Vern Smith is the author of the novels Under the Table and The Green Ghetto. His novelette, The Gimmick-a finalist for Canada's highest crime-writing honor, the Arthur Ellis Award-is the title track of his second collection of short fiction, The Gimmick: novelettes, stories, and sketches. His third novel, Scratching the Flint, will be published by Run Amok Books in 2023.