Carrie Smith was born and raised in the suburbs of Michigan. After completing her primary education, she attended the Residential College at the University of Michigan, where she majored in Literature and Creative Writing. Smith's talent for writing was recognized early on, and she became the recipient of three Hopwood Awards for her fiction and essay writing. In addition, she was a finalist in the Annie Porter prize for fiction, which was organized by Nimrod Magazine.
After completing her studies, Smith moved to New York City in 1981, where she began her writing career while holding down a full-time job. Currently, she is the Vice President of Publisher Benchmark Education Company, a literacy publisher. Alongside her professional responsibilities, Smith has found the time to write and publish several successful novels. She is the author of the NYPD Detective Claire Codella mystery series, which includes Silent City, Forgotten City, and Unholy City, all published by Crooked Lane Books. Her literary novel, Forget Harry, has also received critical acclaim.
Smith's work has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades. In addition to her Hopwood Awards and Killer Nashville's Readers' Choice Award, she has also received a fellowship to the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Smith's writing has been praised for its intricate plotlines, well-drawn characters, and evocative settings. She currently resides in the Upper Parts of Manhattan with her spouse and two children, where she continues to write and work as a senior vice president and publisher of Benchmark Education Company.