Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts

Death of an Ex

Book Summary

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?

My Thoughts

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts is the second book in The Vandy Myrick Mysteries. The author does provide a lot of background information at the beginning for those who did not read Trouble in Queenstown.  The author, though, I was expecting a cozy mystery, but Death of an Ex is definitely not cozy.  I tried several times, but I was unable to get into the story.  It takes a while for the story to get moving.  The pacing is slow (the snails were waving as they passed).  I am not a fan of Vandy who is beyond messy (the author does warn readers). She is  annoying as well.  I liked that we get to see a middle-aged woman who is lively and vibrant.  

The author shows the attitudes and behaviors of some wealthy (and entitled) individuals towards education.  They feel their money will grease the wheels for the little darling to get into a prestigious university (sound familiar).  The mystery may appear complicated, but identifying the guilty party is a cinch.   I knew the identity of the guilty party before the murder took place. Vandy uses her private investigator skills to uncover secrets and zero in on bad guy. There are many improbable elements to the whodunit.  The reveal was unrealistic.  I found myself rolling my eyes often (which gave me a migraine and made my eyes hurt).  I’m sorry, but Death of an Ex is not my cup of tea.

Death of an Ex is available from Amazon*.  The first book in The Vandy Myrick Mysteries is Trouble in Queenstown.  You can find Delia Pitts' other novels here.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will return on Tuesday, July 22 with Codebreaker by Jay Martel.  I wanted to let you know that my mother had a lovely 80th birthday.  She loved all her gifts, and she has a couple more to come (it is her birthday week).  I also learned an important lesson.  If you do not want a relative to learn about a big purchase, do not post a picture of it online (oops).  I hope that you have a relaxing weekend.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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