Blackbird

On the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas border, Detective Jim Beaudry Bonham has been assigned a bewildering case: a woman has been brutally attacked and nailed to a cross on the outskirts of town the day after a devastating storm unnerves the community. Bonham recognizes her immediately as Dr. Deborah Gold, the town's well-known psychologist. Sensing how many secrets Dr. Gold took to her grave, Bonham's field of suspects grows to include the culture of the town itself—multiplying the questions that might explain how and why such a gruesome murder could be committed.

With the participation of complex, fully realized characters, Blackbird is not only a commanding crime novel: it is also an exploration of small-town life and how it's affected by violence and savagery. Wright's incisive description of the setting and characters perfectly juxtaposes the unknowns surrounding the murder, making Blackbird a memorable addition to the crime canon.