Snake (Bloomsbury)
A LitReactor Best Book of 2020
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
Feared and worshiped in equal measure, snakes have captured the imagination of poets, painters, and philosophers for centuries. From Ice Age cave drawings to Snakes on a Plane, this creature continues to enthrall the public. But what harm has been caused by our mythologizing? While considering the dangers of stigma, Erica Wright moves from art and pop culture to religion, fetish, and ecologic disaster. This book considers how the snake has become more symbol than animal, a metaphor for how we treat whatever scares us the most, whether or not our panic is justified.
Ander Monson, author of I Will Take the Answer
That's the genius of this book: the self as both instrument and subject. As it turns out, what we talk about when we talk about snakes is ourselves.
Bradley Sides, Chapter 16
The navigation among such disparate topics, often at a rapid pace, is decidedly easy going, which has to be attributed to Wright’s accessible and captivating voice. [...] It’s hard to imagine another writer showing the snake as much respect — and dare I say love — as Wright does within these pages.
Amy Brady, The Chicago Review of Books
Few writers have attempted to connect the art of Britney Spears to the pictorial language of early cave dwellers, or to the religious rituals of fringe Christian groups, but that’s exactly what poet, mystery novelist, and essayist Erica Wright achieved with her book, Snake, one of the latest editions to Bloomsbury’s Object Lessons series.
Steph Post, LitReactor
Wright's collection of essays for the Object Lessons series contemplates our relationship to her favorite reptile and explores all the fears, drama, myths and ecological consequences we've brought to the humble snake.
Malcolm Avenue Review
Wright recognizes that humans are also creatures of duality, with the power to be menacing or helpful, destructive or redemptive. "Irrational fear justifies a lot of cruelty," and if we fail to understand the serpent we run the risk of losing a valuable resource.
Famous in Cedarville (Polis Books)
Hollywood hotshots and small-town law enforcement make strange bedfellows―especially when secrets are getting women killed.
One of 2019's Best Books According to LitReactor and Writer's Bone
Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
...a clever little whodunnit.
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Wright provides it all: clean prose, captivating characters, a gripping mystery, and a wry look at Hollywood glamour and decay.
Steph Post, LitReactor, Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2019
With an Old Hollywood twinkle at the core of the story, Wright delivers yet another page-turner to compulsively devour.
John Vercher, Shotgun Honey, Favorite Reads of 2019
The sentences flow into one another with ease as she takes us into the grimier side of Tinseltown.
Daniel Ford, Writer's Bone, The Best Books of 2019
You feel main character Samson's grief permeate off the page. His haphazard investigation into a small-town murder takes the edge off and flings us to exotic places like Los Angeles!
Hannah Grieco, Washington City Paper
Wright’s fans will wonder how this compares to her Kat Stone mysteries, and they won’t be disappointed: Her pacing and suspense-building is top notch and her deep-dive into Hollywood’s underbelly is expertly-done.
E.A. Aymar, Washington Independent Review of Books
There aren’t many writers who can turn seamlessly from writing poetry to crafting complex, beautiful mysteries, but Wright is one of them.
Daniela Petrova, author of Her Mother's Daughter
Erica Wright’s Famous in Cedarville is 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.
Booklist
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.
G. Robert Frazier, Chapter 16
Readers fascinated by the allure of Hollywood’s Golden Era, or just by the promise of a juicy good mystery, can’t go wrong with this one.
Scott Adlerberg, Criminal Element
The plot brings two disparate worlds together in an interesting way, and Wright tells the story with an admirable blend of concision and leisureliness.
The Irresponsible Reader
Wright knocks this one out of the park and will earn herself some new fans with this one.
The Blue Kingfisher (Polis Books, October 2018)
What happens when a master of disguise tries to be herself for once? If you’re private investigator Kat Stone, trouble seems to find you with or without your favorite wig.
Matt Coleman, Book Riot
Wright is a true talent, and the series promises to be one that could pay off huge for Polis.
Tina Chambers, Chapter 16
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.
Daneet Steffens, The Seattle Review of Books
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.
Publishers Weekly
Wright’s vividly told tale is studded with wry wit.
Christine Tran, Booklist
Tense undercover scenes paired with Stone’s struggle to rebuild her life after her stint with the NYPD create a gripping addition to the recent trend in crime fiction of portraying the dangers facing America’s immigrants.
Daniel Ford, Writer's Bone
It’s such a joy to have troubled, New York City private investigator Kat Stone back on the page...I want Kat Stone to find some peace in her life, but not before getting herself wrapped up in a few more precarious capers.
Janet Webb, Criminal Element
Make-believe, convincing make-up and wigs courtesy of her drag-queen friends, plus a New Yorker’s persistence—these are some of the tools in Kat Stone’s toolkit. Erica Wright’s The Blue Kingfisher is a gritty mystery that’s grounded in the reality of life in The Heights.
Suspense Magazine
Wright offers up a cast of unforgettable characters (including jellyfish, of all things), and creates a page turner.
All the Bayou Stories End with Drowned (Black Lawrence Press, June 2017)
Gregory Pardlo, author of Digest
Poems in Erica Wright’s virtuosic new collection, All the Bayou Stories End with Drowned, have an almost subliminal force. We read them with feline attention, hungering after each line’s fugitive beauty. These poems capture the quicksilver of inspiration, and hold it steady, the way a hummingbird seems motionless sipping from the bud.
Jaswinder Bolina, author of Phantom Camera
You don't need psychedelics or hypnosis. You don't need a shaman or any divine intervention. If it's a trip you're looking for, try Erica Wright's All the Bayou Stories End with Drowned. This is a book that warps the America we know into a mesmerizing weirdness. It scintillates the ordinary. Wright's lyricism, the fantastic juxtapositions in her diction and imagery all give us an alternate vision of our national moment. Equal parts surreal, sinister, and sincere, this is a place you definitely want to visit. It might just be the kind of place you need to live in.
Nick Ripatrazone, The Millions
I loved the strangeness of Wright’s debut, and she’s back with her unique storytelling touch. [...] There’s a matter-of-factness to Wright’s crisp lines, as if we are entering a weird but valid world between these covers.
Carolyn Oliver, Rosemary & Reading Glasses
As you might guess from the title, in this collection you’re in the hands of a gifted storyteller. [...] Highly recommended.
Daniel Ford, Writer's Bone
From her fiery, apocalyptic opener to the eponymous entry that inspired the collection, All the Bayou Stories End With Drowned showcases a poet in firm command of her genre.
Deborah Hauser, Kenyon Review
Two parts lyric, one part American Horror Story, Erica Wright’s uncanny second poetry collection is “an advertisement for despair” that contemplates our worldly and otherworldly fears.
The Granite Moth (Pegasus Books, November 2015)
It begins with a bang: Kathleen Stone is watching her friend Dolly and his fellow drag queens perform at the Halloween Parade when their float explodes. Suspecting sabotage, the club's owner hires Kat to find the culprit. But Kat hasn't given up on bringing gangster Salvatore Magrelli to justice and finds herself pulled between identities. While navigating both the grit and glamour of New York City, she realizes that sometimes love and hate can be hard to tell apart.
Charles Finch, USA Today
This brisk, dark, slinky sequel to Erica Wright’s first P.I. novel, The Red Chameleon, again features the winning Kathleen Stone, former cop and current private detective.
Tray Butler, Atlanta-Journal Constitution
When a fiery act of sabotage brings actual horror to a Halloween parade, costume queen Kathleen Stone breaks out her bag of tricks to unmask the killer. It’s no mystery why the writing packs a lyrical kick: The Nashville-based author is a poet and editor for Guernica magazine.—Featured in "3 Southern mysteries to read this fall"
Kirkus Reviews
More concentrated than Kathleen’s debut, Wright’s second entry begins to develop a detective who can shine through all those costume changes.
Daniel Ford, Writer's Bone
As with all good noir, the plot matters much less than what’s going on in Stone’s head and how her job interferes with every relationship she has in her life. There’s plenty of Wright’s trademark wit and sharp dialogue in this sequel, but the book is at its best when exploring Stone’s dark inner demons. The book comes out Nov. 16, so plan your late fall reading accordingly.—Featured in "5 Books That Should Be on Your Radar"
Jaden Terrell, The Big Thrill
Wright has a crisp, fresh writing style, a flair for language, and a deep understanding of character that made this book a pleasure to read.
Carole E. Barrowman, Journal Sentinel
Erica Wright's The Granite Moth (Pegasus Crime) struts into hard-boiled territory with a private detective, Kathleen Stone, who's skilled in disguises and has more wigs than Beyoncé[...] All of this makes for a lively read as Kathleen tries to bring down a drug cartel while searching for the person behind a series of hate crimes.
Liz Garrigan, Chapter 16
Much of the fun in this layered thriller comes from Wright’s sardonic humor, which is fresh and young and smart, and her prose style, which is not the sort of hackneyed fare that largely populates the thriller genre.
The Advocate
Private dick Kat Stone watches her friend Dolly and his drag buddies as their parade float explodes in The Granite Moth (Pegasus Crime), which takes her deep into a murder investigation, possible hate crimes, and a gangster subplot.—Featured in "The 30 Best Books You Missed in 2015"
Rosemary & Reading Glasses
Are you looking for the right book during the transition from summer into fall? Look no further: with its page-turning plot and crisp autumn setting, Erica Wright’s The Granite Moth is the book for you.
Irresponsible Reader
Not since Stephen J. Cannell’s Wiseguy, have I seen something deal so effectively with the emotional toll of a double life—
The Red Chameleon (Pegasus Books, 2014)
O, The Oprah Magazine
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.—Featured in "Killing It: The Summer's Best Thrillers"
Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
[T]here’s still something very appealing about Kathleen Stone, a quick-change artist who can slip into the persona of Katie, Kat, Kitty, Kathy, Kate, Katya—or her personal favorite, 15-year-old Keith—at the drop of a hat or, more likely, the switch of a wig.
Publishers Weekly
At the start of this riveting crime novel from poet Wright (Instructions for Killing the Jackal), PI Kat Stone, a former NYPD undercover detective, discovers the dead body of Stephen Kramer, the unfaithful husband she's been tailing, in the men's room of an Upper East Side bar. Readers will want to see more of the humorous, thoroughly engaging Kat.
Liz Garrigan, Chapter 16
This first outing in crime proves that she is also one of the rare mystery writers who can infuse the genre with both smart humor and artistic prose—all without sacrificing plot. The Red Chameleon is the kind of well-crafted and expertly conceived title that might make thriller fans wish more poets would venture into mystery writing.
Library Journal
Wright's debut novel offers a promising start to a hard-boiled series featuring an idiosyncratic female PI whose quirkiness will appeal to fans of Linda Barnes or Karen Kijewski. The author gives tantalizing glimpses into Stone's undercover career that one hopes will be developed more to help further explain some of her unusual behaviors. The supporting characters are also well developed and absorbing.
Booklist
Stone is an engaging character with a disturbing background that adds another layer to this first novel. Wright is a little darker and not quite as over the top as Janet Evanovich, but 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.
Kirkus Reviews
[A] fast-paced, quirky debut.
Jim Fusilli, author of Billboard Man
Erica Wright's The Red Chameleon is a gift to devotees of classical private-eye novels as well as contemporary crime fiction. We're introduced to Kat Stone, a young ex-cop and risk-taking master of disguises who knows that New York City's upscale neighborhoods and downtrodden streets are often populated by the same low-class criminals. We want her to succeed not only so she solves the knotty crime, but so we can share future adventures with this very appealing crime fighter.
Chris Grabenstein, Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author of the John Ceepak Mysteries
Erica Wright is such a wonderful writer, you'll be burning through the pages faster than a chameleon changes colors
Justin Kramon, author of Finny and The Preservationist
The Red Chameleon introduces us to a thrilling new hardboiled world. Wright has created a rich and nuanced protagonist, as well as a gripping plot, and she writes in a style agile enough to veer into surprising pockets of emotion.
Parnell Hall, author of the Stanley Hastings mysteries
A fast and funny private eye novel featuring Kathleen Stone, a kick-ass disguise artist who's a hoot under any name in any wig.
Melodie Johnson Howe, author of City of Mirrors
Kathleen Stone, ex-undercover cop now New York City private investigator, is a woman who is more secure in disguise than she is as herself. In The Red Chameleon, Erica Wright creates a fascinating protagonist coming to terms with her own image and fears while solving the murder of her client's husband. A complex tale filled with humor and sharply drawn characters, Erica Wright takes the reader on a thrilling ride where confronting evil can scare you into hiding or help you to come out of the shadows.
Carolyn Haines, author of The Darkling and The Seeker
When Kathleen Stone steps on the page, you know you're in for a rollicking good ride. Smart, brassy, and willing to risk it all to solve a case, Kathleen is a hard-edged female who packs heat but more often takes aim with her wit and keen powers of observation than bullets. Throw in Meeza, the can-do sidekick, and you have a crime battling team that also gives a glimpse into the cultural melting pot that is NYC. The Red Chameleon is a fast, exciting read that mystery lovers will consume in huge gulps.
Instructions for Killing the Jackal (Black Lawrence Press, 2011)
Nick Ripatrazone, The Iowa Review
Instructions for Killing the Jackal might not actually be a manual for killing Canis aureus, but it could be a guidebook for poets hoping to write with originality and confidence.
Chris Crawford, Neon Magazine
Wright is not afraid to use the darkest of imagery combined with a violence of language.
Nancy Reddy, Devil's Lake Review
And so it is with Wright's poems, in which the natural world is rendered in precise detail, at once beautiful, violent, and grotesque.
Timothy Donnelly, author of The Cloud Corporation
The poems in Erica Wright’s bold debut balance their investigations of danger, dysfunction and bad weather not merely with beauty and poise (although she is generous with both) but also with an imaginative counterforce all her own. In poem after poem, she sinks her heels into adversity, pulls back on its rope like a pro, and throws down in a language equal to the experience. Wright knows life’s hardships leave their imprints on us, and that there is beauty to be found in the imprinted face—not a delicate prettiness, but a beauty that celebrates persistence, resilience, valor. 'Sever my salt-beaten cords,' she writes in her tough little anthem, 'Prow,' and 'let me…make home / among the wrecked and wonderful.' In this remarkable book—with all its brilliant feats of metaphor, formal prowess, and hard-won wisdom—she has done just that.
Emily Fragos, author of Hostage
Erica Wright's brilliant, gutsy, clear-eyed poems take on her life and its people, the 'wrecked and the wonderful,' with uncanny perception, dead-on amusement, and restrained sorrow. Her indelible imagery—the small town preacher catching toast in his teeth, a cobra with its mouth sewn shut, loosening the stitches enough to hiss—gets into your head and under your skin and alters your vision of bittersweet experience, skewers it, deepens it on the spot.
Silt (Dancing Girl Press, 2009)
Christopher Frost, Neon Magazine
Silt is, perhaps, an ideal name for this collection. It is rich, fertile, yet also simple as the earth, and dark with it. The chapbook’s shortness means that it is something to be savoured rather than devoured, and it is highly recommended that you do.
Karen J. Wyatt, The Scrapper Poet
Not only are the characters not afraid to take chances, but the poet herself is not afraid to use uncommon metaphors to explore life’s events.