Welcome friend! I am excited to chat with Delia Pitts on the blog today as we celebrate her upcoming novel, Death of an Ex, out next week. Delia is the author of the Vandy Myrick mysteries, featuring a Black private investigator in New Jersey. She is also the author of the Ross Agency Mysteries, about a Harlem detective firm, and several short stories. Let’s welcome her!
Death of an Ex
Delia Pitts expertly writes about family, race, class, and grief in her mysteries. Vandy Myrick captured readers’ and critics’ hearts in Trouble in Queenstown. She returns in Death of an Ex, where Vandy tries to piece together what brought her ex-husband’s life to an end.
Queenstown, New Jersey, feels big when you need help and tiny when you want privacy. For Vandy Myrick, that’s both a blessing and a curse. Now that Vandy’s back in “Q-Town”, her services as her hometown’s only Black woman private investigator have earned her more celebrity—or notoriety—than she figured.
Keeping busy with work helps Vandy deal with the grief of losing her daughter, stitching the seams, cementing the gaps. The memories will always remain, and they come crashing back to the surface when her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, walks back into her life. Promising everything, returning home, restoring family. Until she answers her door to the news that Phil has been murdered. And Vandy decides Phil is now her client.
It’s hard to separate the Phil that Vandy knew with the one Queenstown did. She sees him—and their daughter—in Phil’s son, who attends a prestigious local high school. She sees the layers of a complicated marriage with his wife. She sees all of Phil’s various parent, husband, businessman, philanthropist. But which role got him killed?
Get to know the author: Delia Pitts
Hi Delia! It is a pleasure to have you on Armed with A Book. To start us off, can you tell my readers a little about yourself?
I was born and raised in Chicago, travelled east for college at Oberlin, then returned to my hometown for graduate school at the University of Chicago where I earned a Ph.D. in African history. Among my earliest jobs was working at the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper as a “copy boy,” moving up the ranks to become a feature writer and breaking news spot reporter. After grad school I worked as a United States diplomat, serving in American embassies in West Africa and Mexico with my husband, also a career diplomat. When I left the diplomatic service, I returned to academia as a university administrator, first in Texas, then in New Jersey where we still live. We have adult twin sons living in Texas.
Death of an Ex is the second book in the Vandy Myrick series. For those meeting her for the first time, what are three words you would use to describe Vandy?
Tough, empathetic, resilient.
What drew you to write a mystery series centered around a Black woman private investigator in a town like Queenstown, NJ?
I live in a small town in central New Jersey. When we moved here twenty-five years ago, I was struck by the diversity of the community – over 50 different languages were spoken in the homes of children in our school district. So, I wanted to capture that immense variety of social backgrounds, experiences, ethnic origins, religions, and economic situations in my novels. This is not the usual presentation of small towns in mysteries, so I wanted to deliver a story that explored and celebrated that diversity.
As for creating a Black private investigator like Vandy, I drew upon elements of family I grew up with in Chicago. Specifically, I looked to the real-life achievements of my cousin, Esther Myricks, who as a young woman joined her husband to found a security firm on the South Side. Esther’s security agency focused on insurance fraud investigations, background checks on job applicants, and private property protection. As far as I know Esther’s company never handled murders or other violent situations, the way my fictional creation, Vandy Myrick, does. But as a teenager, I was impressed with Esther’s determination and drive. Launching a small business, especially one focused on the male-dominated industry of private security, was a signal accomplishment. So when it came time to create my own fictional detective, I couldn’t think of a better model than my cousin, Esther Myricks.
How has Vandy changed since Trouble in Queenstown? What challenges or tensions does she continue to carry?
When we first met Vandy in Trouble in Queenstown, she was in the earliest stages of grieving the accidental death of her college-age daughter, Monica. In addition to carrying this soul-searing tragedy, Vandy was grappling with the impact of her father’s dementia diagnosis which had confined him to a memory care facility. Vandy had returned to her hometown to recover and to find renewed purpose in a new job as a private investigator. Though she was a seasoned law enforcement officer, Vandy was a fledgling PI. So, as the case unfolds in Trouble in Queenstown, she has lots to learn about herself and her new profession.
In the new book, Death of an Ex, Vandy is still dealing with the impact of her daughter’s death. The roughest edges of the grief are buffed, but the pain continues to devastate. Vandy is hesitant to engage with long-term emotional relationships for fear of losing her whole world all over again. Grappling with this tragedy forces Vandy to reconsider her long-ago marriage and the messy issues that caused her divorce. When her ex-husband re-enters the scene, his ambition, generosity, selfishness, and charisma are once again on full display. Vandy is tested in unexpected ways by the arrival – and death – of her ex-husband.
You explore themes of race, class, and family throughout the book. What’s one aspect of those themes that you hope readers reflect on more deeply?
I hope readers will enjoy dwelling for a time inside Vandy’s head. Experiencing her wit, resilience, and determination in the face of the casual bigotry that permeates her work environment. This story is about bending all your resources – emotional, intellectual, and physical – to solving a fatal mystery. And it is about being unafraid to reveal and confront painful aspects of your own family history.
What’s something you wish readers better understood about the behind-the-scenes work of being a private investigator?
I hope readers get a sense of the drudgery behind the flashy work of being a PI. Long hours waiting in a car for your target to move to a new location. Repeated interviews with stubborn informants. Mind boggling days digging in newspapers or government documents for tiny nuggets of information. The work of a private eye isn’t glamourous or sexy. It is usually more tedious than dangerous. And the pay is not enticing. In my novels, I add elements of personal connection and emotional stakes to enhance the story and drive the investigation.
The audiobook of Death of an Ex is narrated by the acclaimed Bahni Turpin. What was it like hearing Vandy’s story brought to life in her voice?
I was so proud when Bahni Turpin was tapped to be the narrator for the Vandy Myrick mysteries. Her superb acting brings warmth and vigor to the character of Vandy Myrick. Hearing Bahni you absolutely understand how Vandy can contain so many levels all at once: mature and messy; confident and reckless; affectionate and sarcastic; raw, tough, and tender. My recommendation: read the book twice, first in print, then experience it again through Bahni Turpin’s stellar interpretation.
What’s one mystery novel (or author) that’s influenced you lately?
I’ve just finished reading S.A. Cosby’s newest novel, the superb King of Ashes. This book brings the twisted dynamics of a wounded Black family to life in ways that are both realistic and violent. I insta-read whatever mystery Tracy Clark writes. Her latest, Fall, was a terrific police procedural with a full-hearted woman detective pushed to the edge of her wits by a complicated case.
You’re a member of Crime Writers of Color and Sisters in Crime. How has being part of these communities shaped your writing life?
Writing is an isolating career. I have benefited immensely from my membership in both of these wonderful communities. In Crime Writers of Color (CWoC) I have met writers producing fiction at the top levels of our field. And these same gifted authors have turned out to be kind, generous, and supportive. Watching CWoC members bloom in their craft and then give back to others is the best lesson of all.
In Sisters in Crime (SinC), I have found a large organization with an even bigger heart. The advocacy mission of this community is inspiring: lifting up underrepresented voices to strengthen crime writing will always be a cause that stirs me. I have benefited from the vast array of educational webinars, podcasts, writing groups, and discussion boards which SinC offers. There is something for everyone who wants to strengthen their writing skills, learn more about the publishing industry, or meet fun and supportive colleagues.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for this opportunity to connect with readers and share some of my writing life and my new novel with them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and share with my readers.
Thanks for joining us! Connect with Delia on her website. Add this book on Goodreads. It was released earlier this month and you may have spotted it on our new releases post.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books for connecting me with the author and giving me a chance to highlight this book on my blog in exchange for an honest review. 🙂
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