Modern-day authors who choose to write private eye novels are inevitably forced to reckon with the well-developed tropes of the genre. Hard-drinking loners who aren’t afraid to fight when called upon, but frequently succumb to the charms of a femme fatale, used to be the norm, but hundreds of authors have subverted that description in the past 50 years. Add Delia Pitts to the list with her new sleuth, Vandy Myrick.

Vandy is sober, she doesn’t carry a gun, and perhaps most significantly, she is a Black woman. Her father, a retired cop now in a nursing home memory care unit, is her only family; her mother and daughter are both dead. Vandy has returned to Queenstown, her New Jersey hometown, to open her PI agency. Queenstown is one of those places you encounter a lot in hardboiled fiction: it’s a hotbed of corruption, racism, and nepotism, as it is primarily run by one powerful family, the Hannahs.

Leo Hannah, son of Queenstown’s longtime mayor, hires Vandy to follow his wife Ivy and find out if she’s cheating on him. Vandy surveils her for a week and doesn’t discover any damning evidence. When Ivy is murdered, it appears that a local man named Hector—who is conveniently dead himself—killed her, but Ivy’s father doesn’t believe it’s such an open-and-shut case, and wants Vandy to keep investigating. The Hannahs believe justice has been served, and it becomes clear that Vandy will make some powerful enemies if she continues looking into Ivy’s murder.

At one point, Vandy is severely beaten by some thugs who want her off the case, and as usual for these types of books (see also: V.I. Warshawski), she brushes herself off and gets right back to work. I don’t think any 49-year-old would recover that quickly—maybe not even someone half her age! This is one trope that I really wish would go away. Despite that, Vandy is a smart, tenacious addition to the roster of female hardboiled PIs.

A very interesting read. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book. It wasn't really for me, but I am sure that it will be loved by the right audience.

My first Delia Pitts book. I really enjoyed it. I loved the twists and turns throughout the book, and it kept me hooked. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

An interesting noir-style PI series starter.

Strong character voice - it didn't work for me, but I think it will appeal to many readers.

Trouble in Queenstown is my first book by Delia Pitts. The main character is Private Investigator Vandy Myrick who has recently returned to her hometown of Queenstown. Vandy has suffered through a terrible tragedy and needs something new in her life. She used to be a cop, like her father, but can no longer do that job after she loses someone precious to her. She turns to private investigating and has done very well. Vandy is one of very few black women in Queenstown and gets looks everywhere she goes. There seems to be some complexities that comes with this town, including some racial inequalities, a corrupt political atmosphere and social issues. There is also an interesting cast of characters, and a lot that goes on for Vandy before justice appears to be served. Vandy seems like a strong female protagonist, which means that if a series is projected, she would be a good one to consider for it. The mayor's nephew, Leo Hannah, comes to Vandy's office, wanting to hire her. Leo is convinced that his wife may be having an affair and wants Vandy to follow her. The job seems simple enough, but it turns out to be far from simple. My thanks go to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Strong female lead character that was well developed. This was a great starting point if it would be turned into a series.

This is a great start to a new mystery series starring Vandy, a private investigator who returns to her hometown after her law enforcement career ended. Her first case involves the mayor’s nephew and what starts as a routine cheating case turns into a murder investigation. I really enjoyed Vandy’s character. She is both vulnerable and tough, not taking crap from anyone. I really liked the way the story was written and how it progressed although it was a little slow at times. I am looking forward to the second in the series.

Evander “Vandy” Myrick is a private eye in the small town she grew up in. She's used to tailing people in divorce cases, but her latest case leaves her with more questions than answers and the further she digs the closer to home the case seems to be.

The storytelling is incredibly solid and I appreciate how well Pitts paced the plot to keep things moving in a way that felt natural. Even with things that were obviously going to happen and some of the reveals not as surprising as they could have been, getting to them was so interesting that you forgive the predictability.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the great read!

This is different from other cozies I've read and I loved this. Vandy is tough, no-no sense, strong and real. She made Trouble in Queenstown worth the read.

The story is great too and I enjoyed all the twists and turns and questions that popped up everywhere. Looking forward to more in this series!

I sincerely appreciate the author and NetGalley for the review copy.

Vandy returns home as a private detective. She is tasked with following someone’s wife, when that wife turns up dead one day, Vandy begins her own investigation into what happened.

If I could get into this novel, it would have been way better. This is very much a popcorn read, it got some good reviews. I just couldn’t get into it. The characters weren’t what I liked, the story felt slow. I kept putting it down and coming back to it, then the length of time between pick ups became longer. This was just not for me!

Introduces tough, randy black PI/ex-cop Evander 'Vandy' Myrick in Queenstown, New Jersey.

Investigating a murder, she's brutally attacked and warned to stop snooping.

But she persists and closes the case, even after it comes much too close to home for comfort.

Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts introduces a compelling new protagonist, private investigator Vandy Myrick, in a mystery that masterfully intertwines themes of grief, race, and class. Set in the small, tight-knit town of Queenstown, New Jersey, the novel follows Vandy, a former cop turned PI, as she returns to her hometown to find solace. Her routine divorce cases take a dark turn when a racially charged murder shakes the community, and she is drawn into an investigation with deep personal and political ramifications.

Pitts does an excellent job of creating a complex, relatable character in Vandy, whose determination to uncover the truth, despite limited resources and mounting opposition, drives the narrative. The small-town atmosphere, combined with the tensions of race and privilege, adds layers of depth to the plot, making Trouble in Queenstown not only a gripping mystery but also a powerful commentary on societal divisions.

Vandy’s refusal to back down in the face of adversity makes her an intriguing and sympathetic protagonist, and the mystery itself is tightly woven with enough twists and turns to keep readers on edge. Fans of character-driven crime fiction will find much to appreciate in this thrilling and thought-provoking debut.

Trouble in Queenstown was a good ol sleuthy-type book. I really liked the main character and would like to see her in more books.

I have been provided with a review copy of Trouble in Queenstown from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Wow! This was a wild ride but it was AWESOME!
After a tragedy, a campus officer Vanity turned in her gun, and leaving the force she decided to be a Private Detective. The mayor's nephew Leo hires Vanity because he thinks his wife, Ivy is being stalked. She does her job and on the day that she is supposed to give her report, Leo calls saying he is sick and asks her to deliver the report to his house. When Vanity arrives at the house police officers are going into the house and Ivy is found severely injured and unresponsive along with the man he swears that was stalking his wife is found dead as well. Soon after the news that Ivy passed away on the table, and the investigation is short and determined that Leo was justified in killing the stalker and the stalker was the one who ultimately murdered Leo's wife case closed.
Soon Sam, Ivy's father, hires Vanity to prove that Leo is responsible for Ivy's death. Slowly Vanity starts to investigate and she realizes that she missed so much the more that she investigates the more she gets into trouble and she and her loved ones are threatened and hurt.
This story has so much in it. It covers problems family secrets, different ethical backgrounds, and people who use power in a community to hide their secrets! I loved this story and I was hooked from the very beginning! My review does not do this book justice and for that I am sorry but this one was one the better mysteries I've read this year! Soo good! Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one! It was an absolute treat

Thanks to the good people at NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Sad to say, I found this book interminable.

DNF @ 68%. I just could not get into the story or characters.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

"Trouble in Queenstown" was just what I needed! Delia Pitts pulls off a murder mystery with small-town drama that kept me hooked. Vandy is strong and unshakable, facing down the racism around her without missing a beat. The way each case connects is so satisfying, and Queenstown’s buried secrets made it even better. I'm definitely ready for book two!

Trouble in Queenstown reveals the underbelly of Evander "Vandy" Myrick's small hometown in New Jersey. After her career in law enforcement crashes due to her grief, Vandy gets her PI license in an effort to reinvent herself. She quickly runs into town politics and a network of deceit. I hope this is the first in a long series of books featuring Vancy, as Delia Pitts created a flawed and brave character in an environment that has much to support her PI cases. Looks like the next volume in the series is due next summer.

This was such a fun mystery book that I truly enjoyed reading!

Vandy’s transition from cop to private investigator is a fun transition as she navigates her childhood home of Queenstown, New Jersey, a tight-knit community with its own unique challenges. As a Black woman in a small town, Vandy's struggle for privacy adds layers to her character and the story. Her decision to take on a divorce case for the mayor's nephew, Leo Hannah, initially seems like a straightforward job, but the stakes quickly escalate when a racially charged murder shakes the town. The way Pitts captures the tension and complexity of the situation kept me engaged and guessing until the end.

Vandy’s determination to seek the truth, despite the odds stacked against her, makes her a captivating protagonist. While the path to solving the mystery is fraught with challenges, her refusal to back down is truly inspiring. Overall, Trouble in Queenstown is a well-crafted mystery that left me eager for more of Vandy’s adventures.