What You Leave Behind

A Novel

By: Wanda M. Morris

Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lynnette R. Freeman

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.

©2024 Wanda M. Morris (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

the characters

I usually only like supernatural or thriller but this did have that edge on with the ancestors which I really enjoyed... Then sit back and try to figure out who is behind all this. And I'm pretty good at figuring it out but I didn't... I thought maybe Dena's boyfriend had something to do with it..
I definitely enjoyed this

What a read!

This was a truly good read and top notch performance. it was educational which I didn't expect but loved!

informative and entertaining

They were wonderful narrators.
Story was interesting, lots of 'who done it' situations. Kept the book interesting. Was good to learn about this topic that could happen to any of us, and teach how to protect ourselves and others from thieves.
Thought I was getting a Christian book, but it's not. that was my mistake. Didn't appreciate the swearing.
but overall, the time spent was well worth the listen.

Story

I loved this book! My first time reading this author and was well worth it

The suspense!

I loveddddd this book! It’s definitely in my top 10 for 2024. Hopefully we get a series 😅

Compelling Legal Mystery

An engaging read about a woman finding new purpose after the death of her mom. Deena meets a man fighting to keep his property. After his diappearance, she is compelled to find answers. We are all connected' loved the history presented & learning about low country culture

Great suspense

Loved the suspense! Storyline was really good and held my attention. Being from the south I thought the characters other than Ruth sounded like they were from up state New York/northern. The southern accent was not there for me, however I will be listening for more books read by this narrator and written by the author!

Excellent story!

I love the history that is tied to the story. the love story had me smiling me and the fa.ily dynamic was strong.

Social Awareness

The power of evil, greedy human beings never ceases to amaze me. The author brings an aspect of this inhumanity home in a remarkable, albeit somewhat unexpected (paranormal) way.
Point well made. Social awareness is also powerful. I had no idea….

Riveting Read

This work is a 10/10, highly recommend!!! I despise spoilers so I only listed to a snippet of the sample before buying it. I enjoyed every minute of this. I’ve always been fascinated with Gullah Geechee culture and its direct ties to Africa. Having this interwoven into the story was delightful. The way it was read was immaculate. I wish all audiobooks were read with this much personality and enthusiasm. Bravo to the actors.

I also had zero knowledge about heirs property laws. It’s an awful tool to prey on people. The author’s hope in the afterward is most certainly realized me. I will do more research into this and share with others. Thank you Ms. Morris.