Roger Smith is a distinguished South African novelist, renowned for his mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. He was born in Johannesburg and currently resides in Cape Town, where he sets many of his mystery thrillers. Smith first gained recognition in 2009 with his debut novel, "Mixed Blood," which was published in six countries and won the German Crime Prize. His second novel, "Wake Up Dead," received critical acclaim, earning spots on the top picks lists of the South Africa Times, Krimiwelt, and Philadelphia Enquirer, as well as a nomination for the prestigious German Krimi Blitz Reader's Award.
Smith's novels, including "Nowhere," "Man Down," "Sacrifices," "Capture," "Dust Devils," "Wake Up Dead," "Mixed Blood," and "Ishmael Toffee," have been translated into eight languages, with two currently in development as movies in the U.S. His writing has been praised by critics and readers alike, with The Washington Post describing his style as "brutal beauty" and Die Zeit (Germany) calling him "the shooting star of the crime scene." Smith's works have received nominations for several awards, including the Spinetingler Magazine Best Novel awards and France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière.
In addition to writing under his own name, Smith also uses the pseudonyms Max Wilde and James Rayburn for his espionage thriller and suspense novels. He also writes horror under the pen name Max Wilde. Critics have praised Smith for his unique ability to grab readers and plunge them headlong into his nightmare visions, with The Times calling him "the crime genre's greatest tragedian" and Spinetingler Magazine hailing him as "the master of the coolly-described nightmare." His writing is known for its brutal honesty and unflinching portrayal of a world that has lost all hope of redemption.