All That Is Wicked

How it reads

All That Is Wicked is narrative nonfiction (historical true crime, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in several locations, in the historical past, told in the third person across several viewpoints. Its central concerns are secrets, justice and loss and grief. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 320 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.