I liked this mystery a great deal, especially its fierce heroine, Louise Lloyd, judicious use of 1920s slang (it's so easy to take it too far!), and its vivid setting and sense of place. I occasionally had difficulty following the transitions between scenes, but I think they'll be more clear in the page layout of the finished product. I loved Louise's spirit, courage and commitment to her friends, sisters, and community. I look forward to reading more of her adventures in future books and will absolutely be recommending this to the mystery fans in my life and at the library!

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

The summary grabbed my interest start to finish. I love the cover art, it really captures the feeling of this book. These are characters in a setting whose stories have not been told before. I read alot of mysteries and looked forward to delving into the world of Harlem in the 1920s. The characters are interesting and complex. I felt that the character of Louise and her frantic life deserved even more of a connection with her traumatic history. The author does a good job filling in the background details. Having said that, I had problems with the choppy prose and sometimes confusing lack of segues between scenes.. Dialogue was not always clearly defined, Louise' drive to investigate and protect were dropped inexplicably, to pop back in a chapter or so later. The religious references were confusing and contradictory. Tighter editing would easily take care of this. I would like to see more of this character.

Welp, now I"m gonna need to read every mystery Nekesa Afia writes, because I cannot get enough of Louise Lloyd.

Dead Dead Girls is a stellar debut 1920s jazz-age murder mystery starring a tiny Black lesbian ex-showgirl solving crimes, and if that's not a string of words that makes you want to pick up a book immediately, then unfollow me at once because we cannot be friends.

Louise is a standout character not just because of her scrappy crime-solving skills, but because of her beautiful heart, the warmth she shows both her found family and her biological one, and—for me maybe most of all—her love for dancing and music and life. This book made me want to quit my day job and go out and take dance lessons. There's a real joy and transcendence to the scenes of Lou at the Zodiac dancing until the wee hours of the morning, and I can't say enough how much I loved them.

This is a smart, page-turning, at-times-gutting mystery you won't want to put down.

PS: Rafael is my boy, and the author had better not let anything bad happen to him in any further installments in this series, because I love him.

In short, ‘Dead Dead Girls’ is a murder mystery that takes place in jazz-age Harlem, New York and stars a tiny, black lesbian who loves staying out all night dancing and drinking bootlegged gin. In shorter...yes. all of the yes. This book is beautifully written and you can tell that the author did a ton of research into 1920s slang and culture in order to properly set the scene, which is something that I will always, always give kudos to. I loved the smart, stubborn, brave Louise Lovie straight from chapter one, and she’s the type of main character who you don’t love DESPITE their flaws, but rather you love them BECAUSE of their flaws. I did my typical trawling of the author’s social media and I was super impressed to see that, A) this is her debut novel, and B) that this book started out as a NaNoWriMo project! Hell yeah! This is an author to keep your eye on; she’s going to do great things.

I absolutely loved this mystery. Lou is fierce but flawed, and just a joy to read about. The mystery kept me turning the pages, and the details about 1920s Harlem were every bit as exciting. Lou loves to dance, and that same kind of breathless energy really propelled this story. Looking forward to what Afia gets her into next!

What a debut novel! Louise Lovie Lloyd is now one of my favorite characters ever and I cannot wait for more. I loved that the author decided to set the story in the 1920's, especially after reading her Author's Note. The 1920's is romanticized greatly and to see it striped away down to the grittiness that it was, especially for Black people, was something that I have wanted to see for a long time. I loved all of the character. They were beautifully crafted with their strengths and flaws. The murder mystery was also thrilling to read and cry over the poor girls. I am super ready for book number two so I have another book that I can't put down!

This book is one of the most eloquently written mysteries I've read, with its clear, rhythmic prose and its effortless evocation of the 1920s. Louise Lloyd is forced into becoming an amateur detective, but brings an intelligence and heart to the work that she will need as the danger ramps up. Lou is a spunky hero with wit, charm, and effervescence. Even through heartbreaking moments, her strength offers a sense of hope. I defy any reader not to adore her.

Nekesa's writing was purposeful and as strong as the heroine, but also had an unexpected lyricism that sometimes made me catch my breath, such as in this line: "It was two in the morning and the world creaked as it spun." Dead Dead Girls is a powerful debut from a young talent, and I look forward to seeing what Nekesa brings next.