The Wake: When Truth Won't Die (Paperback or Softback)

Conclusion of the Jessica Trilogy

On the eve of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Jessica Wyeth returns to the United States carrying a truth that could fracture a fragile international peace. Her identity makes her a target for powerful men who rely on secrecy, loyalty, and control-and who will do anything to keep her contained.

Determined to reclaim her life, Jessica begins severing the business ties that have bound her to a dangerous world since childhood. But when violence erupts at the Olympics, she is thrust into a storm of suspicion and betrayal that reaches from Boston's racing stables to global networks of money and influence. Grief forces her to confront what she has lost; survival demands she confront what she still stands to gain.

As Jessica fights to reclaim her life, unexpected loyalties surface, hidden agendas unravel, and long-buried truths force every character to choose who they are-and what they stand for-when the cost of silence becomes too high. Her journey leads her toward a new purpose born from loss: a sanctuary for women rebuilding their lives, shaped by the legacy of the one friend she could never replace.

Hidden agendas unravel, unlikely loyalties emerge, and long-buried truths force every character to choose who they are when silence is no longer an option. In this gripping conclusion to the Jessica Trilogy, Connie Johnson Hambley delivers a story of resilience, identity, and the fierce determination to break free from the past. The Wake brings three generations of secrets to a powerful close as Jessica finally steps into a life that is wholly her own.

CONNIE JOHNSON HAMBLEY began plotting harm and mayhem against all bad guys, real and imagined, at the ripe age of six when an arsonist torched her family's farm. When receiving her law degree didn't provide adequate tools for revenge, she turned to fiction, where the tools were far more satisfying. Her short stories appear in the Anthony Award-winning Mystery Writers of America's anthology, Crime Hits Home, as well as Mystery Magazine, several Best New England Crime Stories, and the upcoming 2026 Bouchercon anthology, The Lines We Cross. Her journalism credits include Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Financial Advisor, and Nature. Two of her novels won Best Fiction at the EQUUS International Film Festival in New York City. She serves on the committee of the New England Crime Bake conference, interviews authors at the Newburyport Literary Festival, and remains a passionate supporter of perpetrators of (fictional) crime.