A twisty pageant thriller filled with longtime grudges, buried secrets, and a chilling cold case.
Release date: July 7, 2026
Publisher: Minotaur
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Synopsis:
Secrets emerge as a Texas beauty pageant turns deadly in this rich and addictive novel with a jaw-dropping twist from psychological suspense author Kelsey Cox.
2000: Isabelle Whitmore vanishes at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace.
2025: The annual Lone Star Princess Pageant looms, bringing long-standing grudges to the surface. Ingrid fled Anhalt in the wake of her sister Isabelle’s disappearance and has now returned, just in time for a construction crew to start digging up Sherman Ranch; the pageant brings up past traumas that Melanie can’t forget; Cat, newly sober, starts to feel threatened in ways that bring back old demons; and Sarah Lynn, who comes from a long line of pageant winners, knows that losing is not an option.
When old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point, temperatures drop to deadly degrees as a record-setting storm brings down the state’s power grid. With everyone trapped under one roof, scores will be settled, and more than one person will end up dead.
Some secrets are better left buried.
Review:
This is a fast paced thriller with short chapters that keep the story moving. The cast is made up of longtime friends, frenemies, pageant contestants, and people all connected by complicated histories, so there are plenty of shifting dynamics and simmering drama.
It took me a little while to settle into the story because there are several points of view and a lot happening early on. Once I got everyone straight, though, I was fully invested and the pages flew by. I especially enjoyed the cold case element surrounding Isabelle’s disappearance. It gave the mystery extra depth and kept me guessing as past and present storylines came together. The characters are layered, flawed, and carrying plenty of dark secrets, making it hard to know who could be trusted.
If you enjoy thrillers with messy relationships, multiple suspects, and decades old secrets unraveling alongside a present day murder mystery, this one is worth picking up.
Perfect for Readers Who Love
- Multi POV psychological thrillers
- Small town secrets and buried scandals
- Longtime friends turned rivals
- Pageant drama and competitive women
- Cold cases connected to present day crimes
- Fast paced mysteries with short chapters
Overall rating: 4/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
Novelgossip 