All the broken people by Amy Rivers is a contemporary thriller set in the mountains of North Georgia where Alice Bennett travels to look after her mother in law after a bad fall which Mea doesn't believe was an accident. This story is sure to keep you guessing from beginning to end as you try to figure out what could possible causing these disruptions in such a small town.
Intrigue was presented instantly as I wanted to know from the very beginning not only about the happenings of the town but about Alice’s, will’s and the town’s past. I was left constantly wondering what was going on and left trying to piece together the breadcrumbs of information that were being left leading to the final reveal. The pace throughout was perfect and I couldn’t be more impressed with the way things were revealed and how they always came at just the right time.
In the beginning I found Alice to be annoying as she complained about seemingly mundane things but it didn’t take me long to fall in love with her character as she became more independent and stood up for herself against her husband and the people in the town. By the end she had developed so much as a character that I almost couldn’t believe how far she had come.
The slight annoyance I felt for Alice had nothing on how much I hated her husband, Will, who I just wanted to punch in the face pretty much the whole way through and to the end because of his tendency to undermine Alice and lie about things. His mother, Mea, who Alice goes to look after was the sweetest old lady ever and I couldn’t stop myself from praying that she would be alright.
As for the Simms, the rival feud family to the Bennitts, I felt Carters love for Larry Lee and too thought that he had just been delt a bad hand in life and couldn’t have done much about his situation. As for Beth she’s a piece of work and got what was coming to her I knew from the beginning that she couldn’t be trusted, there was something about her character that put me on edge. I thought the whole family was extremely well written to the point where I could imagine them as actual people.
The prominent themes of small towns and lies vs truth were eye opening and so well explored that I think worked perfectly in partnership with the narrative and characters.
It was so easy to visualise exactly what I was reading with the in-depth detail and beautifully written description. I enjoyed reading how Alice’s perspective of the seemingly beautiful town shifted as she uncovered the truths underneath.
The ending wasn’t what I’d expected but it was most defiantly satisfactory as it tied up all loose ends and even though not everyone got a ‘happy ending’ I was satisfied where everyone ended up. I was glad for the afterthought which showed the aftermath of what happened and how the town was recovering as it showed that just because it was over things didn’t just go back to normal. I think Alice’s significant development called for a different outcome between her and Will but I can understand why it was done the way it was.
Overall I really loved this book and recommend it for anyone who’s looking for an action packed and thought provoking thriller to sink their teeth into.