By: Wanda M. Morris
Narrators: Joniece Abbott-Pratt,
Lynnette R. Freeman
Harper Audio
ISBN: 9780063322219
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 06/18/2024
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Award-winning author Wanda Morris returns with a powerful, haunting thriller following a lawyer who after the mysterious disappearance of a local landowner and the death of his sister just months before, uncovers a conspiracy that dates back to Reconstruction and persists in half the United States today.
Deena Wood’s life has fallen apart in the aftermath of losing her beloved mother, her marriage, and her prestigious job at an Atlanta law firm. She needs what the Geechee people of coastal Georgia call a “dayclean,” a fresh start.
She returns to her childhood home in Brunswick, Georgia, to heal. But her return is anything but the respite she thought it might be. To make peace with all her loss, she often drives through the city. One day, she unwittingly finds herself on the oceanfront property of a loner widower who is fighting to keep land that has been in his family since the end of the Civil War. He threatens her and warns her to never return. But shortly after, he disappears, and his very expensive property is quickly put up for sale. Curious about what has happened to the man, Deena digs into his disappearance and finds a family legacy at risk. What starts out as a bit of curious snooping, turns into a deadly game of illegal land grabs and property redevelopment in poor and rural communities with dark and powerful forces at work.
Without realizing it, Deena finds herself caught up in a nightmarish scheme that threatens her community and her family. She’ll need help and finds it in a close but unlikely source because she knows she must do whatever it takes to stop the sinister forces at play before she becomes their next target.
review coming
About the Author
Photo credit: Chatman Studios Atlanta
Wanda M. Morris is the acclaimed author of All Her Little Secrets, which has been praised by Karin Slaughter as “brilliantly nuanced” and reviewed by The Boston Globe, LA Times, New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Seattle Times, and South Florida Sun Sentinel among others. It was named as one of the “Best Books of 2021” by Hudson Booksellers and selected as the #1 Top Pick for “Library Reads” by librarians across the country. It was selected as a Book Buzz Pick by Good Morning America, serialized in Entertainment Weekly and a Marie Claire book club pick. All Her Little Secrets won the 2022 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel and a finalist for 2022 Georgia Author of the Year for Best First Novel. It was also nominated for the Anthony Award, the Strand Critics Award, the Macavity Award and has been shortlisted for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize.
All Her Little Secrets has been optioned for a one-hour limited series on Showtime executive produced by and starring Emmy-award winning actress Uzo Aduba. Click here for more details.
Her new book, Anywhere You Run, was named one of the Top Ten Crime Fiction Books for 2022 by The New York Times. It was also selected as one of the Best Books of 2022 by NPR, Publishers Weekly, Amazon, and Library Journal. It has been named as one of “Fifteen Standout Historical Fiction Books to Read This Year” by Oprah Daily and received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist.
Anywhere You Run won the 2023 Anthony Award for Best Historical Novel, the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year for Best Mystery, and the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Historical Novel. In addition, it was nominated for the Strand Critics Award, the Macavity Award, and the ITW Thriller Award. Anywhere You Run was also longlisted for the prestigious Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Prize.
Wanda is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color and serves on the Board of International Thriller Writers.
She is married, the mother of three, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. WEBSITE
Exceptional Authors. Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
Behind the Book & the Author
with Bestselling Author, Wanda M. Morris
Coming June
Praise
"A single-sitting read! Morris brilliantly explores family ties, community injustice and haunting grief all in one fell swoop. This is the kind of thriller that keeps you thinking long after the last page."
— Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"What You Leave Behind is a masterfully crafted story about grief, family, community, and multi-generational injustices. It’s also a phenomenal crime novel. One of the best legal thriller writers since John Grisham, Wanda Morris keeps getting better and better.”
— Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of Find Me
“Wanda M. Morris’s What You Leave Behind is a propulsive and unforgettable thriller that paints a haunting picture of a homecoming gone wrong. Readers will ride along with Morris’s protagonist, Deena Woods, as she uncovers a deadly mystery that could ruin her Georgia hometown - and her entire life - in a story that spotlights Morris’s deft characterization and razor-sharp plotting. What You Leave Behind is a one-of-a-kind novel that will keep you guessing.”
— Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego
“Morris displays an astonishing mastery of multiple literary forms. At this story’s core is a solid mystery, intricately embroidered with characters who seem to jump off the page. She also excels at weaving in elements of the paranormal and inexplicable, like an oddly benevolent Shirley Jackson. This tale is ominous at first, full blown at the finish…. Not to be missed.”
— Booklist(starred review)
“With an engrossing plot that evokes the work of John Grisham, What You Leave Behind cements Wanda M. Morris as one of the most exciting thriller writers working today. You can’t help but root for Deena as she deals with personal issues, professional struggles, and a haunting encounter with a stranger that sends her down a dangerous path. What You Leave Behind is the perfect mix of mesmerizing thriller and emotional exploration of the question if you can ever go home again.”
— Kellye Garrett, award-winning author of Missing White Woman
“In What You Leave Behind, Morris expertly weaves together a beautifully soulful mystery rooted in history. This is a story that reminds us of how the past, present and future intertwine to inform and guide our lives. Drenched in folklore and compelling to the final page, this book stirs the connection between our ancestors and ourselves, calling us to action.“
— Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal
"Morris (Anywhere You Run) returns with a tense and topical legal thriller...Morris nimbly balances character and plot, anchoring the mystery’s big questions in the emotional lives of Deena and her fellow Brunswick residents. This entertains as much as it enlightens." — Publishers Weekly
"A beautifully balanced novel that includes a foray into the world of the Gullah-Geechee people, the experience of grief, and the uncovering of a land grab, all wrapped up in an edge-of-the-seat thriller... Morris (All Her Little Secrets) has written a perfect novel for a book group, and it’s sure to be one of the best books of 2024."
— firstCLUE
"Two novels into her career, Wanda M. Morris has established herself among the biggest risk-takers in the crime genre."
— New York Times
