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Vern Smith

Goodreads Author

Twitter

@realVernonSmith

Genre

Crime, Fiction, Thriller

Member Since

January 2019

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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.

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Vern Smith’s books

Average rating: 4.61 · 159 ratings · 63 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	Scratching the Flint 4.79 avg rating — 34 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jacked: An Anthology of Crime Fiction by Vern Smith (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Philip Moscovitch (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Christine Boyer (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.87 avg rating — 31 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Under the Table 4.47 avg rating — 32 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Green Ghetto 4.36 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Corporate Catharsis by Steven Radecki (Goodreads Author), Kimberley Wall, L.A. Jacob (Goodreads Author) 4.64 avg rating — 11 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Gimmick: Novelettes, stories, and sketches 4.90 avg rating — 10 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Romy Lives by A.B. Patterson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Vern Smith (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Philip Moscovitch (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Glue for breakfast and other stories 3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1996	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	YOU NEED SOMETHING TO SLOW YOU DOWN it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Vern Smith is currently reading

Harry Kenmare, PI - At Your Service

by A.B. Patterson (Goodreads Author)

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Vern Smith said: " If you crossed the ghosts of Charles Bukowksi and Mickey Spillane (who disliked each other), then turned the conflicted bastard offspring on its head before shipping it to the land down under to slaughter contemporary sacred cows, you’d have A.B. Pat If you crossed the ghosts of Charles Bukowksi and Mickey Spillane (who disliked each other), then turned the conflicted bastard offspring on its head before shipping it to the land down under to slaughter contemporary sacred cows, you’d have A.B. Patterson’s Harry Kenmare, PI At Your Service.

While I was initially the least bit skeptical of the reviewer who deemed Patterson “the bad boy of Australian crime fiction,” I must admit to catching myself blush at least once during every one of these seven compelling cases. For, whether Kenmare is chasing a dirty cop selling confiscated drugs or a cabinet minister’s daughter who’s run off to be a stripper, he’s also being actively social in ways that are sure to trigger the hand wringers early and often. Like, I don’t recall James Bond engaging in anal sex, and the PC cops have been after him for years. So I’d be utterly fascinated to see what would happen if this book ended up in the wrong hands.

And yes, aside from solving cases along the way that cry to be solved, there is always a point, not the least of which are the uncomfortable truths bubbling to the top of these fearless stories, each of which is a refreshing gem. I’d prefer to expand on a few a few juicy examples, such as the time our detective and his gay counterpart save a woman from an arranged marriage, but I do worry about setting off Const. A.I. Flatfoot. Suffice it to say that Kenmare’s world of fake puritans, corruption, fast talkers, cheap thrills, addiction, and institutional failure is in fact our world. Said failure is on full display when the daughter of a Triad boss is kidnapped and Kenmare, for all his flaws, is called in to deal with the situation instead of the local constabulary. It’s almost as if no one can trust the cops. And roughly, that’s where our societies are at today, something else that speaks to the relevancy of this collection.

Fact is, I didn’t think we could make books like this anymore – books that shine a critical light on all aspects of society a la Chester Himes – which is why it’s so important to continue making books like this. Great stories, one and all. Full marks. I’ll be seeking out the Harry Kenmare novels next.

Other Notes: I rarely mention a book’s aesthetic details in review, but this one is singular in that I do adore the extra efforts around design and bonus content. In addition to J.T. Lindroos’ terrific cover and dark interior art by Ran Scott, I hold a special affinity for the glossary of Aussie colloquialisms in the back. While I largely didn’t need it to get through the stories (I think I had to look up one word, goanna, an Australian lizard, often large), the glossary gives this book another gear as a future reference guide, something that will come in handy when dealing with friends who recently fled North America for Harry’s half-world. At least I can tell them who to call when the locals get rowdy. ...more "

Jan 27, 2023 02:46PM · see review

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Vern’s Recent Updates

Vern Smith is now following Brian Bowyer's reviews
Dec 02, 2025 11:05AM · like
Vern Smith liked George Cavanaugh's review of Scratching the Flint: "I was so taken with the portrayal of institutional failure in Scratching the Flint that I had author Vern Smith on my show. Check out our full conversation here: https://youtu.be/s_fmBCQZqko?si=hN3Vj..." Read more of this review »
Dec 02, 2025 10:59AM · see review
Vern Smith liked Gabe's review of Scatching the Flint: "Scratching the Flint reads like it's on fire. The ticking-clock suspense ramps up from page one and never slows. The cat and mouse between two anti-fraud cops and a crew of ruthless auto thieves is smart and swift. The characters are clever and moral" Read more of this review »
Dec 02, 2025 10:59AM · see review
Vern Smith liked Brian Greene's review of Scratching the Flint: "Top-Shelf Toronto Noir Vern Smith’s Scratching the Flint is a superb work of edgy noir fiction. Set in Toronto in 2001, the tension-filled story revolves around a police investigation into an organized crime ring that orchestrates dirty deals involvin" Read more of this review »
Dec 02, 2025 10:59AM · see review
Vern Smith rated a book it was amazing The Amazing Twin Chicken Freedom Fighters by Zephaniah Sole	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If you put Life of Pi and Bubba Ho-Tep in a blender, added all the right spices, and set it on puree, you'd have Zephaniah Sol's new novel, The Amazing Twin Chicken Freedom Fighters -- a singularly unclassifiable gem. ...more
Dec 02, 2025 10:46AM · like · see review
Vern Smith rated a book it was amazing The Accidental Recluse by Tom McCulloch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 10:46AM · like
Vern Smith has read The Accidental Recluse by Tom McCulloch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 10:45AM · like
Vern Smith rated a book it was amazing The Sin Sniper: A Novel by Hugh Garner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I just reviewed a new Canadian novel (The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky) that conjured memories of Hugh Garner's Sin Sniper, so I decided to slide over here and show this paperback some love, too. Garner was a literary author who won the Governor ...more
Oct 30, 2025 12:51PM · like · see review
Vern Smith rated a book it was amazing The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In The Broken Detective, Joel Nedecky does Winnipeg like Hugh Garner did Toronto in The Sin Sniper, picking apart Hometown, Canada's zealotry, exploitation, and violence right along with the fuels of its addictions. No one is simply good or bad here. ...more
Oct 30, 2025 12:47PM · like · see review
Vern Smith rated a book it was amazing Harry's Grail by A.B. Patterson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I became an instant fan of Australia's A.B. Patterson after reading Harry Kenmare, PI At Your Service, which remains my favourite PI collection period, in part for Patterson's willingness to go places most authors dare not tread. I've since tore thro ...more
Oct 23, 2025 09:54AM · 1 like · like · see review

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