Readers who enjoyed the first book in this series, Death in Queenstown, will be very happy to see this second adventure for private investigator Vandy. As the only Black investigator in her town, she's used to racism, classism, and just basically struggling to succeed and be taken seriously. As the book opens, she reconnects with her long ago ex-husband, the father of her deceased young adult daughter. Phil has become very influential and successful in their town, and she is still half in love with him. They spend the night together, and he is found murdered the next day. Vandy must use all her detective skills to unravel the story behind Phil's death. A great story with a truly relatable detective.

The second installment in the Vandy Myrick series definitely keeps the momentum going! While I found myself missing a few familiar faces from the first book, Pitts still delivers with a sharp, badass PI and a mystery that pulls you right in. Vandy’s voice is strong, smart, and grounded—exactly what you want in a lead—and the story kept me turning pages. Can’t wait to see what she’s up against next!

Thank you Net Galley and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I didn’t realize this was book 2 in a series but it can definitely be read as a standalone book.
Vandy is a black woman and a private investigator which makes this have a different feel to it.
She goes to an event and runs into her ex husband who she hasn’t seen in 20 years. They meet up in the cemetery and are draw.n to each other so he goes back to her house. I really enjoyed this book and plan to look for the first book. I highly recommend it.

Vandy is a woman P.I. who has a past with the police department as an officer. She has come into quite a bit of money from the death of her 24 year old daughter. She's invited to be a plus one at an awards ceremony of the prestigious high school where she runs into her ex husband who she dumped when she was four months pregnant and discovered he had many other women. She is attracted to him still, and this is where I lose all care about her as a character, she makes stupid decisions knowing what a womanizer he is. When he leaves her in the midd.e of the night, he is found murdered the next morning, and Vandy decides she has to solve his murder, at least she works with the police. Along the way we meet many characters who would have reason to kill him, and the mystery solving is well written. Appreciation to NetGalley for an early read.

Death of an Ex is the second book in the Vandy Myrick series. I absolutely loved the first one so was excited when I was invited to read this. While I did not enjoy it as much as the first one, I am glad I read it and plan to read the next in the series. I love that you get to learn a bit more about Vandy and her past. I enjoyed the mystery and twists.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Delia Pitts has done it again with a snappy but reflective mystery featuring the all-too real Vandy Myrick. What made Trouble in Queenstown great--the realistic grit, Vandy's determination, the well-rounded characters, and Pitts' taught mystery plotting--area on full-force again here. Vandy is even better this time around, following her instincts with dogged determination and enviable boldness. The rest of the cast is also excellent, washed in shades of grey that made finding the murderer even more fraught.

While the ending felt sudden and wasn't as satisfying as I personally wanted it to be, I still think it gives us details and an ending that resonates with the characters and the themes.

I want a million more outings with Vandy, and I can only hope to keep reading about her adventures! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

United States Publication: July 15, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

As Ingrid's plus-one to Rome School's homecoming gala, Vandy Myrick's past comes crashing into her present when her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, attends the same event. She hasn't seen Phil in 20 years, having successfully punted him out of her life. But now here he is, and some of her connections are entwined with him. When a cemetery visit turns into an overnight visit, Vandy wonders if she and Phil can have some kind of future together after all. But the morning after, Phil is found dead, and Vandy finds herself on the case despite the grief and guilt she is struggling with in the aftermath of Phil's death. As Vandy susses out Phil's true character and discovers the nefarious activities he was involved in, she edges closer and closer to Jack's murderer, and the web of deception that has entrapped several people's lives. Lives are on the line. Can Vandy and the police stop the deaths and stop the deception before anyone else is hurt?

This second offering of Vandy Myrick, PI, gave me the same feeling as the first: restless, tedious, and annoying. Adding to those feelings was a lot of eye-rolling. Listen, you can have a messy character (Pitts calls Vandy Myrick messy in her acknowledgements in this second title), but Vandy's kind of messy is not endearing; it is borderline gross. At least in this reader's opinion. Pitts successfully highlighted the gross behavior and attitudes of the wealthy when it comes to education. I am thoroughly disgusted anew with people who are affluent and entitled because of it. I'm just not a fan of Vandy, even though Pitts clearly wants her readers to be. It's possible that as Pitts continues to develop Vandy, which it seems evident there will be future books in this series, she will become endearing instead of annoying, but this reader won't be sticking around to find out.

Death of an Ex although its the second book in the series I read it with no problem as a stand alone but I will say that I am going to back to read book one as I was hooked from the first page.

Vandy is the only Black female detective in Queenstown and although she has her faults and lives with her own regrets she is totally likeable and easy to relate to.

When her ex-husband comes back into her life but then is murdered Vandy is determined to find his murderer.

Memories and feelings rush back to Vandy as she investigates and how could they not.

I really enjoyed Death of an Ex , the twists and turns, the story and setting were all written and I cant wait to read the first in the series and look forward to Vandy's next case.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for introducing me to the Vandy Myrick series.

Vandy Meyrick is blind-sided by the appearance of her ex-husband, Phil Bolden. When he drops by unexpectedly,
memories of their deceased daughter are shared and he ends up spending the night. When his body is discovered
later that morning, Vandy is determined to uncover the murderer. The investigation will look into his business
interests, current marriage and other people in his circle. Interesting characters and suspects.
#DeathofanEx #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

4 stars for an unusual private investigator story. Vandy Myrick is a black woman private investigator with regrets. She feels guilty for not preventing her daughter's death in a sorority hazing incident.
Then her cheating ex husband comes back into her life and they end up making passionate love. He leaves at 0115 hours and is found murdered in the morning. Vandy decides to find out who killed him.
She does find the killer, but there are more attacks and a sordid bribery scandal involving her ex.
I didn't identify the killer until near the end. There were multiple suspects: he was cheating on his current wife, the bribery scheme and a speech that he used to humiliate several people.
Thank you Katie Layton at Minotaur books for sending me this eARC.

Pub Date Jul 15 2025

This was a great read. Vandy annoyed me at times with some of her decisions but I understood why she made them. There were definitely some moments where I predicted the outcome. Overall I really enjoyed this read. The characters were well developed and I was on my toes the entire time! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book.

Another great mystery from Pitts! I love that Vandy makes mistakes and struggles with the consequences. I like seeing her plot out next moves and calculate the best way to approach informants. This case hits even closer to home, uncovered information about Monica’s father, as well as things that Vandy’s father Evander can’t be confronted with now that his Alzheimer’s has progressed.

More fleshing out of secondary characters, plus the addition of new ones, confirms my suspicions from book one that this is going to be a series featuring a string community and the building of found family.

In DEATH OF AN EX, the second book in the Vandy Myrick series written by Delia Pitts, Vandy Merick is a private investigator working in Queenstown, New Jersey. Vandy has a deceased daughter fathered by her ex-husband, Philip Bolden. While visiting her daughter’s grave at the Bethel cemetery, Delia wanders into the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She sees Philip, a member of the committee working on the Sutton Hill rehabilitation project. I want to know what happens and read on.

I think there is quite a bit of background to get through before the real story begins. I figure I must have missed out by not reading the first book in the series. A murder occurs, but I think it should have happened earlier in the novel. Characters seem well-formed, and although I think the story could be told in fewer pages, the plot is good (once it gets going). All said and done, I am interested in seeing where this series goes. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of DEATH OF AN EX.

Vandy Myrick gets pulled into a mire of things surrounding her ex-husband and his subsequent death. Vandy is a tough character which I at times had problems connecting to. As such this book didn't flow as well for me.

A promising mystery, but with some missed opportunities. Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts, out July 15, 2025, is the second book in the Vandy Myrick series, and while it has an interesting premise, it didn’t fully deliver the way I hoped. Vandy, Queenstown’s only Black private investigator, is back in action when her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, is murdered. What follows is an exploration of his complicated life, which intertwines with Vandy’s own grief over the loss of their daughter. Pitts does an excellent job of weaving together family, race, and class, creating a strong emotional foundation for the story. But despite a promising setup, Death of an Ex didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The title feels a bit misleading, it suggests a focus on the death itself, but the story is more about unpacking Phil’s multifaceted life and relationships. The pacing was uneven at times, and while Vandy is a character with potential, her emotional didn’t grab me as much as I expected. The mystery itself is solid, but the tension could have been sharper. Overall, it’s a thought-provoking read with good themes, but the execution left me wanting more. I’m curious to see where the series goes, though, as there’s clearly room for growth. Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the chance to read this book in advance.

I admired Vandy’s strength and resilience as she worked through her grief while navigating life as a private investigator in Queenstown. I felt connected to her determination to solve the murder of her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, despite the emotional complexities involved. I found the layers of Phil’s character fascinating, especially the contrast between the man Vandy knew and the roles he played in the lives of others. I appreciated the nuanced exploration of grief, love, and betrayal, but I felt the pacing sometimes dragged, especially in the sections delving into Phil’s various relationships. I struggled with moments where the narrative felt repetitive, and I wished for a stronger momentum to drive the story forward.

Overall, I thought the book had strong emotional depth and intriguing elements, but it didn’t fully capture my attention in the way I had hoped. I appreciated the ambition behind the story, even though it didn’t end up being my favorite.

Private Investigator Vandy Myrick is still dealing with her daughters death, one day at time. She attends a school award banquet with Ingrid a teenager she befriended in book 1. Ingrid has a new boyfriend, and Vandy will meet him at the banquet, only to find out that he is the son of her ex, who also is also the guest of honor. Philip Bolden gives a drunken speech and things go downhill.
After a disturbance at the banquet Vandy meets up with Philip, and he wants to see the grave of their daughter, they end up spending the night together, and after that things get complicated.
Great twists and turns – looking forward to book 3

Delia Pitts created something special when she created Vandy Myrick.

I've been lucky enough to read both books in the series (and would eagerly & happily read more should Ms. Pitts write them & there be need of some readers), so I can confidently say that the second book is just as good as the first - which I loved.

The covers, the descriptions, the vibes... they give cozy mystery. But Vandy's world really is much more complex than the ordinary sort of cozy mystery. She's middle aged and she's a private investigator, rather than twenty-something and a bakery- or bookshop owner. She comes with a whole history of angst and a complex backstory that's woven seamlessly into the cases she solves.

Death of a Ex, like the first book in the series (Trouble in Queenstown) are also excellent commentaries on how family, and the grief that comes with loving and losing, translates across race and class in society.

I do think that it would be best to read the first book before this one. This one might work as a standalone but you'd be missing out on the rich, vivid world & character building that happened in the first novel. So read that, then read this.

You'll thank me.

Thanks to the author, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read & review this book.

The myster was fine, i didnt find anything overall special nor negative about the book. it was a decent paced book and held my attention enough to be able to finish it.

I really liked this mystery. Although I enjoyed the story, it was the undertones of social order and structure that was very well done. This is the first book I have read by this author and I will be picking up more.