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From one of the most original writers in crime fiction comes a diabolical mystery wrapped in Hollywood tinsel.
When reclusive, retired silver screen actress Barbara Lace dies in her bed, only the young widower of Cedarville suspects a crime. But Samson Delaware has always been something of an outsider, and his wife's death hasn't exactly improved his reputation. In fact, the local gossipmongers think he might be losing his mind. Their bless-your-heart manners can't disguise their distrust, which makes his amateur attempts at an investigation even more difficult.
When Lace's assistant is found decidedly murdered, the town starts to change its tune, though, and soon Samson finds himself in the thick of an improbable chase. Hollywood hotshots and small-town law enforcement make strange bedfellows--especially when secrets are getting women killed.
Erica Wright's debut crime novel The Red Chameleon was one of O, The Oprah Magazine's Best Books of Summer 2014. Her latest, The Granite Moth, was called "brisk, dark, slinky" by USA Today and was a 2016 Silver Falchion Award Finalist. She is also the author of two poetry collections, Instructions for Killing the Jackal and All the Bayou Stories End with Drowned. She is a senior editor at Guernica Magazine as well as an editorial board member for Alice James Books. She grew up in Wartrace, TN and received her B.A. from New York University and her M.F.A. from Columbia University. She now lives in Washington, DC. Visit her online at www.ericawright.org or @eawright.
Reviews
Praise for Famous in Cedarville "A clever little whodunit...Wright's soft patina of nostalgia is kind to this part of the South, a region so depressed even the undertakers are going out of business." --Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review "(An) outstanding tale of murder, obsession, and revenge...The action builds to a thoroughly satisfying and exciting finale...clean prose, captivating characters, a gripping mystery, and a wry look at Hollywood glamour and decay." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Wright successfully combines small-town sensibility with the money and glitz of twentieth-century Hollywood in a suspenseful mystery populated with winning characters, none more warmly appealing than Samson Delaware himself." --Booklist "A twisty and engrossing thriller, one of those rare page-turners that you have to force yourself to slow down and savor the lyrical prose and atmospheric scenes. Full of colorful, complex characters, old Hollywood allure and aging mafia types, it's simultaneously a portrait of a small town and an exploration of how place and the past make us who we are. It's the kind of book that stays with you long after you've read it." --Daniela Petrova, author of Her Daughter's Mother "Famous in Cedarville has it all-- a small town rife with suspicion, a reluctant vigilante caught in a spiral of memories and obsession, mystery, murder, a hint of noir and the sparkle of Old Hollywood glamour, all told in Erica Wright's signature style of embracing the unexpected and surprising the reader with every new twist and turn." --Steph Post, author of Miraculum, a 2019 Okra Selection "There aren't many writers who can turn seamlessly from writing poetry to crafting complex, beautiful mysteries, but Wright is one of them." --Washington Independent Review of BooksPraise for the novels of Erica Wright "A motley cast of colorful characters ― including a hallucination-inducing jellyfish and a surprisingly non-carnivorous shark - and Stone's super-snarky observations, gift Wright's third novel with substance, entertainment, and chills-a-plenty." ―Seattle Review of Books on The Blue Kingfisher "Fascinating and fully developed characters lift Wright's intriguing third Kat Stone mystery...Wright's vividly told tale is studded with wry wit." ―Publishers Weekly on The Blue Kingfisher "Crime-fiction fans will enjoy the suspenseful twists and numerous red herrings that Wright packs into this tale of greed, family, fear, and―despite everything―something like grace." ―Chapter 16 on The Blue Kingfisher "Brisk, dark, slinky. The Granite Moth confirms that Wright, an editor at the prestigious literary magazine Guernica, has a very promising second career on her hands." ―Charles Finch, USA Today "This new PI has got a smart mouth on her, and plenty of wigs to help her find her own true character." ―The New York Times on The Red Chameleon "A riveting crime novel from poet Wright...Readers will want to see more of the humorous, thoroughly engaging Kat." ―Publishers Weekly "Kathleen Stone is a private investigator well versed in the art of disguise. Her wigs, costumes and varied personae come in handy in the fight against a revenge-minded villain from her days in the NYPD." ―O Magazine (The Summer's Best Thrillers) "Struts into hard-boiled territory with a private detective who's skilled in disguises and has more wigs than Beyoncé (well maybe not quite), a BF, Dolly, who's a talented drag queen (he has more wigs than Bey), and she has a relationship with the NYPD that's fraught with tension the result of being thrown into undercover assignments right out of the academy. A lively read." ―Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "Stone is an engaging character with a disturbing background that adds another layer to this first novel. Aficionados of humorous mysteries like the Stephanie Plum series and the Lucky O'Toole series by Deborah Coonts will want to add this to their reading lists." ―Booklist
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