“I chose to set this in a real town, Wakarusa, Ind., and it was important to me that the investigation felt as real as the place,” says Flowers. “Right down to the ending, which has been leaving everyone with a feeling they just can’t shake. People will be thinking about the case and the characters long after they finish the last chapter, and that’s the same feeling you have after hearing about a true crime case.” Here, we chat to Flowers about the world’s fascination with true crime, the podcasts you shouldn’t miss and the mystery books she keeps recommending.
How did you become a “crime junkie?”
My mother was the OG Crime Junkie, and I got my love of mysteries from her. When I was little, she’d read me classics like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, and we’d watch Perry Mason and Matlock together.
When you started Crime Junkie, did you have any idea the following you would gain—that so many people out there would also be enthralled by tales of true crime?
I knew the true crime community was huge because I’d been living in it my whole life, and I paid attention to the online communities that would follow cases. But I didn’t think that someone with no broadcasting experience living in the middle of Indiana could tap into those communities in the way we have with Crime Junkie. It’s been truly mind-blowing, and I’m constantly surprised by it!
Your experience with true crime is felt in the writing. In what ways did your years working on Crime Junkie influence your ability to write All Good People Here?
I know what most real investigations look like and how people within those investigations often act and speak. It was incredibly important to me to translate that into writing. There were scenes in the book that would have been a lot easier or more convenient if I could bend the rules a little or make fake rules for my fake world. But I chose to set this in a real town, Wakarusa, Ind., and it was important to me that the investigation felt as real as the place. Right down to the ending, which has been leaving everyone with a feeling they just can’t shake. People will be thinking about the case and the characters long after they finish the last chapter, and that’s the same feeling you have after hearing about a true crime case.
There are some parallels between you and Margot—you’re both from small-ish towns in Indiana, you both have an investigative side. What was it like writing her?
It was exciting to bring Margot to life. At the time of writing, I was also pregnant with my child, and there was a connection I felt to Margot, who is trying to balance a career she loves while also taking care of her family. There are moments where I think both she and I felt like we were pulled in too many directions and trying so hard to be great at everything that we’d be good at nothing. But I think Margot and I both pulled it off!
What is it about true crime that listeners and readers find so fascinating?
Our brain works hard to make sense of the world around us, and crime doesn’t make sense. We always feel as though the answers are just around the corner because they have to be. If they’re not, what does that mean for what we believe about the world?
Is there a murder mystery or cold case that has stuck with you through the years?
I host another true crime podcast called The Deck, and we recently reported on the case of Jenny Lin out of California. She was a 14-year-old girl who was brutally attacked and murdered in her own home after she arrived back from school. That’s one that my brain keeps trying to make sense of. She was a kid, with no enemies, in her own house, in a safe, pretty secluded neighborhood. She even had her dog home with her. How? Why? Who? It keeps me up at night.
Beyond Crime Junkie, what true crime podcast do you recommend to others?
CounterClock. There are four seasons, each one a new deep-dive investigation into a cold case. The reporter and host Delia D’Ambra has uncovered new information every season, and her reporting has actually led to real-life developments in the cases.
Do you have a favorite true crime-inspired book?
The Road Out of Hell by Anthony Flacco and Jerry Clark. It’s very dark but has such a unique perspective because Jerry Clark is the son of Sanford Clark, one of the main characters. Sanford survived unspeakable terrors at the hands of his cousin Gordon Stewart Northcott, who was a prolific serial killer. I believe good true crime is ethical and responsible, and including survivors’ voices in their own stories is key to doing true crime right.
What book do you recommend most to friends and family?
Me to everyone I’ve ever known the past 10 years: “You haven’t read any of Gillian Flynn’s books?! How?! Have you been living under a rock!? Here, I have all of them. Go read and let’s discuss!”
What books are on your To Be Read list?
Chloe Cates Is Missing by Mandy McHugh and The Night Shift by Alex Finlay.
What would you say was the last truly great thriller or murder mystery you read?
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.
What book(s) are you most excited for this fall (or late summer)?
Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter.
