Anywhere You Run
Fiction
William Morrow Paperbacks
October 25, 2022
Advance reader copy
384
Free from publisher
It's the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-two year old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she's ever been in her life. Suffering a brutal attack of her own, she kills the man responsible. But with the color of Violet's skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find the body or finger her as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Violet escapes. But desperation and fear leads her to hide out in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia, unaware that danger may be closer than she thinks.
Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet's older sister, has dreams of attending law school. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, she has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But Marigold is in a different kind of trouble: she's pregnant and unmarried. After news of the murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to flee Jackson too. She heads North seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. But has she made a terrible choice that threatens her life and that of her unborn child?
Two sisters on the run--one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don't realize is that there's a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him . . .
My review:
I had read a copy of this author's last novel and enjoyed it, so was anxious to check out another book from her. I went into this without knowing much about it, and was surprised to find that it is quite different from her previous work. That's not a bad thing (especially since I think I liked this one even more), I appreciate it when an author can vary their stories to not always follow the same formula. This was definitely more historical fiction with suspense, not something I would categorize as a thriller (as her other work clearly was). In this book you get a feel for how despite new laws, it really didn't make any difference with regards to how blacks were treated in the south. Our main protagonists (sisters) have different reasons to escape the oppressive regime, but both are in danger, before and after they finally reunite. This is a well done narrative, and the suspense keeps you turning pages to root for Violet and Marigold and hope for their happy ending. I love when a book can shine a light on historical aspects, but also have a fast moving plot. Definite trigger warnings for physical and emotional abuse.
With this second book which showcased how this author can write very different material yet keep that suspenseful element, I have decided that I will definitely keep my eye out for what she puts out next. This one is a great combo of historical fiction and suspense that I think lots of readers will be pulled into.
