In "Trouble in Queenstown," Delia Pitts exposes readers to the grim world of private detective Vandy Myrick. The complicated relationships between race, class, bereavement, and family in the close-knit fictitious town of Queenstown, New Jersey, are explored in this gripping mystery book. A fascinating protagonist is Vandy Myrick, a Black lady negotiating the difficulties of privacy in a small community. She battles her own issues and handles the gritty grind of divorce disputes to make ends meet as a former police officer turned private investigator. When she agrees to follow the mayor's nephew's wife, the plot really gets going. A series of incidents culminate in a racially tinged murder with ties to the powerful Hannah family.

The advantages of "Trouble in Queenstown" are its captivating storyline and the striking portrayal of a community full of secrets. The story delves into the convergence of Vandy's personal and professional challenges, giving her more nuance. The way Queenstown is shown as a little area encircled by pharma labs, warehouses, and cornfields heightens the anxiety in the scene.


The book does, however, contain certain flaws. Unfortunately, the character development comes across as a little bland. Many characters aren't deep enough to be genuinely memorable. The riddles are initially intriguing, but they wrap up a bit too neatly and stray into the fantastical, which makes it hard to completely buy into what is happening.

The reader found solace in the Jersey environment, since I have a thing for any novel with a Jersey girl in it. "Trouble in Queenstown" is a well-written mystery with an engaging premise, to sum up. For readers who like a small-town setting with a blend of personal and professional turmoil, this book nevertheless makes for an enjoyable read, even though the character development and the mystery' conclusion may need some work. Mystery lovers will probably find this to be a valuable addition to their reading collection because of Delia Pitts' excellent investigation of Queenstown's underbelly.

Sincere gratitude to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a critical review.

The best part of this book is the main character. I love bad ass female characters. THis role is usually taken by men, so it was a breath of fresh air to have a female in the role. The elements of race underlying were interesting as well.

As a PI with a police background, Evander "Vandy" Merrick's caseload mostly contains surveillance for divorce cases. It's hardly a surprise when Leo Hannah hires her to tail his wife though he muddies the waters about his motive for wanting the job done. When Ivy Hannah is found murdered in her home, Vandy is hired again - this time to capture a killer.

The first sentence of the book threw me and I nearly DNF'ed. That would have been a mistake on my part as the story is rich and nuanced. It takes a moment to find a soft spot for the main character, but Vandy's determination and single-mindedness demand full support. Meanwhile, the plot unrolls at a rapid, yet comfortable rate. The final scenes were immensely satisfying leaving me with a profound craving for another book.

I highly recommend this novel with the caveat that this story encompasses many difficult subjects. A cosy, it is not.

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and Netgalley for this complimentary eARC with particular appreciation to Steve Erickson. My opinions are my own, honest and true.

Author Delia Pitts introduces private investigator Vandy Myrick, a former police officer trying to make it as a black woman in a town with racial tensions just below, and sometimes above, the surface. Hired to gauge a threat against a client's wife, Vandy soon begins to wonder if she wasn't actually hired for less noble reasons. A murder with racial overtones threatens to uncover the town's deepest secrets, and powerful people will go a long way to protect those secrets.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well-developed and each has flaws that impact their relationships and the plot. The book is a little slow at the beginning as we are introduced to the town and the characters, but when it takes off about a third of the way through, it really takes off! There's a strong hint at the end that there's more to come, and I can't wait to read more.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that just did not do much for me. Vandy is a female private investigator. She was a little too harsh and she did not connect with me as I was reading. I wanted to get involved in who was guilty and why.
It was a very slow read and I had to really concentrate to keep reading.
Thank you NetGalley, Delia Pitts and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Trouble in Queenstown. This is my personal review.

I liked the idea of this book, but did not care for the character..

It was a them against us and the little guy can do whatever.

I thought it was very one sided.

NetGalley/ St. Martin's Press July 16,2024

Deception, Corruption, Secrets, and Murder.

This was quite an engaging mystery novel. Vandy is a PI who has gone through a lot in her life, and these experiences have impacted her thoughts, actions, and choices. Losing her daughter to a senseless incident, Vandy has to leave the police force and sets out on her own as a PI. Now, she is not the best PI, as we discovered while reading this book. She is good and comes to the correct conclusions. But she misses a lot that is right in front of her. She even admits to this when confronted with the facts. I like that she doesn't think she is perfect and will rely on help from others to solve the case. 

There is a lot to unpack in this book, including Vandy's relationship with her father, the men she cycles through, and the town itself. Even though it is obvious who the killer is (or at least from what is laid out in the book), there were some surprises that I did not expect. 

I don't know if this will become a series, but I hope it will. I can see future cases with Vandy on the case doing her best to put things right that are wrong.

We give this book 4 paws up.

“Trouble in Queenstown” by Delia Pitts
More Twists and Turns than a bowl of Spaghetti
It took me a chapter or two to get truly engaged in this story; but then it was so-o-o hard to put it down. There are some things one must attend to no matter how good the book one is reading. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to figure out the who, why, when, etc before the author spelled it out for me. Good Luck being the super sleuth and Happy Reading ! !

I ended up DNFing this after just a few chapters. I can see what others might like about it, but I stopped reading a lot of American detective novels a while ago because I found them so formulaic - hot shot man bangs his way through every lady in the book, punches lots of people, somehow solves a crime. I requested Trouble in Queenstown because I was hoping for hot shot lady detective who focuses on the crime. But, it’s still formulaic. In three chapters, I read so much about hot shot lady banging her way through all the men, and also punching someone with methodical finesse that doesn’t seem plausible in real fights, that I lost interest before even getting to the crime. The first sentence of being horny tipped me off right away, but I was hoping for some more substance.

It reads like old film-noir PI, which some people totally dig and all the power to them, especially if they want the same style but with a female main character. That was never my cup of tea, and so I know to call it quits rather then struggle my way through it. I have read glowing reviews, and I know this book will start to deal with more substantive themes especially regarding race and being a Black woman in a predominately white male career, and I bet that’s super well done. I just didn’t jive with the writing for this, and that’s on me.

What a freakin firecracker of a mystery! Vandy Myrick, I am here. For. You.

Delia Pitts’ latest is my first from her, but it won’t be my last. I loved Vandy as a character—flawed but honorable, tough but vulnerable.

I loved the layers to the setting. Queenstown is so many American towns., with layers of history, of racism, of immigration to pull back to understand it. Pitts handled that deftly and in such a truthful way.

The mystery itself is a cracker of a plot, too. It started a tad slow, but once it got going? I could not put this book down, without hyperbole.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I really wanted to like this. I think it was just too slow. I was reading on a kindle and it said I was 50% and we still had zero info on why certain events had happened and the motive. I think it would’ve been different if there would have been hints to some aspects but there just wasn’t hints so as a reader I couldn’t even guess or predict what happened. It took about until 65-70% to get any info and then I pieced a few things together which was good. That’s why I’m giving it a 3 out of 5. I think if some of the later info was sprinkled in more between like 30-50% of it I would’ve been more excited. It just felt dragging until the end and then it was bomb shell after bomb shell. Almost too much bomb shell information.

Vandy is a private eye who is sassy but has a past. She moves back to her hometown and helps people that need a private investigator. The mayor’s nephew reaches out to ask Vandy to help prove his wife is cheating. She doesn’t learn much but when she is supposed to go to tell him everything, she finds herself in his home with two bodies. The wife and suspected lover. While the mayor’s nephew is alive. Was it self-defense or a lover’s quarrel. That is what Vandy is tasked to find out by the wife’s father.

I think the story was there it just took a second to get to the info and then finding out all the facts in one short sprint was underwhelming and did not leave room for me to have that OMG factor because they kept happening.

This was quite the story! The first line of chapter one was definitely an attention grabber and introduced us to Evander “Vandy” Myrick, private investigator. She is equal parts tenacious, caring, no-nonsense, and a tour-de-force. She understands the dynamics of her small town, both from a race and gender perspective. It doesn’t help that her father’s legacy as a man of the law is on the mind of the townspeople as Vandy takes on a potential stalking case that quickly escalates to murder.

Overall, I enjoyed the mystery and all its twists and turns. While the beginning of the book focuses on establishing key relationships and interactions in Queenstown, the rest is devoted to solving (and unraveling) a web of lies that culminates in a surprise ending. I sure hope this is the first book in a series because I hope to see more of Vandy and Queenstown. Delia Pitts has been one of my favorite crime fiction authors for some time, and I didn’t think she could top her previous work until I read Trouble in Queenstown. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of the book. I genuinely look forward to future books!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Vanda is happy to be home. She likes being her own boss. Her next job seems simple enough, but becomes harder after an individual is found dead. Thus book kept me guessing.

3.5 stars rounding up, I liked this quite a bit!

Vandy's character really made this story so enjoyable. She is a complete bada$$ PI and takes NO sh!t from men, or anyone! Her friends were all great characters too!

I thought this mystery was good, it gets a little convoluted at the end but it all gets explained and when those puzzle pieces fell into place.... wow!

Would recommend if you love:
-cozy-ish mystery
-PI as the detective
-family dynamics
-small town politics

OMG I love Vandy! I wasn't sure getting into the novel but the more I read the more I liked! Good pace, loved the chapters introducing her new clients, and overall a page turner. It is on the gritty side which in my opinion is perfect.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review. I honestly want more.

This was so fun. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

It is easy to recommend this debut mystery and series starter. The investigator is a Black woman who has returned to her New Jersey community and childhood home. There are many unsettling things going on beneath the surface of her hometown. When Vandy becomes involved in an investigation, murder and more will happen and much will be exposed.

There are twists, a good plot and a look at some important issues in these pages. Murder in Queenstown is definitely worth adding to a reading list.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

A young mother and a friend are killed in Queenstown. Vandy is hired to find out why. In a town with decades old rampant racism, it’s hard for a black woman to get answers. Well developed mystery with a shocking twist. Great series starter. Worth the read!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Bad Ass PI novel. Engaging and Interesting. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.

Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts is an interesting mystery. Vandy Myrick is a black, female Private Investigator. The book is broken up into 5 parts or cases. The first is Leo's Case. The second is Sam's Case. The third is Ingrid's Case. The fourth is Ivy's Case and the last part is a wrap up 10 weeks later. Vandy is 47, has an adult daughter, is single and hooks up on occasion. It is a fast paced mystery. #TroubleInQueenstown