Eric Wright books

Eric Wright was a British-born Canadian mystery novelist best known for the Charlie Salter police procedural series, which won the Arthur Ellis Award.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Suit of Diamonds 1991 Buy
Criminal Shorts 1992 Buy

Charlie Salter Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Night the Gods Smiled 1983 Buy
Smoke Detector 1984 Buy
Death in the Old Country 1985 Buy
A Single Death / The Man Who Changed His Name 1986 Buy
A Body Surrounded by Water 1987 Buy
A Question of Murder 1988 Buy
A Sensitive Case 1990 Buy
Final Cut 1991 Buy
A Fine Italian Hand 1992 Buy
Death by Degrees 1993 Buy
The Last Hand 2001 Buy

Joe Barley Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Kidnapping of Rosie Dawn 2000 Buy
The Hemingway Caper 2003 Buy
A Likely Story 2010 Buy

Lucy Trimble Brenner Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Death of a Sunday Writer 1996 Buy
Death on the Rocks 1999 Buy

Mel Pickett Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Buried in Stone 1996 Buy
Death of a Hired Man 2001 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Always Give a Penny to a Blind Man 1999 Buy

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Adventures of Buford T. Johnson 2013 Buy

Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Killing Climate 2003 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Moodie’s Tale 1994 Buy
Finding Home 2007 Buy
Dempsey’s Lodge 2013 Buy
The Land Mine 2016 Buy

Eric Wright (1929-2015) was a British-born author who moved to Canada and became one of the country’s most respected mystery writers. He is best known for the Charlie Salter series, which began with The Night the Gods Smiled in 1983 and ran for eleven books. The first novel won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel and the John Creasey Award for Best First Crime Novel.

Beyond the Salter series, Wright created three additional mystery series featuring different characters, along with standalone novels and short story collections. He taught English at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto for many years and drew on his knowledge of Toronto and small-town Ontario for his settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Eric Wright written?

Eric Wright has written 27 books across nine series.

What was Eric Wright's first book?

Eric Wright’s first book is The Night the Gods Smiled, published in 1983.

What awards did Eric Wright win?

Eric Wright won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel with The Night the Gods Smiled, the first book in the Charlie Salter series. He also won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story and was recognized as a major figure in Canadian crime fiction.

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