First published 2023
Desiree Pierce's body turns up on a Bronx playground the morning after her 25th birthday party. The police call it an overdose. The media shrugs off another dead reality TV star. But Lena Scott knows something is wrong. Her half-sister would never venture above 125th Street. Lena is a Columbia graduate student who has spent years avoiding the spotlight that consumed Desiree. The sisters haven't spoken in two years, their relationship destroyed by Desiree's wild lifestyle and their father Mel, a powerful hip-hop mogul. Still, Lena refuses to accept the official story. She begins her own investigation into Desiree's death, determined to find the truth. Her search forces her to confront her family's buried secrets and puts her own life at risk. Lena must decide how far she will go to get justice for the sister she lost long before she died.
Genres: african-american, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, family-drama, secrets
Setting: Bronx, Columbia
Period: 25th Birthday
320 pages · Paperback · Little, Brown Paperbacks
Content warnings: death, drug-use