Bless Your Heart
- Judith D Collins
- Aug 15
- 7 min read
By: Leigh Dunlap
Narrator: Hallie Ricardo
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ISBN: 9798892422710
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: 08/12/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Motherhood and murder link five very different women when a working-class detective clashes with wealthy moms in this upmarket thriller in the vein of May Cobb and Jeneva Rose.
Anderson Tupper, a member of one of Atlanta’s richest families, has been murdered in the dugout of the Little League field where he was a volunteer coach, and it’s up to Detective Shay Claypool, a single mother from the other side of town, to find his killer.
With the exclusive area of Buckhead threatening to secede from the city of Atlanta and take its tax revenue with it, Shay is under pressure to solve the murder of one of Buckhead’s own. Accustomed to handling drug dealers and prostitutes, she must now contend with an even more sinister group: the Buckhead Betties, the insufferably entitled women of Georgia’s most affluent zip code. One of them might be a murderer, but who? Is it the old-money queen of Buckhead? The mysterious new girl in town? The drug dealing trophy wife?
It seems secrets and lies are as plentiful as luxury handbags in Atlanta and everyone’s guilty of something. Shay’s investigation will make her examine her own prejudices and discover that, as women and mothers, she might not be that different from the Betties after all. And if she isn’t careful, they just might take her down with them.
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My Review
Move over, Texas Hunting Wives and Manhattan Mean Moms!
Atlanta's elite Buckhead Betties —sophisticated, wealthy, self-centered, dysfunctional, cutthroat, and troubled, wrapped in privilege—might reveal surprising layers beneath their polished exteriors when it comes to the darker realms of murder, sports rivalries, motherhood, and the fierce protection of their children.
Mix in a tenacious black working-class Homicide Detective, LaShay Claypool from OTP (outside the perimeter), who may be more like the Buckhead Betties than she thought, for a highly entertaining, scandalous, satirical murder mystery whodunit.
In her impressive debut novel, BLESS YOUR HEART, screenwriter Leigh Dunlap pulls out all the stops, masterfully weaving an irresistible and scandalous narrative of class and privilege— a wicked mom-com satire whodunit brimming with intriguing characters.
About...
Anderson Tupper, handsome and charming, a member of Atlanta's elite Buckhead and volunteer Little League baseball coach, is MURDERED at Chastain Park field.
Detective Shay Claypool, a single city mother from the other side of town, is tasked with finding his killer. She despises the Buckhead Betties and does not like rich and uppity people who think they are better than her and the folks from South Atlanta. The investigation is led by her and her partner, Sergeant Dub Rattigan (white/country).
Shay was a single mom who had managed to send her son to college (Ivy League) with a scholarship and owned her own home, and rose through the ranks of the Atlanta Police Department to become a senior detective. But being in Buckhead made her feel like she had somehow failed in life. She did not like being around this group of snobs. But she would find the murderer.
Anderson Tupper has plenty of enemies, but which Buckhead Bettie, or parent of the little league team, disliked him enough to murder him, or was it one of his enemies from the crooked financial world he created? OR possibly his brother, Chatam or Marcus Wiley, former football star and local car dealer? Was he an evil man who deserved to be murdered?
Or something more sinister?
Cleverly told in three different timelines: months before the murder, days before the murder, and days after the murder.
From multiple POVs, we get to meet the team moms (Buckhead Betties) Kira, Birdie, Amelia, Sutton, and Venita as well as Shay and another detective on the case, and the team.
Can five women keep a secret?
My thoughts...
Screenwriter and debut author of BLESS YOUR HEART, Leigh Dunlap brilliantly crafts and serves up an irresistible, scandalous, and highly entertaining wickedly delicious satire mom com murder mystery featuring five different women that will keep you glued to the pages until the explosive, satisfying conclusion.
At the heart of this thrilling tale is LaShay Claypool, a determined and skilled black homicide detective searching for a killer. As LaShay delves into the enigmatic world of the Betties, she begins to uncover surprising similarities that blur the lines between their lives.
Each of the five women is uniquely crafted, drawing readers into their lives and conflicts, ensuring readers remain on the edge of their seats until the story reaches its explosive, wicked, surprising, and satisfying conclusion.
WICKED SOUTHERN FUN! Full of wit, humor, scandal, and lots of misbehaving, these women can be ruthless, but do they have a heart when it comes to what matters?
Being a long-time resident of Buckhead, Vinings, and Midtown before retiring to Florida, I know plenty of Buckhead Betties, and the author nailed every personality, landmark, and social commentary. Not sure I will ever think of Chastain Park the same after reading. :) I have never laughed so hard.
MOVIE-WORTHY! This highly entertaining and captivating tale is ripe for the screen, and I would be thrilled to see it brought to life on either the big or small screen!
Get ready for a wild roller coaster ride and jaw-dropping twists. I loved it! The ending was KILLER Good!
Recs...
BLESS YOUR HEART is an enthralling read crafted for fans of gripping psychological thrillers. If you enjoyed May Cobb's "The Hunting Wives" or "Desperate Housewives," with its tantalizing exploration of suburban intrigue, or Emma Rosenblum's sharp and witty "Mean Moms," which shines a spotlight on the hidden dynamics of motherhood, this book promises to captivate you. Step into the world of "Big Little Lies" and "Your Friends and Neighbors," where dark secrets simmer beneath polished exteriors, or indulge in the complex relationships portrayed in "The Perfect Couple" and "Grosse Pointe Garden Society."
An author to watch, this dazzling thriller will resonate with those who appreciate the humor and works of esteemed authors like Kaira Rouda, Victoria Helen Stone, Liv Constantine, Jeneva Rose, Sally Hepworth, and Freida McFadden (favs). Each of these writers masterfully uncovers the sinister undercurrents of seemingly mundane lives, drawing readers into a web of suspense and intrigue that keeps them on the edge of their seats. Prepare for a journey that reveals the shadows and secrets lurking behind the façade of everyday life.
Special thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing a gifted digital review copy for my honest review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Aug 12, 2025
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Praise
“Audacious, wry, and darkly hilarious. This murderous mix of revealing social commentary mixed with a solid mystery is magnolia sweet and sharply mordant as only an insider’s southern gimlet eye can be. Designing Women meets Big Little Lies in this witty, voicey pageturner!”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest
“A little bit Desperate Housewives, a little bit Jacqueline Susann, and the delicious whiff of camp . . . This is a hoot.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Dunlap masterfully weaves class tension and maternal instinct into a heart-pounding thriller that grips you from the first page. Detective Shay Claypool crashes through the pristine veneer of Buckhead society, exposing the dark secrets lurking beneath designer handbags and country club memberships. The “Buckhead Betties” circle their wagons as Shay hunts for a killer among Atlanta’s elite, challenging everyone’s assumptions about privilege and justice. Brimming with southern charm and lethal ambition, Bless Your Heart delivers a wickedly entertaining reminder that motherhood might unite women across social divides, but murder reveals who they truly are.”
—Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of Jill Is Not Happy and We Were Never Friends
“A riveting thriller that lays bare the tensions in a steamy Atlanta neighborhood – this page-turner is perfect for fans of May Cobb and Jeneva Rose.”
—Aggie Blum Thompson, author of Such a Lovely Family
“Equal parts murder mystery and social satire, Leigh Dunlap’s Bless Your Heart is a savagely gleeful take on the Atlanta elite, Law & Order meets Desperate Housewives. Beneath the glamorous surface, though, Dunlap considers weighty issues such as race, class, and money. As a longtime resident of Atlanta, when reading Dunlap’s debut I both laughed out loud and squirmed in my seat, although I laughed more often. Dunlap is a witty and vicious satirist in addition to being a compelling mystery writer. Murder mysteries open all kinds of doors, allowing readers access to hidden truths that are both shocking and shallow. Dunlap accomplishes this with particular verve and skill, sparing no one. “Who killed Anderson Tupper?” may be the question at the heart of the plot, but as Dunlap leads us inside the privileged walls of Atlanta mansions and into the worlds of both the Buckhead Betties and the detective searching for a killer, we may start wondering if there are more deserving victims.”
—Christopher Swann, award-winning author of Never Back Down
About the Author
I wrote the hit movie A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff, a film that spawned a successful Warner Brothers franchise of five movies. I also wrote Spy Girls, based on the popular teen book series, for producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting) and Camp Rockaway for Sony Pictures and producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (Gladiator, Stuart Little). My film, 16-Love was Time Warner Digital’s top release of 2012. The Standoff, with Olivia Holt (Cruel Summer) and Alex Wolff (Jumanji, Inheritance, Pig), which I wrote and co-produced, was released on Netflix. I attended the film writing program at the USC School of Cinema-Television and have also written a novel - Bless Your Heart - about money, motherhood and murder - coming on August 12, 2025 from Crooked Lane Books. I'm also fairly good at Wordle and Spelling Bee. WEBSITE
