you long after you've finished its last blood-soaked pages." Dave Zeltserman, author of Small Crimes & Pariah

"With his second novel, Roger Smith reaches another level of unrelenting noir, with all the elements of the genre given homage yet wonderfully mutated. Dark and brutal, the novel has a focused poetic style that stays with you long after you finish reading." Ken Bruen, author of The Guards & Once Were Cops

I Am A:

Writer

Website:

http://www.rogersmithbooks.com

Books And Authors I Like:

James Sallis, Elmore Leonard, Cormac McCarthy, Pete Dexter, Jim Thompson, Richard Stark, Patricia Highsmith, Ken Bruen, Dave Zeltserman, Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Denis Johnson, James Ellroy, Ian McEwan

Movies And TV Shows I Like:

No Country for Old Men, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Fargo, Dr Strangelove, Raging Bull, Point Blank, The American Friend, Sunset Boulevard, Big Lebowski

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