Pretty Dead Things

by Kelsey Cox

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.

This program features multicast narration.

2000: Isabelle Whitmore vanishes at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace.

2025: The Lone Star Princess Pageant is about to begin, but this year it’s offering more than an annual dose of rhinestone heels and plunging necklines. Competition is stiffer than ever —and long standing grudges are about to resurface. 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.

Beauty dies. Secrets never do.

KELSEY COX'S NOVELS

"Riveting." —People

"Heart-pumping." —Nina Simon

"Jaw-dropping." —Amanda Eyre Ward

"Joins my auto-buy list forever." —Rachel Hawkins

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Adult

Audible Audio

First published July 7, 2026

About the author

Kelsey Cox received her MFA in fiction from Purdue University and works from home in the Texas Hill Country. You can often find her writing at Mammen Family Public Library, chasing around her two young daughters, or watching British mysteries with her mom and aunts. On nights when bedtime goes as planned, she enjoys curling up on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and a book with complicated characters and a killer twist in her lap.

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Reviews

[Sydney Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this!!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ★

WOW. A NEW ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK AND AUTHOR! 🤯

Stop whatever you’re doing and go buy or reserve this book at your library.

In Pretty Dead Things, Isabelle Whitmore vanished from a Texas ranch without a trace 25 years ago. Now, her sister Ingrid returns as the annual Lone Star Princess Pageant approaches, bringing everyone back to the ranch, where buried secrets and old grudges are ready to resurface.

With how many thrillers I read, it has been a while since I could fully praise a book for an entire review, but that’s what this is going to be because WOW did I love this book.

After really enjoying Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox last year, I knew to be excited about this one, but I wasn’t prepared for just how amazing it was going to be.

The characters in this book were lifelike in every way: their friendships, how complicated they were, and the way they were described. What started out as a somewhat overwhelming number of people to follow (my only slight critique) turned into a group of characters that I felt like I knew… until I was BLINDSIDED by multiple of them.

The structure of the plot, including the characters and their secrets, was masterful. Every character is hiding something, and everyone is connected in shocking ways.

There were multiple times early on when I said, “no wayyy,” as I realized who some characters were to one person compared to who they were to others. Not only are there those smaller twists throughout, but there are also MAJOR twists that I didn’t guess.

I especially loved how every clue that was found felt believable and well thought out. That’s something I find rare in thrillers, where characters so often just happen to be in the perfect place at the perfect time.

Not only was the story fast-paced and twisty with amazing characters, but it also had heart. You genuinely feel for the multiple generations of women this story focuses on.

Whether it’s the way those in the pageant or at school view their bodies, the regret the middle-aged women feel over their actions in the past, or the way the older characters are handling illness, it’s all done SO WELL.

I literally cannot stop raving about this book and think it deserves WAY more hype.

If you can’t tell already, I’m begging you to read this book, and I hope you feel as strongly about it as I do by the time you finish. Cox is on my auto-buy author list for sure now!

—

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[Liana Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 ⭐️ A cold case mystery, small-town rivalries, snappy and cutthroat moms, jealousy, ambition and long buried secrets, Pretty Dead Things is ridiculously entertaining and shockingly vile. I never knew much about the pageant culture but let me tell you it's not all pretty sunshine and butterflies and good intentions. I never knew how toxic pageant moms and their daughters can be. The pageant culture has many benefits--builds up social/public speaking skills, confidence, scholarship opportunities but underneath its pretty facade it puts inappropriate pressures on children and young adults, encourages grooming (sexualization), increases mental pressures and body dysmorphia, among other things.

Set in a small town of Texas, the story follows two timelines: one set in 2000 that focuses on the teenager Isabelle and her disappearance without any trace and one set in 2025 that focuses on a return of many these then-teenagers now-turned-moms and return of the pageant where several of these women were directly connected to the deadly event.

The first half of the book is the major set up. We are introduced to many characters and their daughters. The book explored mother-daughter relationships and family/community dynamics while building up the slow-crawling tension and dread. The second half is where the story really takes off, kicks up a dial and becomes dramatic and suspenseful. This is where I was completely engrossed in the entertainment of the mystery. The book had me reeling and saying 'Oh no she didn't' every time the southern snare of 'Bless your heart' was present underneath the lines. I never knew how petty and unforgiving the entire pageant culture is! It had me running in circles, thinking of the whodunit and trying to make guesses. I thought I had it figured out but the very last few twists got me real good. I was shocked and surprised at the same time.

My favorite part of the story was the ensemble of unreliable narrators. Told by Sarah Lynn, Cat, Ingrid and Melanie, you get perspectives from the present day teenagers in the pageant and the adults who knew each other when growing up.
Sarah Lynn--the daughter and progeny of cutthroat Kennedy Claire, was obsessed with her moms 'win or die' mantra. Although she was nice and a good friend, she had me questioning her motives through out the novel because of what her mother was like as a teen and how her mother was portrayed in her adulthood. These chapters were my MOST favorite.
Cat--a recovering alcoholic, was trying to rebuild with her daughter Olivia who has caught the eyes of the judges, setting off Kennedy Claires jealously and ruthlessness. Buckle up for tension and drama in these chapters!
Ingrid--the sister of missing Isabelle, who returns back to this town and chases the neighbor who was blamed for the murder. These chapters link to the chapters of the past and intern create more twists and suspense.
Melanie--one of the then teenagers who hung out with Kennedy Claire click of friends. She was different from other skinny girls and was mainly called 'Melon Ball'. Now as an adult she is a nurse and very supportive friend to Cat. She is also close to the sheriff (like a daughter).

Every character played a significant part of the story and no one is innocent. Losing is NOT an option. When a historic storm sweeps this small town, everyone is trapped under one roof. Someone may end up dead.

Pretty Dead Things reminded me a lot of Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock, one of my favorite movies of all times. I loved the short chapters and the tension. I read this as I listened to the ALC and loved the full cast narration. Very distinctive voices and accents.


This book is now featured on BOTM for July! Grab your first copy for $5 using this link: https://www.mybotm.com/bgnrjn6qk0o
Super easy to sign up & to cancel!



Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author, Kelsey Cox for an early ARC!

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for an early ALC!

Narrators: Andrew Eiden, Brittany Pressley, Mia Wurgaft, Saskia Maarleveld, Stevi Incremona
Duration: 9 hours 43 minutes
Speed: 1.5x

[Laura Lovesreading]

Unfortunately i am struggling with this book!
Maybe i am not in the mood with the various amounts of characters!
Plus the twist is heavily obvious and I just don't feel like riding it out!
I may come back and pick it back up in the future.

[Melissa (Post-vacation Catch-Up) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery with some surprising twists.

This story goes between timelines in the past and the present. In the year 2000, teenager Isabelle disappears without a trace while on her way to the Lone Star Princess pageant. Everyone thinks that her boyfriend had something to do with it, but she has never been found and he isn't talking. In the present day, the Lone Star Princess pageant is taking place, and there are many secrets that come to the surface. Told from the points of view of four characters: Isabelle's twin sister Ingrid, who has returned to town; Sarah-Lynn, a teenager preparing to compete in the pageant whose mother is Kennedy Claire, former pageant winner and friend of the twins; Melanie, known in the past as "melon ball," the misfit who hung out with the in-crowd; and Cat, another one of the long ago group who is an alcoholic in recovery.

Although there are a large number of characters, it was actually very easy to tell them apart and follow the various timelines and things that were happening. They all had well-defined characters and personalities. I listened to most of this as an audiobook, and the multiple narrators of Andrew Eiden, Brittany Pressley, Mia Wurgaft, Saskia Maarleveld, and Stevi Incremona​ did an amazing job at giving the characters unique voices. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this book as a great way to experience the drama.

In the end, the mystery is clearly solved in a very surprising way. One clue did help me figure out one part of it, but there are many layers so even if you think you have it solved in your mind you probably don't!

I really liked Cox's first book Party of Liars, and this one cements her in my mind as a fabulous mystery writer.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own

[Christine Garrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Dead Things opens with a glimpse of the horror waiting at the Lone Star Princess Pageant before going back in time to show how a group of girls ended up there in the first place. From that moment on, Kelsey Cox weaves together two timelines—2000 and 2025—slowly revealing a web of secrets, rivalries, and old wounds that never truly healed.

The story follows two generations: the women who were teenagers when their friend Isabelle disappeared in 2000 and their daughters, who find themselves caught in the fallout twenty-five years later. With multiple narrators across both timelines, it occasionally took me a moment to remember who was narrating and which daughter belonged to which mother. The audiobook helped tremendously. The cast—Andrew Eiden, Brittany Pressley, Mia Wurgaft, Saskia Maarleveld, and Stevi Incremona—delivers distinct performances that make each perspective feel unique and engaging.

At the heart of the novel is the mystery surrounding Isabelle’s disappearance and the lingering suspicion cast on local boy, Ben. Ingrid’s grief over losing her twin sister without ever receiving answers hit particularly hard for me as a twin myself. That emotional core gives weight to a story that could have easily relied solely on its thriller elements.

The pageant setting is equally fascinating and upsetting. As someone with absolutely no pageant experience, I was shocked by how competitive and divisive the environment becomes. Cox uses that backdrop to explore the pressures placed on young girls and the adults who project their own ambitions onto them. One line describes the contestants as being “lit up like specimens in a jar,” and that image perfectly captures the discomfort running beneath the glitter and hairspray. Long before any blood is shed, it is disturbing to watch a mother convince herself that almost anything is justified if it means her daughter can win.

By the time pageant day arrives, a massive snowstorm traps the characters together without power, forcing decades of lies, betrayals, and grudges into close quarters. The tension, already simmering throughout the novel, reaches a breaking point. The blizzard transforms the pageant into a powder keg waiting for a spark, and from there the story barrels toward a bloody and chaotic conclusion.

Part family drama, part mystery, and part horror novel, Pretty Dead Things examines generational trauma, obsession, and the dark side of competition. Readers who enjoy small-town secrets, multiple timelines, and escalating tension will find plenty to enjoy here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Dee (in the desert)]

DNF'ing - just not for me. IDGF about beauty pageants and I don't liked Texas mean girls of any age. I enjoyed the author's "Party of Liars" a lot, but this one is just not for me. Will keep an eye out for what she does next

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Although Party Of Liars was kind of meh for me, when I saw that Kelsey Cox had written a new book, I wanted to see how it compared.

The description sounded interesting…an unsolved murder from a beauty pageant 25 years ago, and now, the women who were in that pageant are preparing their 17-year-old daughters for the same pageant.

Written in multiple timelines and POV, this book takes place in a small Texas town where The Lone Star Princess Pageant is one of the biggest events of the year.
You see some of the toxic beauty pageant moms (well, mainly just one) and there’s plenty of the “Southern, passive-aggressive, bless your heart version of nice”.
For some reason, there were parts of this book where I’d think of Honey Boo Boo and her “go go juice” and start laughing. IYKYK

I kind of had expectations of a thriller and this book is in no way a thriller.
Because of the unsolved murder, I suppose it could be considered a mystery.
In held my attention and had a decent story, but to me it mainly felt like general fiction.

My review on this is an outlier and I encourage you to read the many 4-5 ⭐️ reviews, which show that Kelsey Cox’s books work well for a lot of people.
Because I said the same thing in my review of Party Of Liars, I think that this author just isn’t for me (which is a “me problem”).

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Kelsey Cox for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Put Date: July 7, 2026

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a masterfully executed Thriller! Wow, did not see that twist coming at the end 😳 Bravo 👏🏽 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 the storytelling was excellent, I was hooked from beginning to end. Typical small town drama. Girl goes missing and now 25 years later and the return of a sibling sparks interest. Then buried secrets and guilt begins to unravel. The ride is outstanding and as the story got deeper I could feel myself becoming more emotionally invested.

This is a fantastic unputdownable thriller that will drop your jaw at its very end. I truly enjoyed this well crafted story and true thriller and for that I say….Thank you, well done!!

[Jenna (out touching grass & tech detoxing!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, if you could hypothetically buy stock in a newer thriller author’s future work, I’d officially buy shares in this one’s!


I read and enjoyed Kelsey Cox’s 2025 debut, Party of Lies, which came out along with a slew of other thrillers over the past couple years that were by new, or new-ish, adult thriller authors and were about titular lies: First Lie Wins (Ashley Elston, 2024); Count My Lies (Sophie Stava, 2025); and Listen For the Lie (Amy Tintera, 2024). I loved all four of these books, so I was really excited to be approved for an ARC of Pretty Dead Things. I’m so happy to report that this author’s sophomore effort is equally good as or perhaps even better than her first.


I looked back at my review of Party of Lies and noticed that Pretty Dead Things offers many of the features I appreciated about it, maybe even ramped up a bit. There are a number of things that set this author’s work apart. To name a few:


-Texas (culture) as a character! A bit of the Southern Gothic as well. On the darker side for sure.


-Challenging entangled relationships over time with generations of friends and extended family within a small (perhaps claustrophobically so) community whose members wield widely varying levels of privilege, power, and status.


-Nearly everyone seems legitimately suspicious!! And possessed of potential motive!


-Elements of locked-room/closed-circle mystery, and red herrings galore. Twists down to the final minute.


In addition, this book contains some genre tropes that appeal to many. For one: half-finished, muddy, actively under construction, gentrified housing developments are bad news! — something I have passionately believed in since being scarred as a child by the film Poltergeist! Quarries, as we know, also tend to have a distinctively worrisome vibe. And of course, who doesn’t love pageants, Dance Moms, and Mean Girls elements in their thrillers?


This was a stressful book to read, in a good way, as the author is skilled at maintaining tension as she strings along the reader on a journey to figure out past and present crimes and tragic, triggering events at the novel’s core. It is suspenseful the entire time because many sympathetic characters, including high school students, may be in peril (and some characters are, of course). I did not guess the ending, and although I must admit I didn’t necessarily love the ending, it’s not because there was anything wrong with the ending. It was a very good ending! I just got too invested in my own hopes!


I really think Kelsey Cox is proving herself to be a writer with consistency and staying power, and I can see her becoming one of those thriller author household names. I’m so glad I bought stock in her work early on!


Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions and review. Pretty Dead Things is expected for release on July 7, 2026, in time for your summer reading.

[Debbie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ I really enjoyed this twisty fast paced thriller. The dual timelines and multiple character POVs kept me guessing and engaged.

Set in TX with the backdrop of The Miss Lonestar Princess pageant, our group of ladies and their daughters are just as conniving and backstabbing as you’d expect. But this town harbors an unsolved disappearance from years before.

I admit it did take me a while to keep all the characters and their daughters sorted, but I enjoyed each of them. The grownups Cat, Melanie, Ingrid, and Kennedy Claire were all former teen contestants, and all have daughters currently competing. Ingrid’s twin Isabelle disappeared many years prior on a pageant night. We get glimpses of the crime in flashbacks.

I didn’t guess the twist and was pleasantly surprised at how it all ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

[Tini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhinestones, rivalries, and murder.

Twenty-five years after a young woman vanished from Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, the annual Lone Star Princess Pageant is about to begin. But old wounds have never truly healed in this small town, and when a historic winter storm knocks out the power and traps contestants, mothers, and former residents together under one roof, long-simmering resentments finally boil over - with deadly consequences.

Following her debut, Party of Liars , Kelsey Cox once again makes Texas itself a character in her sophomore novel Pretty Dead Things . This time, she turns her attention to the world of beauty pageants and all the glitter, ambition, and barely concealed hostility that come with it. Unsurprisingly, the pageant moms are essentially grown-up mean girls who never quite graduated from high school politics, and the girls themselves aren't immune to rivalries and insecurities either.

Despite its marketing, Pretty Dead Things is less an all-out thriller than a small-town mystery with a missing-person case and a few dead bodies thrown in for added intrigue. The mystery itself isn't particularly groundbreaking, and the setup - an impending blizzard, a power outage, and a room full of pageant moms with grudges - is about as stereotypical as you would expect. Still, the short chapters and multiple perspectives make for a quick, propulsive read. I particularly enjoyed the observations about mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, and the complicated expectations placed on young women in the hyper-competitive world of beauty pageants.

I was also fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook, and the multicast narration by Andrew Eiden, Brittany Pressley, Mia Wurgaft, Saskia Maarleveld, and Stevi Incremona is outstanding. Each narrator brings their character to life beautifully and gives the large cast of unreliable characters distinct personalities and voices. That said, because there are so many perspectives and the chapters are often quite short, keeping track of whose point of view I was listening to occasionally became a challenge in itself.

Pretty Dead Things won't reinvent the mystery genre, nor is it likely to leave you completely floored by its revelations. But it's tense, engaging, and wonderfully bingeable - a perfect popcorn read/listen full of pageant queens, family secrets, and Texas-sized grudges that may not linger long afterward, but is an awful lot of fun while it lasts.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for providing me with ARCs of both the audiobook and the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"Pretty Dead Things" was published on July 7, 2026, and is available now.

[Venne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️🎧 Audiobook Review: Huge props to the phenomenal narrators—Andrew Eiden, Brittany Pressley, Mia Wurgaft, Saskia Maarleveld, and Stevi Incremona—who truly brought this story to life. With such a large cast of characters and multiple points of view, each narrator gave their characters a distinct voice and personality, making the performances engaging from start to finish.

Having said that, while the story itself was wonderful, the execution just didn’t quite work for me in audiobook format. Between the constant shifts between timelines and the enormous cast of characters, I found it incredibly difficult to keep track of who was who. I genuinely felt like I needed a pen, paper, and a family tree just to keep up! 😅

At times, I got a headache trying to follow everyone, and it took away from what was otherwise a compelling mystery. This was definitely NOT an easy listen.

That said, I really enjoyed the story itself. The mystery was intriguing, the secrets slowly unravelled in satisfying ways, and the ending brought everything together nicely. I honestly think this is one I’ll need to reread in print or on my Kindle because I have a feeling I’d appreciate all the connections, subtle clues, and clever foreshadowing so much more without the challenge of following such a large cast by audio.

Huge Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

[Bianca | bookd_by_bee 🐝 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the #gifted ARC 💕

5⭐️

Listen. I was not prepared for the journey I went on with this book! What a rollercoaster ride 🎢! It takes a lot for a thriller to impress me these days because I typically guess the ending OR the ending is rushed and unsatisfying. That ain’t the case with this one, and that is why I gave it 5 stars ⭐️.

This has ALLLL the ingredients for a good time: unreliable narrators (a bunch of em!), small town shenanigans (love it!), MURDER 🔪🩸and really good pacing that keeps you guessing until the end 🤯.

The audio performance is VERY good and the story is told in multicast narration which works GREAT for the plot of this story. You have several POV’s and the cast does a terrific job differentiating the characters. There are lots of short chapters so you HAVE to pay attention because there is something new divulged in each chapter.

This is my first book by this author and now I want more! If you like small-town intrigue, a whodunnit ploy, and messy characters, this fast-paced story is for you! Buckle up!

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve devoured both of Kelsey Cox’s books and can’t wait for whatever she writes next. Technically, I read this one twice. Thanks, Past Me, for leaving zero notes for Present Me. As if I have time for accidental rereads. On another note, this cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t stop staring at it.

Thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

A few pages into “Pretty Dead Things,” I had déjà vu. By chapter three, it hit me. I’d read this before! Goodreads had no record, and neither did my brain until the plot started knocking loose a few cobwebs. My book tracking has clearly failed me.

Cat heads back to Texas, sober and on a mission to win back her teenage daughter. Her ex-husband lets her in with caution, but her daughter is not rolling out the welcome mat. When the Lone Star Princess Pageant rolls around, Cat spots her chance to play supportive mom and maybe patch things up. But with pageant tiaras, buried secrets, and Texas-sized personalities in the mix, things are bound to get messy.

The audiobook is a treat, featuring a full cast including Brittany Pressley, one of my favorites. Multiple narrators always score points with me, especially when each character gets their own flair. The drama, tension, and tangled relationships pop even more when every voice stands out.

“Pretty Dead Things” didn’t quite dethrone “Party of Liars” for me, but it still delivers a wild cocktail of family drama, hidden secrets, and pageant pandemonium. And the ending is deliciously twisted and just the right amount of unhinged.

[Michael David (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspenseful and fast-paced novel with multiple interesting POVs and an ending that managed to surprise me. Very hard to put down!

[liv stormborn ʚɞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

’Sometimes the only thing a girl has left is her own body’

Pretty Dead Things is a small-town psychological thriller set in Anhalt, Texas, 25 years after the disappearance of teenager Izzy Whitmore. Now, her twin-sister Ingrid has returned to their hometown just in time for the infamous Lone Star Princess Beauty Pageant. As competition rises, and a freak blizzard is set to hit the town, the secrets about Izzy’s whereabouts, and the fateful night she vanished are soon to take centre stage.

I am an absolute sucker for small-town mysteries, and this was no exception. I loved the way every character was interconnected, and all of their distinct relationships and hidden truths with / from each other. Cox’s decision to have two separate mysteries working alongside one another at once - Izzy’s disappearance and the pageant murder revealed in the first chapter - made for such a tense atmosphere that kept me endlessly entertained throughout.

I was also pleasantly surprised by just how much I connected with the characters. Despite the multiple POV’s, I was never confused or overwhelmed, and I think Cox did a wonderful job at fleshing out each character despite how little time was spent with each. All of the women and girls had such unique and distinct voices, particularly Melanie and Cat. I adored the scenes with the three teenage girls - Sarah Lynn, Olivia, and Hannah - who had a lovely, easy-to-root-for friendship.

The final twist reveal at the end genuinely had my jaw hanging open. I’m normally quite good at guessing the twists in thrillers, but this one seriously shocked me in the best way possible.

Overall, Pretty Dead Things gets 4/5 stars. The writing was superb and wonderfully paced, and I will absolutely be checking out more from Cox in the future!

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope Kelsey Cox writes thrillers forever.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audiobook of Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox was a delightful experience, brought to life beautifully by a full cast. Shrouded in secrets and amplified by a captivating locked-room setting, it makes for a thoroughly intriguing listen.

This dual-timeline story shifts seamlessly between 2000 and 2025. In the past, a cutthroat beauty pageant was underway when a teenager named Isabelle Whitmore suddenly disappeared. Despite the tragedy, the pageant has continued annually. Now in 2025, the teenagers who once competed against each other are mothers, and this time around, it’s their daughters taking the stage as contestants.

The pressure builds because the pageant is being held at Sherman Ranch, which is currently under construction. Decades of angst and guilt quickly come to the fore as the characters face the terrifying reality of long-buried secrets literally being unearthed.

However, the real tension shifts into high gear when a severe storm knocks out the power grid, trapping everyone inside together. With a fresh murder taking place in the dark, the story masterfully peels back the layers of the past until the town's darkest secrets are finally revealed.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immediate reaction upon finishing: Whoa Nellie! That one had me fooled!
Possible more thoughts to come, but I am also afraid of spoiling it for anyone!!

Rating and immediate reaction posted: 7/19/26

[♡❀Caroline. K❀♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

And just like any good thriller mystery, I did not see that coming. Granted, the book starts with an already unsolved tragedy, so you're immediately trying to figure out who's a friend and who's a foe. The story is mostly centered around an annual Lone Star Princess pageant and bounces between the past and present, as well as different POVs. Not only that, but it follows two generations. As the story unravels, you see just how much the past continues to haunt the present.

Overall, I thought this book was great. It kept my attention, although there were definitely times when I found myself thinking, Why do I need to know any of this? But by the very end, it all clicked into place. Sometimes that can be a hit or miss when authors take that approach, but I think it worked well here. It kept me guessing, and I was constantly wanting to know what would happen next. Which is always a win for a thriller!

*I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Kelsey Cox for the ARC. In exchange for an honest review.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the perp surprised me, the ending was so unsatisfying it ruined the rest of the book for me.

[Jeanie ~ Fables.and.fur · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a small town pageant and old friends reuniting, there are plenty of mean girl moments here. More the moms than the daughters. There’s also someone claiming they know what happened to a missing girl from years ago. This one sucked me right in and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I didn’t see a couple of those twists coming, but it all made sense in the end. This is a good one!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Christina C · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox is an engaging small-town mystery set in Texas, blending pageant culture, generational drama, and an unresolved death that lingers over the community. The story follows Hannah, Olivia, and Sarah-Lynn who are best friends whose lives are deeply shaped by their mothers’ shared past in beauty pageants, along with all the rivalries and unresolved tension that come with it.

One of the more compelling aspects of the novel is how it explores the complicated relationships between the girls and their mothers. While the daughters maintain a close friendship, their moms’ history of competition and “girl drama” adds an undercurrent of conflict that influences everything around them. This generational dynamic adds depth to the story and gives the mystery more emotional weight.

At the center of the book is a long-standing death that the town hasn’t fully moved on from. As the narrative unfolds, the investigation into this murder keeps the plot moving and provides a steady sense of intrigue. While the mystery itself is interesting, it does become somewhat predictable at times, which takes away from the overall suspense.

That said, the book is still an enjoyable read. The mix of Southern setting, pageant culture, and interpersonal drama makes for an entertaining story, even if it doesn’t completely surprise. Fans of character-driven mysteries with a touch of small-town secrets will likely find it worth picking up.

[LaceyBanana Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the year 2000 and there are two sisters, Isabelle and Ingrid. Isabelle disappears and Ingrid gets out of town. She’s now returned to her hometown which stirs up the past especially since they’re digging up a property near her home that might have some answers.

The side characters added some great layers to this story and made for such a suspenseful read! I loved the different avenues it took to get to the twists and thought the pageant aspect was interesting. It was fast paced and had well developed characters which made this a solid thriller.

The cast of narrators were so perfect for these roles! I loved how their performances turned out with the alternating timelines and amount of characters it was really helpful and made the audiobook very engaging.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Kelsey Cox, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ALC. This audio published on July 7th. This is my honest review!

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such a great time with this story. I loved how it basically brought out the dark side of the beauty pageant. If you know anything about activities like beauty pageants and cheerleading you already know just how cut throat they can be, and this story really played up that angle.

The story revolves around a cold case investigation where a young woman goes missing around the time of a pageant. And in the current timeline, her twin sister is grown and has a child of her own that is also participating in pageants. In fact many of the same people linked to the disappearance have girls participating.

While attending the current pageant, the power goes down and we are thrown into a bit of a locked room mystery.

I think the book has a lot of fun elements. I loved the drama between all of the women, I'm always down for some solid toxicity. I did enjoy that it was told through multi POV but at times it was hard to keep all the characters straight especially while listening.

Overall, I had a great time. If you enjoy audiobooks the cast is fantastic.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Mikayla Larlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow-burn thriller that kept me hooked from beginning to end. The character development was excellent, with each chapter revealing more secrets and making me question everything I thought I knew. The small-town setting added to the atmosphere, and the ending completely surprised me. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries with plenty of twists, this is definitely one to pick up!

[BansheeBibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dang, I really wanted to love this one!

Pretty Dead Things is the sophomore release from Kelsey Cox. I absolutely devoured her debut novel, Party of Liars, and this latest book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2026. There are positives: this book follows a very similar format to Party of Liars. You are dropped into the chaos of some terrible, tragic event and then spend the rest of the book piecing together timelines from past and present to reveal the who/what/why of it all. This time, the setting is a rural Texas town that is preparing for the annual Lone Star Princess pageant. Everything is bigger in Texas and pageantry is akin to religion. The girls - and their mothers who were contestants in the generation before them - are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure the sash and crown. We spend a lot of time getting to know the mothers, daughters and some of the town folk. I appreciate that Cox takes a lot of care to develop complex characters in her thrillers, not something that I find typical of the genre.

The trouble for me was that I couldn't find anyone to root for. All of the characters were unlikeable and I couldn't relate to all the teenagery dialogue. It wasn't necessarily a YA feel but I found it a little boring and repetitive. The plot was dragging a bit and I was sort of aching for something to happen. When things finally DID start to rev up, the whole story drifted way past my ability to suspend disbelief. By the time the ENTIRE state of Texas is under the SAME winter storm warning, I was pretty checked out.

If you don't mind a slightly slower pace and chucking reality out the window, this could be a good palate cleanser or beach read. Missed the mark for me. 2.5 stars

[cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was.... okay. nothing groundbreaking. the only character i rooted for only had one (1) dedicated chapter, and no one else felt compelling enough for me to care about them.

with so many named characters and different povs, you need their voices to be distinguishable enough, which unfortunately wasn't the case here. the only one that felt unique enough was sarah lynn.

i also don't think this should have been written mostly in first person, in part because the character voices weren't strong enough to sustain a first person narration. the descriptions don't sound natural for a first person point of view, and the writing would've flowed better if the book had committed to third person limited.