Dead Dead Girls

By: Nekesa Afia

Narrated by: Shayna Small

“In this terrific series opener, Afia evokes the women’s lives in all their wayward and beautiful glory, especially the abruptness with which their dreams, hopes and fears cease to exist.”--The New York Times

The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set during the Harlem Renaissance from debut author Nekesa Afia

Harlem, 1926. Young Black women like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead.

Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She’s succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie’s Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Harlem’s hottest speakeasy. Louise’s friends, especially her girlfriend, Rosa Maria Moreno, might say she’s running from her past and the notoriety that still stalks her, but don’t tell her that.

When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she’s been trying to ignore—two other local Black girls have been murdered in the past few weeks. After an altercation with a police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or wind up in a jail cell. Louise has no choice but to investigate and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind hell-bent on taking more lives, maybe even her own....

Critic reviews

Praise for Dead Dead Girls

“Tightly paced, razor sharp, and with a wonderful no-nonsense protagonist, Dead Dead Girls made me fly through the pages. Ms Afia is one to watch."—Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of A Rogue of One’s Own
“Debut author Nekesa Afia brings 1920s Harlem to life in this twisty tale of murder and betrayal where nothing and no one is as it seems.”--Victoria Thompson USA Today Bestselling Author of Murder on Wall Street

“'Though she be but little, she is fierce.' Shakespeare might as well have been describing Louise Lloyd, the flawed yet fantastic protagonist in Afia's debut set in 1920s Harlem. I loved the world that Afia created and can't wait to follow Lou and her friends on their next adventure. Come for the wonderfully diverse and twisty mystery, stay for the amazing 20s slang and fashion.”--Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo

“A wholly original, unputdownable thrill ride of a debut from a writer to watch. You heard it here: Louise Lloyd is about to become your new favorite protagonist. Intensely paced and masterfully rendered, Dead Dead Girls is a glittering, irresistible mystery.”--Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here

“Finally, the Jazz Age heroine we deserve! You’ll never forget Louise Lovie Lloyd, the fast-dancing, even faster talking protagonist at the center of this tightly-plotted mystery. Come for the music, stay for the murder.” –Eliza Jane Brazier, author of If I Disappear

“Dead Dead Girls expertly combines killer suspense with a heroine to die for….Debut author Nekesa Afia expertly creates an intricate mystery in a lush setting with a strong female main character that is so captivating I'd read a whole book of her doing nothing more exciting than baking a cake. Dead Dead Girls is a must read!”-Olivia Blacke, author of Killer Content

Humm

struggle to finish this novel.maybe another time this would've captured my attention to be excited.

Spectacular

The story is a great mystery. Yes you can figure out if you’re into mysteries, the clues that the author is leaving for you. The characters are wonderfully done the performance is so good Shayna small gave me a movie.

Hard pass on this one…

Spent too much time in Lovey’s head and her thoughts weren’t very interesting- her actions didn’t make sense- cobbled-together nonsense…

Interesting story!

This reads like the fictional version of Wayward Lives and Beautiful Experiments (Saidiya Hartman). Very vivid! Very scary and sad.

Hmmm

I’m a little underwhelmed by this one, though I loved the heroine, the location and time period, and the basis of the story. The killer becomes too obvious too quickly and I kept hoping for a surprise ending. I hope the author writes more in this series and sends us some surprises.