2018 Debut Novel Shattered Records - Then the Author Never Published Again
Where the Crawdads Sing is one of the bestselling books of all time, but author Delia Owens has yet to return with a new novel since her debut's success.
Owens, now 77, released her popular murder mystery in August 2018. After being selected as the Reese's Book Club pick the following month and named one of Barnes and Noble's best books of the year, Where the Crawdads Sing rose to No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list, where it remained in the lead spot for more than a year. Ultimately, the book topped the New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 and 2020, spent four and a half years on the New York Times bestsellers list and sold 22 million copies worldwide.
In Where the Crawdads Sing, main character Kya's story unfolds in dueling timelines-one follows her isolated childhood in North Carolina, while the other sees an adult Kya at the center of a murder investigation in her small town.
The novel was later adapted into a film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones. Following its July 2022 release in theaters, the movie became a box office success, raking in $144.3 million globally.
As the book gained even more attention from the adaptation, Delia and her ex-husband, Mark Owens-who are known for their work as conservationists-sparked controversy when Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story resurfaced. In the 1996 ABC News Turning Point special, Mark allegedly directed Zambian government scouts to shoot at suspected poachers in North Luangwa National Park, with one individual allegedly getting shot in the documentary.
The Atlantic and The New Yorker previously reported that Christopher Owens-Mark's son and Delia's former stepson-was suspected of firing at least two of the three rounds at the alleged poacher, whose body was never recovered and name was never revealed. According to The New Yorker, Mark was suspected of disposing of the body in a lagoon.
Mark, Delia and Christopher vehemently denied any wrongdoing related to the alleged incident. As of 2022, the trio were allegedly wanted for questioning in the case in Zambia but had never been charged.
Before the scandal made headlines, Delia hinted that she was working on her next novel, which was reportedly set in the 1800s and 1960s and centered around a woman who emigrates from England to the United States.
"I've finished the third draft, but I wouldn't say it's in great shape," she told The i Paper in January 2021. "See, I've never thought of myself as especially good at writing; I just love it, but it's frustrating because there's no such thing as a perfect sentence. Every sentence can be improved, which means it's never finished."
She added: "To me, writing a book is like taking a football field of Jell-O and trying to make it a monument."
More than five years later, Delia has still not formally announced her second novel. She has also taken a step back from the spotlight, with her most recent social media post uploaded in January 2024.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 7:50 AM.