This story was written as part of the 海角社区app Book Report series authored by Terik King.听Read more of that coverage.听
How far will a person go to find justice and truth?
This and many other questions confront the lead character in twin authors Amber and Danielle Brown鈥檚 new mystery/suspense novel, 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淭he working title of this book was called 鈥楥losure,'” Amber Brown told 海角社区app.
The book’s events swirl around one key theme: Is closure worth it?
“Sometimes you might get that closure and not like what you get,” Amber said.
In 鈥淧erfect Little Lives,鈥� readers follow the journey of Simone, a millennial Black woman raised in New Jersey and living and working in New York City.
She doesn鈥檛 tell people that she鈥檚 from New Jersey, though, 鈥渂ecause she has some sordid things about her past that she doesn鈥檛 really want to get out there,” Amber said.
Simone鈥檚 sense of order in her carefully rebuilt life is disrupted when Pia, a determined documentary filmmaker, reaches out to interview her for a crime documentary about a heinous murder: the murder of her mother, for which her father has been convicted.
鈥淪he does not believe he murdered anyone, 鈥淎mber explained. “For the last 10 years, she’s been trying to get his conviction overturned,” and the new documentary is going to hurt the chance at an appeal.
The story becomes supercharged with the appearance of an important character from Simone鈥檚 past.
鈥淭he person who helped her father get locked up was a judge,” Danielle said. The judge was the father of her childhood best friend Hunter.
“There鈥檚 a big age difference. But now there鈥檚 sort of this romantic element in the book 鈥� kind of a 鈥榳ill they/won鈥檛 they?'” she said.
Simone, determined to find out the 鈥渢ruth鈥� of who killed her mother, 鈥渇inds out this little bit of information that makes it seem like the judge is the one who murdered her mother,鈥� said Amber, 鈥淪he basically manipulates [Hunter] into getting close to him and his family so she can investigate and try to prove that [Hunter’s] father killed her mother.鈥�
What results is an addictive mystery filled with twists, turns and a blend of steamy encounters and social commentary. The Brown twins’ skillful storytelling creates a compelling narrative that explores themes of justice, betrayal and the resilience of the human spirit. As Simone navigates the complex web of her past, readers are sure to be captivated by the tension between uncovering the truth and risking the stability she has fought so hard to achieve.
Blending tones
鈥淧erfect Little Lives鈥� deftly weaves together elements of murder mystery, romance and social commentary, as the Brown sisters say the core of the story is rooted in the relationship between Simone and the white, affluent Hunter. Racism, a prevalent theme in their lives, was subtly integrated into the narrative without being, as Danielle describes it, too 鈥渙n the nose.鈥�
鈥淲e love reading twisty, fun thrillers,鈥� Danielle said. “And you could have a twisty thriller but it’s not too much substance. And then, you could have something that鈥檚 social commentary, but it鈥檚 kind of thrown in your face. We wanted to mix those two together. You don鈥檛 feel like you鈥檙e getting forced a message, but when you鈥檙e finished reading the book you鈥檙e like 鈥榃ow, I see what they did there.’鈥�
Working closely together
When sitting down with the Brown twins for an interview, all the expected 鈥渢win-isms鈥� are immediately noticeable: from the synergistic way they complete each other鈥檚 sentences to the rapid-fire jokes and identical laughter.
The Brown sisters admit that their collaboration didn’t start smoothly.
鈥淚 always swore I would never, ever write a book with her,鈥� Amber laughed. “We both have very strong opinions on things. We鈥檙e twins, so we have pretty much the same personality. We usually agree, but when we disagree, it鈥檚 a huge deal. And we (were) going to fight to the death because we鈥檙e like, 鈥楬ow do you not see it my way?'”
Their first joint project, “Someone Had to Do It,” proved to be a herculean effort with over a thousand notes shared during the editing process, and the sisters found a path to compromise.
鈥淚 told her if you鈥檙e going to have a critique, you have to have a suggestion of how to fix it,” Amber said.
Ultimately, that initial effort was a hit with audiences; it was selected as a December LibraryReads pick and graced the 鈥渕ost anticipated鈥� and 鈥渂est of the month lists鈥� of Essence.com, Reader鈥檚 Digest, BookBub, The Roo and Book Riot.
For “Perfect Little Lives,” they refined their collaboration, taking turns to build the narrative and offering constructive suggestions to each other. Danielle emphasized the complementary nature of their abilities, making the collaboration smoother.
鈥淭here are so many positives to working together, because her strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa. And if I鈥檓 overwhelmed with something, well, she鈥檒l handle it that day,” said Danielle.
For the culture
While Danielle says she would recommend 鈥淧erfect Little Lives鈥� to 鈥渁nyone who likes a twisty thriller,鈥� Amber is a bit more matter-of-fact.
鈥淔irst and foremost, we鈥檙e writing for Black women,” she said. 鈥淲e wanted the girls like us, who are 13 or 14 and just getting into books, to be like, 鈥極h, I see myself.'”
