Title: THE PRINCESS AND THE PI
Elevator pitch:
A Ghanaian-American Reddit sleuth with more theories than social skills collides with a jaded PI in Prince George’s County. They’re trying to clear her name, but mostly trying desperately not to make out during stakeouts.
How did you choose the setting?
PG County is my backyard—it’s diverse, complicated, and crabs are a major plot point. It deserved its moment on the page.
Would I hang with Fiona IRL?
Yes, though she probably knows all about me from my cringe millennial Facebook post. Nikki is feeling…
Three words for Fiona:
Smart. Sheltered. Spicy.
Something I learned writing this book:
Church culture can build community and create dangerous enclaves that protect leadership.
Edit-as-you-draft or wait?
I edit while I draft. My delete key is both my best friend and my therapist.
Favorite foodie indulgence:
Plantain chips. The crunchy kind that cut your gums a little.
Writing space:
It’s chaos with candles. A desk covered in notebooks and drinks…like so many drinks, and one chair on its last legs
Author I admire:
Beverly Jenkins. If romance were the Avengers, she’s Freaking Iron Man and Regina Black. She’s an absolute powerhouse. A Nick Fury if you will. Sorry, Avengers is on the brain now.
Book that changed my life:
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD. Zora Neale Hurston is a personal hero of mine; she was a novelist an anthropologist and a damn good time. It was like someone whispered, “Yes, you get to take up this kind of space too.”
The Call:
I cried like somebody had cut onions in my email inbox.
Favorite genre to read:
Detective Novels. Take all my money if they are kissing.
Favorite movie:
Clueless. It’s still undefeated.
Favorite season:
Fall. It’s the fashion show of the year and the pumpkin spice Olympics.
Birthday celebration:
Karaoke with friends. My gift to humanity is screaming Beyoncé to people’s faces.
Recent rec:
Regina Black August Lane. Please and thank you.
Favorite cuisine:
jollof rice, plantains, stews. Ethiopian food!! Gah so good
Free time:
I watch Love Island and mother
What’s next:
More romance, more suspense, and characters who make you laugh even while ducking bullets.
An amateur online sleuth must enlist the help of a jaded PI to clear her name while taking down a shady tech start-up in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel.
Fiona Addai is ready to set her plan in motion. To honor the anniversary of her brother’s death, she’s going to steal back his brilliant invention from the ruthless corporation that stole and claimed it as their own. As a famed Reddit detective known as @Princess_PI, Fiona has used her online connections and sleuthing skills to time every step down to the minute. But with one disastrous misstep, instead of getting justice, Fiona finds herself accused of murder.
Maurice Bennett is no stranger to insomnia. These days, he’s not losing sleep over the cases he’s solving—but running from the one he couldn’t. Instead, he’s been settling for small-time scandals that don’t stir up the guilt he’s buried. But when he spots Fiona Addai at the center of a murder investigation, something clicks. And for the first time in a long while, Maurice feels that old spark of intrigue.
However, Fiona is not the helpless damsel she appears to be. Sure, she needs Maurice’s help to clear her name, but she’s got conditions of her own: she wants a crash course in real-world detective work. Maurice isn’t exactly thrilled. With every late-night stakeout and tension-filled interrogation, their partnership, rife with tension and unexpected chemistry, unravels a dangerous web of corporate crime and familial secrets. To bring the real killer to light, they'll need to trust each other and that might be the most dangerous gamble of all.
Romance Suspense | Mystery | Multicultural African-American [Berkley, On Sale: September 16, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593817360 / eISBN: 9780593817377]
By day, Nikki Payne is a curious tech anthropologist asking the right questions to deliver better digital services. By night, she dreams of ways to subvert canon literature. She's a member of Smut U, a premium feminist writing collective, and is a cat lady with no cats.
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