“Bless Your Heart” by Leigh Dunlap

Bless Your Heart (Crooked Lane Books 2025) by Leigh Dunlap is a luscious, wickedly entertaining novel set in Atlanta’s rich Buckhead enclave that leads its readers on a merry chase to the finish. And what a finish: the book has one of the most satisfying resolutions of any murder-mystery novel readers are likely to have recently encountered. The writing is superb. The characters are appealingly diverse and equally well drawn. The plot twists and turns but stays mostly attuned to the characters. A social satire glosses over the whole tale, binding the parts together into one absorbing novel. Be prepared to be totally engrossed and totally entertained.

Bless Your Heart is Dunlap’s debut novel, and she is to be praised for the adept way she weaves murder, motherhood, social standing, and marriage into a female bonding tale of strength and mystery. With her deft handling of the characters and their world, Dunlap manages to both skewer and honor her “Buckhead Betties,” the so-called name for the anxious, yet absurdly privileged women of Georgia’s richest zip code.

The murder mystery at the core of Bless Your Heart teases readers with secrets, clues, and intrigue. Born-rich, Hollywood-handsome Little League coach and financial planner Anderson Tupper is found beaten to death near the field where recently two people threatened him, and a former football star decked him. The question isn’t so much “who would want to kill him?” No, the bigger question is “who didn’t want him dead?” Even his own brother—surely as big a cad as ever graced a Southern novel—had reasons to want Anderson out of his way.

Yet, while that mystery is never forgotten in the tale, what makes Bless Your Heart such a disarmingly delightful novel are the wonderfully crafted, diverse characters. The “Buckhead Betties” most often hold center stage, yet their privileged but decent children and their often-hapless spouses add layers and depth.

Decidedly not a “Buckhead Betty,” Detective Shay Claypool, a Black divorced mother, is charged with finding out who killed Anderson. Her partner and a team of young detectives are on board to help. Their interplay is another plus in the novel. There is just enough police procedural to make the story authentic—but not enough to get in the way of the characters.

One of the more domineering of the Buckhead Betties, Birdie is a loudmouth, opinionated woman determined to stay in her bad marriage. Birdie runs the Buckhead Betties to some degree, and people are cautious not to end up crossways with her. She threatens Anderson Tupper days before his body is found.

Amelia Tupper is the divorced wife of the cad of a brother of the dead man. She and Anderson also have a strange financial deal that just might be motive for his murder.

Kira is the new kid in town, a best-selling novelist on a deadline. She shows up months after her husband and two children have already moved to Buckhead. She fabricates a reason for staying behind in California, but the “Buckhead Betties” sense the lie. She and Anderson were flirting lustily with each other from the get-go, raising eyebrows and jealousies.

Venita, a lawyer and forceful personality in her own right, is married to a much-beloved Georgia football player and Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus. Venita has adeptly managed Marcus’s career and their lives, but she makes a serious mistake in trusting Anderson Tupper and his alleged talents as a financial advisor. Thus, when their net worth plummets thanks to Anderson, Marcus knocks Anderson out in front of an audience. As a result, Marcus becomes a prominent suspect—but so too does his wife.

What these women have in common—besides their zip code and Little League—is that they are uncompromising in their love of their children and their determination to protect them at any cost. And as Detective Shay knows, “A strong nuclear interaction is said to be the most powerful force in the universe. …Yet any woman knows it pales in comparison to the supernova of a mother’s love for her child.”

All in all, Bless Your Heart is a totally charming book—perhaps more cozy than thriller—but the “whodunit” plot twists around here and there before landing with its surprising and gratifying climax. But oh, it’s the “Buckhead Betties” and Detective Shay that truly make this book a standout.

Leigh Dunlap

Leigh Dunlap, who admits to once having lived in Atlanta, is the screenwriter of the hit Warner Bros. movie A Cinderella Story, as well as other movies. A native of Los Angeles, she attended film school at the University of Southern California. She now lives part-time in South Carolina. Visit her at https://leighdunlapwrites.com/.