The intriguing sequel to Something Bad Wrong utilizes dual timelines and three voices that contrast styles of crime coverage in a Southern noir story of violence, corruption, and racism. For fans of true-crime podcasts or S.A. Cosby. Library Journal (starred review) Blood Red Summer is a wire-to-wire winner. Eryk Pruitt writes with a complexity thats deceptive because his stories are so engrossing and propulsive. He juggles narrators and timelines with ease without any loss of momentum or tension. The plotline is thrilling; the characters are rich, the dialogues on pitch, and the climax delivers on all of it. Blood Red Summer is a blue-ribbon book. Wes Browne, author of They All Fall the Same and Hillbilly Hustle My friend, wow, you have a winner here! Not to say anything bad about Something Bad Wrong but this one is so much tauter, the characters so well defined, the plot so much more intriguing. Man, I cant wait for this one to come out so I can start putting it in peoples hands. Eryk Pruitt has put on a pair of seven league boots and taken a big step forward. Pete Mock, McIntyres Books in Pittsboro, NC With Blood Red Summer, Pruitt has done it again, deftly balancing historical mystery and modern thriller, with weaving timelines that will keep you guessing to the very last page. Nick Kolakowski, author of Payback Is Forever and Boise Longpig Hunting Club With Blood Red Summer, Eryk Pruitt delivers a stunning, pitch perfect sequel in his Jess Keeler series. Once again, murder, corruption, and injustice cast a grisly shadow over Lake Castor, and who better to bring those things to light than Keeler and her steely resolve. If this was a true crime TV show, Im damn sure crossing my fingers for a season three. Pruitt doesnt miss. Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies with You Blood Red Summer is a grit lit crime epic written with a deep-fried, neon-lit pen that is true and nuanced as it is confident. This is one of the best books of the year. Casey Stegman In Blood Red Summer, Eryk Pruitt continues to marry casually confident storytelling with the sensation of a noose slowly tightening around your neck. Like any great southern novelist, Pruitt knows the past is never really that far from today, and here he balances two simultaneous timelines while touching on race, corruption, and the face of modern true-crime reportage. This is expert storytelling from the hands of a master. James DF Hannah, Shamus-winning author of Because the Night and Behind the Wall of Sleep I was a Pruitt fan before being a Pruitt fan was cool. I devoured Something Bad Wrong with a knife and fork and begged for seconds. So, Mr. Pruitt served up Blood Red Summer. An absorbing, gripping follow-up filled with rich characters and twists that did something I didnt think was possible. It not only matched the first Jess Keeler mystery, but it might also have blown past it. Mike McCrary, author of Someone Savage Eryk Pruitt has done the impossible by following the excellent Something Bad Wrong with a sequel that is somehow even better in Blood Red Summer. Taut, twisty, heartbreaking, and flat out brilliant. Jess Keeler is the best mystery protagonist in a long, long time. Ed Kurtz, author of The Rib from Which I Remake the World
