Book Review | "All Good People Here" by Ashley Flowers

 

All Good People Here | by Ashley Flowers

Published On August 16 2023

Publisher Random Book House LLC

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the case of January Jacobs, who was found dead in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist, but she’s always been haunted by the fear that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her sick uncle, it feels like walking into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembered: genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under eerily similar circumstances. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, the family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could the killer still be out there? Could it be the same person who kidnapped Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night?

My Thoughts

Last week, I was fortunate enough to participate in a read-along on Instagram with Tandem Collective Global. It was so much fun because we had a challenge to complete every day, and I really had to think outside the box with my creative abilities.  

For example, I had to choose a quote that made me suspicious of one of the characters and share it with my followers. They recommended reading the quote in a podcast format. I'm guessing because the author, Ashley Flowers, happens to be a true crime podcaster. Anyway, I completed the task by using a fun podcast filter, speeding up my video, and naming my podcast the "Over-Caffeinated Podcast." It was pretty funny. (You can find these collection of challenges if you click here.)

So, thank you to Tandem Collective Global for the gifted copy of "All Good People Here" and allowing me to participate in the fun read-along.  All opinions expressed below are mine alone.

"All Good People Here" by Ashley Flowers is a gripping crime thriller written in a dual POV (point of view) within their respective timelines. Krissy's character is written with her POV in 1994 when her daughter, January, went missing. Margot Davies' POV is written in her present state of 2019. I can definitely praise Flowers for writing this book with only two POVs. Why? Because there are other important characters in this story that she could have tapped into, but Flowers chose not to, and I'm happy for that. It certainly reduces confusion, but it also allows the reader to make their own assumptions and formulate suspects.

Talking about suspects, you will not be able to narrow down one person throughout this story. This book takes place in a small town in Indiana, and there are a handful of people who could be potential suspects. In true fashion of small-town America, the townspeople gossip a lot. In other words, the folks of Wakarusa will help you broaden your suspect list. Add in a bunch of red herrings, and you will be on as much of a "wild goose chase" as Margot herself was.

Let's move on to the true crime influence in this book.  If you enjoy amateur sleuthing, listening, reading or watching true crime documentaries you will love this book.  I found a lot of real true crime cases that played into this story.  One of the most significant one I found was the Jon Benet Ramsey case. But, there are also some other notable serial killer cases as well that must have had some influence on Flowers as she wrote this story.  

To wrap things up, I really enjoyed this book overall. The ending was gruesome and hard to stomach, so please check trigger warnings before reading this book. Overall, I would recommend this book to any thriller, mystery, or true crime lover.

 

I challenge YOU to read this book and see if you can guess the ending correctly.  You can order your own copy of "All Good People Here" by Ashley Flowers right here

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