Death of an Ex A Vandy Myrick Mystery by Delia Pitts

Vandy Myrick is a private investigator in Queenstown, NJ, who takes on a dead man as her client. As it happens, the dead man, Phil Bolden, is her ex, and the father of her daughter who passed away 20 years ago.

Vandy, our narrator, is very seif-aware and isn’t afraid to share her strengths and weaknesses with her readers. She realizes that there are many facets to Phil’s life that need investigating to find his killer.

Along the way, Vandy uncovers money schemes which involve the Rome School, a trendy, long established college prep academy, with which Phil also has ties. There are other side stories, including an attempt on Vandy’s life, which eventually tie everything together in this easy to read and well put together story. I’ll give this one four stars as I await the next Vandy Myrick mystery.

Vandy Myrick is a character you will not soon forget. She leaves an impression on you. She is sassy, tough, brash and super smart. She is definitely someone you want in her corner.

This mystery hits close to home for Vandy, but she knows she must work this case. The mystery was interesting and not an easy one to solve.

This book was not bad, but book 1 was better. I still gave it 4 stars just because the mystery itself was good.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the second book in the Vandy Myrick Mystery series by Delia Pitts, with the audiobook narrated by Bahni Turpin. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Vandy is a private investigator in Queenstown, NJ. She's still coping with the grief of losing her only daughter when her ex-husband, Phil, comes back into her life. But just as quick as he enters, he is murdered and Vandy decides to investigate.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, Trouble in Queenstown, but the author gives plenty of background so that this one works perfectly well on its own. I like Vandy's grit and determination to uncover the truth, even when it hits close to home. Pitts creates multi-faceted characters and there are plenty of suspects to consider for Phil's murder, as well as other plot lines. I enjoyed the audiobook production and ended up mostly listening to it. Will be looking forward to the next in this series!

Death of an Ex is the second book in the Vandy Myrick Mystery Series but the first I have read written by Delia Pitts. PI Vandy Myrick is working to overcome the death of a child and all the regrets a parent would have. Since she was unable to save her own college child, she has a tender protective side with other teenagers. I like that about her as well as some of her new rules for herself. While she is not at fault for her daughter’s death it doesn’t stop recovery from being difficult. I appreciated that the author did not gloss over her mental anguish. There is much to like about this hard-hitting look at a black woman in a men’s work world, her father, her mother’s life, her other relationships and her emotional state.

Vandy’s greatest mistakes have to do with her ex-husband but now it is his death that she is determined to solve. The story is convoluted with his own illegal actions as well as some others in the story. The trail of deception continued to grow and grow. I did not guess the murderer until Vandy did. The ending is as complete as it could be with a lesson of live life the best you can right now. So authentic and real it made my heart hurt at times, but also such that I could not stop reading. A crime thriller fiction story that makes you think and care.

This is the second book in the Evander "Vandy" Myrick series. This time, Vandy, the only Black female P.I. in Queenstown, NJ, is investigating the death of her ex-husband, Phillip Bolden. Vandy is helping the police figure this one out as no one in Queenstown is paying her to find Phil's murderer. However, Vandy still has a soft spot for Phil, and because of this, and their shared grief over the loss of their daughter, Monica, Vandy stops at nothing to find Phil's killer. This will keep you guessing until the very end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this digital e-arc.*

Phil was not a nice man. Phil, dead, is now out in front of the world as a not-nice man. Vandy harbors the sentimental fondness for the man she had her only child with, and she also harbors the very very recent memory of the fabulous ex sex they had hours before his murder.

Vandy's new enough in her return to Queenstown (see link above for the first book's review) that the cops, although they must interview her, do so without the usual presumption of guilt such a connection to a fresh murder would bring. Suspicion of her, probing her possible motive, but not a full-on attack on Vandy the person. Since we see the entire proceedings from inside Vandy's head, that felt startling to me. I'd expect to feel very defensive if I was being asked these questions! But Vandy, ex-cop, present-day PI as well as person of interest, sees from a perspective I won't have. And that is why I so enjoy these stories.

Vandy, thinking with her gonads, retains a fondness for the man she impulsively, and disastrously, married long ago. He was and is a skilled lover which clouds her cop-judgment. It doesn't hurt that he fathered her now-dead daughter, and that he's intelligent, articulate, and knows how to say the right thing.

This is the profile of a successful con man, as well...and Vandy's trawling through Phil's life after he left her life lets her know how close to a much bigger disaster than she was in she came. A single mother has hurdles...the wife of a con man has mountains to climb, much like Phil's current wife does. Did she take Justice into her own hands? A slick front with a slippery, dishonest man behind it could make any honest woman mad enough to do the unthinkable...or is she all that honest...? What Phil knew, how he knew it, all the secrets and skulduggery, could be known to her....

Every turn of Vandy's investigation is like that. She has access to the Black community the white police guys don't, and she isn't under the same time pressure to clear the case off the books. Not to mention the fact that the great and the good of Queenstown do not want the dirt Phil knew or the way it connects to them to be revealed. Even if it means some innocent outsider takes the fall for what she did not do.

It's a solidly constructed mystery with fair-play clues and a seriously sharp social conscience. Vandy confronts the prejudices within the racist US system, proving humans will do anything to be able to look down on their fellow humans. Vandy chooses the guilt/innocence dichotomy as her perch. And repeatedly gets knocked off it...proving that Delia C. Potts is a worthy successor to Barbara Neely in the social-realist PI/amateur sleuth genre. If there's a better mystery out in 2025, I haven't found it yet.

So where'd that fifth star go? There are stylistic details I found diminishing my pleasure in the read, like repetitions of revelations and what amount to "when last we met..." chapter summaries. I can, in context, see how these made sense to Author Pitts; I do not like them.

Not enough to skip the next book, though. Soon, please.

While I enjoyed the setting and the characters, this one did not hold my interest as well as the first one. This started off well and then seemed to drag in the middle and then picked up again for the reveal of the guilty party. Vandy is still a fun character and I love her grit and determination as well as getting to know more about her life prior to the first novel but the inconsistent tempo made it difficult to stay absorbed in the story. Still, I look forward to more in the series.

This book is so amazing! It’s very well written and a great, exciting read! The thrills started from the beginning all the way through to the end of the book! There were also a bunch of twists that I didn’t see coming. I didn’t want to stop reading the story until I knew how it was going to end!

Death of an Ex is a smart, emotionally layered mystery that introduces readers to Vandy Myrick, a private investigator whose return to her hometown is marked by grief, loss, and the shocking murder of her ex-husband. Pitts paints Queenstown, New Jersey, as both claustrophobic and intimate—a town where everyone knows your name but not your secrets. Vandy is a compelling and refreshingly complex lead; she's navigating deep personal pain while trying to uncover the truth behind a crime that’s as tangled as the man at the center of it.

This isn’t just a murder mystery—it’s also a character study and a meditation on love, regret, and resilience. The investigation is absorbing, but it’s Vandy’s internal journey and her nuanced relationships with Phil’s son, his widow, and the community that really elevate the story. Delia C. Pitts delivers a gripping, thoughtful, and distinctive addition to the genre. I’ll be eagerly watching for more from this series.

Big cities have nothing on small towns in terms of lies, secrets and crime. In Death of an Ex, Vandy, a former cop turned PI investigates, her ex-husband’s death and in so doing digs up all sorts of dirt on the fine citizens of Queenstown, New Jersey.

Vandy Myrick, the main character and narrator, is a private investigator and former police officer who is still mourning the death of her daughter. When Her Philandering Ex-husband, Phil Bolden, is found murdered she feels compelled to find the perpetrator.

The narration tone is chatty and casual, providing detailed descriptions of meals, clothing, feelings and local flavor. Author Delia Pitts seems to use slang, colloquialisms to portray differences in race and class.

What seems like it will be a straightforward cozy mystery becomes more complicated as the number of characters directly and tangently involved with Phil Bolden increase. These characters add some spice to the story, and some are perfectly placed red herrings. Author Pitts also makes the story more intriguing by bifurcating the story arc into a couple of story lines, with surprising developments as the story reaches its zenith.

Death of an Ex is a fun, quick read with a satisfying ending for the murder mystery a hopefully future for Vandy.

Don't worry if you missed the first book which introduced Vandy Myrick, a police officer who left the job and became a PI after the death of her daughter Monica because Pitts gives you all the background you need to appreciate Vandy's latest case. Phil Bolden might have been Monica's bio-dad but the couple split when she was a baby and he was never present for her. Now, though, Phil's back in Vandy's life, at least for the moments before he's murdered. In classic cozy fashion Vandy discovers that there were many people who were angry with Phil, from the school headmaster (interesting man) to his wife and son to a whole bunch of others. This takes Vandy through the topical issue of college admissions among other things. I like Vandy-Pitts has a way with creating characters-and the mystery is nicely twisty. Know that as with the first book, this sometimes veers into purplish noir prose but that it's entertaining. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

"Death of an Ex" by Delia Pitts is a phenomenal addition to an already excellent series. This book effortlessly draws you in with its compelling plot, making it nearly impossible to put down. The characters are well-developed and continue to grow, adding depth and richness to the story. Delia Pitts masterfully blends intrigue with easy-to-read prose, allowing the plot to shine without overwhelming the reader. The pacing is spot-on, keeping you engaged from start to finish. If you're a fan of gripping mysteries with strong character dynamics, this book is a must-read.

Divorcing him hadn't stopped her loving him.

Vandy Myrick returned to her hometown of Queenstown, NJ, to reboot her life. Working for her longtime friend Elissa Adesanya's law office as a private investigator is paying the bills and giving Vandy a mission, something she sorely needs as she grieves the needless and tragic death of her daughter Monica. What she doesn't need is the reappearance in her life of Phil Bolden, the man she married just out of college (despite her parents warning her he was no good - they were right) and divorced when she was four months pregnant with Monica. He was never a part of Monica's life nor of Vandy's, from that point onward, but here he is just as handsome and charming as ever. And married, with a son who is dating a young woman to whom Vandy is close. Their paths cross at the awards dinner of an elite private high school, where Phil makes a speech that sets off a firestorm; then he shows up at her office the next day begging for her help. She can't resist him, never could, and may even think that the two of them could give their relationship a second chance...until the police find his murdered body in the parking lot outside her office. Turns out there are quite a few people who have good reason to be angry at Phil, maybe even mad enough to kill...he is not the man she thought she knew...but Vandy is determined to identify his killer and bring them to justice.
Death of an Ex, the second book to feature Vandy Myrick, is a murder mystery where the setting is as much a character as are the people who live there (think of Stephanie Plum in the 'burg of Trenton or V. I. Warshawski in Chicago). Vandy is a fully realized, well-nuanced character, prone to making bad choices and living life in a messy way, and her snarky humor covers up the pain she carries from the losses she has suffered. Woven through the tale are themes of race and class, love and loss, family and community, with moments of humor to leaven things from time to time. The plot is centered around Phil's murder, but there is so much else to be found within the pages. Readers of Barbara Neely, Rachel Howzell Hall and Alyssa Cole will find this right up their alley. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me access to this intricate tale in exchange for my honest review.

Vandy Myrick is settled back in her hometown, now as a PI. She is more than shocked when she sees a picture of her long ago ex husband Phil on the wall of her church hallway. The church treasurer tells Vandy that Phil is a great fund raiser and donator to the church's projects. Then Vandy sees Phil, his wife and son at a school awards dinner where she goes to support a student who is also her friend. Vandy is more than surprised when Phil shows up in her office and wants to go to the grave of their now dead daughter with her. After the gravesite, they end up at Vandy's home where things get back to where they were over twenty years ago. The next morning the police show up at her door and inform her Phil was found murdered outside his car which he had left in a parking lot. Now Vandy will do whatever it takes to find the killer, but she receives more than the identity of the killer...along the way she learns all the lies and tricks and thieving that Phil was involved in and how deep it all goes.

This was the first book I've read featuring this detective (Vandy Myrick). I thought the mystery was layered well, and enough turns but not too many to feel hopeless to follow along. I wasn't the biggest fan of Vandy herself, but that may have just been due to one particular situation, otherwise, I have no issues with her. While I'm not sure if I'll pick up another Vandy mystery, I think I will pick up a different series by this author as it was a solid book overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC!

3.5 stars. I did a combination of digital and audio for this book. I read the first book of the series and enjoyed it. I'll be honest and say I enjoyed it more than this one. It didn't do a great job of holding my attention and I kept finding my mind wandering when listening to the narration by Bahni Turpin. I do feel like it kept my attention a little more for some reason when I was actually reading the digital copy.

The story revolves around Vandy, a black female investigator looking into the death of her ex-husband who had shown up in her life again the night before he was murdered. There are all sorts of schemes and lies going on in this book. I really wish it had kept my attention a little better.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

I did not read the first book in this series, but Death of an Ex is a perfect book to read as a stand-alone. I look forward to when Delia Pitts adds another to this series. The series centers around Evander (Vandy) Myrick, a cop turned private investigator who returns home to Queenstown, New Jersey. She’s intelligent, compassionate, and unstoppable when it comes to solving crimes. This is a good and engaging murder mystery.

After spending an illicit evening with her married ex-husband, PI Vandy Myrick awakens to cops banging on her door. He’s dead and they are looking for the murderer.

Death of an Ex is different from the Trouble in Queenstown. Vandy meanders through some drama before Phil ends up dead. Then she tries to find her daughter’s father’s killer. Uncovering all of the half-truths, she doesn’t quite know what to believe all the while holding on to the hope that what he told her is true.

Phil is complicated but hasn’t changed from the man she once knew. I think what complicates her vision is the grief from her daughter’s death. She wants someone else to share in it and grieve with her. Her father doesn’t remember due to Alzheimer's, and she’s only been back in the city for seven months. Delia Pitts lets Vandy feel her grief and for this I’m grateful. Grief sucks and the author does not shy away from it.

What I really liked about Trouble in Queenstown is, what I thought would be, Vandy’s core team. We were introduced to all of these great characters and they are still in the book, but one month later they are all playing different roles. There is no sense of family or deep friendships with anyone in Death of an Ex. There is nothing to soften Vandy’s character as with the first book. She’s unapologetically self-centered.

It doesn’t matter whether a reader likes the detective or not. I’ve been hooked on mysteries where the detective is morally grey. If the mystery is really good then all is overlooked for the story. This book is all over the place. Unfortunately all of the villains and their motives were easy to spot right off. Maybe I just don’t trust anyone, but for me they were easy to spot. (Hmmm…gave away a spoiler here.) There was one I didn’t know about, but once I heard the “job” then I knew: “bad guy.”

Let me give you a heads-up, there are some dark threads in this story. There is child abuse, suicidal ideation, and an attempt by a teenager. Brace yourselves.

This doesn’t mean that the story isn’t good. It is. It just doesn’t have the magic that the first book does. Vandy is still the person you want covering your back. I just hope that in the future, we’ll get to see the core team again. I missed them in this story.

Vandy Myrick is back and better than ever!

She's a PI with a lot to deal with: the tragic death of her only daughter, Monica. Her former police officer father's descent into dementia. And now her ex husband, Philip Bolden, is back in her life and his son, Tariq, is missing. When Philip ends up dead, Vandy knows it's up to her to close the case.

I love this series. Vandy is such a great character. She's so tough on the outside but really cares about her community and her family. Highly recommend!

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.