Polis Books

Famous in Cedarville

Available now in hardcover, paperback, and ebook!

"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. Wright provides it all: 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

From Erica Wright, one of the most original writers in crime fiction, comes her first standalone novel, 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.