Introduction
All Good People Here, written by Ashley Flowers, was published on August 16th, 2022, by Bantam publishing company. This was another book lent to me and recommended by my mom. She and I love spending our summers laying in the sunshine and reading, and because we have similar tastes, we will occasionally trade books back and forth. So, as soon as she finished this one, she recommended it to me, and I’m glad she did. I definitely enjoyed this book, and I do suggest that others who like reading the mystery genre check it out. If you have not read this book yet, I would start by doing that before continuing with this review. The Plot section will be spoiler free if you’re looking for a brief overview, but the Thoughts section will contain spoilers.
If you want to learn more about Ashley Flowers, check out her website, https://ashleyflowers.com/, and her various podcasts. You can also follow her on social media @ashleyflowers.
Plot
In 1994, Margot survived a killer simply because they chose the house across the street: that of her friend, January Jacobs. The scandal shocked the small town of Wakarusa, Indiana, and when Margot finds herself back there twenty-five years later, she can’t shake the case. Using the town’s gossip chain to solve her friend’s murder, she uncovers secrets that prove this town is much more than it seems. Told through two perspectives and in two time periods, the mystery slowly unravels piece by piece.
Thoughts
This book was a really good mystery. I like the ones that start with a bang and immediately snag my attention. I’ll usually stick with a book to see if it gets better, but it is a much more enjoyable experience for me if I can be invested right off the bat. This book does that, and it almost feels like a movie the way it starts with a flashback and then immediately flashes forward. The third person point of view added to that as well. The dual perspectives were also a good way to promote the mystery from not only two different characters, but also two different timelines. It was something new that I don’t recall having seen before.
Something I noticed was that while I wouldn’t call this book predictable per se - I guessed part of the ending, but other things took me by surprise, and there were enough valid suspects and leads that I was left intrigued - I would say that it followed a very traditional style. Starting with a mystery being solved by someone with a personal motivation to do so. Add a few solid suspects and increasingly interesting plot twists that keep the reader on edge while also thinking they have an idea of what’s happening. End with one last plot twist that really raises eyebrows, and either tie it all up neatly or leave it open for a sequel. Before you read the next few sentences, I would like to preface them: I liked this book, and I did find it well written with an engaging plot. I would and do recommend it to people who enjoy this genre. That being said; though I felt it followed this outline very well and is a good book, I also feel like I have read more interesting books with similar concepts. The Tori Hunt book series written by Roger Stelljes is the first to come to mind.
Three huge points in favor of this book for me are the ending, the title, and the character Uncle Luke. First, the ending was great, and I hope that there is a sequel on the way. To end by finally getting it confirmed who killed Krissy - whose perspective we had been given throughout the book - followed by the killer attacking the main character with an ambiguous ending as to whether she lives or dies, and whether January will ever have justice. It was amazing, and I found myself flipping through the last pages - knowing I would find nothing - looking for resolution. Then to have the final chapter be from the perspective of the killer in the past when the original murder was committed? It was leaps and bounds better than a villain monologue, and I thought it was a brilliant decision.
My second and third points actually go hand-in-hand. It is well established early on through both the characters’ actions and inner monologues that the town of Wakarusa, Indiana has an active and strong gossip chain. The title, All Good People Here, is exactly what the town wants to advertise in spite of the scandals that took place decades prior. In contrast, the character of Uncle Luke is described as a truth-teller in a town of liars. The irony of the title juxtaposed against Luke’s character provided a very interesting dynamic for me, and it was one I greatly enjoyed reading in between the heavy and mysterious moments.
All in all, I found the book to be a relatively standard but interesting mystery with a solid plot. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite of the ones I’ve read, but it was certainly enjoyable, and I appreciated the more unique choices that the author made in writing it. Because of this, I am going to rate All Good People Here 7/10.
Comments