Praise for The Felons' Ball
"The Felons' Ball is full of secrets—ones that refuse to reveal themselves and ones that refuse to stay buried. It's also full of wit and empathy and characters as real as your own family members. This novel is assured, propulsive, and thrilling, and I tore through it."—Rebecca Makkai,
New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions for You
"Polly Stewart’s The Felons’ Ball is a powerful work of literary suspense that feels both modern and timeless, about how loyalty to family can create its own moral universe. A love letter to Southern outlaws, a quietly gripping murder mystery, and a gorgeous portrait of a certain slice of Southern life, Stewart’s characters feel so rich and layered it’s hard to remember they’re fictional, and her Virginia is so real you can almost step into the pages. This story slips under your skin and refuses to let go, the kind of literary seduction only truly masterful writing can accomplish. This book belongs at the top of everyone's TBR."—Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
"Who can you trust in this small town family drama where everyone has secrets? Sometimes, the past is better left undisturbed. A compelling page-turner that takes family loyalty to a whole new level!"—Maxwell Gregory
Praise for The Good Ones
“Polly Stewart’s The Good Ones is a fantastic achievement. A classic Southern Gothic tale told through the prism of modern-day sensibilities. Not to be missed.” —S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears
“A riveting, unflinching exploration of adolescent female friendships, small-town pressures to conform, and the true crime lover’s tendency to conflate empathy and voyeurism, The Good Ones drew me in from the first lines and still hasn’t released me, days after finishing.”—Katie Guiterrez, bestselling author of More Than You’ll Ever Know
“Sharp, smart and often sexy, The Good Ones is a knockout. Lauren Ballard's disappearance may be the core of this story, but it's the many raw secrets of Tyndall County that make this novel unique, clever, and compelling.”— Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author The Revelators and The Heathens
“The Good Ones by Polly Stewart is a stunning achievement. With gorgeous writing, a compelling, flawed protagonist whose journey is so authentic, and an intricate mystery in which everyone is a suspect, this debut is captivating. The twists and turns are seamless and subtle, fully immersing us in a world of wealth and power in a small town, where the line between love and hate closely bleeds together. And just when you think you've figured it all out, Stewart wallops you with a mind-blowing ending.”— Samantha M. Bailey, national bestselling author of Woman on the Edge and Watch Out for Her
"Smart, dark, and suspenseful, The Good Ones skillfully navigates the sharp edges of small-town secrets that cut deep. A beautifully written mystery that’ll keep you guessing til the end.”—Laura McHugh, award-winning author of What's Done in Darkness
“I can’t stop thinking about Polly Stewart’s The Good Ones. Smartly suspenseful and knife-sharp, this thriller explores the way our mistakes refuse to stay confined to the past tense. Stewart upends our understanding of how we fit into the stories that surround us—both the ones we tell ourselves and the narratives others spin for us. In these pages, those who stay behind have as many secrets as those who go missing, and I couldn’t stop reading until I'd untangled every mystery.”— Sara Flannery Murphy, author of Girl One
