Karin Slaughter is one of the few authors I follow without question. I’ve read everything she’s written, and We Are All Guilty Here proves yet again why she’s in a league of her own. This chilling small town mystery launches the new North Falls series and pulls no punches when it comes to tension, emotional stakes, or the razor-sharp darkness fans have come to expect.

Set in a seemingly quiet Southern town, the story unravels after two teenage girls vanish during a night of fireworks. Enter Officer Emmy Clifton, a deeply layered member of the North Falls community, whose personal ties to the case crack open long-buried secrets. Emmy had turned away when her best friend’s daughter needed help, and now, she may be the only one who can bring her back. But nothing is as it seems. As Emmy digs deeper, she realizes the girls weren’t just victims—they were puzzles themselves. And Emmy may not be prepared for the answers.

This book has everything I love about Slaughter’s work: sharp character work, disturbing truths, and a creeping sense of dread that grows with every page. Emmy is a fantastic lead—damaged, determined, and more vulnerable than she wants to admit. The smalltown setting feels claustrophobic in the best way, filled with secrets that feel just a breath away from combusting. Karin Slaughter taps into themes of guilt, betrayal, and the dangerous underestimation of young women with surgical precision.

For fans of Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and the Will Trent series, this book will feel like coming home—if home were a place lined with dark corners, generational lies, and unresolved trauma.

I already can’t wait to return to North Falls. Karin Slaughter’s new series is off to a blistering start.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Can I say how much I LOVE Karin Slaughter books and this one does not disappoint! This is a standalone read that is the start of another series that is fast paced, well written and engaging read!!! True to fashion, I stayed up way too late to finish this one and its fabulous!!! Coming soon in August!

AHHHH, I cannot say enough good things about We Are All Guilty Here. It’s an epic tale that had me tense and on edge and for good reason. I couldn’t read fast enough. Emmy is a delight. What a unique character. I won’t say too much but buckle up because Karin Slaughter has hit it out of the park with this North Falls series. I cannot wait for more.

I have always been a huge fan of Karin Slaughter and her style of writing, but I think that this book is one of my favorites. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a true crime/thriller with a strong female lead. I have always loved books from the point of view from law enforcement, but i especially enjoyed how this book followed the female Detective while trying to get justice for her Best friend who was brutally murdered in her own home and her teenage daughter who was taken and seemingly up and vanished. I thought this book was very well written and easy to follow.

Let me start by saying that I am so glad that this is going to be a series, because I got so attached to the characters by the end that the thought of the book being a standalone was so sad for me. So, whew. That should tell you really everything you need to know about how much I loved this book. Karin Slaughter books are always a master class in mystery and suspense and complex storylines, but what I love about them is how tightly spun and relatable her characters always turn out to be. This book covers it all. Complex generational trauma, messy parent/child relationships, the bookmark generation, secretive family dynamics, purity culture. The depth of each one of these books always astounds me. As always, all the trigger warnings. These are not books for the squeamish. That being said, I love them so much. Thank you, Net Galley, for this awesome Advance Reader Copy.

Loved this one! It kept me guessing the entire time and I was blindsided by that ending. Only thing I wish was different was shorter chapters. Having such long chapters makes the story drag a little bit.

This book is the first to kick off a new crime thriller series from Karin Slaughter. It’s giving police procedural but better with good character development around complex family dynamics and small town drama. I was easily engaged with Slaughter’s writing and the tension building with in each chapter is great. I love when there are plenty of twists along the ride.
I’ve said this before, but I really think the sweet spot for thriller books is 400 pages or less. This book definitely started to feel too long when you get to the last quarter. There are chapters with really long dialogue that could have been more concise to keep things moving at a better face. The FMC Emmy is just ok. I’ll be curious if I grow more fond of her in future books in the series. Overall, another great book from Karin Slaughter!

Two girls disappear & the race against time begins as the cops realize they were abducted. Then another girl goes missing years later under similar circumstances.

The beginning of this book was 5 stars, then it just dragged on and became so long. Then it got good again. Overall, it is really hard for me to rate this book. I personally feel it should have been condensed about 100 pages or split into 2 books. It felt like it dragged on. But the story itself was interesting and at times very dark.

I would give this one a 3.5 rounded up. If I was this author I would have cut out quite a bit of unnecessary stuff to not destroy the impact of the wild beginning 1/3 of the book.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emmy Clifton was an officer on duty the night two teenage girls were abducted and murdered, and she has carried the guilt ever since. Not to mention, a podcast that is sure she put the wrong man behind bars has enveloped her in public scrutiny. 12 years later, another girl has gone missing. With the help of her gut and a consultant from the FBI, Emmy starts to question everything she thought she knew about the first case, in a desperate race against time.

I was excited to see a new Karin Slaughter, but even more excited that it was the beginning of a new series and not smack in the middle of one! The woman is just too prolific. But, this once, I get to get in on the ground floor.

I’ll get the bad out of the way, because it was mostly great. This book can be slow, because the chapters are loooong. It wasn’t one of those books where I stayed up late saying “one more chapter!” Really, I’d lay down to read and struggle try to finish the chapter before falling asleep. That’s not to say the book is boring, but it could use a small dose of intensity and some shorter chapters. There’s a lot of setup at the beginning, too, but I can’t say that’s a bad thing, as the second half counted on all that setup.

With that said, I loved everything else! This was focused so much more on the investigation than the crime scenes and there wasn’t gratuitous gore, which is especially appreciated when the victims are minors. I enjoyed how much focus there was on the interrogations, as the FBI consultant is really good at getting creeps to talk!

My buddy reader highlighted tons of little clues along the way (she’s better at this than me) and most all of them ended up coming into play later, which is our favorite thing and something KS does well. I get frustrated when the reveal is so disconnected from the rest of the book that there’s no way you could have figured it out yourself. I want all the pieces to come together so I can have an “OMG OF COURSE” moment. KS always delivers!

Overall, I will definitely read more books in the series and highly recommend this one. I am now invested in the characters and want to learn all of the secrets of North Falls. Just have some patience with the lengthy chapters when you sit down. It’ll be worth it!

This taut thriller grips you from the start, unspooling secrets buried beneath a town’s carefully polished surface. Emmy Clifton’s personal guilt adds urgency and emotional weight to a mystery that refuses to stay buried. The story pulses with suspense, challenging assumptions about how well we truly know the people closest to us. It’s a haunting reminder that in North Falls, silence can be just as dangerous as the truth.

**Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Karin Slaughter for an eARC of We Are All Guilty Here.

As a huge fan of Karen Slaughter, especially her Will Trent series, I couldn’t wait to read this first book in her new North Falls series. This is a tense, police procedural with fully developed characters, a brisk, page-turning pace, and enough family drama to keep the characters real. I blew through it in two days and can’t wait for the next book. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced reader copy

This book I could not put down loved it from beginning to end. I would highly recommend!! This isn't like something ie read before.

A gripping and emotionally intense thriller that dives deep into the darkness hidden beneath a small town's surface. We Are All Guilty Here introduces Officer Emmy Clifton, a complex and compelling new lead who finds herself racing against time when two teenage girls go missing. Emmy’s personal connection to the case raises the stakes, and the dual timeline structure adds an extra layer of tension as secrets from the past bleed into the present.

Karin Slaughter delivers her signature blend of sharp character work, twisty plotting, and raw emotional power. The pacing is steady but never dull, and the psychological tension builds beautifully as Emmy uncovers betrayal after betrayal. The town of North Falls is richly drawn, full of buried trauma and people desperate to protect their own. Fans of character-driven thrillers will appreciate the moral ambiguity and the emotional depth that run through this story.

This is a strong start to what I hope becomes a series. Emmy is a protagonist worth following, and Slaughter continues to prove why she’s one of the best in the genre. Perfect for readers who love dark mysteries that ask hard questions about guilt, loyalty, and justice.

Two teenage girls go missing in plain sight and police officer Emmy Clifton feels responsible. She makes it her personal goal to figure out what happened and her mission takes her in unexpected directions. Karin Slaughter always keeps me reading!

I was very lucky to get this book on Netgalley to read. I was sucked in from the very beginning. It kept me questioning what was going to happen and who the bad guys were until the very end. There were so many twists and turns with the family plot as well that I really enjoyed. I also appreciate the strong female leads because I prefer reading female lead books. This book is good if you enjoy suspense, thrill and drama but don't want to be completely terrified. Trigger warning if you have a daughter this will hit close to home as it is a parent's worst fears come to life. The writing is beautiful and the story flows by so quickly. I can't wait to see what the second book in the series brings, I'm glad it's not the end of these characters because there is so much more I want to know!

𝗪𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book! I have loved Karin Slaughters previous thrillers( False Witness and Pretty Girls were AMAZING) and was so excited to get my hands on this one early!

𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀 📖 Two teenage girls, Madison and Cheyenne, vanish during a town’s 4th of July celebration. As the police investigate, Emmy, the lead detective; discovers that the girls were not who she thought they were, and that the town itself is full of secrets and hidden relationships…. And that everyone is guilty of something.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗳’𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀💭
Overall, I liked this thriller as a whole, and there were some plot twists that I didn’t see coming (which always make for a good read) I was invested in the storyline and wanted to find out what happened to the missing girls…. However… the book felt a bit disjointed to me when the time jump happened and new characters and a new missing girl are introduced. I felt like an entire new book was starting when I was like 35-40% in. And I wasn’t sure how the two storylines were going to jive at first, but they did. That was my only huge gripe with this one.

Here’s a few things that I think you should know before going into this one:

it’s 448 pages - not a super quick read
The chapters are LOOOONNNGG
A lot of characters to keep track of
Trigger warnings: rape/child pornography

Pub date: 8/12/25
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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One of the very first posts I ever made on my bookstagram page was a review of a Karin Slaughter novel. I have been a fan of hers since my pre-bookstagram days, and one of my favorite perks of having it is the ability to read her upcoming novels a little sooner than their pub date. Karin Slaughter never disappoints! I have yet to read a novel of hers I didn't thoroughly enjoy, and We Are All Guilty Here is no exception. The story starts off with a bang, as cop Emmy Lou is trying to solve the disappearance of two young girls, one of whom is her best friend's stepdaughter. Their safe haven of a small town is ripped open after the tragic outcome. The beginning is full of palpable tension, suspense, and emotion. I was immediately hooked and invested in the story. The first part of the story could be a story all in its own, but that just goes to show what an amazing storyteller Karin Slaughter is. From there, we fast forward several years later, and another girl goes missing under similar circumstances. Emmy Lou is older and wiser, and her son is a cop now- keeping it in the family business- another generation of Clifton cops. This time, Emmy Lou is determined not to let this missing girl face the same outcome as the two that haunt her. We are introduced to new characters; one who stands out is a woman named Jude. She returns under the guise of Emmy's older, estranged sister. That subplot/story line also had me emotionally invested. I love Slaughter's ability to deliver an unexpected twist. I definitely hope there are more books in this series because I want to keep reading about these characters. We are about a month out from its pub date and I have no doubt in my mind that this one is sure to be a hit with Slaughter's fans. 4/5 stars!

I love anything this woman writes!! I hope she turns this into a series. Very good story, kept me thoroughly engaged and had to know the ending.

Wow! Wow! The first in the new North Falls series by Karin Slaughter did not disappoint. The story begins on the Fourth of July and follows Office Emmy Clifton as she searches for the truth behind two teenage girls who have gone missing. So many twists and turns. I cannot wait for more in this series!

Well hello to a new Karin Slaughter series that I am already certain will be just as good as her previous ones! This was the perfect book for me right now, a thriller that was surprisingly void of some of Slaughter’s signature gore/shocking scenes- and this was a welcome relief for someone who has struggled with that aspect of some of her previous books. This is just a well done police procedural with a couple of fun twists- and at least two I didn’t see coming- but they didn’t feel like TOO much or too farfetched. One of the things I really appreciate about Karin Slaughter is her ability to give us the clues to figure out the twists and not just rely on shock value to create a good mystery. Even in this book, there were certain things I highlighted as I went as a “just in case this is relevant” bullet point that turned out to be vital information. My favorite kind of thriller is one that I can logically predict with the pieces given to me, and this one was a really great puzzle to piece together.
I did find that the number of chapters for the length of the novel was severely under what I had guessed, and the chapters felt painfully long- and despite the subject matter and my eagerness to put the puzzle pieces together, this took me a long time to read. I think it could have worked so much better with shorter chapters that made the reader think “just one more chapter! I’ve got to know what’s going on!” and not….”how many more pages until I can pause this and get a snack?”
Overall, I think this was a really solid new thriller and one I will gladly recommend. I am excited for more in this series, especially given the complicated family dynamics and all that will do to future stories. Excited to see what Emmy gets up to next!