Suburban Dicks
A Novel
NOMINATED BY THE MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA
FOR A 2022 EDGAR AWARD
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Paperback Available May 2022
From the cocreator of Deadpool comes a hilariously entertaining debut featuring two unlikely and unforgettable amateur sleuths. An engrossing and entertaining murder mystery full of skewering social commentary, Suburban Dicks examines the racial tensions exposed in a New Jersey suburb after the murder of a gas station attendant.
Andie Stern thought she'd solved her final homicide. Once a budding FBI profiler, she gave up her career to raise her four (soon to be five) children in West Windsor, New Jersey. But one day, between soccer games, recitals, and trips to the local pool, a very pregnant Andie pulls into a gas station--and stumbles across a murder scene. An attendant has been killed, and the bumbling local cops are in way over their heads. Suddenly, Andie is obsessed with the case, and back on the trail of a killer, this time with kids in tow.
She soon crosses paths with disgraced local journalist Kenneth Lee, who also has everything to prove in solving the case. A string of unusual occurrences—and, eventually, body parts—surface around town, and Andie and Kenneth uncover simmering racial tensions and a decades-old conspiracy. Hilarious, insightful, and a killer whodunit, Suburban Dicks is the one-of-a-kind mystery that readers will not be able to stop talking about.
What People Are Saying
“[An] outstanding debut novel…Nicieza delivers a wildly entertaining blend of high-octane snark and brass-knuckle social commentary…Mystery fans looking for something different won’t want to miss this quirky crime novel.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Satire is hard to establish and even harder to maintain, but Nicieza flawlessly critiques the pervasiveness of suburban racism, the challenge of stay-at-home motherhood, the toxic culture of White masculinity, and the self-aggrandizing role of the media, and he does it with a pair of completely flawed yet appealing characters and a diverse cast of voices. Delightfully irreverent and so very entertaining.”
— Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
“Nicieza, a comics writer best known as co-creator of the wisecracking anti-hero Deadpool for Marvel, pivots to his first mystery here but keeps the comic-book energy and zaniness…Scathing and timely social commentary in a comic mystery.”
— Booklist
“Strap yourself in for a wildly improbable and enormously fun ride… In mysteries there are some protagonists that just stand out by their force of personality and their likeability. Andie Stern is such a character. You may cringe at her maternal skills, but she is so entertaining that I became an instant fan… I can see Janet Evanovich fans flocking to this title.”
— Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
“[A] ceaselessly funny debut novel…Suburban Dicks is a well-oiled mystery, throughout which stereotypes fly from the mouths and pollute the minds of even well-meaning characters trying to get to the bottom of Sasmal's murder and the decades-old crime it points to. Nicieza, co-creator of Marvel's Deadpool, has set out to expose prejudice in all its hairy, shattering guises, and in so doing, he never fails to find a laugh where it hurts.”
— Shelf Awareness
“A brilliant, if not harrowing, send-up of suburban life. From the frazzled soon-to-be mother of five who secretly channels Sherlock Holmes, to an epic battle over swimming pool permits which hides secrets far more dangerous than swimming pools or permits, Suburban Dicks offers a gritty, charming, terrifying, and ultimately wry assessment of just what lurks behind a white picket fence.”
— Lisa Gardner
“A surprising first novel with heart, humor, and an insightful look into the joys and miseries of picket-fence living. Beware. Suburban Dicks will keep you guessing, especially when it comes to this small town's secrets.”
— Brad Meltzer
“Suburban Dicks is a can’t-miss romp that introduces two protagonists you won't soon forget. Sharp, insightful, belly-laugh-inducing, and impossible to put down, Nicieza has crafted one hell of a debut - one that has the poise and charm of a tenth novel instead of a first. You won’t want to miss this unique and memorable crime novel.”
— Alex Segura