This Never Happens Here: A Novel

by Wanda M. Morris

From Wanda M. Morris, award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets, a riveting new thriller following two detectives investigating a baffling string of murders and child abductions in the wealthy suburbs of Atlanta.

Tom and Olivia Henley settle in for a cozy evening at home in the sort of suburb where “nothing ever happens.” The next morning, the young couple is found dead. What seems like a run-of-the-mill gas leak accident raises grave concern when police discover that the couple’s six-year-old daughter is missing.

Detectives Temp Marshall and Bella Wilkins are called in to investigate. Temp feels guilty abandoning her daughter’s piano recital, always caught between her demanding career and her family’s needs, while Bella sees the urgent call as the perfect She’s attempting to piece her life back together after the untimely death of her husband.

With no clear suspects, the only lead is a tip from a neighbor who saw a “suspicious” Black woman parked on the street the day before. As similar cases begin to crop up—parents dead, children missing—and pressure from the community mounts, the case takes a disturbing turn the detectives never saw coming, and they realize they’re up against a frighteningly powerful adversary.

Taught, twisty, and laced with searing social commentary, This Never Happens Here showcases "the sharpest new voice in thrillers today"(Amy Gentry) at the height of her game.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 16, 2027

About the author

Wanda M. Morris is a corporate attorney, having worked in the legal departments of some of America's top Fortune 100 companies. As an accomplished presenter and leader, she previously served as President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, in which she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women's Initiative.

Wanda M. Morris is an alumni of the Yale Writers Workshop and a Claymore Award finalist for mystery writing. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She is married, the mother of three, and she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Jordan Stash]

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the advanced copy of “This Never Happens Here” by Wanda M. Morris.

“This Never Happens Here” follows Bella, a detective investigating the murder of a couple and the disappearance of their daughter. Bella’s investigation quickly intensifies when more murder and child abduction start to occur.

While I enjoyed “This Never Happens Here,” I didn’t love it. My first gripe was the structure of the book. There were so many random chapters throughout with awkward time jumps. It’s like the author just thought of a piece of backstory she wanted to include, but didn’t know where to put it and just threw it in wherever. There was really no rhyme or reason to the way the book was structured.

Without spoiling anything, the sequence of events and how Bella came to her conclusions were also pretty out of nowhere. “I have a hunch” is the worst way to introduce an answer to a question without reasoning or evidence as to how it happened or how the character came to that conclusion. It just seems lazy.

Overall, the story was just okay. It just didn’t seem fully fleshed out and left a plot hole or 7. The idea was there, but the execution was subpar.

[Ashley Cwiklewski]

Thank you dutton and netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. I really feel like the first half of the book was very slow. The second half of the book thankfully really picked up and i read most of it today. I had some suspicions that were correct but then also things that really suprised me. Real world issues also woven into the writing and plot. If you are a fan of more slow burn I would recommend this one for sure!

[Anna J]

Wanda Morris has a gift of drawing you into a story so compelling that you can't wait to see what happens next. Detective Temp Marshall and Detective Bella Wilkins are partners on the force and best friends. They get called to a case where a perfect couple was murdered and their six year old daughter was taken. The Henley's were seen as the perfect family. Now , media is a frenzy with coverage and there is a reward offered to find the child. Now, meanwhile in a different neighborhood in Atlanta Malika goes missing and this has very little press coverage or police attention.

Bella believes the cases are related. I liked Bella as she is haunted by her past, she has difficult relationship with her mother, she wears what she wants and has tendency to speak without thought of consequences. She keeps investigating even when she is told not too. She puts herself at risk to solve this.

There is a darker story at play here and it was hard to wrap your head around the horror of what was done to the children. I was just hooked from page one and buckled in to enjoy this fast paced thriller.

[Leslie Cernosek]

This was my first Wanda M. Morris book and I will definitely pick up another. This was a good, twisty mystery. It starts off with a quiet murder and a kidnapping in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood. From there it’s a mix of the case and the lives of the two detectives working it, along with other snippets and character backstories mixed in. The stand out for me was Bella - a no nonsense detective with an interesting backstory. The author immerses the reader so quickly into the lives of the characters that I double checked that I wasn’t reading a series. Morris shines with character development, but that may contribute to how long the book started to feel. Ultimately it comes to a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

[Reads by Rae]

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

This was my first Wanda M. Morris book, and it definitely won’t be my last. From page one, I was completely hooked and quickly immersed in the lives of these characters. The pacing kept me turning the pages, and I loved how fast-moving and engaging the story was.

I will say, there were a few moments when Bella’s conclusions felt a little too sudden, especially when they were introduced with an “I have a hunch” rather than being fully developed through reasoning or evidence. At times, it felt a bit too convenient.

Still, those small frustrations didn’t take away from the overall experience. I was buckled in from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed this twisty, fast-paced thriller. Definitely a strong first read from Morris for me, and I’m looking forward to picking up another one!

[Nicole Hancock]

I've read and enjoyed two other books from this author (All Her Secrets and Anywhere You Run), so was excited to get this ARC. It didn't disappoint. I felt the lead character was fully realized from the jump. The mystery was compelling. I appreciated the tension of having a Black woman in law enforcement and dealing with the race issues there. I further appreciated how some of the later developments in the book were troublingly believable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for providing me an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Expected date of publication: February 16, 2027

[Sara Morrisey]

This was just ok for me. I did appreciate the female law enforcement perspective, especially as it relates to managing the career and family. The story just seemed to drag a bit for me in the middle. There are also a few chapters that kind of make the story jump around and it's a bit hard to follow. There was a bit of a twist at the end that kept the last 20% engaging. Bella was a perfectly likeable FMC and I had to laugh at some of the outfit descriptions.

[Michelle Connell]

This book was entertaining, and overall, I enjoyed it. However, at times the writing felt out of sequence, almost as though certain details were added randomly as the author thought of them. I think the story could have been executed and organized a little better.

That being said, I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline, and it kept me interested throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Dawn Byers]

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
In Atlantic Tom and Olivia are killed in their home and their child is missing. When Temp and Bella begin investigating they discover other cases where the parents are killed and the children missing. What is happening? Why murder the parents and take the children? Will they find the children?

[Anna J]

4 stars
Wanda Morris has a gift of drawing you into a story so compelling that you can't wait to see what happens next. Detective Temp Marshall and Detective Bella Wilkins are partners on the force and best friends. They get called to a case where a perfect couple was murdered and their six year old daughter was taken. The Henley's were the perfect family, wealthy and media is a frenzy with coverage and there is a reward offered to find the child. Now, meanwhile in a different neighborhood Malika goes missing and this has very little press coverage or police attention.

Bella believes the cases are related. I liked Bella as she is haunted by her past, she has difficult relationship with her mother, she wears what she wants and has tendency to speak without thought of consequences. She keeps investigating even when she is told not too. She puts herself at risk to solve this.

There is a darker story at play here and it was hard to wrap your head around the horror of what was done to the children. I was just hooked from page one and buckled in to enjoy this fast paced thriller.

[Debra]

Detectives Temp Marshall and Bella Wilkins aren't just partners in the homocide division, they are best friends. They are assigned a case, a "perfect" couple are found dead by an apparent gas leak which may not have been be an accident and the worst part is that their six year old daughter is missing.

As this investigation gets moving, it appears that there is another case that may be linked to this one, where the parent was found dead and their child was missing. Bella and Temp start seeing a lot of things that are wrong and as they attempt to investigate, they get interference from their supervisor and a lazy PR minded investigator foisted on them. The community wants answers.

Side issues pop up with the detectives families and their pasts and the children missing brings out a lot of angst for these two women.

This was a thriller and also had some very heavy subject matter in areas and twists and turns you never saw coming. I had a hard time putting this book down.

I would like to thank Dutton Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced read.

[Jessica Chiles]

Really enjoyed this one. It brought all the elements together so well. The way Wanda Morris examined issues that currently plauge our society adds an additional layer that forces the reader to sit with it. A small portion drags a little bit but so worth pushing through.

[Heidi Sandiford]

This book had an interesting start but then seemed to focus on "Black Lives Matter" rather than the actual crime that had taken place. Could not finish.

[Anita I]

Thank you Dutton and NetGalley for this advance reader copy. I enjoyed this story and its conclusion. It carries you along all through and stays interesting. Grab your copy as soon as you can.

[Jenny]

3.5

[Autumn]

Great read! I flew through this one. Two women homicide detectives are trying to piece together what happened to a family and a missing child. The story was fast pace, suspenseful, and kept me wanting to know what happened. I will definitely check out more by this author..

Thanks NetGalley for the arc.