4 stars out of 5
I missed the first book in this series, but I certainly enjoyed the heck out of this, the second - an easy one to read as a standalone. That said, I'll be watching for the installment for sure.The main character, Evander (Vandy) Myrick, is a cop turned private investigator who's come home to ply her trade in Queenstown, New Jersey - the only Black P.I. in the community. Years ago, she was married for a brief time to Phil Bolden, with whom she had a daughter Monica, who died close to three years ago in a fraternity house as a student at nearby Rutgers University. After their marriage broke up, Phil remarried and has become a prominent Queenstown resident, businessman and philanthropist; he and his wife have a son, Tyriq, a star athlete with an artistic bent and a chip on his shoulder.
Vandy is befriending Ingrid Ramirez, a student at the town's prestigious Rome School. It's the school of choice for the town's wealthier folks, with scholarships available to the less financially fortunate (read: Blacks). Accompanying Ingrid to an awards dinner where the girl will get an award that's a first for a Black student, Vandy learns that Tyriq and Ingrid have a "thing" - and that Vandy's ex, Phil, is getting some kind of award. But when Phil gets up to give his presentation, what he says seems to be not only unexpected, but not, shall we say, well received.
Later, Phil - who is married to another school employee and private college guidance counselor, Melinda - later reconnects with Vandy, who starts having second thoughts about why they divorced. The next morning, Vandy gets the surprise of her life as the police knock on her door.
From that point on, I can't divulge much without spoiling the thrill for other readers (tempting though it may be). Suffice it to say that Vandy becomes part of an investigation that for me conjured up memories of a certain "Full House" star, bribery and money laundering. The whole thing ends with a bang as well as my vow, as I mentioned at the beginning, to not miss another of the books in this series. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for introducing me to it by way of a pre-release copy of this book.
Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (Minotaur Books, June 2025); 306 pp.