Twentymile

"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."

   --Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews

"Smith's original, intelligent novel delivers unforgettable characters and an irresistible, page-turning pace while grappling with deeply fascinating issues of land and heritage and what and who is native.... Twentymile is an accomplished first novel from a talented and fully-formed writer."

   --James A. McLaughlin, Edgar Award-winning author of Bearskin

"Twentymile is packed with everything I love: A strong, female character; a wilderness setting; gripping storytelling; masterful writing....A beautiful and brutal and extraordinary debut."

   --Diane Les Becquets, bestselling author of Breaking Wild and The Last Woman in the Forest

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"Smith's spellbinding debut takes readers on a murderous journey through the backwoods of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with indomitable Cherokee and National Park Service investigator Tsula Walker leading the way. A thrilling and evocative tale."

   --Scott Graham, National Outdoor Book Award-winning author of Canyonlands Carnage

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"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

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"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