Evander "Vandy" Myrick didn't want to return to her hometown of Queenstown, N.J., but she needs to deal with the recent death of her 19-year-old daughter in Trouble in Queenstown, the promising start of a series by Delia Pitts. The move meant leaving police work in New Brunswick for an often boring job as the private investigator for an attorney. But it also allows Vandy to spend time with her father, a well-respected retired police officer with advanced dementia.
Vandy mostly does background checks or process serving, but the pay is good. She also knows nearly everyone--and their secrets--in Queenstown, where Vandy is one of the Black residents within "the capital of Klan activity in Mason County." She notes, "Privacy was hard to come by in Q-Town, and worth guarding." Her new assignment seems routine. She's hired to prove allegations of infidelity against Ivy Hannah, the wife of Leo Hannah, whose aunt is Queenstown's popular and powerful mayor. When Vandy arrives at the Hannah home to present her report that Ivy appears innocent, she finds Leo on the floor next to the grievously injured Ivy. The attack is blamed on cab driver Hector Ramírez, who was shot and killed by Leo during the struggle. Self-defense seems obvious, but Vandy isn't sure, so she accepts requests to investigate further from Ivy's devoted father and Hector's teenage sister.
Family secrets and bigotry intersect, revealing uncomfortable facts and corruption in Queenstown while elevating the tense plot. Vandy's tough exterior conceals her grief for her daughter and her efforts at coping with her father's dementia. Scenes in which Vandy tries to connect with him add poignancy to Trouble in Queenstown. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer