Publishers Weekly
★ 05/13/2024
In this promising series launch, Pitts (the Ross Agency Mysteries) introduces PI Vandy Myrick, the self-described “toughest bitch” in Queenstown, N.J. After her daughter died of an overdose at a college party, Vandy quit the Philadelphia police department and returned home to Queenstown. Her detective agency is a downgrade from her police work—most of her cases involve collecting evidence against philandering spouses—but it pays well and keeps her busy. Things go south, however, after she’s hired by Leo Hannah, the nephew of Queenstown’s mayor, to gather information about his wife, Ivy. When Vandy arrives at the Hannahs’ home to deliver her report, she finds a bloody crime scene. Leo says he found a man—taxi driver Hector Ramírez—attacking Ivy with a hammer and shot him, but not before Ivy was killed. Vandy isn’t convinced the answer is so straightforward and sets out to investigate. In the process, she reconnects with her high school flame, who’s now Queenstown’s chief of police, and learns discomfiting truths about the racial tensions rippling through her hometown. With an indelible lead and a richly rendered setting, Pitts sets this series up for success. Readers will clamor for the next installment. (July)
From the Publisher
"A [S]tandout series launch . . . With an indelible lead and a richly rendered setting, Pitts sets this series up for success. Readers will be eager for the next installment." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A darkly atmospheric debut whose heroine just might want to reconsider her decision not to carry a gun next time." –Kirkus Reviews
"Vandy is a realistic, tough woman who refuses to quit, and her inner thoughts are fun to read. Although this is a mystery novel, it also deals with grief, race, classism, and family." –Booklist
“Offers everything that fans of detective fiction are looking for. . . Pitts has written a strong narrative that ricochets from Vandy’s tragic past to her gutsy present, keeping readers totally engaged to the very last page…and eager for more.” –First Clue
"Awesome." –CrimeReads
“A compelling mystery, full of sizzle and heart." —Steph Cha
“Delia Pitts’s writing is explosive, addictive, and downright beautiful, and her PI, Evander ‘Vandy’ Myrick, is perfection: fierce, sexy, self-aware, and as smart as a slap. Get this book now.” –Jess Lourey
"Vandy Myrick is officially my new favorite PI. A character-driven, furiously entertaining mystery from the first page to the last. A fantastic start to a sizzling new series." –Jennifer Hillier
“Practically leaps off the page to grab you by the throat. What a masterful writer. What a ride, what a PI, what a book. Welcome to Queenstown, folks. More, please!” —Tracy Clark
“Starts off with a bang and draws you in more and more with each passing chapter . . . I already can’t wait for Vandy’s next case.”—Kellye Garrett
“Evander ‘Vandy’ Myrick is the beating heart of this story–a bold, kick-ass private eye. I’m all in—I’d follow Vandy anywhere.” —Samantha Jayne Allen
Library Journal
04/01/2024
It's hard enough to be a Black woman cop, but then Vandy Myrick's world was shattered, spurring her to move back to her hometown of Queenstown, NJ, to become a private investigator. In one of her many divorce cases, Leo Hannah, the mayor's nephew, asks Vandy to spend a week following his wife, Ivy. He gives her several reasons: she might have a lover; he's thinking about a divorce; she has a stalker; no, maybe Leo is the one with the stalker. The morning Vandy is to turn in her report to Leo, she walks in on a tragedy at his house. There's a dead man on the floor, Ivy is dying, and Leo says he killed the stalker, a Latino taxi driver. The police quickly close the case because the mayor wants it resolved. But Vandy has two paying clients who want to know the truth behind the deaths. Her loved ones and her life are threatened, but she's determined to find the answers in a murder case that reeks of racism and political corruption. VERDICT The author of the "Ross Agency Mysteries" introduces another damaged character in an intriguing private eye story that examines family and roots.—Lesa Holstine
