Suspense Book Annotation: All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

"She would gladly murder any one of their daughters right now

to have hers back for one more day." 

(Ashley Flowers, 2022).

Author: Ashley Flowers

Title: All Good People Here

Genre: Suspense / Thriller / Fiction

Publication Date: 2022

Number of Pages: 309

Geographical Setting: Wakarusa, Indiana

Time Period: 1994, 2019

Plot Summary: 

Wakarusa is a small town in Indiana where neighbors know each other and they talk – a lot. Two interrelated stories, from two different times, are being told here at a quick and twisting pace, and it is unclear at first how connected these two stories are. The first story is of young reporter, Margot Davies, who has just moved back to her home town to take care of her uncle Luke, who was diagnosed with dementia. The second is of January Jacobs. Similar to JonBenet Ramsey, she was a six-year-old beauty queen who disappeared in the 90s.

Unfortunately, it did not take long to find January’s body in a ditch. Margot has always been haunted by January’s story, as she was January’s neighbor and they were the same age. Now, another young girl, Natalie, has gone missing a town over. Her job could be in jeopardy if Margot does not let this trauma-fueled obsession go!

If you like crime podcasts and novels where characters cover up their wrong-doings to avoid becoming fodder for the local gossip mill, you may enjoy this book.

Things may not be what they seem. Pay attention to the facts of the story to see if you can guess the ending!

Subject Headings:

Women journalists - Fiction

Murder investigations - Fiction

Cold cases - Fiction 

Missing person - Fiction 

Appeal:

Pacing: fast-paced

"Adrenaline describes the fast-paced novels designed to quickly capture and sustain reader interest through action-filled plots and tense atmospheres" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2018, p. 24). 

Storyline: This book is told in chapters back and forth from Margot Davie's point a view to Krissy Jacobs's point of view. 

"For fans, the page-turning pace means that the violence something goes practically unnoticed"  (Wyatt & Saricks, 2018, p. 24).

Tone: An ominous feeling settles, with nervous parts where Margot is unsure if she is safe in her own home.

"Vivid details and building suspense add to the ominous atmosphere"  (Wyatt & Saricks, 2018, p. 24). 

3 Terms That Best Describe This Book: Investigative, Gripping, Intriguing 

Suspense Fiction Read-alikes:

(Click on the book covers to search WorldCat for holdings near you)

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Summers, C. (2018). Sadie. New York: Wednesday Books. 

Common appeals: Missing girl, Detective stories, Small town, Contemporary 

Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell 

Jewell, L. (2018). Then she was gone. New York: Atria Books. 

Common appeals: Cold cases, Missing children, Suspicion 

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

Kubica, M. (2023). Just the Nicest Couple. Park Row Books. 

Common appeal: Missing persons, Secrecy, Spouses

True Crime Read-alikes

(Click on the book covers to search WorldCat for holdings near you)  

Lay Them to Rest by Laurah Norton 

Norton, L. (2023) Lay them to rest: On the road with the cold case investigators who identify the nameless. Hachette Books. 

Common appeals: Cold cases, Murder victims, Crime

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Marzano-Lesnevich, A. (2017). The fact of a body. New York: Flatiron Books. 

Common appeals: Family secrets, Murder, Crime

Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren

Lauren, J. (2023). Behold the monster. Sourcebooks. 

Common appeals: Serial murder investigation, Murder victim, Crime

References

Flowers, A. (2022). All good people here. New York: Bantam Books. 

Wyatt, N. & Saricks, J. G. (2018). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction: Third edition. American Library Association.