A literary espionage novel rooted in Appalachia and east Africa
Author Leigh Ann Trippett announces the release of her debut novel, Shadows of Makena, now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback editions. Set between Appalachia and East Africa, the novel blends literary fiction with espionage elements to explore identity, memory, and the quiet costs of loyalty in a globalized world.
Shadows of Makena follows Makena, a woman drawn back into a shadowed network of intelligence, fractured histories, and unresolved personal ties stretching from the rivers of West Virginia to the coast and highlands of Kenya. Her path repeatedly intersects with Kwame, a journalist whose work – and disappearance – exposes truths powerful forces would rather keep buried.
Drawing on richly rendered landscapes and cross-cultural detail, Trippett’s novel resists genre conventions while embracing suspense. The story moves through tea farms, coastal estuaries, urban corridors, weaving together themes of belonging, displacement, and moral ambiguity.
“This is a novel about how places remember us – even when we try to leave them,” Trippett said. “I’ve always wanted to write, but had never been inspired until I visited Kenya the past three years, where it reminded me of my Appalachian upbringing Huntington, WV.”
Unlike traditional espionage thrillers driven solely by action, Shadows of Makena emphasizes character, atmosphere, and emotional consequence. The novel will appeal to readers interested in international settings, intelligent suspense, and stories grounded in real geography and cultural nuance.
About the Author:
Leigh Ann Trippett is a writer with deep roots in Appalachia and longstanding ties to East Africa. Her work explores place, identity, and the invisible systems that shape human lives. Shadows of Makena is her debut novel. Leigh Ann was born and raised in Huntington, WV, and now resides in Lewisburg with her husband.
