Dead girls don't write letters

When fourteen-year-old Sunny receives a letter from her older sister Jazz—who supposedly died in a fire a year ago—her fragile world tilts again. Then a young woman claiming to be Jazz shows up at the family's doorstep, and Sunny's parents welcome her with open arms, desperate to believe their daughter has returned. But Sunny isn't convinced. This stranger knows things about their family, yet something feels fundamentally wrong. As Sunny investigates the truth, she must confront not only the mystery of this woman's identity but also the painful secrets and dysfunction that have been tearing her family apart since before the fire. Gail Giles crafts a taut psychological mystery that explores grief, family dynamics, and the lies people tell themselves to survive trauma. The novel delves into how a family in crisis clings to hope even when evidence suggests they're being deceived, and how one clear-eyed teenager must navigate between loyalty and truth. With its compelling premise and exploration of identity, loss, and the desperation to return to how things used to be, this quick-paced mystery will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven suspense with emotional depth.