Pretty Dead Things - by Kelsey Cox (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

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 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 ARE:

"Riveting." --People

"Heart-pumping." --Nina Simon

"Jaw-dropping." --Amanda Eyre Ward

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

Review Quotes

Praise for Pretty Dead Things:

"Cox's second suspenseful outing serves the exact amount of treachery you'd expect, with lots of figurative backstabbing and a few literal deaths. The diverting characters parade their messes across the page for the reader's judging, and there's no shortage of options for who'll be crowned killer in the end." --Booklist

"Cox builds to satisfying reveals and delivers well-honed critiques of pageant culture. Fans of suburban suspense will enjoy themselves." --Publishers Weekly

"As twisted as a Texas rattler, Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox will leave you breathless! I couldn't put it down!" --Lisa Jackson, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Tense, twisty, and impossible to put down, Pretty Dead Things builds from simmering small-town secrets to a high-stakes locked-room nightmare. As rising tensions collide on the night of a glittering pageant, no one is safe and nothing is what it seems. Gripping, propulsive, and full of surprises--a dazzling, unforgettable thriller." --Tiffany Crum, New York Times bestselling author of This Story Might Save Your Life

"A juicy, addictive thriller packed with complicated women and a past that refuses to stay buried. Pretty Dead Things will keep you guessing until its jaw-dropping end." --Daphne Woolsoncroft, author of Night Watcher

"I couldn't put this book down! Set in the world of glittering Texas beauty pageants, Pretty Dead Things is compelling and layered, rife with rich characters, juicy twists, and secrets upon secrets. Cox expertly ratchets up the suspense with every page, building to a finish I never saw coming!" --Sophie Stava, author of Count My Lies

"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." --Criminal Element

"Cox, a Hill Country resident whose 2025 debut, Party of Liars, was a bestseller, does an expert job of keeping the reader on the hook as one mystery after another gets solved." --Texas Monthly

"Beautiful, Brutal, and Breathtaking... Kelsey Cox is back with her sophomore novel you will not want to skip." --Parade

Praise for Party of Liars:

"When someone plunges from the balcony of a possibly haunted Texas mansion, characters with dark secrets propel the search for the killer and victim in this riveting thriller." --People

"Party of Liars is a true whodunit in its brilliant setup and delivery, and Cox has cemented herself as an author to watch in the thriller genre with a novel that navigates multiple points of views, secrets, lies, twists, and a complicated web of relationships and motives." --Texas Highway Magazine

"Cox weaves a complex plot that will keep readers guessing until the last minute. Perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover's Verity, Tarryn Fisher's The Wives, and Freida McFadden, this is a suspenseful debut with interesting characters and narrative twists." --Library Journal

"A locked room mystery by way of an extravagant Texas Sweet Sixteen party, Party of Liars features a twisty story, multiple narrators, and lots of surprises." --Paste Magazine

"Party of Liars is my favorite kind of thriller - fun, twisty, fast-paced, and populated by characters who feel so real you'll want to invite them (well, some of them) to your next party. With this debut, Kelsey Cox joins my auto-buy list forever!" --Rachel Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author

"I couldn't put it down! Party of Liars brings the gothic house mystery to Texas, featuring a killer cast, heart-pumping pace, and well-plotted twists and turns." --Nina Simon, New York Times bestselling author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night

"Party of Liars explodes from page one: a stunning debut, a riveting page-turner, a brilliant exploration of motherhood and female desire. Every character is rich and complex, and I was stunned by the jaw-dropping twist at the end. This is the novel I'm always wanting to read: dazzling, terrifying, achingly beautiful. Cox is a major new voice, and I can't wait to read what she writes next." --Amanda Eyre Ward, bestselling author of Lovers and Liars and The Jetsetters

"Party of Liars is Rebecca meets Big Little Lies--an intoxicating alchemy that's haunting, surprising, and eerie. I couldn't put down this searing exploration of madness, motherhood, and memory, set against a jaw-dropping background of Texas wealth and privilege. Kelsey Cox is a stunning talent who brings deep human insight to bear with expertly crafted and unpredictable twists. This is the thriller of the summer." --Katie Gutierrez, bestselling author of More Than You'll Ever Know

"Party of Liars with its stunning prose and simmering tension is a mesmerizing story that's part gothic horror, part psychological thriller, part contemporary glitz--the narrative is masterfully woven with plenty of twists, and deftly handles heavier subjects like postpartum depression, manipulation, and abuse. Kelsey Cox's debut is exquisite and dripping with dread--I absolutely adored it." --Ashley Tate, international bestselling author of Twenty-Seven Minutes

"Dizzying and dazzling, Cox's debut slices through the saccharine sweetness of poisonous secrets to reveal the spongy heart of blood-soaked truths... A party to die for." --Lindy Ryan, author of Bless Your Heart

"With its beautiful but deadly setting and a complex, interconnected web of characters, Party of Liars is a page-turner equal parts juicy and poignant. The mystery is deliciously twisty, anchored by Kelsey Cox's gorgeous writing, but the real heart of the story lies with its complicated women and their sacrifices, both seen and invisible. Secrets and lies abound, readers won't know who to believe, and they will relish every shocking, unpredictable second. I predict this party will be the talk of the town." --Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Till Death Do Us Part and The Girls Are All So Nice Here

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. She is also the author of Party of Liars.