Title: All Good People Here
Author: Ashley Flowers
Publication: August 16, 2022
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 313
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
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?
REVIEW:
This book was all over social media and book charts, so I knew I had to read it. Not only that but it fell into my favorite genre. Right off the bat I was intrigued by the story because of its location. As a born and bred Michigander, Indiana and most of the places they talked about I had heard of or even been to. I love small towns and small town mysteries are even more intriguing.
The story follows Margot as she digs into her childhood friends murder and see if it ties to a new crime in the area. I really liked Margot’s character. I felt that we could feel her anxiousness as she juggled her mission to find January’s killer, her uncle’s illness, and her job. I felt what she felt and I felt her anxiety every time she was dealing with her uncle not knowing what is happening.
Flowers has a writing style that keeps you on the edge of your seat. She gives just enough information to have you itching for more, but then stops before you figure anything out. She’d give a little and draw you in before pulling back, leaving us waiting for more. I had so many questions the entire time. I really liked some of the side characters as well. The supporting characters, especially January’s brother. At least from the first interaction, he’s such an interesting character and Flowers has a lot of those.
The story itself was unique and twisty. The fact that Margot was a journalist made the perspective of this story interesting because it was like watching someone investigate a case, but also it being extremely personal to them. That’s not typically a view we, as readers, get to read from and I really loved this story and how it wrapped up at the end. I wouldn’t call it a happy ending, but there was definitely closure.
This is a definite must read for anyone who loves good mysteries with lots of suspense! Get yourself a copy asap!