All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 336 pages
Published: August 2022

I read All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers on recommendation of a local book club. The premise was interesting - a young child abducted from her midwestern America home and murdered decades ago affects the life of Margot, her friend and next door neighbor. Years later, Margot is now a struggling journalist, returns to her small hometown to take care of her ailing uncle and another child murder occurs forcing her smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery that has ties to the one that occurred during her childhood. 

The plot was intriguing; however, there were several plot holes requiring the reader to suspend belief to plow through to the end. The protagonist seemed like an intelligent person who made some stupid and irresponsible life choices. Additionally, the initial murder seems to have been ripped from the headlines of the tragic JonBenét  Ramsey case of the 1990s, which, quite honestly, seemed lazy. 

Having said that, the book is a relatively fast read and could easily be finished over a weekend. I was very disappointed in the cliffhanger ending that provided no real resolution. While I don’t necessarily have to have a novel tied up with a pretty bow in the end, I think this ending was poorly executed and it fell flat for me. Unfortunately, this was not a good start to my year of reading. 

Recommendation: I borrowed a digital copy of this book from the library and am thankful for local library resources. This is definitely one I wouldn’t spend money on and would be very reluctant to recommend to others. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.