But she’s also very into her family and determined AF to figure out what happened to her baby sister. She’s got Daddy issues to the Nth degree, spends way too much time Instagram stalking, and can be super petty. KG: Lena is in her late 20s, sarcastic, and just sick of people underestimating her because she’s black and a woman. Was that something you intentionally wanted to explore? I love messy books, too, and this one is messy in terms of personal dynamics. Lori described it as “domestic suspense for the Instagram gen” and I feel like that describes the book so perfectly.ĪS: What can you tell us about the protagonist? I love how family complications take center stage in the book and really drive the narrative. So I wanted to write a suspense novel with a single black woman who lives in a city, but had the genre hallmarks of still being fun, character driven, and twisty. But not with those types of black women-or black women really at all if we’re being honest. And there are books out there with those types of women (Jessica Knoll, Megan Miranda, Lori Rader-Day and Andrea Bartz immediately come to mind). And as much as I enjoy those books, they are the farthest thing from my everyday life. KG: A lot of the suspense genre right now centers on married white women in the suburbs dealing with complicated family relationships with their husbands and others. What novels do you look to as inspirations for Like a Sister, and what tropes did you want to flip/tweak? With this story, I wanted to dive into the Strong Black Woman myth, Instagram influencer culture, and oh-so-complicated Daddy/Daughter dynamics.ĪS: The book really honors the suspense genre, but also feels wholly modern. So it’s based more on a headline than a crime. My first thought was: “How did a glamorous reality star go from living it up in downtown Manhattan to dying in the Bronx?” It all came together when I saw a newspaper headline about a black reality star who unfortunately was found dead in the Bronx of an overdose.

I knew I didn’t want to write another series but wasn’t sure what to write. I was working on book three of my series when my publisher abruptly closed, leaving the series on pause. I’m really excited for your book, Secret Identity, coming out in March next year too. Kellye Garrett: First, hi Alex! Thank you so much for chatting with me.

Kellye garrett books in order