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Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett

Mystery

Like a Sister

by Kellye Garrett

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Quick take

Sometimes a sibling just knows. When her estranged sister dies under weird circumstances, Lena Scott gets on the case.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Whodunit

    Whodunit

  • Illustrated icon, Drugs_and_Alcohol

    Drug & alcohol use

  • Illustrated icon, NYC

    NYC

  • Illustrated icon, Hardboiled

    Hardboiled

Synopsis

When the body of disgraced reality TV star Desiree Pierce is found on a playground in the Bronx the morning after her 25th birthday party, the police and the media are quick to declare her death an overdose. It’s a tragedy, certainly, but not a crime.

But Desiree’s half-sister Lena Scott knows that can’t be the case. A graduate student at Columbia, Lena has spent the past decade forging her own path far from the spotlight, but some facts about Desiree just couldn’t have changed since their childhood. And Desiree would never travel above 125th Street. So why is no one listening to her?

Despite the bitter truth that the two haven’t spoken in two years, torn apart by Desiree’s partying and by their father, Mel, a wealthy and influential hip-hop mogul, Lena becomes determined to find justice for her sister, even if it means untangling her family’s darkest secrets—or ending up dead herself.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of Like a Sister.

Like a Sister

ONE

I found out my sister was back in New York from Instagram. I found out she’d died from the New York Daily News.

Her post was just as attention seeking as their headline. Hers came at midnight. Look back at it. #birthday #25 #grownfolksbusiness #home #nyc—all over a behind-the-back shot of her in nothing more than a black slip dress and no bra.

The article came less than twelve hours later. FORMER REALITY STAR DESIREE PIERCE FOUND DEAD IN LINGERIE IN BRONX WITH COCAINE AND NO SHOES.

I’d come straight here—to where they found her—as soon as I’d seen it. Why? I don’t know. Maybe to confirm it was real. Maybe to hope it was not. Maybe to get one last glimpse of her even though I knew her body was long gone. Whatever the reason, I’d arrived at this particular playground in the Bronx on autopilot. The place my sister had come just hours before. It looked how I felt—all reds and blues and worn down. It would never be accused of being the happiest place on Earth.

FORMER REALITY STAR DESIREE PIERCE FOUND DEAD IN LINGERIE IN BRONX WITH COCAINE AND NO SHOES.

I hated it. For what it said. For what it represented. For what it really meant.

My left wrist itched. I rubbed it, desperate for the feeling—my feelings—to go away.

“You okay?”

The voice was male, melodic, and a stark reminder I only felt alone. I was not, surrounded by police and gawkers and at least one TV reporter—all standing on opposite sides of the crime tape like it was an eighth-grade dance.

Was I okay? Not in the slightest. I hadn’t seen my little sister in two years. Now I never would. I wanted to ignore the question, just like I ignored the trickle of sweat rolling down my cheek. It felt better than tears.

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Why I love it

As a reader, there’s nothing quite like an opening that makes you sit up and take notice. Or the feeling when you have to read just one more chapter before bed, and suddenly you’ve devoured the entire book in a single weekend. And that was exactly my experience cracking open Kellye Garrett’s Like a Sister, a tense, twisting thriller that had me hooked from the opening sentence, and kept me turning pages deep into the night.

The mystery kicks off on the very first page when Lena Scott learns that her estranged half-sister Desiree has been found dead at a park in the Bronx. Though the police are quick to rule her sibling’s death an overdose, Lena knows there’s something wrong with their story. She believes her sister was coming to see her and is certain Desiree’s death was no accident. Lena’s voice is smart and witty, delivering sharp insights on race, class, and social media fame, alongside her search for justice. Unlike Desiree, Lena had forged a path far from the spotlight. But now she has to step inside her sister’s world, and back into her own past, in a dangerous pursuit of the truth.

Captivating from beginning to end, Like A Sister takes you to unexpected places, not only with its many twists and surprises, but with its deeper look at the complex bonds within family, and the elusive nature of truth and memory. A smart, sharp, absolutely-can’t-put-it-down read.

Member ratings (19,401)

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View all
One by One
We Solve Murders
The Return of Ellie Black
All the Colors of the Dark
The Paris Apartment
Arsenic and Adobo
Long Bright River
The Maid
The Turn of the Key
The Woman in Cabin 10
When the Stars Go Dark
The Broken Girls
Still Lives
The It Girl
Like a Sister
Death on the Nile