ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS by Wanda M. Morris

 

“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…

MY THOUGHTS

No doubt I am in the minority with this one. While the premise was good and the prologue  pulled me in the rest just was not what I thought it was  going to be. It was a fast paced legal thriller and the "Interstitial" parts between that went back to when Ellie was a child was the best parts. I looked forward to reading more about her childhood even though I knew where it was headed. It was set in 1979 in a small rural town in Georgia. A black community that was surrounded by a lot of white racists. The current time period was also filled with a lot of very racists people. The fact that a black woman was hired to work at this firm was shocking. She was a bit shocking. Being a lawyer you would think she would have made much better choices. As an adult that is...

This book is well written and the main subject matter is very much how life is in this country. Even now in 2021 it's a very racist country and isn't that sad. As a child in the seventies I didn't notice it as much but it certainly existed then too. You would think we would learn something after all these years... Ellie was a smart young woman who went through a lot in her life. Some things she sort of brought on herself though. She should have known better than having an affair with her boss. But that was part of the story and made her who she was. 

The characters in this story were pretty likable. The ones from the seventies that is. Not many for the current time period were. The descriptions were great. They made me feel like I was there. Like I was in the small town during the seventies and in the building when Ellie found her boss deceased. Why she did what she did after finding him really was lost on me. I know it was a key part of the storyline but still it made her look weak. She was a lawyer not a runner. She was a survivor, not a runner. So that just didn't go over so well for me. But like I said it was part of this story and you will learn what happened. Who did what. 

This book is filled with a lot of racist things that made my skin crawl. Country Clubs that only have one black member, just to show they are not racists. I would wonder why any black person would want to be a part of that club. It's not good enough in my opinion. But then again I am not black so I would not begin to understand. There is a lot going on and I won't give anything away. Let's just say that there is a bit of everything going on and read the story to find out just what. 

While I did not really enjoy this book I have to say it was pretty well written. I had a hard time with the 1970s setting as it seemed to bounce around a lot. From one part to the next you might be before she left or before what happened happened. The main story stayed pretty much on track, yet I enjoyed the back story the most. The book is interesting and there are no loose ends to wonder about. You will find answers to all your questions. Some characters you will like and some you will despise. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #WandaMMorris, #WilliamMorrowpublishing for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

It's a 3/5 stars for me. Read it and decide for yourself what you think. I think I was expecting something different after all I heard about it. That's just me.