Kevin Burton Smith is a Montreal-born editor, writer, critic, essayist, web monkey,would-be cartoonist, social media gadfly and notary public currently stationed in the peculiar state-of-mind known as Southern California. My often rather dubious but always enthusiastic writings on crime fiction, rock’n’roll, film, television, comics, bicycling and sundry other topics have appeared in web and print publications all over the place — which goes to show what the world knows — including Mystery Scene, The Rap Sheet, Crimespree, Details, Blue Murder, The Mystery Readers Journal, Word Wrights, Over My Dead Body, Crime Time (U.K.), Crime Factory (Australia), Musica Jazz (Italy), Deadly Pleasures and maybe soon The Strand Magazine.
I got my start in publishing working as a graphic designer and layout editor for various trade and business magazines in Montréal, such decidedly less-thrilling rags as Pulp and Paper Canada (not about two-fisted lumberjacks), Genie Construction, Canadian Doctor, The CIM Bulletin of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and The Canadian Mining Journal. Hoo-boy, we’re talking some thrilling stuff there!
These days I serve as as a drive-by contributor to The Rap Sheet, Reflections in a Private Eye (the official newsletter of the PWA) and Deadly Pleasures. Recently I’ve been serving as the official web monkey for the Private Eye Writers of America.
I’m also the founder/editor of the award-winning Thrilling Detective Web Site, the internet’s (erm…) premier resource for fans of fictional private eyes and other tough guys and gals in literature, film, radio, television and other media. I started that way back in 1998, mostly as a joke and as a backdoor way to learn html, and I’ve been dancing in the dark ever since. Looks like the joke’s on me.
I’ve also published a little crime fiction myself. My first short stories were published years ago in Iced, an anthology of Canadian noir fiction, and Grunt and Groan, a collection of stories involving sex in the workplace, and every few years I cough up another one, most recently a story in Lawyers, Guns and Money, the Shamus-nominated anthology of short stories inspired by the music of Warren Zevon. I’ve also co-edited (with partner-in-crime and fellow mystery writer D.L. Browne (aka Josh Lanyon, Diana Killian, Colin Duane, Louise Harris and The Girl Detective) the private eye collection Down These Wicked Streets, and like everyone else on the planet, am working on my first novel, as well as a long-delayed non-fiction book about private eyes.
I currently live with D.L. out in the High Desert of California, just north of Los Angeles (Chandlertown!), of all places, with our dogs Marlowe and Spenser, but a good chunk of my soul still lives in Montreal. Please send smoked meat, bagels, Oka cheese, some real beer and news of the Habs.
A man of many interests (and opinions to match), I can speak with a trace element of knowledge (or at least just won’t shut up) on camping, hiking, bicycling, music, film, television, popular culture, North American history, Montréal, Canada and how the whole world is going to hell.
You can find me on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, maybe Threads and Instagram. And right here, of course, You can e-mail me, but I have to warn you: I’m a man who likes to talk to a man who likes to talk.
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
Eventually I’ll have everything me-related transferred here from kevinburtonsmith.com. Most of the links below still work, but they haven’t been updated for years.
NON-FICTION
Columns • Articles & Essays • Introductions & Prefaces • Reviews • Profiles & Interviews
OTHER FLIGHTS OF FANCY
Rip This Joint: Music • The Bike Beat
MY FICTION
Short stories • Novels
etc.
As editor • “Expert Witness” • “I’ve Been Blurbed!!!”
I was searching around and found this back alley and I’m glad I did.