United States
![Wanda M. Morris - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B0953YVQBT.jpg)
All Her Little Secrets: A Novel
"All Her Little Secrets is a brilliantly nuanced but powerhouse exploration of race, the legal system, and the crushing pressure of keeping secrets. Morris brings a vibrant and welcome new voice to the thriller space." -Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author
In this fast-paced thriller, Wanda M. Morris crafts a twisty mystery about a black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after the sudden death of her boss . . . A debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder and John Grisham's The Firm.
Everyone has something to hide...
Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a "for fun" relationship with a rich, charming executive, who just happens to be her white boss. But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice arrives in the executive suite and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head.
And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who's spent time on the other side of the law. She can't be thrust into the spotlight-again.
But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company's lone black attorney, is promoted to replace her boss. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can't shake the feeling that something is off.
When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice's past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined…
In this fast-paced thriller, Wanda M. Morris crafts a twisty mystery about a black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after the sudden death of her boss . . . A debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder and John Grisham's The Firm.
Everyone has something to hide...
Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a "for fun" relationship with a rich, charming executive, who just happens to be her white boss. But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice arrives in the executive suite and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head.
And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who's spent time on the other side of the law. She can't be thrust into the spotlight-again.
But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company's lone black attorney, is promoted to replace her boss. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can't shake the feeling that something is off.
When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice's past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined…
Editorial Reviews
"All Her Little Secrets is a brilliantly nuanced but powerhouse exploration of race, the legal system, and the crushing pressure of keeping secrets. Morris brings a vibrant and welcome new voice to the thriller space." -- Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author
"Wanda M. Morris hits all the right notes in All Her Little Secrets, a taut, sleek thriller that's also a searing story about the secrets we can never manage to leave behind. A stunning debut." -- Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author
"It's hard to know just how far you might go to protect yourself and your secrets... but it's remarkably easy to get swept up into this razor-sharp workplace thriller. At times deeply disturbing and all the while gripping, All Her Little Secrets is a refreshing whodunnit that will keep you guessing-and second-guessing-from start to finish." -- Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
"Wanda M. Morris' All Her Little Secrets is that rare debut novel that doesn't miss a beat-expertly plotted, beautifully written, and so compelling I read it in one sitting. Fans of Attica Locke and Celeste Ng, take note!" -- Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Family
"All Her Little Secrets is a truly remarkable debut-an expertly paced thriller with terrific twists, as well as depth, heart and conscience...not to mention the smart, complicated Ellice Littlejohn, a protagonist who kept me turning pages well into the night." -- Alison Gaylin, USA Today bestselling author of The Collective
"All Her Little Secrets is teeming with passion, family, power, history, and heartbreak-it will provoke you, haunt you, and inspire you. Wanda M. Morris is the consummate storyteller, filling this riveting, relentless page-turner with her powerhouse talent and shattering insight...Morris has created an instant classic. Stop everything and read this." -- Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life
"All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris is a terrific, timely thriller you won't be able to put down. I devoured this story faster than a plate of chicken and dumplings and the deeply satisfying conclusion made me cheer out loud!" -- Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me
"Tense, taut, and relentlessly suspenseful, Wanda M. Morris's riproaring debut All Her Little Secrets delivers full-throttle twists reminiscent of The Firm with the winning characters and nuanced social justice commentary of an Atti...
"Wanda M. Morris hits all the right notes in All Her Little Secrets, a taut, sleek thriller that's also a searing story about the secrets we can never manage to leave behind. A stunning debut." -- Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author
"It's hard to know just how far you might go to protect yourself and your secrets... but it's remarkably easy to get swept up into this razor-sharp workplace thriller. At times deeply disturbing and all the while gripping, All Her Little Secrets is a refreshing whodunnit that will keep you guessing-and second-guessing-from start to finish." -- Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
"Wanda M. Morris' All Her Little Secrets is that rare debut novel that doesn't miss a beat-expertly plotted, beautifully written, and so compelling I read it in one sitting. Fans of Attica Locke and Celeste Ng, take note!" -- Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Family
"All Her Little Secrets is a truly remarkable debut-an expertly paced thriller with terrific twists, as well as depth, heart and conscience...not to mention the smart, complicated Ellice Littlejohn, a protagonist who kept me turning pages well into the night." -- Alison Gaylin, USA Today bestselling author of The Collective
"All Her Little Secrets is teeming with passion, family, power, history, and heartbreak-it will provoke you, haunt you, and inspire you. Wanda M. Morris is the consummate storyteller, filling this riveting, relentless page-turner with her powerhouse talent and shattering insight...Morris has created an instant classic. Stop everything and read this." -- Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life
"All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris is a terrific, timely thriller you won't be able to put down. I devoured this story faster than a plate of chicken and dumplings and the deeply satisfying conclusion made me cheer out loud!" -- Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me
"Tense, taut, and relentlessly suspenseful, Wanda M. Morris's riproaring debut All Her Little Secrets delivers full-throttle twists reminiscent of The Firm with the winning characters and nuanced social justice commentary of an Atti...
Readers Top Reviews
MDMicheleReader
Ellice Littlejohn definitely DOES have some secrets… The first being that she is sleeping with her married boss, Michael. Ellice is a Black corporate attorney in a VERY predominantly white office, and when Michael asks to meet her at the office early one morning to talk about something important, she obliges…only to find him dead with a gunshot wound to the head. Instead of calling the police, shock causes her to walk away and pretend she was never there. Very soon after, Ellice is promoted as Michael’s replacement. It feels way too soon, and the timing and reasoning seems a bit suspicious. Soon enough, past and present collide as Ellice uncovers shocking things about the company she works for...things that could kill her and her loved ones if she’s not careful. I’ll be short and sweet because I don’t have too much to say. The writing is fantastic, and this book covers many relevant topics that should NOT be overlooked. The story is entertaining, and I didn’t dislike it. However, Ellice is initially portrayed as strong, sensible, and smart. So it grew to be a bit frustrating reading about her making wrong decision after wrong decision that puts her in mortal danger. I feel like things could’ve been resolved earlier if she seeked help. The “secrets” in the plot aren’t as exciting as I thought they’d be, and I wasn’t a fan of the convoluted climax. So, a bit of a mixed bag for me. Many reviewers seem to have enjoyed this more than I did. I’m glad to have read it, and look forward to reading another book by the author, but this one won’t stick with me for long.
Jill Nicely
Ellice Littlejohn is a corporate attorney for a family-owned transportation company in Atlanta. That’s what her friends and coworkers know about her. There is a lot more that they don’t know, from her upbringing as the daughter of an alcoholic, of how she managed to escape the small town she grew up in, or how she helps out her little brother when he’s not in jail. Most people who know her don’t even know she has a brother. She’s not embarrassed, exactly, just a master of compartmentalizing the areas of her life. Her company, Houghton, has protestors outside every day, men and women of color who say that the company won’t hire anyone who isn’t white. Ellice is proof that it’s not true, as she’s a black woman, but when she looks around the company, she doesn’t see very many others who look like her. But she’s used to that. It’s been like that for her since she got a scholarship to boarding school, never going back to Chillicothe. But when she goes into work one morning for an early morning meeting with her boss Michael, she finds him dead in his office. She panics, leaving the executive floor and heading back down to her office. While at first it’s thought that he took his own life, it doesn’t take the police long to decide it was actually murder. And when the company’s CEO Nate taps Ellice to take Michael’s job, to become the new general counsel at Houghton, she takes the job. While the company is happy to move forward again, Ellice has some misgivings. She can’t find any paperwork on an important deal, and she can’t access any of Michael’s emails about it. Then she is given evidence of some financial improprieties. And she finds out that Michael had been speaking to an attorney who was known for working with white-collar criminals. Ellice starts to think that the company was doing something questionable or even illegal and that Michael had been trying to find out if he could be held liable for any of it. Then when the police come to her with photos of someone entering the building the day before Michael’s murder, entering with the security badge she had misplaced, that’s when Ellice thinks she may be in over her head. Because she doesn’t let on to the police that she knows who is in the photos, but it’s clear to her that it’s her little brother Sam. And if Sam is somehow tangled up in Houghton’s crimes, then Ellice may not be able to help him. But as she continues to get stonewalled trying to get information, she finds that there are those on the executive floor who know her better than she realized. As her secrets come out one by one, from the affair she’d been having with Michael to things that happened when she was a young teenager living in Chillicothe, she starts to wonder if her brother isn’t the only one she needs to be worried about. Has this new job put her in danger too? Does she need to find herself...
