In this tense, twisting mystery (Megan Miranda), no one bats an eye when a Black reality TV star is found dead–except her estranged half-sister, whose refusal to believe the official story leads her on a dangerous search for the truth.

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

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.

A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK

A juicy mystery … I want everyone I know to read it so we can talk about it.
–Jasmine Guillory

Crackling … One of those books that’s best prepared for ahead of time, because once you pick it up, it will be difficult to put down. –Alyssa Cole

A riveting, read-through-the-night thriller. –Liv Constantine

Dishes up the glitz of the haves and the struggles of the have-nots … #pageturner. –Oprah Daily

Equal parts charm and heartbreak, with razor-sharp insights on class, race, and family. –Laura Lippman

Smart with twists you never see coming. –Walter Mosley

Domestic suspense for the Instagram gen. #lovedit. –Lori Rader-Day