Review of “All Good People Here” by Ashley Flowers

 

Review of “All Good People Here” by Ashley Flowers

“All Good People Here” follows Margot Davies, a journalist who returns to her hometown of Wakarusa, Indiana, to live with her uncle, who lost his wife and is experiencing dementia. The town is still haunted by the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor, January Jacobs. When a young girl from a nearby town goes missing under similar circumstances, Margot is drawn into the mystery, determined to uncover the truth behind both cases. But as she digs deeper, she faces resistance from the town and even her uncle.  

Ashley Flowers is the host of a very popular true crime podcast called “Crime Junkies”, which I listen to and enjoy. Flowers has a passion for crime stories, and the book often feels like an episode of the podcast. The plot is clearly inspired by and at times too similar to the well-known JonBenet Ramsay case. The main character, Margot, is a generic yet plucky character who needs to solve the case to keep her job.

While the story employs familiar elements, such as the girl who returns to her hometown to solve a mystery, interconnected timelines of present and past, and introduces several red herrings. However, it raises doubts about several characters, keeping you intrigued enough to continue reading. Just when you think you have figured it out, there’s a plot-twist.

Flowers uses dual timelines to create a suspenseful narrative that reveals information as needed that keeps the story flowing. Her background in true crime shows in the story’s realism and procedural detail. At only 312 pages, the book is well-paced and easy to read.

The main problem comes with the ending. It’s abrupt and does not provide concrete answers, leaving the main character fate ambiguous. There is also a lack of overall character development throughout the book. While Margot does learn information that could affect her life, the ending means we’ll never know how she deals with it.

Overall, though I found it a breezy murder mystery/thriller, it reminds me of an episode of a true crime podcast.  It’s not the most original story, and the ending is lacking, but if you’re a fan of true crime, then I’d recommend giving it a read. “All Good People Here” is a chilling, twist-filled thriller that questions whether or not you really know the people you trust.

Review of “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins

 Review of “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins

Unlike its predecessor, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” this prequel novel, “Sunrise on the Reaping,” is more in line with the tone and themes of the original trilogy. One of the problems with both prequel novels is that we know the protagonist will survive, which lowers the personal threats and stakes. However, the power of a prequel lies in filling in the gaps in our hero’s stories. Even though we know what becomes of Haymitch from the original trilogy, we don’t know why. “Sunrise on the Reaping” is about Haymitch’s journey from just a kid in love in District 12 to Hunger Games tribute and victor. The very last few chapters of the book explain why he ends up a lonely drunk, and the reason for it is heartbreaking.

Much like the first book, “The Hunger Games” - which follows Katniss’ journey into the arena - this book follows Haymitch’s. The first chapter shows us his life as a 16-year-old boy in District 12. We meet his brother, mother and girlfriend, Lenore Dove. This book also shows us the teenage versions of Katniss’ parents, whose names we find out are Burdock and Astrid. We also learn that Reaping Day is Haymitch’s birthday.

In “Catching Fire,” we learned a little bit about how Haymitch won the 50th Hunger Games or the second quarter quell, which had twice as many tributes. This book tells us about all the behind-the-scenes things that Katniss and Peeta didn’t get to see in the tapes that the Capitol edited. In the book “Mockingjay,” Haymitch tells Katniss that after he won his games, his family and girlfriend were killed. The ending of this book explains exactly how that happened and that Haymitch blames himself because he went against President Snow.

One thing this book does that “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” does is reference the original trilogy A LOT. At times it feels like “member berries”. As in, ‘remember this, remember them, look at this. It’s from the original books.’ Other than Haymitch, we meet several younger versions of characters from the previous books; some feel more shoe-horned than others. While it does make sense that Haymitch would meet previous victors during his time in the Capitol, it feels a bit overstuffed.

I wish we met and got to know more new characters. The only new character we get to know is Masilee Donner, who was Katniss’ mother’s friend. Masilee is mostly well-developed and comes across as brash and rude, but she has deeper emotions that she dislikes sharing. The evolving friendship with Haymitch is well done, and in the end, we know there is only one victor, so it’s sad knowing she won’t make it out.

We also meet a middle-aged President Snow and learn that he has been manipulating the Hunger Games tributes and victors from the beginning. Something that started when he mentored Lucy Gray in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”. Besides Haymitch, we meet another victor that Snow punishes for going against the Capitol. Much like the original trilogy, Snow isn’t present in the book much, but his presence looms largely over Haymitch.

The title of the book also serves as the theme, meaning that there will also be a sunrise on the reaping because the Hunger Games will always continue. Despite the efforts of Haymitch and other tributes to take down the Capitol, President Snow can manipulate the footage of the hunger games to show only what he wants . As well as kill whoever he needs to in order to keep Haymitch and other victors quiet and subdued. It’s actually a very tragic book, more so than the original trilogy. Especially since we know that it doesn’t stop until we get to Katniss in “Mockingjay”.

One thing this book does, is make me want more prequel books exploring other characters backstory. I would love to read Finnick’s story or Mags. I think a prequel about Mags could be unique because by the time she dies in “Catching Fire” she’s as old as President Snow. Meaning she was born before there were Hunger Games. This book confirms that she won the 11^th Hunger Games, so she might have known the young Snow. Her book could span decades of Hunger Games history. As well as how she mentored Finnick.

Overall, I really liked this book; it’s better than “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in the sense that I think it has better pacing and narrative structure. I do think it goes a bit overboard with all of the younger versions of characters we know. I like seeing more of the behind-the-scenes of how the Capitol runs or manipulates the Hunger Games. Seeing a version of Haymitch that isn’t a hardened drunk is nice. We get to see how much he cares for the people he loves, and how he used to be a decent guy just trying to get back home to his family and Lenore Dove. This reminds me of a quote from “Catching Fire” when Johanna Mason says that the Capitol can’t hurt her because there is no one left that she loves. This is the lesson that Haymitch learns and turns him into the drunkard that we meet in “The Hunger Games.” However, this book ends with an epilogue that lets us know that Haymitch has accepted Katniss and Peeta as family, and he even starts to honor his long-lost love, Lenore Dove. I highly recommend reading this book if you’re a fan of the series. Even if you didn’t like the last book, this one is worth reading.

My new book is available now on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Chimera-Prophecies-Other-Short-Stories/dp/B0C4QX4RZW/ or on the publishes website if you live outside the U.S. https://www.austinmacauley.com/us/book/chimera-prophecies-and-other-short-stories

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chimera-prophecies-and-other-short-stories-ashlie-k-manger/1143465459