"All Good People Here": A Deceptive Thriller by Ashley Flowers and Alex Kieter

Generally, I love to read, and the thriller genre is a favorite of mine, which I particularly prefer during periods of security tension and general stress. I finished the new book, "All Good People Here" by Ashley Flowers and Alex Kieter, in just a few short hours amidst the alerts and sirens. It is interesting, very readable, and features a definitely non-Hollywood ending (hint of a spoiler...).

All the residents of the town of Wakarusa, Indiana, remember the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was found dead in a ditch just hours after her family woke up and discovered she had disappeared. Margot Davies—the story's narrator—was 6 years old at the time, the same age as January and her neighbor. In the twenty years that have passed since then, Margot grew up, left town, and became a journalist in the big city. Throughout the years, she was always haunted by the feeling that it could have been her instead of January, and the worst part is that the killer was never brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels as if she has entered a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly as she remembered it—a seemingly pleasant town, stifling and secretive. And when news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from a nearby town, who disappeared under circumstances chillingly similar to January's, all the old feelings resurface.

Margot commits herself to finding Natalie and solving January's murder once and for all, but it seems that the police, Natalie's family, and the townspeople are all hiding something. And the deeper she delves into Natalie's disappearance, the more confusion she encounters, and the resolution of January's murder case seems further and further away.

Is it possible that January's killer is still walking free? Is it the same person who kidnapped Natalie? Is he a stranger or a local? And what will be the consequences of discovering the truth about what really happened on that night twenty years ago?

"All Good People Here" is a twisted and deceptive story, and throughout its reading, the question persists: what are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

Sefer Lakol Publishing / 2026 / 98 NIS

Available on the website www.bookme.co.il and at leading bookstore chains and shops.

(Photo: Shosh Lahav)