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.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Minotaur for this arc.

What would you do if your ex husband spent the night with you, was murdered right afterwards, and the cops asked you to assist. That a what Vandy Mayrick has to face throughout this story while dealing with his new wife and family.

Well written, complex characters. I wasn't wowed. Not a page turner, but good

3.5 stars

Death of an Ex, which is Delia Pitts’s second Vandy Myrick mystery, is a thoughtful, deliberately paced private eye novel with a rich New Jersey setting and a heaping of emotional healing. A former Rutgers University cop, the middle-aged Vandy moved back to her small hometown of Queenstown and took a job as a lawyer’s “pet private investigator.” Her boss, Elissa Adesanya, is also Vandy’s best friend and the work tends to be low market rackets like divorce, insurance fraud, and process serving.

Vandy is thrown into the deep end of the investigative pool after attending a glitzy event at the high-end Rome School—a private boarding school in Queenstown—where her young friend, Ingrid Ramirez, is receiving an award. Vandy’s ex-husband, Philip Bolden, is at the reception and even after twenty years he can still make Vandy’s pulse rise and her knees weak. A few days later Vandy takes Philip to her bed and for a moment she doesn’t mind being the other woman. That changes when Philip is gunned down a few blocks from Vandy’s apartment and Vandy is left to figure out who did it and why. All while traversing the mine field of Philip’s personal life—he was married with a teenage son and his wandering libido caused nothing but trouble. All while trying to keep her and Philip’s indiscretion a secret.

Death of an Ex, while rightfully a private eye tale, has the atmosphere of an amateur sleuth in a particularly well-done cozy. Vandy’s investigative style is circular and primarily based on emotion rather than the linear style most often used in detective tales. She bumps around the primary suspects, as sneakily as an English Village sleuth, looking for motive and opportunity. A wobbly tactic because of its use of repetition—a repetition of Vandy’s emotions and a repetition of questioning the same suspects over and over—to deepen the mystery, but one that ultimately works since it reveals the illogic and tragedy of murder. But the true charm of Death of an Ex is Vandy’s own struggle with the death of her only child and Pitts’s vivid rendering of a predominately Black New Jersey town.

This review will be posted on July 14, 2025, at gravetapping.blogspot.com and darkcityunderground.blogspot.com

I rated last year's series opener, Trouble in Queenstown, highly. Death of an Ex was even more impressive to me. I'll gladly continue to read this series, if it continues.

This installment includes many connections that unfold gradually, but with big impact. Vandy is certainly flawed. Ultimately, her positive qualities—family ties, friendships, loyalty, sense of justice, curiosity, and determination—power her and make her an appealing character. Despite the content warnings—infidelity; extreme violence, including multiple murders; blackmail; and various other crimes—there is a positive conclusion, of sorts.

The author's background is fascinating—she was a journalist, U.S. diplomat, and a university administrator before leaving academia to begin writing fiction.

4.33⭐

Thank you for the free ebook St Martins Press @stmartinspress Minotaur Books @minotaur_books Netgalley @netgalley and Delia Pitts @deliapitts50
“Death of an Ex” (Vandy Myrick Mystery #2) by Delia Pitts Genre: Detective Mystery. Location: Queenstown (Pennington), New Jersey, USA. TIME: October, present

THE SERIES: Lanky, strong, Evander “Vandy” Myrick (48) has a messy life. She became a cop to fulfill her father’s expectations. She became a private eye 30 years later to satisfy her own, partnering with attorney Elissa Adesanya and her wife Belle Ames. Vandy’s back home in Q-Town: 9000 souls in 12 square miles, with Ku Klux Klan (KKK) history. She lives in a Victorian house on Main Street; her office is above the Queenstown Pharmacy, across from her friend Mavis Jenkins’ Kings Cross Tavern. As a Q-Town Black woman, privacy needs guarding, but is hard to come by. Keeping busy with work helps Vandy deal with grief from losing her child.

THIS BOOK: Memories crash back when ex-husband, Philandering Phil Bolden, walks back into Vandy’s life. Promising everything, returning home, restoring family. For Vandy, it’s “Bad choices, no strings. My brand. My way.” When Phil is murdered, she pieces together what brought her ex-husband's life to an end: complicated marriage, son who attends prestigious local school, businessman, philanthropist? Will this very personal case break Vandy?

Author Pitts has written a powerful mystery that blends grief, classism, racism, messy personal lives, and family ties. Her characters are authentic and moving-Vandy’s toughness that hides vulnerability, her snarky language, her determination and her weaknesses. With her powerful (often funny) narrative, Pitts speaks truth about racism, sexism, classism. (“I fell into the age-old script of people of color. When confronted by police, speak little, offer nothing.”) There are many red herrings-Vandy‘s not perfect, she falls for them too. It’s as good as book 1 so it’s 5 stars from me👩🏼‍🦳 #deathofanex #deliapitts

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. I thought it was well written, loved the storyline, and all the characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

A satisfying and engaging murder mystery set in a small New Jersey town called Queenstown. In this second book in the Vandy Myrick Mysteries, Evander Myrick, a private detective, takes on the case of the murder of Phil Bolden. Phil is Vandy’s ex-husband and after a long absence is back in her life. Vandy is conflicted about him, but still very much attracted to the man. Vandy is an interesting and relatable character. She’s flawed (aren’t we all?) and haunted by the recent loss of her only child (who wouldn’t be?). She’s intelligent, caring, and unstoppable when it comes to solving crimes. If I needed a PI, she’d be at the top of my list. The author keeps it interesting by giving the reader a number of suspects and the story has a satisfying flow to keep it intriguing. If you enjoy crime fiction then pick this one up!

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts is a layered mystery that explores grief, identity, and the murky truths we discover in the people we thought we knew. Vandy Myrick, a private investigator navigating life back in her hometown, is forced to confront her past when her ex-husband is murdered—and she takes on the case herself.

Even without reading the first in the series, the emotional depth and small-town complexities come through clearly. Pitts weaves a thoughtful story about love, loss, and legacy, set against a backdrop of secrets and shifting truths. A solid second entry for readers who appreciate slow-burning mysteries with heart.

2.5 Stars rounded up because I did get to more than 50% before I gave up.

I loved the first book, so I'm not sure what it was that set me off about this one. It might have been that this plot line was more personal than the first novel; it could have been that there was too much time for me between books to remember what the language was like or the secondary characters were like for me to enjoy this book. I'm not sure, but it just didn't sit right with me.

I could only read this book in stops and starts. I kept getting frustrated with Vandy and the secondary characters. This time, the language used was complex for me to understand.

However, this book is receiving good reviews, so you should trust your gut and instincts, rather than worrying about my opinion.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley.

One of the more unusual PI stories I've read. But it was a great read. I didn't realize this was book 2 in a series so I'm gonna go back and read book 1. Vandy lives with regret after what happened to her daughter. After a spicy night with her ex husband, he leaves and is found murdered the next day. Vandy is determined to find out what happened to him. She unpacks a lot more than she expected. There were lots of seemingly obvious suspects in this one but I did not guess who the murderer was. I was so confident and then surprised when the killer was revealed. That's a good thriller in my eyes.

I'll go back and read book 1 and I'll look for more by this author.

I absolutely devoured this book.
It was a good cozy mystery!
I was able to finish this story in a couple of days.
Scandal, affairs, mysteries, and suspense wrapped all in one!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had the perfect balance of mystery, tension, and just the right amount of personal drama. From the start, I was pulled into the story, curious about how all the pieces would come together. What worked for me was the main character’s voice. They felt sharp, thoughtful, and fully grounded in their world. I appreciated how Pitts didn’t overcomplicate things but still gave me enough twists to keep me on my toes. The pacing was steady, the stakes felt real, and the relationships, especially the complicated ones, added a nice emotional weight to the story. I also loved the setting. It had such a strong sense of place, and the atmosphere gave the mystery a gritty, authentic feel.

This book! I love Vandy SO much. She is hurting, she is broken, she is flawed, but she is SO strong and still cares for others so much that it shines off the page. She is only human and she is trying her best, even when the world seems to continuously beat her down. She goes through more struggled and heartbreak in this book, but somehow keeps her face straight and risks everything to find justice for someone who might not seem like they deserve it. I was captivated by this book and the vibrant characters; so many twists and turns and I loveddd the storytelling the author does to slowly reveal the secrets and all the connections. Shocks pile up and Vandy keeps going until the bitter end. I feel for her so much, I want to give her a huge squeeze. I love this writing and the way the author writes flawed characters that you can't quite decide if you trust. I already cannot wait for more.