All Her Little Secrets
Fiction
William Morrow
November 2, 2021
Advance reader copy
384
Free from publisher
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—her white boss, Michael.
But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice goes to meet Michael… 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 Michael. 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 review:
3.5 stars
First of all, I'm impressed that this is a debut author. I thought the story was very well crafted and written, and would not have thought it to be a first book. There was a lot to unpack in this one. First of all there was the race angle of the story. Ellice seems to be the "token black executive" at this huge company, and there are protestors outside the building everyday demanding more diverse employment practices. Is that the only reason she has her job? Then we have all the secrets from her past that Ellice would rather keep hidden, as well as a big one from her present, thus keeping her from reporting her boss' death. And lastly there is the plot line of the corruption within the company Ellice is working for. What exactly is going on, and who is involved? All of these concurrent storylines make for a compelling read as you try to put all the pieces together. Because of the amount of stuff going on, I did feel that you had to pay close attention in this one. Due to the fact that I didn't want to miss anything, I felt it did drag a bit in some spots where there was extraneous information that I wasn't sure was going to be useful. Then again, I tend to be really clueless when it comes to these types of multi faceted legal thrillers, so there is that to keep in mind. While most of the book takes place in present time, there are some flashbacks to Ellice's life before she became a high powered lawyer. These flashbacks tie up some of the secrets Ellice holds.
An impressive debut novel with a lot of moving plots. Lots of things to like about this one, particularly if you like legal thrillers.
