This book was intense. I had to take breaks while reading it because it felt really heavy and scary. I really enjoyed how different it was from her first book. I would call this one a historical fiction thriller.

Anywhere you run
by Wanda M. Morris
Pub Date: October 25, 2022
William Morrow & company
Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. From the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets comes yet another gripping, suspenseful novel where, after the murder of a white man in Jim Crow Mississippi, two Black sisters run away to different parts of the country . . . but can they escape the secrets they left behind? I read Wanda M. Morris’s debut, All Her Little Secrets, last year. I thought it was decent, but didn’t love it…mainly because the main character who everyone said was so smart made the worst and most irritating decisions.

Luckily that is not the case here. The characters felt real and raw, and I came to care about so many of them. The story is also much darker and pertinent in terms of the atrocities that faced Black people in the past (and still do today).The author’s note is also touching, and extremely sad given how some things in our unjust world never seem to change. 4 stars

When Violet is attacked by a white man in the Jim Crow South, her response triggers a chain of events that threaten not only her life but also all she cherishes, especially her one remaining sister. Set in the 1960s, ANY WHERE YOU RUN depicts two women attempting to create a meaningful life despite the racial and gender biases that attempt to stymie them.

The author does an excellent job conveying both the pall of fear that permeated life for people of color in the Jim Crow South and the hopelessness of women denied opportunities. The characters are likable and well developed, and the fluid prose maintains an excellent pace. I had to suspend my disbelief about some elements in the plot, especially the conclusion, which may be too pat for some readers. Overall, an entertaining read.

1964 Mississippi
Two sisters on the run after one gets involved with a powerful white man's son and commits a murder in self defense and the other finds herself with shattered dreams, pregnant and not married. Violet knows that these men will not rest until she is found and silenced permanently so she travels far changing her name and her past to protect herself and her sister. She doesn't know that the man after her is desperate and needs the big paycheck her being found offers to save his dying son in the hospital. Marigold had everything going for her until she found herself pregnant so to protect herself and her baby she marries a man she doesn't love while trying to hide her sister's whereabouts. Horrific conditions, KKK atrocities and no police intervention due to the color of their skin, this is a thrilling chase and a Civil Rights history lesson rolled into one. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Gripping, powerful, heartbreaking and intense mystery thriller novel that is connected to history. Taken place In Jackson Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement. The backdrop is three innocent men brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote.in the summer of 1964. Two sisters Marigold and Violet live in the same house they grew up after their parents and sister died. Violet flees and heads North after suffering from a brutal attack by a white man, who she ends killing afterwards. Violet escapes to the North with her white boyfriend, Dewey. She ends up in Chillicothe, Georgia and hopes to earn some money.

Her sister Marigold had dreams of attending law school and working for the Mississippi Summer project. But she's single and pregnant. After she hears the news of her sister's role in a murder, Marigold heads North to find a better life. Marigold marries a man that she doesn't love, and starts a new life in Ohio, where segregation laws are different. Anywhere You Run is the most eye-opening mystery thriller that I have read this year.

After killing her white rapist, Violet Richards, who is Black, flees her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi in 1964 to head for Georgia and make a new life for herself. On a parallel track, Violet's sister Marigold heads to Ohio in the hopes of a similar fresh start. But both of these young Black women soon discover that in the racist world of 1960s America — and especially the Jim Crow South from which they fled — you can run from your past mistakes, but you can't hide.

<em>Anywhere You Run</em> was a compelling and well-written thriller with chilling historical details. Violet and Marigold are both savvy and resilient characters who face countless moments of racism and sexism throughout the story. The book started out strong with an intriguing premise and the ending was full of twists—and tragedy—but I found that the pace significantly slowed in the middle of the book. Overall, this was an interesting, heartbreaking, and timely thriller.

A powerful and intense tale of suspense and unjust.

The year is 1964 in Jackson, Mississippi…during the days of Jim Crow laws. Two Black sisters, Violet and Marigold, live together in the house they grew up in after their sister and both parents die.

Violet is raped by a white man named Huxley Broadus. She ends up killing him shortly after, and now she is in major trouble. Nobody in their town is going to let a Black woman get away with killing a white man, no matter what he did to deserve it. She decides to escape town with her white boyfriend, Dewey, but sneaks away from him in the middle of her trip so she can escape without him. She ends up in Chillicothe, Georgia and hopes to earn some money before moving on to another destination where she can feel secure that none of the authorities from Jackson will be able to find her.

Marigold finds herself in a different sort of trouble. She’s single, but discovers she’s pregnant. She doesn’t want to get married, and the baby’s father abandons her. When news of Huxley’s death and Violet’s possible involvement show up on Marigold’s doorstep, she realizes she is not safe there either. She decides to marry a man she doesn’t love, leave Jackson behind, and start a new life in Ohio…where segregation laws are different.

Violet and Marigold don’t have too much time to get comfortable in their new lives when they realize that they can run wherever they want…but troubles from back home will continue to follow them.

I read Wanda M. Morris’s debut, All Her Little Secrets, last year. I thought it was decent, but didn’t love it…mainly because the main character who everyone said was so smart made the worst and most irritating decisions.

Luckily that is not the case here. The characters felt real and raw, and I came to care about so many of them. The story is also much darker and pertinent in terms of the atrocities that faced Black people in the past (and still do today).

I found this to be a powerful and intense story that simmered as the POVs switched effortlessly between Violet and Marigold, along with a few other characters. While the suspense is palpable, it’s quiet at times, and that is what makes this book stand out in my opinion. Morris allows her characters to interact with others, explore, and gives us readers time to invest in them. Of course that means the reader might also get their heart ripped out when things don’t go the way they had hoped.

This was a fantastic sophomore effort, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Morris. I found this book to be gripping, powerful, heartbreaking, relevant, uneasy, and flawlessly paced. The author’s note is also touching, and extremely sad given how some things in our unjust world never seem to change.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 10/25/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Really holds your interest. Good mystery with a significant historical context. I like how the author took an important civil rights issue and made an intriguing story out of it.