All Her Little Secrets: A Novel

by Wanda M. Morris

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The past sure is tense in All Her Little Secrets, this debut trade paperback by Wanda M. Morris. And the present isn’t a cakewalk, either. Do you think you're having a bad day? Imagine Ellice Littlejohn who finds a dead body in her office within the first chapter of the book. Turns out, that's the least of her problems. Add in deceit, murder and corporate espionage committed by truly evil board members — so many webs to get tangled in here!

“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…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063082472
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/02/2021
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	44,089
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

09/20/2021

Attorney Morris puts her experiences as a Black woman navigating the corridors of corporate power to good use in her strong debut, a legal thriller. Ellice Littlejohn, a 40-something Black woman, is relatively content as a senior member of the legal department at Atlanta’s Houghton Transportation Company. But that all changes when she arrives for an early morning meeting with her white boss, Houghton’s general counsel and her lover, Michael Sayles, and finds him dead from a gunshot to the head, apparently self-inflicted. Freaked out, Ellice doesn’t report her grim discovery and acts surprised when the news reaches her. She’s further stunned to be immediately promoted to fill Michael’s role before she has a chance to decide whether she wants the position. She becomes increasingly anxious when she’s interviewed by the police, who are treating the death as a homicide. Morris gives her flawed lead plenty to struggle with, including a secret, ex-con brother; workplace sexism and racism; and an awkward encounter with her lover’s widow. The fast pacing doesn’t overwhelm the deep dive into Ellice’s inner life. John Grisham fans will be pleased. Agent: Lori Galvin, Aevitas Creative Management. (Nov.)

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

"The flashy, busy, unlikely plot is elevated by Morris' urgent portrayal of a Black woman trying to navigate a world stacked against her, and the moving flashbacks to her childhood." — New York Times Book Review

"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

“Wanda M. Morris is ready to shake up the legal thriller as only one who knows that world inside out can.”  — Entertainment Weekly

"All Her Little Secrets is an impressive debut." — Marie Claire

"Wanda M. Morris' All Her Little Secrets is a carefully constructed thriller wrapped in a narrative about racism, gentrification, and being the only Black person in an all-white environment." — NPR

"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

“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)

"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

From the Publisher

"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

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

"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

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

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

"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

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)

Wanda M. Morris is ready to shake up the legal thriller as only one who knows that world inside out can.” 

Entertainment Weekly

"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

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

"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

"A fresh perspective on the legal thriller..."

|Los Angeles Times

"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

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

Tori Eldridge

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

Rachel Howzell Hall

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

"A fresh perspective on the legal thriller..."

Los Angeles Times

★ 01/01/2022

Lawyer Ellice Littlejohn is a long way from the red clay of her small Georgia town, her scholarship days in a Virginia boarding school, and her mother, who is addicted to alcohol. But Ellice's compartmentalizing of her life falls apart when her boss is murdered. She is quickly promoted into his position as chief legal counsel. And while Ellice has a litany of professional accomplishments, she can't shake the feeling that something about her promotion is suspect. Is it because she's the only Black executive? Is it the guilt she feels for having an affair with her late boss? Corporate corruption, greed, issues of race, and murder combine in this perfect listen for patrons who have finished the latest John Grisham or Michael Connelly. Recommend also to fans of The Gone Dead, by Chanelle Benz, and No One Is Coming To Save Us, by Stephanie Powell Watts. VERDICT Morris's convincing writing and Susan Dalian's compelling narration make this powerful debut a must-add to audiobook collections.—Lesley Mason

Library Journal - Audio

08/01/2021

DEBUT Fortysomething Atlanta corporate attorney Ellice Littlejohn has an impeccable résumé, but she laments her lack of wonderful husband or intelligent kids. She's been having a years-long affair with her married boss, Michael—until the morning she finds him dead in the office, near a pool of blood and a gun. Ellice then does what she always does—she runs. The bloody scene gives her a flashback of being a poor Black girl growing up in rural Georgia, contending with an alcohol-addicted mother and a sexually abusive stepfather, a white police officer. Ellice and her aunt Vera eventually put an end to the trauma together—a secret she'd planned to take with her to the grave. Until now. The CEO promotes Ellice into Michael's job, and it's clear to her that she's the corporate diversity token, "the lone Black person, expected to represent the success or failure of every Black woman who worked in corporate America." When someone leaves her a note alluding to her childhood secret, she's determined to stop the blackmail. Ellice uncovers not only murder but terrifying racism running amok. VERDICT 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.—K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX

Library Journal

Susan Dalian puts her versatility to use in this legal thriller. She brings listeners the cadence and rhythms of African American culture through attorney Ellice Littlejohn, a rising star in a firm where all is not what it seems. Dalian establishes well-defined characters ranging from Ellice herself to Vera, a motherly figure who cares for Ellice’s younger brother, and the various members of the white corporate world Ellice has become part of. Dalian straddles the playful and the serious—from Ellice's lighthearted affair with her boss to her discovery of his body in his bed. As an investigation ensues and Ellice benefits from her boss’s death, even she can see something is not quite right. Fans of crime fiction will find much to admire in this mystery. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Susan Dalian puts her versatility to use in this legal thriller. She brings listeners the cadence and rhythms of African American culture through attorney Ellice Littlejohn, a rising star in a firm where all is not what it seems. Dalian establishes well-defined characters ranging from Ellice herself to Vera, a motherly figure who cares for Ellice’s younger brother, and the various members of the white corporate world Ellice has become part of. Dalian straddles the playful and the serious—from Ellice's lighthearted affair with her boss to her discovery of his body in his bed. As an investigation ensues and Ellice benefits from her boss’s death, even she can see something is not quite right. Fans of crime fiction will find much to admire in this mystery. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

2021-08-18
A seat on the executive board should be a professional peak for a corporate lawyer. Instead, it’s a life-threatening trap.

Success hasn’t been easy for Ellice Littlejohn. As a Black woman, she’s dealt with barriers other lawyers haven’t, especially in Atlanta, a city that, despite its vibrant and diverse present, hasn’t shed its racist history. To rise, Ellice has carefully shaped her image—and left out certain pieces of her past, like her childhood in a small, grindingly poor Georgia town where some very bad things happened before she escaped via a scholarship to an elite boarding school. She has secrets in the present, too, notably her long-term affair with Michael Sayles, who is married, White, and her boss in Houghton Transportation’s legal department. When he summons her for an early-morning meeting and she arrives at his office to find him dead, an apparent suicide, she keeps that a secret, too, leaving his body to be discovered by someone else. Ellice had no delusions about being in love with Michael—it was a colleagues-with-benefits situation for a woman focused more on her career than her personal life—but his death blows up her entire life. Among its least expected effects: She’s promoted to his job as head of legal, which puts her on the board of a family-owned, almost entirely White corporation. Houghton has been under pressure about its lack of employee diversity, and her hiring should improve their optics. But she feels distinctly unwelcome on the board despite the support of company CEO Nate Ashe, a somewhat dotty Southern gentleman. The harder she looks into what really happened to Michael, the more she uncovers in the company that alarms her. At the same time, her own secrets are being revealed. 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. One of Ellice’s secrets is Vera Henderson, the woman who raised her and her brother, Sam. Vera, once a fierce defender of children and women, is now a dementia patient in a nursing home, and Morris skillfully paints the loving, painful relationship between her and Ellice.

Corporate competition is not only racist and sexist, but deadly in this confident debut thriller.

Kirkus Reviews