Blackbird

Starred review from April 20, 2015
Set in the tristate area of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, Wright’s expertly crafted second novel updates the careers of Jim Bonham and Jim’s only cousin, Lee Ann Rowe, who were adolescents in Wright’s CWA Dagger Award–finalist debut, What Dies in Summer. Now a police lieutenant, Jim leads the investigation into the crucifixion and mutilation murder of psychologist Deborah Gold. Jim discovers that the victim was involved in a small group of S&M and cocaine enthusiasts. Soon after this grisly crime, the corpse of another group member, Benjamin Frix, is found in Frix’s burnt-out house. Lee Ann, now a therapist, assists the police team with her insight while providing Jim with perspective and support. Wright has a gift for creating distinct and intriguing characters, none more so than Jim, a fully rounded person with friends and family who works closely with his fellow police officers—a refreshing change from the typical hard-bitten rogue cop so popular in the genre today. Jim’s “touch of the Sight,” a rare, unpredictable form of clairvoyance, adds a bit of paranormal spice to this accomplished crime thriller. Agent: Victoria Hobbs, A.M. Heath (U.K.).

April 15, 2015
In Wright's second novel (What Dies in Summer, 2012), Texarkana Police Detective Lt. Jim Bonham investigates the death of psychologist Deborah Gold, found mutilated and crucified. Gold was an easy person to want dead, with an ugly reputation for hosting a kinky BDSM club, for "lying and cheating," for pirating patients from other psychologists, and for tailoring her court testimony for the highest bidder. Suspects are multiple: fellow psychologists, disgruntled sex-club partners, even anti-Semitic survivalists. "I can't think of anyone who didn't dislike her," Bonham is told. The case grows more complicated when another sex-club participant is killed. It doesn't help that Bonham's being harassed by the city manager, who wants him fired for crossing a line to keep a fellow detective from being charged with murder. Bonham is also frustrated and angry because his wife's moved out. She wants him to give up dangerous, demanding police work and take over the family ranch. In spite of relying on the hard-worn trope of the emotionally wounded, stoic, closed-off protagonist, Wright spins a solid what's gonna happen next? narrative from Bonham's point of view, with flashbacks to the detective's teen years and his then-girlfriend, who disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Wright's gift for artful language lets those scenes glow with appreciation for unbreakable family bonds and Texas ranch life, but the author's forte is characterization: Bonham's chief, OZ, "silent, fearless, incorruptible"; Detective Jacquanda Mouncey, jive-talking but unflappable; and incarcerated Keets, Chaplain of the Army of the Sword of the Lord, "intelligent but not smart." Bonham seeks help from his cousin, LA, herself a psychologist, and things crack open when both LA and Bonham's wife and daughters are attacked. Noir crime with a distinct Southern accent.

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Starred review from May 1, 2015
Psychologist Wright's stunning debut, What Dies in Summer (2012), was no fluke. This follow-up brings back cousins Jim Bonham and Lee Ann Rowe, who share the gift of second sight. She's now a psychologist, and he's a lieutenant in the Traverton police department on the Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana border. Bonham is still struggling with traumas from high school and his profession and is now living apart from his wife and two daughters. When psychologist Deborah Gold is mutilated and crucified, a brutal crime that attracts wide media attention, Bonham heads the investigation and seeks Rowe's help. As he staves off depression while dealing with another related murder and pressure from the city manager, he experiences momentary instances of sight that take him back to the disappearance of his high-school girlfriend. Meanwhile, the investigation into the victim's life turns up too many people with potential motives, and the limited forensic evidence is puzzling. Wright portrays events vividly, from Bonham's high-school football exploits to his welding skills, as he deftly uncovers the long-buried secrets of these fully developed characters. Best of all, this has all the markings of a continuing seriesgood news for fans of gripping crime fiction with a paranormal twist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)