Dead Letters - by Caite Dolan-Leach (Paperback)

About the Book

"Ava Antipova has her reasons for running away: a failing family vineyard, a romantic betrayal, a mercurial sister, an absent father, a mother slipping into dementia. In Paris, Ava renounces her terribly practical undergraduate degree, acquires a French boyfriend and a taste for much better wine, and erases her past. Two years later, she must return to upstate New York. Her twin sister Zelda is dead. [But is she?]"--Dust jacket flap of hardcover printing.

Book Synopsis

A missing woman leads her twin sister on a twisted scavenger hunt in this clever debut novel with eccentric, dysfunctional characters who will keep you guessing until the end--for readers of Luckiest Girl Alive and The Wife Between Us.

Ava has her reasons for running away to Paris. But when she receives the shocking news that her twin sister, Zelda, is dead, she is forced to return home to her family's failing vineyard in upstate New York. Knowing Zelda's penchant for tricks and deception, Ava is not surprised when she receives her twin's cryptic message from beyond the grave. Following her sister's trail of clues, Ava immerses herself in Zelda's drama and her outlandish circle of friends and lovers, and soon finds herself confronted with dark family legacies and twisted relationships. Is Zelda trying to punish Ava for leaving? Or is she simply trying to write her own ending? Caite Dolan-Leach's debut thriller is a literary scavenger hunt for secrets hidden everywhere from wine country to social media, and buried at the dysfunctional heart of one utterly unforgettable family.

Praise for Dead Letters

"Dolan-Leach writes like Paula Hawkins by way of Curtis Sittenfeld."--Amy Gentry, author of Good as Gone

"A sharp, wrenching tale of the true love only twins know . . . Dolan-Leach nimbly entwines the clever mystery of Agatha Christie, the wit of Dorothy Parker, and the inebriated Gothic of Eugene O'Neill."--Kirkus Reviews

"A smart, dazzling mystery . . . Dolan-Leach revels in toying with both Ava and her audience . . . and the result is captivating."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Draws you in like you are part of the story itself, living and breathing alongside the compelling characters as they uncover the dark secrets of their complicated family."--Wendy Walker, author of All Is Not Forgotten

"Push-pull tension . . . This book is wine-soaked yet lucid, comforting and frightening, asking the big questions about intimacy and loyalty."--Caroline Kepnes, author of You

Review Quotes

"[Caite] Dolan-Leach writes like Paula Hawkins by way of Curtis Sittenfeld."--Amy Gentry, author of Good as Gone

"A sharp, wrenching tale of the true love only twins know . . . Dolan-Leach nimbly entwines the clever mystery of Agatha Christie, the wit of Dorothy Parker, and the inebriated Gothic of Eugene O'Neill."--Kirkus Reviews

"A smart, dazzling mystery . . . Dolan-Leach revels in toying with both Ava and her audience . . . and the result is captivating."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Draws you in like you are part of the story itself, living and breathing alongside the compelling characters as they uncover the dark secrets of their complicated family."--Wendy Walker, author of All Is Not Forgotten

"Push-pull tension . . . This book is wine-soaked yet lucid, comforting and frightening, asking the big questions about intimacy and loyalty."--Caroline Kepnes, author of You

"Dolan-Leach's clever thriller explores the fraying ties that bind twin sisters. . . . Readers will enjoy this full-bodied novel about a family of vintners."--The New York Times Book Review

"The disappearance of Ava's wild-child twin is just the beginning of this roller-coaster read that's as enthralling as it is WTF?!"--Cosmopolitan

"[An] atmospheric debut."--Entertainment Weekly ("The Must List")

"We do love a good mystery, and Dolan-Leach's debut novel is a prime example of the form. . . . Dead Letters centers around the most dysfunctional of families, and reading it feels like embarking on a literary scavenger hunt that you never want to end."--Nylon

"Dolan-Leach's debut reads like an Agatha Christie novel set in a world with internet access. . . . The action unfolds with a kind of playful theatricality and cleverness that is totally and utterly engrossing."--i-D (Vice)

"Considering questions of identity, loyalty, and reliance, Dolan-Leach's tautly crafted crime debut will resonate with fans of Gillian Flynn's and Paula Hawkins's domestic psychological thrillers."--Booklist

"Dolan-Leach's debut is a smart, dazzling mystery with a twist that not only shines a new light on the novel's title but also leaves the reader hunting for the next clue. Dolan-Leach revels in toying with both Ava and her audience, placing small hints and red herrings throughout her text, and the result is captivating."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A smart and twisty thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the ending."--PopSugar

About the Author

Caite Dolan-Leach is a writer and literary translator. She was born in the Finger Lakes region and is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the American University in Paris. Dead Letters is her first novel.