In 2000, Isabelle Whitmore vanished at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace. Twenty-five years later, the annual Lone Star Princess Pageant brings old grudges roaring back to the surface as four women, each carrying their own secrets and trauma, collide under one roof. When a record-setting storm knocks out the power grid and traps everyone together, old resentments and new confrontations reach a deadly boiling point. Some secrets are better left buried, but in a small Texas town, nothing stays underground forever.
I’m always here for a Texas setting and I immediately fell for Kelsey Cox’s writing last year when I read Party of Liars because she lives in my area. There’s something about being overly familiar with a setting that makes a book hit differently, and this one, while set in a fictional town, basically set right where I live. I can picture the roads, the ranches, the way people talk, the way everyone knows everyone’s business. Cox nailed that small-town Texas energy so perfectly that I felt like I was in the book.
I actually enjoyed this one more than Party of Liars. Her debut had a faint tinge of paranormal vibes, and while I liked it, Pretty Dead Things felt more like a true mystery and that worked better for me. It’s less twisty and turning and more of a slow burn, character-driven mystery that builds its tension through relationships and secrets rather than big shocking reveals. Told through multiple POVs, I liked the change between narrators, but it did get a bit confusing at times. There are about four mother-daughter pairs that feature prominently, and since the moms all knew each other, went to school together, and now their daughters are all friends, keeping track of who belonged to who was occasionally a challenge.
That said, I loved the pageant aspect and how it served as the backdrop for so much of the tension. The mother-daughter relationships were the real heart of this book, and the layers of town secrets and long-buried resentments kept me invested. Cox perfectly captured that small-town dynamic where everyone knows everyone’s business and nobody can escape their past, especially when the cast of characters has been the same your whole life. There are similar themes to Party of Liars here too: addiction, unresolved trauma, the weight of secrets, but they felt more grounded this time around.
One thing I found interesting is that the teenagers often felt older and wiser than their parents. At first that caught me off guard, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It’s easy as an adult to hold on to childhood habits and grudges, especially when you’ve been surrounded by the same people your entire life the way small towns can trap you. The kids haven’t had decades to build up those walls yet, and that contrast actually added something to the story.
Four big stars. If you’re looking for a slow-burn small-town mystery with strong mother-daughter dynamics, pageant drama, and a Texas setting that feels lived in, this one is absolutely worth picking up. And if you’re local to the Hill Country area, it’s going to hit even harder.
Kelsey Cox Reviews
AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP | ★★★★
Pretty Dead Things comes out July 7, 2026. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.
