Death of an Ex is Delia Pitts’ second mystery, following on Trouble in Queenstown. To fully understand Vandy’s life, readers may want to pickup both novels. She is a character whose life has not been easy. Vandy has experienced loss and pain. Still, she keeps moving forward, working as a private detective in her New Jersey community.
In this book, the case is very personal. Vandy is trying to understand why her (ex) husband was murdered. Who exactly was Phil? Were there aspects of him that Vandy did not know?
Despite this new loss, Vandy focuses on solving this case. Readers will be gripped as they wait to find out who was responsible.
This is a good (slightly dark) mystery. I hope that there will be a third in the series soon.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books for this title. All thoughts are my own.
Pub date: 15 July 2025
Post first written: 06 December 2025
Description
Delia Pitts expertly writes about family, race, class, and grief in her mysteries. Vandy Myrick captured readers’ and critics’ hearts in Trouble in Queenstown. She returns in Death of an Ex, where Vandy tries to piece together what brought her ex-husband’s life to an end.
Queenstown, New Jersey, feels big when you need help and tiny when you want privacy. For Vandy Myrick, that’s both a blessing and a curse. Now that Vandy’s back in “Q-Town,” her services as her hometown’s only Black woman private investigator have earned her more celebrity—or notoriety—than she figured.
Keeping busy with work helps Vandy deal with the grief of losing her daughter, stitching the seams, cementing the gaps. The memories will always remain, and they come crashing back to the surface when her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, walks back into her life. Promising everything, returning home, restoring family. Until she answers her door to the news that Phil has been murdered. And Vandy decides Phil is now her client.
It’s hard to separate the Phil that Vandy knew from the one Queenstown did. She sees him—and their daughter—in Phil’s son, who attends a prestigious local high school. She sees the layers of a complicated marriage with his wife. She sees all of Phil’s various roles: parent, husband, businessman, philanthropist. But which role got him killed?
Advance Praise
“A literary, absorbing whodunit encompassing murder, human compassion, and grief.” –Library Journal (starred review)
“Pitts has written a novel rich in the many layers of community while delving deeply into the character of Vandy; the balance between the two is perfect. A great choice for a reading group.” –firstClue
MURDER TAKE TWO, my contemporary noir novel, is available now. This suspenseful private eye thriller was published in February 2022. You can get your ebook or print copy of MURDER TAKE TWO now.
The author speaks:
from Amazon
My new mystery, TROUBLE IN QUEENSTOWN, will be published on July 16, 2024 by Minotaur, the suspense and crime imprint of St. Martin’s Press. This gripping contemporary novel features Vandy Myrick, a Black private investigator who returns to her New Jersey hometown to unravel a twisted family tragedy. Follow me on social media for more on the upcoming publication of TROUBLE IN QUEENSTOWN.
My recent work includes three short stories. You can find “Talladega 1925,” in Chicago Quarterly Review #33, an anthology of Black American Literature. Check out Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 for my story, “The Killer.” And my newest short work, “Midnight Confidential,” is included in Midnight Hour, a chilling anthology of crime fiction by authors of color.The new audio versions of Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 and Midnight Hour are exciting ways to dive into my short stories.
I am active in Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, and Mystery Writers of America. I enjoy hearing from readers. So drop me a question or comment on my website, “www. deliapitts .com.” Follow me on Instagram and Threads at “deliapitts50” and on Twitter as “blacktop1950”.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 