I just finished an engaging read. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter kept me turning the pages until the very last one. A five star read!

Karin Slaughter’s We Are All Guilty Here completely pulled me in and left me thinking about it long after I turned the last page. It’s set in the small town of North Falls, where two teenage girls, Madison and Cheyenne, vanish during a Fourth of July celebration. What starts as a routine missing persons case quickly unravels into something far more unsettling.

Officer Emmy Clifton is at the heart of the story, and I really felt for her. She’s determined to find the girls, but there’s also a deep sense of guilt weighing on her—Madison had tried to reach out to her before disappearing, and Emmy brushed it off. That guilt fuels her relentless search, making her even more compelling as a character.

As the investigation unfolds, dark secrets about the town and its people come to light. It’s one of those stories that makes you question how well you really know the people around you. The tension builds with every chapter, and just when I thought I had things figured out, another twist came out of nowhere.

Slaughter does an incredible job of bringing North Falls to life. The town feels real—both its small-town charm and the hidden tensions beneath the surface. The pacing is perfect, and every revelation hits hard.

By the end, I was left thinking about guilt, morality, and the weight of secrets. We Are All Guilty Here isn’t just a mystery—it’s an emotional, thought-provoking read that lingers. I can’t wait to see where this series goes next.

This story had tension and many layers to it. I was confused for a moment when jude entered the story. But as it developed we saw deeply flawed characters that are doing the best they can. As emmy and jude put their egos aside they are able to unravel years of secrets and lies. I really didnt see the twists coming,and happy that we will see these characters again

Slaughter is a master of her craft. We Are All Guilty Here is a deeply layered mystery filled with tension, multifaceted characters, and a wonderfully authentic police procedural plot. Slaughter has introduced a cast of well developed, deeply flawed, morally grey characters that help to really cement the small town atmosphere. The tension in this novel starts at the beginning and only builds throughout the incredibly twisty narrative. Slaughter expertly layers her story and creates such perfect misdirection that I never once truly guessed the ending. I was just as shocked as the characters. The pacing was sometimes slowed down by lengthy descriptive periods, but the mystery was gripping enough to keep me moving through the story. Overall a solid read, I can’t wait for more in this series.

2.5⭐️

I did enjoy a lot about this book. I liked being in the police POV rather than the victims and I enjoyed being left wondering what was going on. The first 50% of so was so good and had me on the edge of my seat. Once Cheyenne and Madison were found I was beyond bored and unimpressed. Their discovery was so anticlimactic and I felt the book should’ve ended there.

I think the real issue was that this should have been two separate books or stories. When we started Jude’s chapter/POV I genuinely went back to make sure I wasn’t reading a preview for a different book. I do think everything came together in a very unique and interesting way but wish we could have better fleshed out Cheyenne and Madison’s story.

It also felt like Hannah was completely written out in the second half of the book and her character had so much promise in the beginning! I may need more time to really sit with my thoughts on this one but after finishing I feel so disappointed.

There was also about 20% of just straight family drama and repetitive scenes detailing the Clifton family history in the second half of the book. I get setting up the scene for future books but genuinely think Cheyenne and Madison’s story should’ve been maybe the first few chapters and then switch to “12 years later” rather than spending so much time focusing on them for very little satisfaction!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of We’re All Guilty Here.

Don't miss the chance to grab a copy of "We Are All Guilty" by Karin Slaughter! Once again, Slaughter showcases her prowess as a bestselling author and solidifies her place among my favorites.

This captivating novel centers around Emmy, a deputy sheriff in Georgia, who works alongside her father, the long-serving sheriff. The narrative unfolds across two timelines. The story begins with the abduction of two teenage girls during the town's Fourth of July celebration, one of whom is the daughter of Emmy's closest friend. The community rallies together in a desperate search to locate the girls before time runs out. Fast forward twelve years, and another teenage girl mysteriously disappears under similar circumstances. Emmy plays a pivotal role in both investigations, displaying strength and determination, yet she remains a complex character with her own imperfections. I found her character immensely relatable.

As the plot progresses, numerous town secrets are revealed, including hidden truths within Emmy's own family, where emotions are often kept below the surface. The pacing is exhilarating, filled with unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. I literally couldn't put it down! This marks the beginning of a new series, and my only lingering question is: when will the next installment be released?

A special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.

Unputdownable and Utterly Gripping

Karin Slaughter once again proves why she’s a master of crime fiction with We Are All Guilty Here. From the first page, the story pulls you into a tightly woven web of secrets, lies, and raw human emotion. The characters are complex and flawed in all the right ways, making them feel painfully real. Slaughter’s pacing is pitch-perfect, with every chapter revealing just enough to keep you hooked and desperate for more.

The emotional depth and psychological tension are as compelling as the mystery itself. Just when you think you have it figured out, Slaughter flips the narrative in ways that are both shocking and satisfying. This is storytelling at its finest—dark, smart, and fearless.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves thrillers that make you think, feel, and question everything.

Another great work by Karin Slaughter. Nobody does devastating crime fiction like her. The suspense, the tensions, the ache, it’s all a masterclass. Karin writes a story you fall asleep reading because you can’t put it down. You have to know what happens next, you have to know how it ends, and when it does- you want more. Emmylou is relatable, Jude is beautifully human, small town Clifton is familiar. Well done! Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

We Are All Guilty Here
Karin Slaughter
What can I even say, Karin is a master in her class, steady pacing, solid plotting and suspenseful storytelling are always on deck. I have been enjoying her suspenseful tales for over 24 years and she has NEVER disappointed me (except that time when she killed off one of my fave people 😉lol). This story in particular drew me in from the start and had so many red herrings that I just ate it up and let the pages turn. I fell in love with Emmy, Cole, Taybee and Jude’s personalities and I think I hated the whole town by the middle of the book! The twists just kept coming throughout this one and the ending was a complete change of perception for me that was so jaw dropping I didn’t even realize the full ramifications til I’d finished and had time to sit with it. I would love to see a follow-up to this one, for even more depth and closure. Excellent read and I recommend you grab it immediately! This was a solid 5⭐️for me. Many thanks to @karinslaughterauthor @netgalley @williammorrowbooks and @harpercollins for the ARC🖤

#WeAreAllGuiltyHere #arcreader #arcreviewer #netgally #netgalleyreviewer #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #thrillerbooks

Emmy was the daughter of Gerald and Myrna. She had a much older sister, Jude, and a brother Tommy and a sister Celia. Gerald was the sheriff of North Falls and Emmy was his deputy. Jude had a job as a psychologist for the FBI. Emmy had a best friend, Hannah, and Hannah had a daughter named Madison. Madison had a best friend. Cheyenne. Emmy was working the case of Madison and Cheyenne's disappearance. Adam had been accused of kidnapping the two 16-year-olds, and he went to prison for it. He was on death row when he was finally released. Millie had told Emmy that she had seen Adam and Madison smoking by the lake in her backyard. Emmy went to that lake where she found the bodies of both of the girls. They had been chained together and attached to a brick.

Virgil had served as the sheriff's deputy under Gerald and was Gerald's right-hand man. He had since retired. 13 years later, when Paisley disappeared, Virgil came back to work with Emmy to find her. The town was up in arms and assumed that Adam had kidnapped Paisley, but Emmy knew that wasn't true. When the town showed up on Adam's doorstep, Gerald and Emmy went to disperse them. Madison's father was there and he wanted to kill Emmy but Hannah intervened and when he shot his gun he killed. Gerald. At that point, Emmy became acting sheriff. Of course Emmy was beside herself With the murder of her father, but she knew she couldn't back down. She had to find Paisley. The FBI had been called in and Jude showed up. She had left town some 40 years ago. In her job with the FBI, she was a specialist for finding missing children. Although Emmy was allegedly her sister, she had left town before Emmy's birth.

At first, Emmy and Jude did not get along. Emmy thought Jude felt that she was better than everyone else. Eventually though, they learn to work together. Emmy had ideas about who was responsible for Paisley's disappearance. One of those people was Walton, who was Adam's father. The other person was Jack who had a podcast.

They're the best at what they do. Virgil had all of the records from the Madison and Cheyenne kidnapping and murder in his basement. Emmy needed the phone records so she phoned Virgil and told him that she was going to go to his basement to pick them up. When she got there she found the phone records and she found that whiteout had been used to change several numbers. When she scratched off the white she found that the number underneath was Virgil's. She also found where he had stored trophies from many girls. It was at that point she realized Virgil was involved in the kidnappings. While she was there, he came home and saw that she had found his treasure. He drew on her but she was quicker than she shot him dead.

This book had all the makings for an excellent whodunit. I thought the author did an excellent job building the drama. And there was a huge twist that I didn't see coming. The characters were well developed and the storyline flowed smoothly. I gave this book five stars.

Karin Slaughter could slap me in the face and I would thank her. My love for this woman and her writing knows no bounds. Once again I was not disappointed. Also how am I just now finding out she founded a nonprofit organization called Save the Libraries that supports libraries and library programs? While also writing books that help shed light on crimes against women? Karin Slaughter, my world is a better place because of you. 🖤

This book was classic Karin Slaughter and I loved every minute of it. It was bone chilling, thrilling, and full of twists and turns that I never saw coming!

We Are All Guilty Here takes place is North Falls, where everyone in town is connected in some way. Two teens go missing during a firework show, and it’s up to Emmy to piece together what happened. Flash forward to twelve years, and another teen goes missing in a similar way. Emmy must dig up the past and solve the case once and for all.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how Emmy and Jude slowly, but surely, peeled back all the layers in the case. Every time a new theory arose, they were able to discover more and more shady crimes around town. I loved how Emmy and Jude played off of each other. I hope we see more of the two of them solving cases together. The way Slaughter balanced the characters emotions in this book was fantastic. I feel like the representation of grief, shock, trauma, and perseverance made the characters feel relatable even while they were dealing with a horrible situation.

I really was immersed in this book. The details Slaughter gave had me feeling like I was sitting right there in the room. Watching the interrogations, listening to the different theories being tossed around, and even feeling weary along with the characters. I never saw any of the twists coming, and I found myself constantly thinking about the book when I put it down.

Ultimately, this book was a great read. I enjoyed every minute of it and I can’t wait to see where Slaughter takes the North Falls series! Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was everything I want in a small-town thriller—tight pacing, layered characters, and that simmering sense that everyone is hiding something. Karin Slaughter kicks off the North Falls series with a bang (literally—fireworks and all), and I was all in from the first chapter.

The disappearance of two teen girls shakes the whole town, but it’s Emmy’s personal connection that really pulled me in. Her guilt, her determination, the unraveling of her own blind spots—it all added such a human layer to the mystery. The plot keeps twisting, and just when I thought I had it figured out, nope. Another curveball.

I docked a star only because some of the secondary characters blurred together a bit, and a couple moments felt slightly too neat for the gritty tone. But overall? This was sharp, suspenseful, and totally addictive. Emmy Clifton is a character I want more of—and I’ll be grabbing the next in the series the second it drops.

If you love your thrillers with emotional stakes, messy relationships, and a town full of buried secrets, this one’s worth your time.

I m so excited for book 2 to come
Hahah i couldn t think other thing as closer i was getting of this masterpiece ending
Seriously karin i couldn t expect less from her books and this one certainly didn t disappoint
Thriller fans just read this
I promise its worth it

Karin Slaughter is a hit-or-miss author for me but this one was a HUGE hit!

Two young girls go missing in the small town of North Falls on Fourth of July. Emmy and her father Gerald are not only leading the police force in the search for the girls, but one of the girls is Emmy’s best friend’s 15 year old daughter. What happens to the girls and the investigation will have consequences for years to come.

This story had me engaged from start to finish. The characters were developed and relatable. The crime details were raw and shocking - Karin Slaughter doesn’t shy away from the cruel reality of violent crime.

And the twists - oh there are twists. And I’m always so pleasantly surprised when I do NOT see them coming.

I’m excited for this to be a series and will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love Karin Slaughter books and this stand alone was great. Delvinginto sociopaths and their motives, family trauma, and buried secrets- this thriller kept me guessing until the end.

Karin Slaughter has done it again with her newest novel, We Are All Guilty Here! Being a Georgia native, the setting is always my favorite part of the Slaughter books and my hometown was even mentioned in this one which was very exciting! The new characters were refreshing and I enjoyed getting to know them and the Clifton family history and secrets. And there are many many secrets! The family dynamics are a major part of what drew me in to the story. The novel was captivating and the ending was very satisfying. I hope she continues this series with these characters. A page-turner for sure. Five stars! Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this novel.

Karin Slaughter has done it again. She has given us the beginning of a new series filled with a cast of characters who you will not be able to forget. Trauma and tragedy have damaged them, but they fight so others can hopefully find peace. This dark and gritty story of family, friends, and depravity will not soon be forgotten.

Karin Slaughter always delivers a great read and her newest book We are All Guilty Here is no exception. This novel tells the story of two girls missing from a small town. The main characters are both policemen, Emmy and her dad and he guides Emmy through the investigation. A great and I highly recommend it.

It’s bizarre to say you loved a book that deals in such dark subject matter, but….I did. I couldn’t put it down, was completely engrossed in the dual storylines, and sad when the story was done. I think the central characters - Emmy and Jude, will be excellent anchors for future thrillers set in this world, and although I worry these new characters means we’re soon to say goodbye to the Will Trent series, I can already see I’ll be just as invested in this one.

Friends, KS isn’t for the feint of heart. Her novels are full of some of the foulest and most vile villains you can (or can’t) imagine. They hurt women, children, men and…well, their methods and actions are so disturbing I often have to look away from the pages of the story to compose myself and carry on. WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE is similarly ugly, but as per usual, Slaughter never over embellishes; she plants the seeds of what happened to her victims in vicious passages, and then lets the reader do the heavy work of imagining what else our villains might have done. Prepare yourself for the worst this time out.

Great start to this new series.