Boom Town

By: Nic Stone

Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Angel Pean, Shayna Small, Bahni Turpin, Nic Stone

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl meets P-Valley in Nic Stone’s adult thriller debut about two missing erotic dancers from Atlanta’s most notorious gentlemen's club and the woman committed to finding them.

When Damaris “Charm” Wilburn, a new daytime dancer, is missing for her shift at Boom Town, former headliner Michah “Lyriq” Johanssen suspects something more than a “no call, no show.” As Lyriq’s former headline partner and lover—Felice “Lucky” Carothers—also vanished under similar circumstances, Lyriq decides she’s going to find them.

Delving deeper into Charm and Lucky’s disappearances, Lyriq uncovers a tangled web of deceit, privilege, and power. The line between friend and foe blurs, forcing Lyriq to confront the question: is finding these women worth the threat to her own life?

This tantalizing thriller will take you on a heart-pounding and page turning journey through the peaks and valleys of Atlanta’s underworld.

Critic reviews

"Five unique and equally compelling narrators come together to impart a glimpse of Atlanta’s erotic dance scene in this gritty thriller. Two years ago, Lucky, a dancer, vanished from Boom Town, the most famous gentleman’s club in the city. Before her disappearance, Lucky had been distancing herself from her lover, Lyriq, and spending time with a mysterious customer named Thomas. Now, as Lyriq runs Boom Town, a new dancer named Charm goes missing. Following her instincts, Lyriq learns that Thomas is back on the scene—and that the disappearances may be related. Shayna Small’s spirited Lyriq and author Nic Stone’s innocent Charm bring heart to the suspense, while Angel Pean’s portrayal of introspective, emotive Lucky is a stand-out performance."

Good Intentions, Quiet Impact

Boomtown is a fast, unpredictable read — I flew through it, though I’m not entirely sure if that was because it was gripping or just light. It’s definitely a quick weekend book, the kind you can finish in one sitting without much emotional investment.

The story follows a group of exotic dancers at an Atlanta club called Boom Town. I genuinely appreciate the author’s intent — to highlight women whose stories often go untold: women of color, sex workers, and dancers who go missing without making the news. That premise is important and powerful.

But the execution didn’t live up to it. The book only skimmed the surface of what it means when Black women go missing — and how society fails to look for them. The characters lacked depth, and while the story wanted to be empowering, it often contradicted itself. The author talks about wanting to uplift the “ballerinas of the night,” but the women never feel truly empowered — more like props in their own story.

Overall, Boomtown is an easy, fast-paced read with an intriguing setup, but it doesn’t deliver on the weight of its message. If you’re looking for a quick distraction, sure — but if you’re hoping for something meaningful or transformative, nah.

The storyline was booming!

Nic Stone’s Boom Town was a gigantic surprise to me. I have loved her YA books but this transition into adult fiction is phenomenal. The depth of the characters. The suspense of knowing and not knowing is mind blowing. All I can say is Thomas needs a back story along with his Lake Lanier home. Great Job, kudos to making me spend my entire fall break listening to this book.

The twisty plot and unforgettable characters

Loved this story of strippers with deep stories, loyalty, and detective hearts! This is an unforgettable story!

P-Valley Meets Law&Order

I don’t usually listen to audiobooks. But this one definitely changed my mind! It kept me interested and entertained!!! So much mystery!

4⭐️

This was my first read by Nic Stone and I have to say it took me on a crazy ride.
My husband and I couple-read this one and talked about each chapter as we finished. We also immersed read, which was a plus, but I kind of wished the narrator had a little more enthusiasm in some of the key parts.

I’ll admit, I was a little confused at first, the characters names are so similar that I actually had to write down who was who and how they were connected before things fully clicked. But once it did, the story really came together for me.

The story follows three strippers, two of them go missing weeks apart, and the third is trying to figure out what happened to them. It goes into their lives outside of the strip club and helps you to understand that these women are more than what they do for a living. Once my husband and I started putting our investigation skills together, it all made sense and got really good.

The only thing I didn’t love was the ending, it felt a little dull after such an intense buildup. Still, this was a crazy, fast-paced read and I look forward to reading more of her work.