All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers is a debut mystery novel worth your time. First off, you will be able to notice the story has been written by someone familiar with crime; Flowers is the host of the podcast "Crime Junkie" and it shows as the descriptions, misdirects, and clues blend realistically together and for a debut, the mystery aspect is strong and consistent throughout. It seems like it is not hard to guess the truth but in All Good People Here, the truth is not what it seems.  This is a good debut novel and though this is not the strongest novel you can read in the mystery/thriller genre, it is enjoyable and Flowers is undoubtedly an author to keep your eye on making All Good People Here worth an hour of your time.

The plot is told from two viewpoints: Krissy's and Margot's. Both viewpoints contain flashbacks with the flashbacks predominately told from Krissy's view which makes sense as Margot was six at the time and probably an unobservant character as you know, she is six. The two vastly different perspectives and periods blend together easily allowing you to read a story with flow and intrigue. The viewpoints bounce off each other and do allow you to be slightly ahead of the mystery if you enjoy solving cases before they're solved in the story but you can also choose to pursue it like an investigative journalist with Margot.

There are repetitive moments in the plot; a lot of Margot's thoughts are repeated in short bursts leading to some blasé reading but those moments can be glossed over leading to a plot able to captivate and read with ease.

The characters are nothing too flash but more importantly, not too basic. They are developed and engaging and individuals you will enjoy within the story. It is the interactions between these good characters, particularly Margot and Luke's relationship, that drive the story. Margot returned home to care for her uncle who is beginning to exhibit the first serious signs of Alzheimer's and the relationship she has with him throughout emulates a deep bond that spans the story.

Krissy is a good narrator, not much else to say. There are two other characters I found compelling but I cannot say who, you'll know immediately though when you read All Good People Here. There are moments where the interactions seemed forced or improbable but my rationale towards those character interactions was people were ready for the story to be told.

What an ending to All Good People Here. It is both predictable and unpredictable and all you need to know about the ending is you won't expect what to expect. I think the ending demonstrates Flower's history as a crime podcaster - take that as you will. In all, All Good People Here contains an intriguing plot, good characters, and a mystery worth an hour of your time.

Okay, who gives a flying monkey about the buildup - let's jump immediately to the ending. I did not predict that. What an idiotic thing for Margot to say and I'm confident it was what led to her death. I think that is a wonderfully ambiguous ending as a major part of the story was Margot's blindness to other possibilities. She thought the cases were connected and that drove her to uncover a killer but made her ignore another one in plain sight.

I seriously think she was so invested in the story she created, one that was supported by evidence - there were pictures of January in his locker for goodness sake! But as Margot said, there were only a few and compared to Polly or Natalie whom had trophies of sorts with their photographs, indicated something else. I liked how she was so one-minded in her determination to win her job back, solve a cold-case, link the crimes, and find a killer that the small details slipped by to create the desired bigger picture. I can't wrap my head around the fact she's dead. Do you think differently? The way I read the story, Billy was not letting her out of his sight.

I did suspect Billy from the beginning or Margot's biological dad. My rationale was the dad entered the wrong home to kill his child in a fit of drunken rage and I was right in the end, just not about which dad it was. Billy killed a child because she was a child and wanted to tell on him, something that would have ruined his life. It was clear Billy was a scumbag but had a layer of innocence around him that was heavily influenced by his wife.

I think Krissy's determination to save her son, Jace, parallels Margot's determination to link the cases. Both were so focused on one goal that they never took a moment to ask more questions and confront the fears they possessed. If Krissy had taken a moment to question her son or Margot took a moment to ask herself why the cases were different, then more people would have lived.

As I have written this review, my feelings on All Good People Here has only grown. To me, this novel has layers, parallels, and links that make it a strong mystery read. I enjoyed this novel and am eager to see what else Flowers writes, I will be waiting.