A interesting, unique, complex book from a great new (to me!) voice in suspense fiction.

I really enjoyed Wanda Morris’ writing style. Intense, frank, and to the point, just like her heroine, Ellice Littlejohn. An African American female lawyer in the white male corporate world, Ellice is used to fighting and standing strong, but even her tough mettle is tested when she finds the Vice President of her company (and sometime lover) murdered in his office. What follows is a complex (and sometimes a little convoluted) plot weaving longtime family secrets with corporate intrigue.

I loved Morris’s voice and I loved everything about Ellice. Unlike other readers, I wasn’t too bothered about some of the dumb choices she made, as the character was well-drawn and occasionally flawed in a very accessible and smart way — and don’t we all know a few smart women who make dumb choices in their personal lives? (Maybe that’s even some of us here, at times, though I admit nothing. 😂) The plot itself lost me a few times as it jumped timelines, and I was less interested as I could have been by some of the corporate intrigue. But throughout it all I was always interested in Ellice and in Morris’s sharp insights and biting commentary. This is definitely an author to watch and I will for sure be picking up her next book. A spicier, more interesting entry in the suspense genre for sure.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC!

I received an ARC copy of All Her Little Secrets from Netgalley & William Morrow for my honest review.

This was a powerful thriller about Ellice Littlejohn, a middle-aged black female, climbing her way up the corporate ladder. She is a corporate attorney for a family owned transportation company in Atlanta. Her life changes drastically when she finds her boss (also her married lover) dead from a gunshot to his head. It appears that her boss has committed suicide but turns out he was murdered. Ellice Littlejohn is then offered his position at the company but can't shake the feeling that something is off with the executives at the company. After a congratulatory party in her honor with all the perks of her new executive position she hears some colleagues arguing about a new company that she knows little about. Once she returns to the office she finds information that the new deal might not be all that it seems. She will discover corporate secrets that will put her life in jeopardy and those of her family. The company will also try to blackmail her with her own secrets that she has hidden since her traumatic childhood. This book also deals with the racism that an African American woman has to endure in the corporate world. Once her secrets are exposed she must deal with some hard truths about what is really important in her life. I liked this book and had to find out how it would end. I did wish it spent more time about her relationships with her brother, Ms. Vee, her friends and Michael in her early adult life after leaving school until her current situation.

This story took me a little bit to get into, but by the 10% mark I was hooked. I’m not one for legal thrillers, but I realized this wasn’t really a legal thriller more a mystery book centered on a lawyer and her office mates. This story was full of many layers and secrets that slowly unraveled along the way. I thought the audio narration was perfect. She was great at displaying a wide range of emotions with her voice and kept me engaged with the story. Very easy to follow on audio as well. All Her Little Secrets is available now!

One of my top faves of the year! For a debut, this blew me away. Fans of John Grisham will enjoy Morris's legal thriller that had me guessing (and I was always wrong) on what was going to happen next. Highly recommend!

When Ellice finds her boss dead in his office, she’s afraid to do anything, afraid to call the police. She doesn’t want her secrets coming to light. She is determined to discover who killed Michael and what is going on in her company behind closed doors.

Good level of suspense. Good variety of characters. I found too much repeating of the same concepts, words, etc. and making decisions without follow-through, making other decisions without acknowledging that it’s a change of plan. For a lawyer, she seems to not know enough about the law and her responsibilities. She mentions that there may be some things about her employer that she can or cannot share with the police, but she isn’t sure and she doesn’t try find out. She also mentions that she needs a personal lawyer multiple times, but she doesn’t get one and doesn’t seem to show why. A little clarity and consistency would be better. Definitely worth the read. Would make a great movie.

It’s wonderful to see a realistic, intelligent Black woman as the main character in a story other than general fiction! In some instances, racism is woven in through the storyline and very well done – how Ellice feels at work, the protesters outside, the scene in the store. At other times, there is a bit too much monologue about it – telling the reader rather than showing.

An engrossing mystery/suspense thriller that explores race, toxic office culture and the weight of buried secrets. Ellice Littlejohn is a forty something year old Ivy League educated black attorney who works in the legal department of a transportation company in Atlanta. On her way to meet her boss (with whom she is having an affair) for an early morning meeting, she finds him dead from a bullet wound in his office. Fearing that their affair would be revealed she leaves without calling the police. The same day she is quickly promoted to replace him. Questioning that her selection is just a token to quell the people protesting the company’s lack of diversity and facing police suspicions of her involvement in the death of her boss Ellice begins investigating his death herself. But the secrets she’s harbored from her traumatic childhood begin to threaten her current life. Full of twists and tension this debut keeps the reader riveted.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out pretty good. The plot developed quickly. The characters were pretty well developed:. But it seemed to weaken a bit as it went. Elise seemed pretty naive for someone that was supposed to be well educated and intelligent. She also seemed a bit shallow so it was hard for me to get too attached. Her murders to solved problems or get revenge were a little hard to agree with. I see why she wanted them dead but it was totally premeditated and not in the heat of the moment. The timing seemed a bit off at times. A fast read. 2.75

I received an advanced ready copy from NetGalley

Wow, this book really pulled me in and had me going!! Great story and great writing!

Ellice an attorney in Atlanta had a lot going on and she was a attorney who was also having a relationship with her boss. All is going well until she walks into work one day to find he was killed.

She walks out of the office like nothing has happened and does not tell anyone. So, because of her actions everyone is suspicious of her. Especially when she is promoted to replace her boss.

4.5/5

Woo-eee!! I remember hearing a bit about All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris but definitely not enough considering how much this debut novel blew me away. It started off a tiny bit slow at the beginning for me, but then it quickly picked up steam and ended up being quite fast paced after that. I loved Ellice's character and that the story alternated between her past and the present until we find out some huge details about her life and just what secrets she is keeping. This book was completely heartbreaking at times and hard to read, but it was definitely worth it and the mystery? Out of this world, didn't expect a single thing, mind-blowing. It was so hard for me to put this down and when I had to, I wished I didn't. If I could have, I would have stayed up all night to finish especially once I got to some very pulse-pounding moments.

The audiobook for All Her Little Secrets is totally brilliant as well and narrated by Susan Dalian. Dalian is clearly very skilled at voice acting, and you couldn't ask for anyone better to be the voice of Ellice. There is a lot of heart and soul put into her narration, and it made me enjoy the book even more. There are quite a few parts that made me wince and there is so much that made me think as well. Morris goes in deep with some of the topics she brings up, and this would make a really great book for a book club due to all the conversation I know it will inspire. It is an excellent suspenseful thriller with a nice legal aspect, but it is so much more than that and I know a lot of people will appreciate it. I couldn't believe it was a debut and I can't wait to see what Morris will write next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ellice Littlejohn is a corporate lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia. She arrives early to work to meet with her boss, Michael (who is also her lover) at his office on the 20th floor.

When she steps into his office, she finds him dead with a bullet hole on his head. Instead of calling the cops, she retraces her steps and goes to her floor where she pretends to work until someone else finds his body.

The rumor mill brings her the news. It seems that Michael has committed suicide. Or has he? Soon after, the police are calling his death suspicious and later on, murder.

Who murder Michael and why?

Ellice doesn't like the cops. She has reasons for it. One of them is that she is hiding her past. No one at work knows about her brother who has been to jail before or knows about what she had to endure when she was a young girl. She prefers it this way.

But we all know that secrets don't remain secrets for long.

Someone knows about her past and Ellice can only watch as her life begins imploding. Worse, she becomes the prime suspect in Michael's death.

How is she going to clear her name?

__

I believe this is one of those times when my expectations were too high for the story. For me, it didn't quite deliver.

Why didn't it work for me?

Well, because of Ellice. She is supposed to be a LAWYER but she behaves like someone who has no clue about the law. She does everything to make herself look guilty, guilty, guilty. I could not see past this. She had so many chances to come clean but she kept on just making the wrong choices over and over again.

What worked for me?

*Ellice trying to protect her family.
*Juice.
*Ellice's best friend. She was there for her despite learning about Elice's secrets.

Would I read a book by Wanda M. Morris again:

Yes!

Could I see this book as a movie?

Absolutely!

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by William Morrow via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When the promotion of lawyer, Ellice Littlejohn, turns out to be a token promotion of a Black female to hopefully prove that Houghton Transportation is not racist proves to be a token move, Ellice is troubled by many things. First there’s the death of her lover and chief legal counsel. It looks like suicide but its murder. Ellice has so many secrets to hide ranging from the romance she hoped to keep under wraps to events that happened to her growing up poor in rural Georgia and the brushes with the law her brother, Sam, finds himself enmeshed in over and over. Ellice finds herself the suspect of the Atlanta police and searches for what really happened. There’s a lot in this story about the “boys’ network” and the power of white supremist groups. The more she uncovers the more sinister the plot is. This debut thriller packs a real punch as the action moves swiftly, exposing the deep racism in the workplace.

An interesting legal thriller, with the right pace. This will work in the market, as it has the great popcorn thriller approach - a who done it mystery, unreliable characters, and lots of tension.

I enjoyed this fast paced thriller. I enjoyed the unfolding and unlayering of Ellice as a character - her motivations, how she came to be who she was, her relationships with those around her. I thought the office suspense was well executed. I appreciated the role race played in the telling of this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced eBook copy.

3.5 Secretive Stars

I enjoyed this one and found it a quick and compelling read. To others, Ellice looks like a high-powered, Ivy-League educated, professional black woman. She’s a corporate attorney for a transportation company. Once you dig deeper though, you discover things are a bit tarnished by her bad choices.

She’s still having an affair with her married boss, and she followed him to this job. She’s also reluctant to share any personal details at work because she’s keeping deep secrets from her past.

She’s headed to the office early one morning to meet with her boss and discovers that he’s dead in his office. Rather than call the police, she leaves his office and hopes that no one has seen her. You just know this won’t end well for her!

As the police begin to investigate, things heat up for Ellice and her secrets from the past threaten her current life. What exactly is going on at the company? When Ellice is quickly promoted at work, the police get even more suspicious. Can she keep her secrets under wraps?

I enjoyed the writing in this one although her character made me a bit crazy! I look forward to future books by this debut author!

***Every lie you tell, every secret you keep, is a fragile little thing that must be protected and accounted for. One misstep, one miscalculation, and your safe little treasures can topple the perfect life you’ve built around them.***

This book does a great job of showing just how fragile secrets can be, and how they can topple you world in many ways if discovered. This is a powerhouse debut novel; a mystery that follows one woman’s history and the trajectory of her life that puts her and her loved ones into precarious positions. It’s a real page turner that kept me wanting to know what would happen next.

The book tells a story within the story, and it works beautifully. It covers multiple time periods, but does so flawlessly. It’s beautifully written with characters that come across as real. The book touches on several sensitive topics including racism, white supremacy, alcoholism, child abuse, rape, abortion, and, of course, murder.

I loved the characters, and I could sympathize with the challenges they faced in their lives. (I want a Miss Vee of my own.) Ellice, the protagonist, is a strong Black woman, one who has faced a lifetime of adversity. She fought to become a success, and succeeded, until her world starts to crumble. She’s a lawyer who wants to follow the law, but somehow manages to find herself drowning in the middle of multiple murders.

A wonderful read. I look forward to other books coming from this author. She tells her story clearly and builds its worlds in a way that draws you right into the middle of it. I expect great things from her in the future.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Admittedly thriller/mystery/suspense based novels are a hard sell for me. I don't enjoy when I figure out the ending, but I also don't enjoy when the twist makes absolutely no sense what so ever. So with regard to this novel, it started out strong, but really fizzled and failed to intrigue me. But as I said, it's not my favorite genre and maybe that's tinging my review.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Ellice Littlejohn is a middle-aged Black woman who has spent the better part of her life hiding her past and her secrets. Even now, as an adult, she still has secrets. She works as a corporate attorney for Houghton Transportation in Atlanta and is having an affair with her boss Michael. A normal early morning meeting changes her life when she finds Michael dead in his office. Instead of contacting the police, she walks away from his office, she does not want the police digging into her past life.

The police start to question her and close in on her as a suspect, she takes it upon herself to start an investigation, besides it is personal now. During her own investigation she begins to unravel just how unjust and dirty this company is, she is beginning to believe that her sudden promotion after Michael's death was part of a bigger plan.

This book is a slow-burn thriller that focuses on themes of racism, greed and lies. It alternates between the past and present, finally putting all the pieces together. The first half of the book was a slow build, it took a while for me to get invested. Around the half way point the intensity picked up and the storylines starting to come together.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for the ARC of All Her Little Secrets in exchange for an honest review.

Following the success of diverse writers coming out of smaller presses, it is so refreshing to see that the bigger publishing houses are now opening their doors to more diverse authors as well. It is a shame to think that just a few years ago, Wanda M. Morris might have struggled to gain attention for her excellent debut thriller, All Her Little Secrets. Fortunately, the reckoning that has been far-too-long in the coming prevented this gem from going unnoticed.

All Her Little Secrets opens with Ellice Littlejohn entering the corporate law office where she is the only black attorney, intent on meeting her boss (and secret lover) Michael in his twentieth-floor office. Upon arriving, she finds Michael dead of an apparent suicide. For reasons only Ellice will understand, she chooses to stay quiet about her discovery.

Later that day, Ellice Littlejohn is promoted to Michael’s position, despite not being entirely sure that she wants this job. Women’s intuition is at play here as Ellice is about to discover this was very much the wrong decision.

Ellice has a complex history dating back to her youth in Chillicothe, Georgia. Ellice has a younger brother whom no one knows about who has had his encounters with the police. For this – and other – reasons, Ellice distrusts the police and as they begin to suspect that she might have been involved in Michael’s killing, she must begin an investigation to dig deeper into his death – a death that most definitely was not a suicide.

From her new vantage point at the top of the corporate ladder, Ellice Littlejohn can see the truth of what is happening within the company. The only problem is that she is going to face trouble trying to get anyone to believe her. The novel deals with many topical issues – not the least of which are racism, sexism, and corporate politics – but it never loses sight of the human heart. The resolution is fittingly satisfying without going too saccharine.

Wanda M. Morris hardly allows readers to catch their breath from moment to moment in this exciting read. Her plot moves a breakneck speed with ever-escalating danger for Ellice. Like many thrillers, events occasionally go so far over the top that they stretch credibility, but that is to be expected in a genre built on tense action and beat-the-clock set-pieces. Speaking of genres, Wanda M. Morris successfully weaves a plethora of sub-genres into her novel. All Her Little Secrets is a suspense thriller with elements of domestic suspense, legal procedurals, and social commentary – all with an own-voice authenticity that elicits compassion from the reader.

Let us hope that voices such as Wanda M. Morris’ are no longer stifled for biased reasons and that the reading public will be exposed to stories from all walks of life for many years to come.

I am a big fan of legal thrillers, as well as books that feature flashbacks to other story lines, so I was inclined to enjoy this book--and I did! Both story lines kept my interest, and I enjoyed learning about Ellice's relationships with some of the other characters.

However, the pacing was of in places, and some of the choices Ellice made seemed inconsistent and unbelievable. I believe this novel shows promise for a debut, though.

Many thanks to the Book Club Girl Early Read program from Harper Collins, and NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This was a refreshing read for me. The main character is caught up in a racial and political situation in her job. She is suddenly promoted to a legal counsel role as a black woman at a predominately white male company after her boss dies. She is caught between getting her dream job, getting the job so quickly after her boss dies and also trying to figure out what is really going on at the place she works. This was a page turner that I ended up finishing in just a day!