From Booklist
*Starred Review* Wright is a celebrated Canadian mystery writer, creator of the Charlie Salter series and winner of four top awards from the Crime Writers of Canada. This collection showcases all of Wright's 16 mystery short stories, spanning the years 1984-2003. Most of the selections were written by invitation for Canadian anthologies, with the exception of a 2003 novella starring Salter that was written expressly for this volume. Several of the stories provide slice-of-life glimpses into Canadian fishing and construction camps near Hudson Bay. Wright should be an extraordinarily refreshing voice to U.S. readers. At a time when mystery writing is dominated by police procedurals and tough-guy suspense tales, Wright offers puzzles that showcase character, in the Poe tradition of the unreliable narrator; that resurrect intellectual exercises, such as the locked-room puzzle; and that provide a satisfying update on the old-fashioned O'Henry twist. And Wright provides a deft mix of atmosphere and character, as in "Licensed Guide," in which a fishing camp at the end of August is ripe for murder, and "The Duke," in which a camp cook's ordered world is challenged by a tormentor. Wright's introduction to this collection offers an intriguing reflection on writing short fiction--"Short stories are much harder to write than novels"--that could be a stand-alone essay on the genre. A superb collection; let's hope it generates a new wave of fans for the too-little-known Wright. Connie Fletcher
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Book Description
COLD KILLINGS!!! Eric Wright, the creator of Superintendent Charlie Salter of the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is one of Canada’s most honored mystery writers. The Crime Writers of Canada have recognized his work with four Arthur Ellis Awards – two for Best Novel and two for Best Short Story. A Killing Climate contains all of Eric Wright’s short stories in the mystery field, including a locked-room mystery ("An Irish Jig"), espionage in the Far North ("Caves of Ice"), a comic caper story ("Two in the Bush"), and other exercises in ingenuity, character, and atmosphere. Many of the stories are set near Canada’s Hudson Bay area, but a few (especially "Hephaestus" with its Caribbean vactioners) are in more temperate regions. The book concludes with the first short tale about Charlie Salter, a novella, "The Lady of Shalott," written especially for this volume. New introduction by the author, and a checklist of Eric Wright’s mystery novels and stories. Cover painting by Native American artist Barbara Mitchell. Cover design by Deborah Miller.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly