LIKE A SISTER, by Kellye Garrett (Simon & Schuster, $26.99)
New Jersey author Kellye Garrett paddled in Hollywood waters before winning several major awards in the US for her debut novel, – the first in a grin-inducing duology about a struggling actress turned accidental private eye. Now, Garrett brings a fresh take to “domestic noir”. The death of reality TV star Desiree Pierce sparks online gossip but is shrugged off as a drug overdose, a tragedy rather than a crime, by everyone except grad student Lena Scott. Desiree and Lena shared a father, influential hiphop mogul Mel, but little else. Still, Lena is determined to find justice, wherever that leads. Why was her estranged sibling found dead in a Bronx playground – a part of New York City she’d never venture into – after partying it up for her 25th birthday? Nicely laced with sarcastic humour and attitude, offers a compellingly fresh urban feel and perspective among an ocean of suburban thrillers about troubled marriages and romances.
