After a rough year, Evander ‘Vandy’ Myrick, is back in her small hometown of Queenstown. Now as the town’s ‘best PI’, Vandy’s newest client, the mayor’s nephew Leo Hannah, wants her to follow his wife and find enough evidence for a divorce. What seems like a routine job, quickly becomes a murder case that might just unearth decades of old secrets.
I want to like this story, and I did enjoy parts of it. I love Vandy’s tough demeanor, her quick wits, and her dedication to family and friends. I just felt that her character was much younger than she actually was, making it hard to believe a few of the story aspects. I know Pitts is introducing us to Vandy as a long-term PI, but I felt a bit overwhelmed with all the information we learn about her, which doesn’t leave room for a ton of character growth for additional books in the series.
Based on the synopsis, I was stoked to read this book and while the narrator on the audiobook was good, the story itself wasn’t great. I liked the way Bahni Turpin voiced Vandy, but other character narrations left me wanting more. The pacing of the story was long, and I felt that the plot was being pulled in too many directions.
The ending did surprise me, but it was totally out of left field, and I definitely took a star away for such a farfetched ending. I didn’t like it and it felt so forced.
It wasn’t a bad read but the overall story could have used some additional editing and there were quite a few things that could have been either saved for a second book or taken out completely with little consequences to this book.
Trouble in Queenstown is out now. Thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
