My thoughts:
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.
Pub date: 16 July 2024
From the author:
Dear Reader:
I am excited to welcome you to the world of Vandy Myrick, the private investigator who leads my new
mystery, TROUBLE IN QUEENSTOWN (Minotaur Books, on Sale, July 16, 2024). The story follows a tangled
case in which Vandy confronts the entrenched powers of her fictional New Jersey hometown to solve a
racially charged murder. I invented Vandy and Queenstown to satisfy my longing for stories that reflected
the people and places I knew best. After years of reading American and English masters of crime fiction, I
wanted to write a PI mystery of my own. But I wanted to festoon my book with trappings not found on hard-
boiled urban streets or in secluded country manors. And I wanted a modern hero who looked and sounded
like people I’d grown up with. A woman of action to wrestle with power in defense of neighbors she
believed in.
To populate Queenstown, I dug into my own family for inspiration. My cousin, Esther Myricks, founded a
small private security agency in the Bronzeville district of Chicago’s South Side in the 1970s. Our fathers
were brothers, so as a child and teenager, I looked to Esther as an older role model. Esther, now in her
mid-eighties, is smart, tough, funny, and determined. Her example of a Black woman tackling jobs in a
rough neighborhood gave me the idea that I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to. Esther’s security
agency focused on job verifications, property protection, insurance claims, and process serving. I’m pretty
sure murder never crossed her docket. Vandy Myrick, the private investigator I created, treads a far
grittier, violence-strewn path.
But I endowed Vandy with other features directly mirroring the real-life model. Though Esther is tiny in
stature, she has a room-commanding presence. When she speaks, even if it is a whisper, you best listen.
And her sense of style made the most of her natural beauty. I remember she was the first adult in our
family to wear an Afro and she did it with fierce grace. Even today, Esther drapes her still-slender figure
with elegance. In the world according to Esther, sexy is the fused flip side of tough.
Where did I find inspiration for Vandy’s sense of social mission? Directly from her namesake. For decades,
Esther worked as a community activist and civic organizer, sometimes inside the fabled Democratic Party
apparatus, sometimes outside its ranks. I borrowed Esther’s dedication to advocacy for the people of her
neighborhood. In Vandy, this drive becomes a commitment to helping people whose voices are often
dismissed.
I had a blast filling Vandy Myrick with Esther Myricks’s warmth and energy. I hope my cousin Esther is
proud of this creation she inspired. And I hope you have a good time reading about Vandy’s adventures.
Enjoy the read!
Delia
TROUBLE IN QUEENSTOWN by DELIA PITTS
On Sale: 07/16/24 · Fiction · Hardback: 978-1-250-90421-8· 320 pages · 6 ⅛” × 9 ¼” · $28.00/$37.00 Can.
eBook: 978-1-250-90422-5 · $14.99/$16.99 Can. · Digital Audio: 978-1-250-35059-6 · $26.99
Discussion questions from the publisher:
1. In the novel’s first chapter, private investigator Vandy Myrick displays several distinctive personal
traits that may help or hinder her investigation. What do you think of her physical toughness, her
sarcasm, her teetotaling, her curiosity, and her daring willingness to plunge into untested situations?
2. What do Vandy’s interactions with her bartender friend Mavis; her boss, Elissa; and her father,
Evander; reveal about Vandy’s upbringing and current status as the novel begins?
3. What were your first impressions of Vandy’s client, Leo Hannah? How did those initial views change
as the story developed? What did you think of Leo by the end of the story?
4. In what ways is the community of Queenstown itself a character in the novel? How does the
community’s long past remain alive in current relationships and events?
5. How do the themes of grief and resilience play throughout the sections of this book? Could you
relate to the way Vandy handled loss and sorrow?
6. Fraught family dynamics are at the heart of relationships as the story unfolds. How do notions of
pride, service, loyalty, parental duty, and secrets impact the families of Sam Decker, Josephine
Hannah, Evander Myrick, Ingrid Ramírez, and Carlos Baca?
7. Vandy has complicated relationships with two brothers she has known since childhood, police chief
Robert Sayre and nursing home attendant Keyshawn Sayre. What events cause her involvement with
these men to shift as the novel unfolds? Did you sympathize with one brother more than the other?
8. Sam quotes Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” at a crucial moment in the story. What
themes of the novel are touched upon by this poem?
9. Independent business owners play pivotal roles in the novel as well as in the small community of
Queenstown. How do Dr. Rajaram, the pharmacist, and hairdresser Antoine Edgar impact Vandy’s
efforts to solve the case?
10. Racial tensions thread through the layers of this story, reflecting the
ethnic makeup of Queenstown and the diversity of the cast of characters.
What do we learn about the history of Queenstown that affects the current
action? How does Vandy respond to minor and major instances of racial
injustice as she pursues her case? Do you think the issues in Queenstown
reflect wider concerns in the United States today?
- Sam Decker is an outsider to the community, forced by circumstances to explore Queenstown’s
ugliest corners. Did you identify with him? - Vandy has a set of strong women friends. Her bartender friend Mavis Jenkins, her boss, Elissa
Adesanya; and her assistant, Belle Ames; form a circle of resilience that enfolds her. Even the
teenager, Ingrid Ramírez, plays a crucial role. How do they help her at crucial times? Do you relate to
the support they provide for her? - Did you find the resolution of Vandy’s case satisfying? Which characters changed the most over
the course of the story? What do you hope will happen for the main characters going forward? - What challenges does Vandy face as the story ends? Do you think the twists in this case have
helped her turn a new leaf? Do you think past habits and relationships will reemerge as she tackles
future assignment.
TROUBLE IN QUEENSTOWN by DELIA PITTS
On Sale: 07/16/24 · Fiction · Hardback: 978-1-250-90421-8· 320 pages · 6 ⅛” × 9 ¼” · $28.00/$37.00 Can.
eBook: 978-1-250-90422-5 · $14.99/$16.99 Can. · Digital Audio: 978-1-250-35059-6 · $26.99
Praise:
“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
“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
This is Fiona Davis’s third New York City based historical novel and it is a winner! I have not read her earlier books,The Address and The Dollhouse, but may well do so now.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 