An outstanding and gripping thriller that completely captivated me. The tension was palpable from start to finish, with intricate twists that kept me guessing. The characters were complex, and the exploration of small-town secrets and mysteries added a haunting atmosphere. I couldn’t put it down and was completely hooked throughout. A brilliantly crafted 5-star read!

**All Good People Here** by **Ashley Flowers** is a compelling debut psychological thriller that hooks readers from the very first page. Known for her podcast *Crime Junkie*, Flowers brings her expertise in true crime to the world of fiction, delivering a tense, atmospheric novel that explores themes of small-town secrets, grief, and the complex nature of truth. With its captivating plot and well-developed characters, this book is a page-turner that will appeal to fans of suspenseful crime dramas.

### Plot Overview:
The story revolves around **Maggie St. James**, a true-crime journalist who returns to her small hometown of **Wells, Indiana**, after years of living in Chicago. Her return is motivated by a mix of personal and professional reasons—she is hoping to reconnect with her past and get closure on the unresolved case that still haunts her: the unsolved murder of her childhood friend, **Tess McClain**. Tess was killed when Maggie was just a teenager, and the case was left cold for years, despite widespread speculation and rumors.

Maggie’s return to Wells stirs up long-buried memories and unsettling emotions, and she soon finds herself involved in another mystery when a local girl, **Avery**, is found dead in circumstances that eerily resemble Tess’s murder. This connection to her own past leads Maggie to re-investigate both cases, uncovering dark secrets hidden beneath the seemingly idyllic small-town facade.

As Maggie digs deeper into the town’s secrets, she begins to realize that the truth may be even more disturbing than she imagined. The lines between the past and the present blur, and the deeper she goes, the more personal the case becomes. Maggie is forced to confront her own memories, her family, and the relationships that tie her to Wells—and in the process, she learns that sometimes the truth can be more dangerous than the lies we tell ourselves.

### Character Development:
Maggie is a strong, multi-layered protagonist whose motivations are driven by both a sense of justice and unresolved guilt. As a journalist, she is intelligent, investigative, and persistent, but her return to her hometown forces her to deal with the emotional baggage she’s carried with her for years. She is a woman caught between her professional ambitions and her personal need for closure. Maggie’s internal struggle adds depth to the narrative, making her a relatable and empathetic character. Her determination to uncover the truth is admirable, yet she’s also haunted by the weight of the past, which gives her character an added layer of vulnerability.

The secondary characters, particularly those connected to the original murder, are well-developed and offer various perspectives on the town’s history and its dark secrets. Maggie’s relationship with her family, especially her estranged father, adds complexity to the story. These relationships serve as a reminder that no one, even those closest to us, is immune from the weight of hidden truths. As Maggie uncovers secrets, she also begins to unravel her own family's ties to the murders, making her personal stakes even higher.

The town of Wells itself plays an almost gothic role in the novel—its small, tight-knit community hiding more than just superficial charm. The residents of Wells are suspicious, resentful, and protective of their own, creating a tense atmosphere that only amplifies the suspense of Maggie’s investigation.

### Writing Style:
Ashley Flowers’s writing is fast-paced and atmospheric, drawing readers in with her meticulous attention to detail and strong sense of place. Her background in true crime is evident in her approach to storytelling—Flowers brings an authenticity to the investigation process, incorporating real-world investigative techniques and psychological insight into the narrative. The pacing of the novel is spot-on, with each chapter building tension and revealing new pieces of the puzzle.

Flowers also excels at creating a palpable sense of unease. The novel is filled with ominous descriptions of the small town, the claustrophobic nature of the community, and the ever-present shadows of the past. There’s a creeping sense of dread that permeates the book, making it impossible to put down. The alternating timelines—shifting between Maggie’s childhood and her adult investigation—add an extra layer of intrigue, as the reader is constantly kept in suspense about what Maggie will uncover next.

The dialogue is sharp and realistic, with characters speaking in a way that feels natural while also advancing the plot. Flowers uses dialogue to reveal key pieces of information, often hiding small, important details within seemingly casual exchanges. This keeps the reader on edge, unsure of who to trust.

### Themes:
1. **Secrets and Lies**: At its core, *All Good People Here* is about the secrets people keep and the lies they tell themselves. The novel examines how hidden truths can shape lives and destroy relationships. Maggie’s return to Wells forces the town’s secrets to the surface, and her investigation uncovers a series of lies, betrayals, and cover-ups that have lingered for years. The theme of secrets is central to the plot, with every character seeming to have something to hide.

2. **Grief and Healing**: Maggie’s personal journey is a key part of the story, and the novel touches on the themes of grief, loss, and the quest for closure. Maggie is not just solving a murder; she is also trying to heal the emotional wounds from her past. Her relationship with Tess’s death, her return to Wells, and her strained relationship with her family all contribute to her emotional arc. The novel asks whether it is possible to heal from a traumatic event when the past continues to haunt you.

3. **The Complexity of Truth**: The novel delves into the idea that truth is not always black and white. Maggie’s investigation reveals how subjective truth can be, and how the pursuit of justice can sometimes cloud one’s judgment. The idea that people’s perceptions of truth can be influenced by their biases, desires, and emotions is central to the novel’s conflict. As Maggie uncovers more about the murders, she realizes that even the most straightforward truths may not be as clear-cut as they seem.

4. **The Power of Memory**: Memory plays a significant role in the novel. Maggie’s recollections of her childhood, particularly her friendship with Tess, shape her understanding of the case and her investigation. The book raises the question of how reliable memory is and whether we can ever truly trust our own recollections, especially when we are emotionally invested in the outcome.

### Emotional Impact:
*All Good People Here* is an emotional rollercoaster, with moments of heartbreak, dread, and suspense. The novel’s ability to create tension is its greatest strength, but it also packs an emotional punch. Maggie’s journey is not just about solving a murder—it’s about coming to terms with her own past and dealing with the emotional fallout of long-buried trauma. Readers will feel her frustration, her anguish, and her triumph as she pieces together the truth, which makes the final revelation all the more satisfying and bittersweet.

The novel is also emotionally resonant in its depiction of small-town life and the relationships that define us. The sense of community, both supportive and stifling, adds a layer of emotional depth to the narrative, making it more than just a whodunit.

### Final Thoughts:
*All Good People Here* is a standout debut from Ashley Flowers, blending the best elements of psychological thrillers with a nuanced exploration of human emotions and relationships. The book is a captivating mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very end, with a protagonist whose personal growth and emotional journey are just as compelling as the case she is trying to solve.

With its sharp writing, strong character development, and expertly crafted suspense, *All Good People Here* is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and crime fiction. It’s a gripping and intelligent debut that suggests Flowers has a bright future ahead in the world of fiction. If you enjoy novels like **Gillian Flynn’s *Sharp Objects***, **Tana French’s *In the Woods***, or **Lisa Jewell’s *The Family Upstairs***, *All Good People Here* should definitely be on your radar.

Thank you for the ARC.
This is a good twisty thriller but I struggled at times with the dual timeline.
However it was full of twists and turns and a good ending.

This is a compelling and twisty thriller. The story is told over a dual timeline. It is full of twists. I liked the ending.

I really wanted to like this book but ended up having to DNF as I found it very slow and boring.....I was initially hooked and wanting to know what happened to the girl but as I read on I found myself bored with a lot of filler being put into the story

This is one of those that I struggled to get into. I persevered and the story did pickup the further along the story went.
The premise was good, characters written well, just nothing in the book that has any USP.
It was an ok read.
Thank you for the arc.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I don't think it offers anything different to the hundreds of other thrillers published every year. It was predictable and lacked any tension throughout. The abrupt ending was as if the author had just forgotten to write the last few chapters and I was left unsatisfied. It's not a bad book but certainly left me feeling disappointed.

Will not be reviewing on my Instagram page.

This book had clear similarities to a major unsolved murder that most people are aware of, even if you don’t follow true crime, which gave me a little bit of the i I. However, I enjoyed where this book went with it and how it steered away from what could be an imaginative retelling. I also LOVED the ending. Although I’m sure it’s very controversial!

It took me a little while to get into this book but wow I am so pleased I stuck with it as the second half flew by! I loved the ending and it was a brilliant thriller with twist after twist making me think right up until the end
Definitely will recommend this to others

This is a very twisted, multi-layered psychological thriller that I audible gasped at more than once.

The book centres on two families who live enviable lives; perfect houses, perfect life styles and perfect friendship. Well, that's the impression that they want to create because treachery and depravity lurk on every page and one family has gone missing leaving a very worrying scene behind.
The layers of deceit from pretty much all the characters meant that I was constantly having to re-evaluate my suspicions about what exactly happened and why. This created the most delicious tension and, if I'm honest, the ending was almost a relief.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I really, really enjoyed this. You can tell Ashley Flowers is interested in true crime and passionate about telling a good story, because it really comes across in this book. I loved the concept and thought it was so well-plotted. The writing has a nice clarity to it, so it flowed really well. I thought the characters were really well-evoked, and enjoyed Ashley's depiction of small-town America. All in all, this was a winning novel for me. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it.

This, I just coudn't get into no matter how hard I tried.
Picked it up and left it for days countless times, suffered multiple slumps in between and I cannot bring my self to care enough to finish it.
Hard DNF.

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy almost the first three quarters of this book because I really did. However once Margot started behaving like a police officer rather than a journalist I couldn’t take it seriously. Why on earth would suspects answer the kinds of questions she was asking? Well iI cannot believe they would so the whole book was spoiled for me and that’s such a pity because the plot was well thought out and would have worked with a few tweaks.
.

There are so many great things about this book. I love a dual timeline, an investigation, a threat to our characters & a mystery that spans the whole story.

This was brilliantly paced, kept my attention throughout & was really entertaining. I found myself questioning the motives of a few of the characters & not knowing who I could trust, which was great as I often guess 'whodunnit'.

I was a little frustrated with the epilogue as I felt like I didn't need it, the chapter before had ended on such a cliffhanger which I wanted to be the end as it felt so right.

Well where do I begin? How will a written review do this book any justice? How is this a debut? So many questions and rambles are whizzing around my head right now.

This is a book that is hopefully going to be a huge bestseller and he read by all. Ashley Flowers deserves recognition because this is a delight to read from beginning to end.

Margot is a brilliant character, likeable and realistic. We follow her as she goes to stay with her uncle. This is where events really start to play out. Margot is a reporter who has been told to report on the case of missing girl, Natalie. However, this leads to discoveries about a missing girl from Margot’s childhood- January Jacobs.

Flowers transports the reader with her words. You do feel as though you are watching a true crime show play out in front of you. This is believable and completely gripping. As a reader, you cannot help but become invested in this book. You are eager to find out more and put the pieces together.

There have been a few occasions, I have thought I had this figured out. Flowers has then pulled the ground from under me and left me guessing again. Some of the characters in this are questionable, I found myself really questioning who to trust. This has been completely enthralling.

Another aspect I have loved a gif this book, is the serious decline of health with Luke. This adds that extra realness and raw emotion to this book. I definitely recommend this book.

My jaw has dropped towards the end of this one. I have been so caught up that I couldn’t see the events panning out as they did. Flowers really has created a gem with this book.

There is literally nothing negative I can say about this book. I have loved it from beginning to end. Flowers is an author to watch out for and this is one magnificent debut. A book worthy of all the stars and praise and a definite recommendation from me.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a brilliant debut. The perfect blend of mystery and character development. I loved the crime side of the book; looking for the murderer of the little girls, but the character development for Margot was wonderful too. Would love to read more from Ashley Flowers. Must get back to listening to Crime Junkie podcasts!

Oh…my…god!! This book is amazing!
These are the type of thrillers I need in my life.

January Jacobs was murdered 25 years ago and her killer was never found. Margot, a friend of January’s goes back to her hometown to care for her uncle. Now she’s a journalist and other girls have been reported missing she finds herself digging deeper to track the murderer.

Ok I haven’t given that any justice whatsoever but this was brilliant.
Throughout the whole book I had my suspicions, then it makes you question everything and everyone.
The ending was spot on too, very easy 5 stars from me!

This is a brilliant debut novel. It has all the elements of a perfect crime thriller as the story meanders along with plenty of surprising elements and reveals right up to the very end. I loved the slows steady pace and development of the story, particularly the atmosphere created by the small town community. Most of all though I loved the leading character Margot and her relationship with her Uncle Luke which was very endearing against the darkness of the story. A definite must read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Ashley Flowers for this digital copy!

All Good People Here was everything I needed it to be! My first read of spooky season, this was the perfect balance between thriller and true crime in my opinion, making for a fast paced and enthralling novel! I have been seeing this all over bookstagram, as well as other platforms, and rightly so!

The story dips between the past, which is narrated by Krissy, January’s mother, and the present, which is narrated by Margot. I love both dual timelines and dual POVs, especially in this genre. Along with these two elements, Flowers writing adds layers of suspense throughout and all of these together make All Good People Here such a pageturner! I was left questioning which characters I could trust, who was guilty and what really happened throughout, which is always a good sign in my eyes.

If you're a fan of thrillers and true crime/cold case  narratives, all Good People Here is a book for you!

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

An interesting thriller that didn't quite deliver on the set-up as the characters didn't feel finished or developed enough leaving me wanting a bit more to make it a memorable read. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.