The Red Chameleon

February 24, 2014
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. When Kat begins to look like the most likely suspect in Kramer’s shooting murder, Det. Ellis Dekker, who’s in charge of the case and a friend of Kat’s, vouches for her innocence and brings her unofficially into the investigation. After someone breaks into both her home and office, Kat begins to think that her former undercover activities might be catching up with her. Painful repressed memories start to surface that touch on the reason she resigned from the police force at age 25. A possible romance with Ellis adds to the intrigue, as does the appearance of a past lover. Readers will want to see more of the humorous, thoroughly engaging Kat. Agent: Penn Whaling, Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency.

May 1, 2014

Meet Kathleen Stone, an ex-NYPD officer who is now a private investigator and a mistress of disguises (with the help of the best wigmaker in NYC). Her latest case involves trailing her client's possibly cheating husband. Stone follows him into a bar where he is killed in the men's room. Her suspicions are raised when the wife-turned-widow pays off Stone's contract with a nice bonus attached. As Stone continues to follow clues and work with her former police friends, she fears that her history as an undercover cop may be interfering with her present investigation. VERDICT 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. While the action is sometimes slowed down by excessively repeated wig details, 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.--Frances Thorsen, Chronicles of Crime Bookshop, Victoria, BC

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