Rating: 4.5 / 5
ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS by Wanda M. Morris was one of our #SaturdayBookstaClub buddy read picks for November/December. We hoped to end up the year with some great books and this one did not disappoint!
ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS follows Ellice, a Black woman working as an attorney in a corporation that is being targeted with protests for its lack of diverse hiring. Ellice is having an affair wit her white boss, but when she goes to meet him early one morning, she finds him dead at his desk, shot in the head. She walks away from the scene, pretending that nothing has happened, knowing that her past is full of secrets that would have to come out if she gets wrapped up in an investigation.
When the firm looks to Ellice to fill Michael’s shoes (and “prove” their diversity no doubt as well), she is still reeling with what has happened. As more time passes and further details come to light about her involvement with Michael and her own past, she is faced with more questions and a need for answers.
This book kept me wondering throughout as to what exactly happened in Ellice’s past and what was going on in the present. There were a few details that had me needing to suspend my disbelief. Her fear of getting involved in the investigation into her boss’ death made sense, but it was a bit naïve to think that the firm she worked for hadn’t investigated her past at all prior to hiring her to a position with access to sensitive information. She also made a few moves where I really felt like I was watching a horror movie where the character is walking into a dark and scary house and you’re yelling at the screen “don’t go in there”.
Still, I really liked Ellice and was pulling for her throughout the book. She had a lot working against her and I think the author did a good job of showing the racism she faced from the everyday occurrences to the more extreme in her very white work environment.
The mystery element was really well built up and kept me hooked to want to read more. It is pretty slow burn in the first half of the book, but the momentum continues to grow and really picks up as you get further in! It made for a fantastic read overall!
DG Reads 