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Book Summary and Reviews of All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

All Her Little Secrets

A Novel

by Wanda M. Morris

  • Readers' Rating (3):
  • Published:
  • Nov 2021, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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…

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. What do you think made Ellice so driven when it came to school and her career? Was she equally focused on other aspects of her life (e.g. friendships, romance, family)?
  2. Despite what she says in the book, do you think Ellice actually loved Michael? Do you think her feelings were a factor in any of her decisions?
  3. What did you think of the sibling relationship between Sam and Ellice? Do you think Ellice was responsible for Sam's problems and/or could she have prevented them?
  4. Ellice gives some leeway to Willow towards the end of the book despite some of her complicity in what happened at Houghton. What do you think Ellice's thought process was? Do you agree or disagree with her?
  5. Ellice rubs up against Detective ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"An eye-opening look at what it is to fight all the -isms of being Black and female in America. Ellice is a compelling and multidimensional hero in this must-have debut that will be embraced by all legal-thriller readers." —Booklist (starred review)

"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

"All Her Little Secrets builds to an exciting conclusion, marking Morris as an electrifying new voice in the genre. Morris's debut will prove perfect for readers looking for thrillers that reveal dark secrets and twisted webs of lies alongside hard truths about the realities of racism and sexism in corporate America." —Shelf Awareness

"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

This information about All Her Little Secrets was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Wanda M. Morris

Wanda M. Morris is the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets, which has been praised by Karin Slaughter as "brilliantly nuanced" and reviewed by The Boston Globe, LA Times, New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Seattle Times, and South Florida Sun Sentinel among others. Her second novel, Anywhere You Run, won the Anthony award for Best Historical Novel of 2023 and was longlisted for the prestigious Mark Twain Voice in American Literature Prize. She is married, the mother of three, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

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