Books: Complexities of race, sexuality propel two gripping new mysteries

‘What You Leave Behind’ by Wanda M. Morris. Morrow, 384 pages, $18.99

Land scams have been around since the first person claimed ownership of a piece of property. The schemes may have gotten more sophisticated, the crooks more innovative and the methods, such as using technology, more advanced, but the goal is the same: greed. The more naïve and powerless the victims, the easier it is to dupe them.

In her third character-driven novel, Wanda M. Morris poignantly tackles land schemes...