Lena Scott is the main protagonist in “Like A Sister” and sits down to answer a few questions so that we can get to know her better.

What is your full name?
Lena Scott. If you want the name I was given at birth, then it’s Melina Pierce. I was named after my dad, Mel Pierce (yes, the hip-hop mogul). I legally changed my last name to my mom’s maiden name after Mel skipped my high school graduation to go to brunch. I saw the mention on Page Six the next day. I didn’t invite him to my college graduation.

How old are you?
My birthday’s November 10, 1991. Please no exclamations about my astrological sign. I don’t follow stuff like that. My sister used to use my birthday as her passcode before we stopped talking a couple of years ago. I wonder if she changed it?

What is your profession?
I’m a grad student. I’d been playing with starting a non-profit to help black families cope with cancer since my mom died but only decided to get my Masters in Nonprofit Management two years ago from Columbia.

Do you have a significant other?
Ha. You got jokes, Dru.

Do you have any children?
No. I can barely take care of myself. I don’t even have a comforter on my bed. What I do have is a bunch of dishes that have been “soaking” in the sink for two days now.

Do you have any siblings?
Just one. My younger sister, Desiree. (Yes, the woman who was on that reality show before she got fired for that DUI.) Technically she’s my half sister but we never made that distinction in our relationship. As I already mentioned, we haven’t spoken in a couple of years, but I keep tabs on her through Aunt E, my deceased grandmother’s long-time partner.

Are your parents nearby?
I live in New York City, everyone is technically nearby. I’m in the Bronx. My father and stepmother are on the Upper East Side. Close in proximity but miles away when it comes to mindset, socio-economics and everything else. That could probably describe our relationship as well.

Who is your best friend?
Question. Can you consider someone your best friend if you haven’t seen her in two years? Then it’s Kat. I think she’s finally sick of me and my promises to get together “soon.” When it comes to school, I’m close to this guy named Omar but we only talk about television and superficial stuff like that. I don’t think he even knows I have a sister.

Do you have any pets?
See above answer about kids.

What town do you live in?
I currently live in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. It technically was the first place I lived as a baby, but then my dad left my mom for her best friend. My mom moved me to the Jersey suburbs after that. When my gram died five years ago, she left me the house. And I’ve been here a couple of years since it’s so close to my grad program at Columbia.

Someone once told me you could tell how gentrified a neighborhood was by the supermarket. When you saw the Tom’s of Maine on the shelf, you knew Becky of Midtown would soon follow. We’re not there. Yet.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
The biggest of cities.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
Technically I own it but since Aunt E still lives on the first floor, I consider it more hers than mine. Inside are twin two-bedroom apartments, each taking up a single floor and designed shot gun style.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Definitely Aunt E’s kitchen on the first floor. I spend so much time in her unit that she no longer bothers to lock the door and I no longer bother to knock. She’s an amazing cook so she has a plate waiting for me when I wake up every morning. It’s part of our morning ritual along with the hug, the kiss on the cheek, the waiting for me to take the first bite so I can properly compliment her and she can properly play the shy role.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Aunt E’s lasagna and sweet potato pie. She hates making them both so I usually only get them on holidays and when she wants to apologize for something.

Do you have any hobbies?
Does stalking my estranged sister’s Instagram count? In my defense, it’s the only way I can keep tabs of her. For instance, I can tell you she’s back in New York for her 25th birthday. Looks like she’s having a great time. There’s even a party tonight. I was not invited.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I cannot tell you the last time I had a vacation. I’m not my sister, who just came back from Cabo.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Vegging on my sofa watching Netflix and Hulu.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
I’m not a Pierce: The story of Mel Pierce’s forgotten daughter. Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Neither. It would take a lot for me to look into a murder.

What is a typical day in your life like in general?
It depends on what classes I have. I try to take morning classes. Usually after class ends, most of my classmates head to lunch. Not me, I might sneak a movie over at the Magic Johnson theater off Frederick Douglass or go to my favorite African Braid shop. Speaking of, I probably should stop by now. Thanks for having me, Dru. Talk to you soon.

Like A Sister
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Release: March 2022
Purchase Link

In this “tense, twisting mystery” (Megan Miranda), no one bats an eye when a Black reality TV star is found dead in the Bronx—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.

About the author
Kellye Garrett is the author of the upcoming suspense novel Like A Sister (Mulholland Books) about a black woman in New York City looking into the mysterious overdose of her estranged reality star sister. She also wrote the Detective by Day lightweight mysteries, which have won the Anthony, Agatha, Lefty and IPPY awards and been featured on the TODAY show as a Best Summer Read. She serves on Sisters in Crime’s national board and is a co-founder of Crime Writers of Color. Learn more at KellyeGarrett.com. Photo credit by Carucha L. Meuse | For CLM Visuals.

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