What He Left Behind - by Benjamin Bradley (Hardcover)

About the Book

Short Summary: Oak Hill is a sleepy community where nothing exciting ever happens. When a stranger is found murdered in a field, Detective Grace Bingham must partner with a big city detective who broke her heart and fled the town years prior, in order to uncover the explosive truth. After all, everybody has a secret they'd kill to keep.

Book Synopsis

"With page-turning mysteries like this, Benjamin Bradley is an author you'll want to come back to again and again!" --Caleb Wygal, award-winning author of the Myrtle Beach Mystery series

"Dark, atmospheric, and utterly gripping." --Eryk Pruitt, author of Something Bad Wrong and Blood Red Summer

In this town, everyone has a secret they'd kill to keep

Oak Hill is a sleepy community where nothing exciting ever happens. When a stranger is found murdered in a field, Detective Grace Bingham must reunite with Sawyer, who broke her heart and fled the town years prior, in order to uncover the explosive truth and evade the dangerous attacks of the relentless Dockery Family, who will stop at nothing to hide their secrets. As Grace ID's the stranger, she and Sawyer race to piece together enough evidence to make their case stick, even if the town has turned against them. After all, everybody has a secret they'd kill to keep.

For readers who enjoy All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea, Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt, and Last Girl Gone by J. G. Hetherton.

Review Quotes

"What He Left Behind is a compelling, heartfelt debut, announcing Benjamin Bradley's welcome arrival on the literary scene. This whodunnit expertly weaves the dangerous secrets of past and present in small-town Appalachia, delivering a jaw-dropping conclusion that's well worth your time. Bradley has the goods, and I can't wait to see what he cooks up next." --Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies with You

"Benjamin Bradley has his finger on the pulse of small-town life: the thorny relationships between the haves and the have-nots, the currency of gossip, the distrust of outsiders, and the casual familiarity everyone has with the details of each other's lives . . . Bradley uses the conventions of a murder mystery to conduct his own autopsy of Oak Hill and its residents, and no one is spared. A worthy addition to the Southern Gothic tradition." --Christopher Swann, author of the Faulkner Family Thriller series

"What He Left Behind masterfully blends the past and present in a small-town setting with chilling prose, a multi-layered mystery, and unforgettable well-rounded characters. With page-turning mysteries like this, Benjamin Bradley is an author you'll want to come back to again and again!" --Caleb Wygal, award-winning author of the Myrtle Beach Mystery series

"Dark, atmospheric, and utterly gripping. What He Left Behind will keep you up all night, peeling back Oak Hill's layers of lies and heartbreak. Benjamin Bradley writes with fire and grit--you won't put this one down until it's burned itself into your soul." --Eryk Pruitt, author of Something Bad Wrong and Blood Red Summer

"Master storyteller Benjamin Bradley pulls you into a beautifully-written, compelling tale with his latest, What He Left Behind. It has all the elements mystery lovers want: an intriguing locale, powerful characters, and a puzzle that won't let go. A must read!" --Lisa Towles, award-winning author of Terror Bay and other books

"Bradley ("Shepard & Kelly" series) immerses readers in North Carolina's Nantahala Forest through detailed description, and his characters are easy to connect with, relatable in the complexity of their relationships. Readers will become invested in them and what happens in their lives." --Library Journal

"What He Left Behind is a compelling, heartfelt debut, announcing Benjamin Bradley's welcome arrival on the literary scene. This whodunnit expertly weaves the dangerous secrets of past and present in small-town Appalachia, delivering a jaw-dropping conclusion that's well worth your time. Bradley has the goods, and I can't wait to see what he cooks up next." --Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies with You

"What He Left Behind masterfully blends the past and present in a small-town setting with chilling prose, a multi-layered mystery, and unforgettable well-rounded characters. With page-turning mysteries like this, Benjamin Bradley is an author you'll want to come back to again and again!" --Caleb Wygal, award-winning author of the Myrtle Beach Mystery series

"Benjamin Bradley has his finger on the pulse of small-town life: the thorny relationships between the haves and the have-nots, the currency of gossip, the distrust of outsiders, and the casual familiarity everyone has with the details of each other's lives. Oak Hill has its share of secrets, and when a citizen discovers the body of a young woman--the first murder victim in the town's history--Detective Grace Bingham knows she will have to kick open some doors that have long been closed. And some doors want to stay shut. Heartbreak and tragedy from the past collide with the present, and no one in Grace's life, including herself, is safe. Bradley uses the conventions of a murder mystery to conduct his own autopsy of Oak Hill and its residents, and no one is spared. A worthy addition to the Southern Gothic tradition." --Christopher Swann, author of the Faulkner Family Thriller series

"Bradley ("Shepard & Kelly" series) immerses readers in North Carolina's Nantahala Forest through detailed description, and his characters are easy to connect with, relatable in the complexity of their relationships. Readers will become invested in them and what happens in their lives." --Library Journal

"Dark, atmospheric, and utterly gripping. What He Left Behind will keep you up all night, peeling back Oak Hill's layers of lies and heartbreak. Benjamin Bradley writes with fire and grit--you won't put this one down until it's burned itself into your soul." --Eryk Pruitt, author of Something Bad Wrong and Blood Red Summer

"Master storyteller Benjamin Bradley pulls you into a beautifully-written, compelling tale with his latest, What He Left Behind. It has all the elements mystery lovers want: an intriguing locale, powerful characters, and a puzzle that won't let go. A must read!" --Lisa Towles, award-winning author of Terror Bay and other books

About the Author

Benjamin Bradley is a member of both Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. He's the author of the Shepard & Kelly Mystery series through Indies United Publishing House and his short fiction has appeared in literary magazines including Reckon Review and Flash Fiction Magazine. He works in public health and homelessness and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, their cat Fox, and their dog Harper.