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.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was perfect. The sass and drive in her voice, almost simultaneous with undertones of hurt and breaking was masterfully done to truly bring Vandy to life.

Death of an Ex is a strong, emotionally layered follow-up to Trouble in Queenstown, and it further solidifies Vandy Myrick as a compelling, complex protagonist. This time, the mystery hits close to home as Vandy investigates the murder of her ex-husband—a man whose return stirred up old wounds and unfinished business. The dynamic between Vandy and Phil is rich with history, tension, and unresolved grief, making the stakes feel deeply personal.

Delia Pitts does a fantastic job weaving themes of family, race, class, and loss into a thoughtful, suspenseful story. Queenstown remains an evocative setting—intimate and watchful—and the supporting characters add texture and intrigue. Bahni Turpin’s narration is, as always, top-notch—bringing depth and nuance to Vandy’s voice and emotional journey. A satisfying installment in a promising series, Death of an Ex left me eager to see where Vandy’s story goes next.

The second book in the Vandy Myrick Mystery series did not disappoint. Delia Pitts comes in hot with the follow up to Trouble in Queenstown. Vandy Myrick is a Private Investigator who finds herself in the middle of murder cases in her hometown of 'Q-town'. In Death of an Ex, Vandy is still (and forever) grieving the tragic loss of her daughter. Vandy reconnects with her ex and the father of her daughter, Phil. During this reunion, Vandy learns that not everything in her life may have been exactly what it had seemed. She knew Phil had left, but never knew all that he had done for her and her daughter over the years-it was all hidden from her by her father who is now suffering from dementia. Now Phil is murdered, and Vandy must figure out who did it and why. Nothing is exactly as it seems, and there are lots of twists and turns along the way.

Delia Pitts writes so poignantly on matters of race, class, and complicated family. I find these mysteries so fascinating-they are gritty and real.


Thanks to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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. I did 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.
I just loved the narrator Bahni Turpin.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape audio for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a honest review

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts follows a compelling mystery plot with intriguing twists and a promising concept. The story centers around a complex web of secrets, relationships, and a murder investigation that keeps readers guessing.

While I appreciated the idea behind the plot—it had strong potential and a solid foundation—I found it a bit difficult to stay fully engaged. There were quite a few characters introduced throughout the book, which made it challenging at times to keep track of who was who. This unfortunately affected my connection to the story and slowed down my reading experience.

That said, the audiobook narration by Bahni Turpin was a definite highlight. Her pacing was spot on, and she brought a great energy to the story that helped carry the book forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fantastic follow-up to the first book. I love how Vandy's character arc is progressing -- she feels like such a real character. Her style of investigation sets her apart from many other modern fictional detectives. The way she switches perspectives to understand the case is phenomenal.

This was such a joy to listen to. This is the second book of the Vandy Myrick series and I’ve enjoyed it just as much as I did Queenstown. Vandy is a former officer turned private investigator. She’s employed by a fabulous attorney and her partner. The story line flows smoothly and the narrator is top notch!! I also enjoyed the side characters. Sometimes, side characters play just as big a part in telling a story as the main characters. This was absolutely fantastic.

I enjoyed this audiobook. Great story wonderful narration I can’t wait for this book to come out. Thank you for this advanced copy. I look forward to giving it a more detailed review soon.

Loved the cover and it sounded fun and cozy, but it was mostly dull.

It was dull for the first several chapters … eventually there was a little bit of a mystery to unfold and I thought it might get good. However, it remained dull.

Not for me.

Based on this read, would I explore this author further? Probably not.

2.5 stars.

Audio:
Great audio production!

#NetGalley

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts
Narrator, Bahni Turpin
I’m sorry to say this but I had to DNF this book. It was kind of depressing and it just wasn’t what I hoped it would be. The FMC had a daughter who died and a father with Alzheimer’s and she getting involved with her ex husband who is married to someone else. I listened for few. hours and did not even get to the murder yet.
Bahni Turpin is an excellent narrator but even she could not keep my interest.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟.2
"The Death of an Ex" by Delia Pitts is book two in the Vandy Myrick Mysteries and can be read as a standalone. I actually enjoyed this murder mystery and liked how we got more information about Vandy! This book was good! I mean, your ex-estranged husband from many years ago ends up missing, and you were the last person he was with. That intrigued me.

The audiobook is narrated by Bahni Turpin, and she did a good job telling the story and bringing it to life. She did a good job. She was easy to understand and listen to. I listened at 2x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

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.
I just loved the narrator Bahni Turpin.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape audio for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a honest review

4 stars.
This book is much better than the description suggests!
I liked that the setting and plot line were different.
The entire book just had a different and unique feeling, and I liked that about it.
I have to say that there were times that I was annoyed with Vandy, mostly based on her decisions.
There were twists and turns, I do think that the majority were a little bit predictable, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I was engaged from beginning to end.
The plot was well structured, and I felt the pace was adequate for the storyline.
The characters were well-developed, but I did have a hard time relating to Vandy at times, again due to her morally gray decision-making.
I loved seeing a book focused on a strong, successful, yet soft around the edges, African American woman as the FMC. We NEED MORE OF THIS!
I think Phil was written perfectly as the skeezey, alcoholic, ex-husband, who has an underlying tone of a loving nature.
The relationships are complex and written so well!
This was my first Delia Pitts book, and I will be reading more of the author's writing.
I did not realize that this is the second book in a mystery series. Even without having read book one, this book reads extremely well as a standalone. I did not feel I missed out on anything, that I was left trying to figure things out, or that I had missed anything from the first book that could be essential to the plot of this book.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Delia C. Pitts, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Add this to your summer TBR!
Happy Reading!

I enjoyed this stoy but found it a bit hard to follow. Could be because I was listening to the audio while working on some complicated reports for work. I though the narrator did a great job though. I will give this author another try when I am not so unfocused myself. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Vandy is back as the private investigator in Queenstown. She is still dealing with her own grief of her daughter’s death when her ex-husband comes back to town. After their encounter, he ends up dead when she has to find out who murdered him.
Multiple suspects, small town vibes, bribes, scandals. Death of an ex has it all.

The story for this was intriguing, and I liked experiencing the mystery unfold. That said, I felt a little unsatisfied with the ending. I wanted a bigger twist than we got.

I also didn't care for Vandy, our main character. I didn't realize this was a sequel or the second book in a series until I had already started it, so maybe there's a reason she's so unlikable. I felt for her with her daughter being dead. That's truly heartbreaking. Vandy is MESSY, though, and on PURPOSE. She knowingly slept with a married man and then made claims to him later on. I took issue every time she acted like she was family or owed information. She tended to use everyone around her.

There were some very unrealistic parts of this, as well. People around her revealed way too much for it to be believable. In the real world, people wouldn't willingly give out very personal information to anyone-- especially a private eye. A warrant was never once breached, and the cops were kind of a secondhand thought.

4 stars

I stumbled upon _Trouble in Queenstown_, the first book in this series, last year and really enjoyed Pitts's style and the way she developed Vandy, the protagonist of both books. This is an enjoyable addition to the collection and a great way to see these characters evolve.

While this is the second book in the series, it can be read in isolation. However, I don't recommend that at all. The setup for Vandy and what plagues her most is so solid in the first book that it just can't be missed. I strongly recommend that prospective readers make sure they've read the first book in advance for maximum enjoyment of this one.

Vandy's complicated life gets even more complicated in this book because more people she loves - or at least once loved and now marks as "it's complicated" - are in trouble here. The mystery unfolds and becomes more layered as events evolve, and it is fascinating to see how everyone comes together AND how Vandy responds to added info about her life and those she holds (or held) close. She's an intriguing character in general, both smart and risk taking and at times extremely vulnerable, so it's pretty enjoyable to watch her in action.

I continue to enjoy this series, including the narration of the audiobooks, and I am looking forward to future installments.