THE MUSEUM OF UNUSUAL OCCURENCE a gripping paranormal crime mystery

by Erica Wright

Welcome to the Museum of Unusual Occurrence—a place full of strange exhibits and even stranger murders. The first in the new Psychic City mystery series by talented author Erica Wright.

“Every small town thinks it’s special—That might be true, but this one actually is.”

Rational and cynical Aly Orlean’s life in her psychic hometown of Wyndale, Florida couldn’t be more hectic. It’s all about running her business, raising a teenage sister, sending out holiday greetings—and her new finding a killer.

For her Museum of Unusual Occurrence not only houses odd curiosities but now has a brand-new The body of Rose Dempsey, a local twenty-year-old, set up in one of the exhibits as if she has been ritually sacrificed.

With the police clueless, Aly is worried that this is a vicious warning for her and her solitary way of life. Fearing for her sister Merope’s wellbeing, she’s determined to find out why the killer murdered Rose and how her body was placed in Aly’s museum . . . But might the killer be someone hiding in plain sight?

Karen Russell’s SWAMPLANDIA! meets Ruth Ware's THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY in this “suspenseful mystery populated with winning characters” (Booklist on Famous in Cedarville).

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2026

About the author

Erica Wright is a poet and novelist. Her latest mystery Hollow Bones was called "an incredibly rich work of literature" in the Nashville Scene. Her essay collection Snake is part of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series and was one of LitReactor 's Best Books of 2020. She’s over the moon to be releasing two books in 2026: the poetry collection A Buyer's Guide to the Afterlife and the mystery The Museum of Unusual Occurrence. She was the poetry editor at Guernica Magazine for more than a decade and currently teaches at Bellevue University. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her family.