The Felon's Ball by Polly Stewart is a fascinating, twisty tale of family secrets, moonshine, and murder.

Fellon’s Ball is like The Sopranos crashed a Southern Gothic garden party—moody, sharp, and brimming with secrets. The Macready family takes center stage: a patriarch with power, three complicated daughters, and enough old grudges to fill a bourbon barrel. I loved how Polly Stewart weaves a classic whodunit through layers of family drama, Southern tradition, and simmering resentments. A fast, fun mystery with an unexpected heroine who finds far more than the truth—she finds herself.

I always have a good look at the cover of my next read. What clues can you glean from the cover of The Felons' Ball - the new novel from Polly Stewart. The play on the family's name and the cuffs...?

The book opens with the annual birthday party for Trey, head of the family. Tonight‘s party is a catalyst, bringing up secrets that were not meant to ever be uncovered again. Some characters want that, but others don’t.

And at the center of all, it is the Macready family. Dad, Mom and their three adult daughters. Each daughter has a voice in the narrative and as a reader we are privy to their, thoughts and actions.

The supporting characters are many and all of them are also keeping secrets. Slowly, but surely, answers start to come in. But what is that going to cost everyone?

Stewart does a fabulous job of melding the crimes and the family. I didn’t manage to find the right person in the who dunnit. (which I always appreciate!)

The Felons' Ball was the first book I've read of Stewart. I would happily read her next book.

Every year Natalie's family has a tongue-in-cheek party celebrating their nefarious past called the Felon's Ball - now that her father Trey and his friends run a legitimate company no one minds poking fun at their past history of moonshine and outwitting the law, not even the new sheriff or their deputy son-in-law. However when Trey's best friend Ben is found viciously murdered after the party, Natalie begins to search through their past to find out the truth about what happened and why. Everyone in this town has secrets and Natalie has to sift through the facts while trying to keep her family and herself safe. But is she digging up more trouble than she can handle?

THE FELONS' BALL - Good title. Good start but then nothing. The book does not deliver what the blurb promised. A variety of characters that I cared less about. Story lines that went everywhere and nowhere. Things happen, people disappear, half attempted tries, and other mishmash without continuance in the story but a brief mention at the end of the book. The pace is slow and boring. This could have been an interesting story but it barely made an average read. Source: Netgalley. 3.

“The Felons’ Ball” by Polly Stewart is a fun and very entertaining mystery. It’s about a southern Virginia family that encompasses within itself all the features of a riveting thriller, a bootlegging family, social media influencers, and undisclosed secrets. I really enjoyed this book and learned that in some families “hidden secrets” are better left undiscovered!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Felons' Ball by Polly Stewart.

Readers who enjoy shows like Succession, or really anything with rich people, secrets, etc. will probably enjoy this novel. It wasn't for me, but I recognize that as personal taste and nothing else.

This was a fun fast paced read I read it quite fast !! The story came together like a ton of bricks some times family ties should be left in the past we don’t know what evil dirt we will pick up and that’s just what happened without saying too much this was great