So, I’ll say upfront that as far as plot, characters, pacing, setting, etc., I absolutely loved Snowden Wright’s The Queen City Detective Agency (William Morrow, 13 August 2014). Set in gritty 1980s Meridian, Mississippi, the novel follows Clementine Baldwin, the city’s only black woman cop-turned-PI, as she tries to unravel an enigmatic murder that has dangerous connections to Mississippi’s most feared organized crime group. It has the feel of a classic hard-boiled detective novel but with a much more diverse cast and a narrator that doesn’t shy away from issues of class, race, and gender issues that Clem routinely faces.

I was really surprised to discover the author is a white man. The book is mainly written from Clem’s perspective, and I made the incorrect assumption that a woman of color must have written it. While I think that says a lot about the care with which Wright put into Clem, I don’t know – I just can’t help but wonder if it was a white man’s story to tell in the first place given the racial- and gender-based discrimination that she deals with. I’d love to know more about how he researched and developed her character. Did he interview black women who worked in law enforcement in the 80s in the deep south? What helped him tap into the emotional consequences Clem faced as a black woman PI? The advanced review copy I have didn’t include any material to that effect, but I think some context is needed.

An excellent addition to the Southern noir genre. Plenty of Civil Rights history, historical figures and good old-fashioned country racists and KKK members along with a hitman or two coupled with a resourceful and cynical and winning black female detective make this a top-notch read,

A super suspenseful book about a female PI in 1980s Mississippi. This was slow-going for me but I enjoyed the premise and it really felt like stepping back in time and place. Definitely got the right feel to the atmosphere, I just personally prefer books with a bit of a quicker pace, especially when the plot is so interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

This was my first time reading this author and this one is a slow burn. It did take a bit to get into the writing and the storylines of the characters bordered on the complex side. The pace did quicken at the end and the reader is in for a treat at the end with a shocking ending. My favorite part about this book is that the author revealed several plot points throughout the book that I did not see coming. I'd be interesting in a sequel because I did not want this book to end once the pace picked up.

Currently, I've decided to set the book aside and not finish it for the time being. I found it difficult to fully engage with the story due to its slow pace, which didn't align with my expectations for a suspenseful book..

Great book. Clem is now one of my favorite characters! Pace was go, could have been faster but I really like fast pace. Lots is threads that intertwined.

Read this book for the atmosphere as much as the case. The author has done a good job of evoking the 80s in the South, as well as how treacherous it was for women of color in that place and time , esp as a former cop, now private detective. The crime/case was a little slow and hard to get into at first. But the second part of the book the author had hit her stride and picked up the pace with the Dixie Mafia hot on Clem's trail as she, and her trusty sidekick, try to understand what happened to the victim, why, and who benefits from his death.. The last part is a race against the clock! A fun, atmospheric read with a satisfying finish. Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC opportunity!

Being along this journey with Clem was really fun, this felt a little too slow paced for a moment but the end wrapped up really good, I really liked these partners and their friendship! Definitely worth the read and will recommend to friends!
Thank you for the arc!

This was just fun to read! Sure, there are murderers, good people who went bad, and bad folks trying to
turn around, but in all of it, there is just a lot of interesting local history in Meridian, Mississippi. If you want
to pretend you are a fancy country clubber for an afternoon, this is the perfect way to do it!
My thanks to William Morrow via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book.

The title of this book made me want to read it after growing up near a city that has been referred to as Queen City (Springfield, MO). This book takes place in Meridian, Mississippi in the 1980. If you’re looking for a page-turning criminal conspiracy that highlights the despicable parts in the center of the American dream (selfishness, racism, corruption, and malice all included) then this book is right up your alley. The story has wonderful character development and a plot worthy of a movie.

I found it hard to get into, and I can't quite put a finger as to why. It may be a combination of pacing throwing me off--it's quite slow-paced, and while it was great to have those contemplative moments, I found some of it repetitive or redundant.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing, for allowing me to read this eARC. This book was a 3/5 for me. I could not get into it. I felt like there was a lot of information that wasn’t needed in the beginning, which made it boring at times. This is more of a slow-paced suspenseful book, in my opinion; it just wasn’t for me. The last 30% of the book was the most interesting. I have to say the ending was very action packed. Overall, it was a good book, just not my favorite read.

It's morning in America, but 1980s Mississippi is a tough place for a black female PI. Clem Baldwin is hired to investigate the murder of a prison inmate who feel from the jail's roof on live TV, and soon finds herself the target of the Dixie Mafia. Clem is an intriguing character and the story is intricately plotted. This is well worth your time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Mississippi in the 1980's would have been difficult enough for a female PI to make a living. Being an ex-cop might have helped, but being biracial in the South in the 1980's, it would have been almost impossible to make a living except perhaps in a large city. I write this as a liberal who grew up in the 80s in the Midwest. I was a female PI in Arizona in the 2000s, and the majority of work we got was from men or women wondering if their spouse was cheating.

That all said, I greatly enjoyed this story, and the characters, the female PI boss with her polite Southern male sidekick and dear friend . I hope this is the start of a new continuing series!