THE OTHER LATA

When a wannabe socialite experiences a case of mistaken identity, she’s thrust into a world of glamour, riches, and lies.

Lata Murthy of New Canaan, Connecticut, wouldn’t describe her life as glamorous. It’s 2013, and at 33, Lata is thousands of dollars in credit card debt, living paycheck to paycheck, and barely scraping by with a gig as a "content specialist" for a trivia company. Lately, her only source of entertainment comes from her email address (latamurthy@gmail.com), where she’s been accidentally receiving messages meant for "thelatamurthy@gmail.com." The Other Lata Murthy is a Mumbai-born heiress who’s constantly peppered with invites to the latest art exhibitions, galas, and fundraisers. Not only is the Other Lata fabulously popular, she’s downright mysterious—there isn’t a single photo of her online. And if no one knows what her doppelgänger looks like, how bad would it be if Lata attended one of these events? Technically, the invitations are in her name! But after one outing impersonating the Other Lata—and realizing how easy it is to perpetuate the lie—Lata can’t help but test the boundaries of her alter ego. Before long, Lata has dubbed herself "Downtown Lata" and befriended enough models and sexy fashion designers that she starts to earn her own invitations and street cred. Sure, she has to shoplift here and there to keep up her ruse, but after a few months of living as Downtown Lata, she starts to believe she’ll never be discovered. Then, when the Other Lata returns to claim what’s rightfully hers, the persona Lata has carefully crafted threatens to come crumbling down. Ramisetti’s novel is part fairytale, part horror story, deftly weaving a tale of two Latas and their desperation for relevancy. Lata is a flawed yet determined heroine, reminiscent of Sophie Kinsella’s Rebecca Bloomwood or Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek, and readers will be eager to unravel the mystery of the Other Lata and discover the underbelly of her socialite circles.

A fun high-society thriller.