While the genres of mystery and thriller explore a spectrum of human experiences, they often cater to white authors and readers. But Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color have important stories to tell, too. Mystery and thriller books are great mediums to explore identity, provide social commentary, and spotlight injustices — or simply act as an escape from the perplexities of our own world. However, Black authors often don’t get the recognition or representation that they deserve.
In an effort to challenge that, this week’s Three to Read spotlights three mysteries/thrillers from Black writers that will be sure to tantalize you to the very (twisty) end!
HOT PICK
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
Trigger Warning: This book contains discussions of the death of a parent, suicide, racism, police brutality, stalking, violence, and terminal illness. Please exercise personal care while reading.
SYNOPSIS:
Deena Wood’s life is over — metaphorically speaking, of course. She’s lost her mother, her marriage, and her prestigious position at an Atlanta law firm. With all these chapters closing, she needs a fresh start. A clean slate. She returns to her childhood home in Brunswick, Georgia, to do so. But rather than finding her stay regenerative, Deena grows restless. In order to find some respite, she takes to driving throughout the city.
One day, Deena finds herself on the oceanfront property of a widower who has been battling to keep his land, one with a hallowed history since the end of the Civil War. He threatens Deena, sending her off with a warning. However, he disappears shortly after. In his place, a for sale sign appears. Things having taken a turn, Deena digs into the past and finds a twisted tale of illegal land grabs and property development in impoverished areas. Now Deena’s life really might be over, as the sinister forces at large begin to loom again, and her life, community, and family all lie at stake.
WHY:
This is a hot pick for a reason! Wanda M. Morris exploded onto the literary crime scene in 2021 with her debut book, All Her Little Secrets, which made her the 2022 Lefty Award winner for Best Debut Mystery Novel and the 2022 Finalist for Georgia Author of the Year for Best First Novel. Her third book, What You Leave Behind, has met similar acclaim. Most importantly, Wanda M. Morris’s writing is brilliantly nuanced, thoughtful, incisive, and wickedly clever. As a former lawyer herself, she weaves in a powerful voice and perspective throughout her storytelling, making her characters personable while still leaving room for critical commentary on serious issues like poverty, gentrification, grief, and police brutality. Her thrillers always leave you thoughtful as well as eager to unravel every twist, and her latest book is no exception.
COFFEE SHOP READ
It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
Trigger Warning: This book contains discussions of racism, kidnapping, and panic attacks. Please exercise personal care while reading.
SYNOPSIS:
Mavis Miller, single mother to seven-year-old Pearl, has enough on her plate. Between managing the needs of a multi-generational household, wrangling precocious Pearl, and a tiresome job at a non-profit, the last thing she wants to think about is the PTA. But PTA president Trisha is as terrifying as she is persuasive, and so Mavis finds herself in charge of the brand new DEI committee.
It’s not lost on Mavis why she’s been asked, as one of the few Black parents at this California elementary school. But maybe this is a chance for real change, right? Except the new principal’s plans make Trisha furious. Except later that night, Mavis sees Trisha in yellow rubber gloves and booties lugging trash bags and cleaning supplies to her minivan. Except Principal Smith doesn’t show up to work the next morning. Mavis didn’t count on murder being on the PTA agenda, but now she can’t help but feel like it’s her problem to solve. With the help of the handsome school psychologist, this investigation should be… well, elementary.
WHY:
Elise Bryant is a NAACP Image Award–nominated author and former special education teacher. Both these things constitute the perfect backdrop for It’s Elementary, a book that balances so much. It’s Elementary is a cozy mystery that is less about finding “who did it” than finding who you are. Mavis is a multi-faceted character who reflects the self-determination and self-doubt many of us possess at once. Starting out as unsure and reluctant to engage with anything beyond what she has to, Mavis manages to learn how to value her own voice and contributions, a lesson we all need from time to time.
The other characters are also fully fleshed out, from PTA powerhouse Trisha to perfectly imperfect Pearl. Plus, there’s a perfect dash of slow-burn romance! A light read that still manages to tackle tough topics like microaggressions and cyberbullying, It’s Elementary is perfect to cuddle up with.
DARK HORSE
One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of sexual violence, self-harm, confinement, racism, ableism, misogyny, gaslighting, death, and violence. Please exercise personal care while reading.
SYNOPSIS:
Kenetria “Ken” Nash hasn’t held the reins of her life in years. Several years ago, she suffered an intense breakdown that derailed her historical preservationist career and left her with only a diagnosis for dissociative identity disorder as a guide on how to keep going. Now, Ken is back — but awake to deeply unfamiliar and eerie circumstances — with a new job as a resident caretaker on a remote Hudson River island. With no memory and no idea of how Ken and her alters got here, she’s determined to try to start over fresh with this second chance. But her new chapter is quickly interrupted when the island’s conservation trust comes to visit and a storm leaves her trapped on the island with a group of sinister strangers. Then, a man from Ken’s past winds up dead, and she’s the prime suspect. Ken and her alters must work together against time to piece together their past so they can discover the secrets of Kavanaugh island and save their future, as well as their life.
WHY:
Alyssa Cole is a force to be reckoned with. Having written best-selling comics, graphic novels, science fiction, fantasy romance, historical romance, short stories, contemporary romance, and, of course, mystery and thriller, there is nothing Cole can’t put to paper. One of Us Knows makes it clear how inventive, incisive, and brilliant Cole is with a radical narrative structure and shrewd world building, all while providing commentary on gentrification, racism, and society’s misguided ideas of what monsters are — along with its inadvertent making of real ones. This thriller is a dark horse in several ways: its notable exploration of dissociative identity disorder in a fully fleshed protagonist, the gothic setting with modern characters, and multiple mysteries at play. A thrilling page turner till the very end.
That concludes this week’s Three to Read. Whichever book you pick up, you’ll be reading with bated breath! For more curated recommendations, be sure to check back in next week.
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