All Her Little Secrets

By: Wanda M. Morris

ISBN: 978-0063204331

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: 11/02/2021

Format: Hardcover

My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)

TOP BOOKS OF 2021 LIST

DEBUT 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…

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Praise

"... a page-turning tale dripping with suspense and intrigue ..." —Boston Globe

“… John Grisham fans will be pleased.” — Publishers Weekly

“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 Attica Locke...Wanda Morris is the sharpest new voice in thrillers today. I'm hooked."

-- Amy Gentry, bestselling author of Bad Habits and Good as Gone

"Talk about toxic work environments... A thriller with a heart, this novel had me turning pages late at night. It’s a fast-paced journey into the haunting secrets we keep and the lengths we’ll go to protect our family—even at the expense of ourselves."

-- Tara Laskowski, Agatha Award-winning author of One Night Gone and The Mother Next Door

"In All Her Little Secrets, the trap tightens deftly around Ellice Littlejohn, boxing her in, cutting off all means of escape, and you’ll want to be there for every well-written, tension-filled minute of it. Buckle up. It’s a wild ride... I cannot wait for her follow-up. Brava!"

-- Tracy Clark, Sue Grafton Memorial Award-winning author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery Series

"Wanda M. Morris’ All Her Little Secrets heralds the arrival of a new and necessary voice in thrillers. This debut is at turns heart-pounding and heart-breaking."

-- Lori Rader-Day, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of Under a Dark Sky

"A heartbreaking, heart-bursting page-turner of a book! Wanda Morris's debut is a refreshing read—both entertaining and wise."

-- Rachel Howzell Hall, Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for And Now She's Gone

"Corporate intrigue, emotional angst, and a serious look at today's racial issues makes All Her Little Secrets a stellar debut!" -

- Tori Eldridge, critically acclaimed author of the Lily Wong Mystery series

"Race, secrets, and the love of family are on a collision course in Morris's brilliant debut. Her protagonist, Ellice Littlejohn, is complicated and flawed in the best possible ways. I could have followed her for another 300 pages! Morris is a dynamic, essential new voice in fiction—one you don't want to miss."

-- Nancy Johnson, author of The Kindest Lie

"Brilliantly crafted and thought-provoking, All Her Little Secrets thrilled me with its plot twists and broke my heart with its social commentary. I found myself examining not only the characters but myself with the turn of every page. A must read."

-- Erica Katz, author of The Boy's Club

“Perfect for fans of Alyssa Cole and How to Get Away with Murder, this book deftly carves out a new space on the shelf as surely as its conflicted, finely-wrought protagonist makes a space for herself... Wanda M. Morris is an unforgettable new voice, and we’ve only seen the beginning!”

-- Wendy Heard, author of Too Pretty to Burn and Hunting Annabelle

"A fresh perspective on the legal thriller..." -- Los Angeles Times

“Ellice Littlejohn discovers at the start of this tense and propulsive thriller that the boss with whom she was having an affair has been murdered, setting the tone for a page-turning tale dripping with suspense and intrigue.”

-- Boston Globe

"Attorney Morris puts her experiences as a Black woman navigating the corridors of corporate power to good use in her strong debut... John Grisham fans will be pleased."

-- Publishers Weekly

"In her debut thriller, corporate attorney Morris deftly combines a creepy Nazi-esque sect with a murderous plot and rounds out the intrigue with a striking commentary on racism, sexual assault, and misogyny." -- Library Journal

"Morris builds an escalating thriller plot packed with convincing details about corporate politics and skulduggery. She also provides a knowledgeable portrait of Atlanta’s complex social structure...Corporate competition is not only racist and sexist, but deadly in this confident debut thriller." — Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Photo credit: Chatman Studios Atlanta

Wanda M. Morris is an alumna of the Yale Writers’ Workshop and Robert McKee’s Story Seminar. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. As a corporate attorney, she has worked in the legal departments of several Fortune 100 companies. An accomplished presenter and leader, Morris has previously served as president of the Georgia chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and is the founder of its Women’s Initiative, an empowerment program for female in-house lawyers. Morris is a married mother of three and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. All Her Little Secrets is her debut novel. WEBSITE