⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Anderson Tupper, a member of one of Atlanta’s richest families, has been murdered in the dugout of the Little League field where he was a volunteer coach, and it’s up to Detective Shay Claypool, a single mother from the other side of town, to find his killer.

Whew, what started as a slow burn ended with a bang and a jaw dropping moment! This story is told in 3 timelines, months before the murder, days before the murder, and days after the murder. It’s also told in multiple POVs, the mothers of the little league team (Kira, Birdie, Amelia, Sutton, and and Venita), the detective on the case (Shay), and a POV I won’t reveal.

The story did bounce around a lot, so it was hard getting to know each character or remembering who was who. Something that all characters did, along with me, was make assumptions about everyone. You would make assumptions as to “who done it” only to be proven wrong.

The story had 3 “twists” and I had a feeling about the first one. The two twists that came after, well one of them my jaw dropped and the last one, I smiled and said “good for her.” Overall, a slower paced book but worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a guilty pleasure of southern elite stereotypes. Set in a privileged Little League Atlanta, detectives are faced with solving the murder of Coach Anderson Tupper while surrounded by Gucci loafers and Cocoa Cola sponsorships. So money. But when you are part of one of the richest families in Georgia, enemies can be plenty.

Multiple point of view, including flat and one note Shay, Kira the new girl and out of the loop simpleton but recognizes the name brands, and the many little league moms of Sutton, Venita, and Birdie. A few too many to follow but setting the scene for all the possible who done it’s. So very formulaic. And welcome to Stepford, with lots of focus on name brands but maybe spread it out from all the Gucci references.

I wish this hadn’t jumped around so quickly to so many different point of views; it left the feeling of not really getting the time to get to know the character or distinguish some from the others. And with so many characters, it would have been nice if one was likeable.

This is a novel when you’re itching for the gossipy storyline of a soap opera and leaves a little reminiscent of a Samantha Downing novel. Not as good but excited to see future stories possibly get there. The ending was great- and justified. But would have left off all the unnecessary character wrap ups and would have benefitted from one particular point of view we never got.

This book is an absolute delight, deserving a full 5 stars! Leigh Dunlap's "Bless Your Heart" offers a wonderfully engaging and truly entertaining journey into Atlanta's affluent Buckhead community. From the outset, I was captivated by the sharp wit and the expertly crafted murder mystery that ultimately delivers one of the most satisfying conclusions I've encountered in the genre. The prose is exceptional, and the cast of characters, both diverse and vividly portrayed, are simply outstanding.

The plot twists and turns with delightful unpredictability, yet always remains centered on its compelling personalities. Beneath the surface of the "whodunit," a brilliant social satire binds the entire narrative together, making for an utterly absorbing experience. Dunlap’s debut masterfully intertwines themes of crime, family, social status, and relationships within a powerful tale of female camaraderie and resilience, all infused with a wonderfully dry, comedic touch.

At its heart lies the puzzling murder of Anderson Tupper, a man so widely disliked, the question isn't who might have wanted him dead, but rather who didn't. Yet, what truly elevates "Bless Your Heart" are its multifaceted characters, especially the so-called "Buckhead Betties"—a group of privileged yet relatable women, along with the astute Detective Shay Claypool. Their intricate lives, individual motivations, and fierce devotion to their children create a rich tapestry that drives the story forward. This is a charming and surprising read that excels not just as a mystery, but as a compelling character study. I was thoroughly engrossed from beginning to end!

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

“Bless Your Heart” by Leigh Dunlap
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro

“Bless Your Heart” (Crooked Lane Books, August 12, 2025) by Leigh Dunlap is a luscious, wickedly entertaining novel set in Atlanta’s rich Buckhead enclave that leads its readers on a merry chase to the finish. And what a finish: the book has one of the most satisfying resolutions of any murder-mystery novel readers are likely to have recently encountered. The writing is superb. The characters are appealingly diverse and equally well drawn. The plot twists and turns but stays mostly attuned to the characters. A social satire glosses over the whole tale, binding the parts together into one absorbing novel. Be prepared to be totally engrossed and totally entertained.

“Bless Your Heart” is Dunlap’s debut novel, and she is to be praised for the adept way she weaves murder, motherhood, social standing, and marriage into a female bonding tale of strength and mystery—all with that wonderful, droll satirical vibe. With her deft handling of the characters and their world, Dunlap manages to both skewer and honor her “Buckhead Betties,” the so-called name for the anxious, yet absurdly privileged women of Georgia’s richest zip code.

The murder mystery at the core of “Bless Your Heart” teases readers with secrets, clues, and intrigue. Born-rich, Hollywood-handsome Little League coach and financial planner Anderson Tupper is found beaten to death near the field where recently two people threatened him, and a former football star decked him. The question isn’t so much “who would want to kill him?” No, the bigger question is “who didn’t want him dead?” Even his own brother—surely as big a cad as ever graced a Southern novel—had dastardly reasons to want Anderson out of his way.
Yet, while that mystery is never forgotten in the tale, what makes “Bless Your Heart” such a disarmingly delightful novel are the wonderfully crafted, diverse characters. The “Buckhead Betties” most often hold center stage, yet their privileged but decent children and their often-hapless spouses provide added layers and depth.

Decidedly not a “Buckhead Betty,” Detective Shay Claypool, a Black, divorced mother, is the law enforcement officer charged with finding out who killed Anderson, and she needs to do it quickly due to the pressure of local politics. Her partner, a competent white man who is often her opposite but also complements her talents, and a team of young detectives are on board to help. Their interplay is another plus in the novel, and there is just enough “police procedural” to make the story authentic—but not enough to get in the way of the characters.

One of the more domineering of the Buckhead Betties is a loudmouth, opinionated woman determined to stay in her bad marriage and wholly devoted to her youngest son, Freddy. Birdie runs the Buckhead Betties to some degree, and people are cautious not to end up crossways with her. She is “nothing if not a ferociously protective mother” and “’tact’ was not a four-letter word in her arsenal.” While her husband is a socially adept, nice-looking lawyer, Birdie is the one with family money. She also threatens Anderson Tupper days before his body is found. And Freddy, bless his heart, is a chip off the old block. But beneath their bullying nature, Freddy and his mom prove they each have a righteous sense of justice.

Amelia Tupper is the divorced wife of the cad of a brother of the dead man. She’s broke and unfortunately also a spendthrift, her oldest daughter hates her, and her ex-husband is determined to utterly destroy and humiliate her. She appears at first to be weak, or maybe just gentle, but as the story develops, she proves herself determined, resilient, and more than a match in the battle of the sexes. She and Anderson also have a strange financial deal—and maybe more—that just might be connected to the motive for his murder.

Kira is the new kid in town, a best-selling novelist on a deadline who shows up months after her husband and two children have already moved to Buckhead. She fabricates a reason for staying behind in California, but the “Buckhead Betties” sense the lie. Her husband is angry with her, and her son and daughter appear to hate her. She lives not in the big house with them but in the pool house out back. She and Anderson were flirting lustily with each other from the get-go, raising eyebrows and jealousies. The night of his murder, the two engaged in an attention-drawing, seductive dance fueled by the date-rape drug GHB. But who drugged who—and why—is initially as closely guarded a plot twist as why Kira had lingered in California.

Venita, a lawyer and forceful personality in her own right, is married to a much-beloved Georgia football player and Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus. They are both Black and have but one child, a son notoriously unathletic but utterly adored. They are the “Apache helicopter of helicopter parents.” Venita has adeptly managed Marcus’s career and their lives, but she makes a serious mistake in trusting Anderson Tupper and his alleged talents as a financial advisor. Thus, when their net worth plummets thanks to Anderson, Marcus knocks Anderson out in front of an audience. As a result, Marcus becomes a prominent suspect—but so too does his wife. Venita and Marcus are the only married couple in the novel with a good, solid, loving marriage, but that will be tested.

The trophy wife in the group, Sutton, is married to a much (much) older man, and she must remain married a little while longer before earning the millions the pre-nup promised her if the marriage lasts 15 years. The problem is that the husband now wants a divorce. She’s not about to lose that money—she earned it the hard way. Her husband has to pay her for each sexual act between them—it’s in the pre-nup. To supplement her income, she also sells some drugs on the side to other “Buckhead Betties.” Neither as sophisticated nor as smart as the other women in the group, she has her charms and though devious, she often operates as a kind of comic relief in the tale. Despite her social climbing and greed, she too is a devoted mother and proves herself to be far more capable than the other women might first have thought.

What these women have in common—besides their zip code and Little League—is that they are uncompromising in their love of their children and their determination to protect them at any cost. These women may be flawed, but they are good, devoted mothers. And as Detective Shay knows, “A strong nuclear interaction is said to be the most powerful force in the universe. …Yet any woman knows it pales in comparison to the supernova of a mother’s love for her child.”

All in all, “Bless Your Heart” is a totally charming book—perhaps more cozy than thriller—but the “whodunit” plot twists around here and there before landing with its surprising and gratifying climax. But oh, it’s the “Buckhead Betties” and Detective Shay that truly make this book a standout.
Leigh Dunlap, who admits to once having lived in Atlanta, is the screenwriter of the hit Warner Bros. movie A Cinderella Story, as well as other movies. A native of Los Angeles, she attended film school at the University of Southern California. She now lives part-time in South Carolina. This is her first published novel. Visit her at https://leighdunlapwrites.com/.

I love the housewives franchise and this book is a thriller with alot of rich housewives. That many I got confused at times. I did enjoy the story. Thanks to Netgalley and Crookled Lane Books for ARC.

3.5 ⭐️

Bless Your Heart was a fast paced southern charm mystery thriller. Leigh Dunlap’s debut novel had a lot of rich housewives, drama, social satire.

When a member of one of Atlanta's richest families, Anderson Tupper, was found murdered in the dugout of the Little League field where he had volunteered as a coach, Detective Shay, a single mother from the other side of town, was determined to find his killer among a group of wealthy mothers where secrets and lies were as plentiful as their luxurious handbags.

Leigh Dunlap is new author to the literary world. She wove together a story that was equal parts murder mystery and social satire. I appreciated how she considered heavier issues such as race, class, and money while delivering a light peripheral dialogue. The plot was unique and had me intrigued enough to read in its entirety. The characters were relatable but many had the personalities that you couldn’t help but love to hate.

Despite this not being one of my favorite debuts, I was intrigued by this new author and how her novel challenged everyone’s assumptions about privilege and justice.

Collectively, Bless Your Heart was a fun and entertaining read from the start and had me waiting on edge to ascertain who was the culprit until the very end. I will be keeping a look out for more entertaining novels by Leigh Dunlap. If you are a fan of May Cobb or enjoy a mix of social sarcasm and murder mystery, you will want to check out this one.

Thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A juicy thriller set in Atlanta's wealthy Buckhead neighborhood. I couldn't put it down. And as for the ending...I never saw it coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Leigh Dunlap is a new author to me and when I read the blurb for this book I was intrigued.

This is a story of five women, all completely different, some with very strong personalities and senses of entitlement who live in the upmarket town of Buckhead. All these women have complicated domestic lives with husbands and children, themes of drug addiction and alcohol issues, some who even though very different have forged unconventional friendships and others who are not liked.

Shay Claypool is a detective, straight talking and not one to suffer fools. Along with her partner Dub she is determined to infiltrate this group and find out who murdered the Anderson Tupper, one of the richest families in Atlanta, a complicated bunch who are hiding secrets of wealth and the financial activities that go with it.

This is an entertaining read that I finished in an afternoon. It is one of those books that you keep turning the pages, quite humorous at times and it is the characters that shine to enable the plot to move along and keep you interested to see how it will all wrap up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was an interesting story, I really enjoyed the ending more so than the middle portion, the way all things were tied together was very well done. Anderson Tupper has been found deceased in the dugout of a little league baseball field, and it is up to Shay Claypool a detective with the Atlanta police department to solve the mystery. Anderson is from the uber wealthy Buckhead area of Atlanta, which is voting to leave Atlanta (and take all their tax dollars) and form their own town/city, this would be a big reduction in revenue for Atlanta and the pressure is on Shay to solve the murder quick. There is no end of possible suspects, several of the wives of other Buckhead residents (called Buckhead Betties) have their own reasons for wanting to get rid of Anderson, and some of the men as well were not keen on him. Money, drugs and infidelity issues, to name a few are all juggle, some have money, some are losing a ton of it, some are dealing drugs and it seems like everyone is fooling around with someone else. Shay is an enjoyable character, not willing to pin the murder on an easy suspect, she digs for the truth, and yeah that ending, I was not expecting, very good. I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The author succeeded in making me dislike all of the socialite women in this novel, their superficial relationships, and their spouses. The children were more complex and interesting, feeding into the ending. Easy read that I was eager to put behind me. I would not have finished this book if I were not obligated to write a review.

As someone now navigating the passion and politics of Little League, I enthusiastically jumped into Bless Your Heart. Youth sports have a way of inspiring the most rational of parents to lose their sh*t over positions and game time, so when a popular coach turns up dead in Buckhead, a wealthy Atlanta neighborhood, all the parents are immediately suspects. What follows is an enjoyable popcorn thriller with full of twists, turns and unlikeable characters. While I wouldn't want to be friends with any of the Buckhead Betties, the nickname for moms in this wealthy enclave, I did enjoy living vicariously through their ruthless determination to protect their status and that of their children---above all else.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced reader copy. As always, all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

I really wanted to like this book, but it fell short for me. The reason I didn’t love this book was there were so many characters and it just kept switching. The book gave me whiplash. It did have those May Cobb and Jeneva Rose vibes, so I did enjoy that aspect. Still, too many characters and a lot to try and keep up with. By the time the mystery was revealed, I hadn’t really cared. While this book didn’t work for me, I think it would suit someone who loves a book about the South and how the rich can be so very bad. I’m not sure if I would read the author again. The writing was solid, I’m just not the right audience.

Thank you #NetGalley for the eARC of #BlessYourHeart by Leigh Dunlap

This is an addictive Southern mystery packed with mean moms, social satire, and one detective from the wrong side of the tracks.

When Anderson Tupper—wealthy Buckhead dad and volunteer coach—is murdered at a Little League field, Detective Shay Claypool is thrown into a world of chaos, secrets, and deceit. The suspects? A rotating cast of over-the-top Buckhead Betties—each one more scandalous than the last. Shay is a standout. A single mom juggling motherhood, her job, and the biases of a community that doesn’t want her in it. She’s smart, tenacious, and compelling. I loved that this wasn’t just about the murder mystery—though that part was juicy—it also explored class divides, motherhood, and what power looks like when it’s dressed in Gucci.

I love thrillers about rich housewives and this one did not disappoint! Suspenseful, fun and deeper than I expected, 5 stars!!!

Great book! Was so invested in every second of the story. Thank you for letting me read in advance. Cannot wait to read other things from this author.

A Buckhead socialite is killed on the little league field where he was a coach. This prominent, and wealthy, part of Atlanta has its share of interpersonal drama, but not usually to the point of murder. Detective Shay Claypool, from 'the other side of the tracks' is charged with investigating, a difficult task when everyone in the community has money... and secrets.

Being from the deep South and understanding the culture, I thought I would enjoy this mystery. But, far from it. The fictional residents of Buckhead are all painted with the same broad brush. They're alcoholics and/or druggies, value luxuries over people, and are all having affairs. Their friendships, if you can call them that, seem to be based solely on what their 'friends' can do for them. There was not a likeable soul in the bunch. It's hard to enjoy a book when the characters are all wretched people. In addition, the overuse of the F word was tiresome. I skipped the middle of the book and felt that I'd lost nothing by picking up the last few chapters. The plot was pretty good, which caused me to give three stars rather than the two I contemplated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed all the characters in this story and that you can be a mother and work too like Shay the detective. She was a great character and I enjoyed her throughout the book. The rich moms were just what I wanted in this book, over the top. The writing and details were great. This was laugh out loud funny at times but also a but had a few twists.

I'm really kind of torn on how to rate Bless Your Heart, to tell you the truth. On the plus side, the writing was well done. The storyline was a good one and there were parts that were really enjoyable. On the negative, it was a LOT of different characters. There were so many people involved that it made it hard to really connect with any of them and keeping everyone straight was tricky at first. I think the large cast of characters made it hard for me to really get into the story itself so for me, it didn't quite hit the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shay Claypool, an Atlanta detective from the wrong side of the tracks, is tasked with solving the murder of one of the wealthiest residents from the tony Buckhead neighborhood. Shay is good at her job, but she’s more used to dealing with drug dealers and sex workers than she is with the privileged, snobby people of Buckhead. But she’s about to learn that bad guys (and girls) come from all socioeconomic groups