A storm’s brewing.
ABOUT THE ONES IN THE CORNER:
When struggling rideshare driver Ben Duffy learns his sister has defaulted on a debt owed to dangerous men, he reluctantly takes a second job driving criminals and their cargo around Atlanta. Soon enough, he’s in over his head. The trips become increasingly violent and unpredictable. A GBI special agent takes an unwelcome interest in his activities. And some of his customers graduate to new streams of revenue no decent person would ever consider. Can Ben find a way forward that keeps himself and his sister alive while still preserving what’s left of his soul?
NEW THRILLER NOVEL OUT JUNE 17, 2026!
ORDER HERE:
Publisher:
Newnan Book Company:
Bookshop.org:
PRAISE FOR THE ONES IN THE CORNER:
“A thrilling work of crime fiction. Hell, any fiction for that matter. Great characters, great writing, and great, heart-pounding action sequences. The story builds like an avalanche, the pressure mounting to the point of explosion.”
—Jonathan Ames, author of Karma Doll
“Smith’s writing resides between a rock and a hard place, with no easy answers and no easy outs. Grab the oh-shit handle and hang on. This book is both a wild ride and a thoughtful examination of what it means to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.”
—Erin Flanagan, Edgar Award-winning author of Come with Me
“A blistering ride through an Atlanta you haven't seen—and would do well to avoid. Calling to mind the atmospherics of Willy Vlautin and the razor-sharp dialogue of Richard Price, this is a page-turner that just happens to be a work of art.”
—Mark Powell, author of The Late Rebellion
“As they fight for survival in a world collapsing beneath the weight of bad decisions and worse luck, Smith’s characters ring painfully true. In his well-paced narrative, they’re riddled with bullets, and tormented with desperation’s darkest impulses, but he gives them a generous amount of empathy, humor, and hope to hide behind for shelter. I f*cking loved this book.”
—C. B. Bernard, Barry Award-winning author of Ordinary Bear
“Buckle up for a great ride. Smith's thrilling new novel drives us into newfound territory: Gig Economy Noir. A hero battling to stay afloat, stay moving, and stay alive against the beasts who have us all by the throat. A fantastic read.”
—Adam Frost, author of The Damned Lovely.
“A hell of a lot of fun.”
—Christopher Swann, author of the Faulkner Family Thriller Series
NOMINEE FOR THE 2022 GEORGIA AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AWARD (DETECTIVE / MYSTERY).
ORDER HERE:
Publisher: https://www.latahbooks.com/blank-1/twentymile
Main Street Books (Davidson, NC): https://www.mainstreetbooksdavidson.com/browse/filter/t/Twentymile%20/k/keyword
Virginia Highland Books (Atlanta, GA): https://www.vahibooks.com/book/9781736012765
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twentymile-c-matthew-smith/1140357276
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Twentymile-C-MATTHEW-SMITH/9781736012765
PRAISE FOR TWENTYMILE:
“[A] taut, page-turning thriller . . .”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Twentymile is packed with everything I love: A strong, female character; a wilderness setting; gripping storytelling; masterful writing. Smith captures powerfully and deeply the effects of the past and what we do to one another and ourselves for the sake of ownership and possession, for what we wrongfully and rightfully believe is ours. I loved every word. A beautiful and brutal and extraordinary debut."
—Diane Les Becquets, bestselling author of Breaking Wild and The Last Woman in the Forest
"Original, intelligent . . Twentymile is an accomplished first novel from a talented and fully-formed writer."
—James McLaughlin, Edgar Award winning author of Bearskin
"In C. Matthew Smith’s engrossing novel Twentymile, a park service biologist turns up dead in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and discord regarding annexed land fuels a treacherous chase....a disturbing, potent thriller about ownership and trespassing, as well as unrealized dreams and aggression."
—Foreword Reviews
“Twentymile is a moody, atmospheric tale of family, vengeance, and anger too-long held, all set in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ultimately, it is the story of reaching for- discovering and recovering- home, and how such a complicated yearning can play out on both sides of the law."
—Steph Post, author of Miraculum, Lightwood, and A Tree Born Crooked
"Smith’s spellbinding debut takes readers on a murderous journey through the backwoods of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. . . A thrilling and evocative tale."
—Scott Graham, National Outdoor Book Award-winning author of Canyonlands Carnage
"A highly enjoyable read suited best to those who like their thrillers to simmer for awhile before erupting in a blizzard of action and unpredictability with a future promise of grander adventures."
—Kashif Hussain, Best Thriller Books
ABOUT TWENTYMILE:
When wildlife biologist Alex Lowe is found dead inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it looks on the surface like a suicide. But Tsula Walker, Special Agent with the National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch, isn't so sure.
Tsula's investigation will lead her deep into the park and face-to-face with a group of lethal men on a mission to reclaim a historic homestead. The encounter will irretrievably alter the lives of all involved and leave Tsula fighting for survival—not only from those who would do her harm, but from a looming winter storm that could prove just as deadly.
A finely crafted literary thriller, Twentymile delivers a propulsive story of long-held grievances, new hopes, and the contentious history of the land at its heart.