Karin you did it again! Every book of hers is gripping and heart racing! This book is a must read come release date!

This may be my favorite K Slaughter since Pretty Girls! In the small Georgia town of North Falls, the Clifton Family runs the town. The sheriff is a Clifton, the principal of the school, you get the idea. When two young girls go missing, it’s up to the Sherriff and his daughter the chief deputy, to bring them home. And this one is personal. One of the girls is the chief deputy’s best friends child and spoke to her minutes before she was abducted. The girls were involved in more than anyone knew and all comes to light during the investigation. There are some sick people in this world and Karin Slaughter knows how to write about them!

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Ready for a new Karin Slaughter series?
Under the cover of the Fourth of July fireworks two local teenage girls go missing. It’s a race against time to find them alive. Deputy Emmy Clifton knows one of the girls personally, (her best friend’s daughter) and will stop at nothing to bring her home safely.

As the Sheriff of this small town, Emmy’s father guides Emmy through the investigation, sharing all his investigative tactics.

Can the girls be found in time? What about the person responsible?

Karin Slaughter is the queen of the dark thrillers. Be prepared - she holds nothing back! But this time she doled out some vulnerability to our protagonist. Showing a softer side of Emmy, as her personal and professional worlds collide.

This is the start of a brand new series, North Falls and already I’m thoroughly invested in the characters and can’t wait to see what happens next!

My only drawback was my detective’s cap must have been working overtime, as I guessed the major twists long before the ending! (maybe I should apply to the FBI🤔).
Karin…Am I honing in on your brainwave? Are my thoughts becoming as dark as yours? No, couldn’t be…😇

Thank you to NetGalley William Morrow and Karin Slaughter

I received a copy for review. All opinions are my own. Great book which is typical of this author. Loved the character development and overall plot. I really enjoyed the twists and turns and my attention was kept the whole way through. Finished this one in 2 days because I was just eagerly waiting to see how everything plays out. A must read for sure!

I was beyond thrilled to receive an ARC of a new series by Karin Slaughter. The story begins with Emmy’s point of view—she works for the local police department and is investigating a string of missing teenage girls, including Madison, the daughter of her best friend.

I kept expecting to hear from the girls themselves, but their perspectives never came. The entire search unfolds solely through the detective’s POV, which was an interesting departure from what I’m used to. Looking back, I think including even a small portion from the girls’ perspectives would have helped me connect with their characters more deeply. There was real potential for a gripping story focused just on the investigation, especially if more detail had been added to flesh that part out.

Unfortunately, after the first 25%, I began to lose interest. The characters felt flat, and I struggled to form a connection with them. Overall, this was an average read for me. That said, I’m still planning to read the next book in the series before making a final judgment.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Karin Slaughter has been one of my favorite authors since I got back into reading. I have read so many of her books and she never fails to deliver on a great read. We Are All Guilty Here is one of my favorite books that I have ever read by Karin Slaughter.

📖In the small town of North Falls they are having a fourth of July celebration. But when two teenagers go missing, the party is quickly over. Officer Emmy Clifton is one of the first officers at the scene and starts getting to work following the clues that have been left behind. While Emmy and her dad, who is the sheriff, work the case, they know they are working against the clock.

Fast forward twelve years, and another young girl has gone missing. But Emmy thinks she missed something over a decade ago and they start looking back into the case. As they start to dig up the old evidence, they start putting more pieces of the puzzle together. But will they find the young girl in time?

📝This book was a wild ride. I loved the father daughter dynamic and how close they were. You could just see the love between them while reading. Something Karin always manages to do is add a small romance subplot which gives me enough bread crumbs to keep my romance heart happy. The twists and turns along the way were wild. While I had a few guesses to some, others completely shocked me. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series!!

This was a solid 4.5 that I rounded up to a 5!
Will post on Instagram soon!

Because....Karin Slaughter....Once again she has hit the nail on the head. There is not a book she has written that I do not like and deserves less than 5 stars. One of my favorite authors in the world! Fast paced, edge of your seat thriller with twist over and over that kept me shocked. Thank you for a great read !

WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE
Karin Slaughter

A favorite author, a brand-new series, and it’s the talk of the summer.


The book begins on July 4th. Emmy meets with a young girl. By the end of the night, she will be missing. This isn’t just any girl; it’s her best friend’s daughter.

On the hunt, following clues as the mystery unfolds, each new layer holds the key, but to what?

To find where the girls are, Emmy must reveal truths about her small town. Truths that expose the nature of a beast. A secret that is bigger and goes wider than Emmy ever thought. By the end of the novel, Emmy will think differently about the town, about the girls, about herself.


I couldn’t wait to read this new book in a series by Karin Slaughter. Slaughter is one of my favorite authors. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, the one thing to know is that she’s not messing around.

This book was fantastic. It sets the stage for the entire series. We are introduced to a cast of characters. All of which I look forward to learning more about and hearing their story.

Emmy is perfect as an MC. She is flawed and doesn’t always do or say the right thing. She is human, and I loved following her in this book.

If this isn’t already on your summer TBR, it should be.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy!

WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE…⭐⭐⭐⭐

[3.5 stars]

So, Karin Slaughter’s books are hit/miss for me (my favorite so far has been False Witness), and this one just missed the mark for me. The storyline/plot and way it’s written is good (not super-fast paced, and definitely not a page turner for me) but overall, I felt like there were too many characters and lack of relation or development for them all.

Emmy is one of our main characters, a Sheriff’s deputy, investigating the kidnapping of 2 teenage girls. One of whom is the daughter of her best friend. The book is split into two timelines/parts (a ‘before’ and ‘twelve years later’) and Emmy is sheriff now and still feeling guilty over the events of the 12y prior. We don’t really see much character development on her part (even though so much time has passed), and because of the lack of relation to her, I just didn’t feel invested in her as a character at all. We also have Jude who I was a bit more curious about and invested in because she “came back from the dead” and is now working with the FBI on a new kidnapping case with eerie similarities to the kidnapping case of the 2 teen girls 12y earlier. The book delves into Emmy’s and Jude’s background and provides insight into their relationship but even still, I just really didn’t feel invested at all. I just think the main characters weren’t personable enough and that maybe the author should have provided a POV of the missing girls or something. I would have liked to read more from their perspective.

Overall, this book was okay. Not the best, not the worst. If you’re looking for a mystery/thriller with lots of characters, and police investigation verbiage and the like, then you might enjoy this! I just wasn’t super invested in the characters of the story and honestly almost DNF for that reason, but I really wanted to finish and find out what happened to the missing girls.

I always love Karin Slaughter’s books and this one did not disappoint! This small town thriller had it all - emotion, darkness, a mystery that you are desperate to solve, and characters that you immediately drawn to. Another great thriller for the summer!

We Are All Guilty Here
by Karin Slaughter
Pub Date: Aug 12, 2025
I love a Karin Slaughter thriller and this one kicked it up a notch for me emotionally. The gruff but knowledgeable, father-figure sheriff in this novel will remind all readers of their own Papa (or the Papa they wish they had.)
But that's not the story...
The story takes place in a southern town where everyone is either related or has a history (or both!) It's the 4th of July and in proper small-town fashion, everyone is ready to enjoy the town's fireworks display at the local lake. But while the fireworks are booming, two teenage girls are caught in a trap they can't escape and vanish. Officer Emmy Clifton was one of the last people to see one of the girls, but even she doesn't know where they went. Tire marks, broken bicycles, a destroyed phone, and blood, lots of blood, are the only clues. As Emmy and her father dig into the investigation, they discover how sick and twisted her small town is. They track down the killer and expose other crimals along the way.
Fast forward 12 years and the killer is released. Within a couple of days another young girl is abducted in the same manor as the other girls. As they race against the clock to find the girl still alive, Emmy, is joined by the recently retired, most prolific child-abductor investigator in the nation Jude Archer, who is coming to terms with her own demons in the familiar small town. A child's life is on the line, but the town's trash just keeps getting deeper and deeper.
While, I did figure out one major aspect of this thriller pretty early on, I definitely didn't see the other twists that were so expertly woven in. Niiiiice! I have to admit, this thriller got me caught up in all kinds of emotions, I can't remember a thriller making me cry not once, but twice (at least). Slaughter brought these characters to life and your heart will break for them (or want to break them...depending on the character.)
#WeAreAllGuiltyHere
#KarinSlaughter
#netgalley
Pub Date: Aug 12 202

I am a huge Karin Slaughter fan so I was excited to read the first book of this new series. I absolutely loved it. Slaughter’s writing is always top notch, no one does a Georgia police mystery quite like she does. The missing persons case manages to keep you hooked and the alternating POV between Emmy Lou and Jude kept the story moving. Emmy Lou was a lovable character and Jude was a refreshing and different perspective. I’m excited to see what else is in store for them and the rest of the Cliftons. For fans of Slaughter’s Will Trent series this book is a more tame (victim/crime description wise) version that maintains the excellent police mystery storytelling. (5/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

5 stars

Karin Slaughter delivers another pulse pounding, high-speed thriller of a novel that hits like a prize fighter and leaves you desperate for another round.

The night of the 4th of July fireworks show in North Falls, two 15-year-old girls go missing. Left behind are broken bicycles, a pool of blood, and a trail of clues that may or may not lead them to the perpetrator in time to save even one of the girls. Time is running out and Deputy Emmy Clifton is determined to find them and salvage her broken friendship with the stepmother of one of the missing girls. Twelve years later, another missing girl, another broken bicycle, blood at the scene, and Emmy is once again faced with a clock ticking down along with her chances of finding this victim alive.

In this first book of a brand-new series, we’re introduced to the Clifton family of North Falls. The Clifton family has more than its share of drama, dysfunction, feuds, and tragedy. One side the family are the “haves” while Emmy’s side is more of the “have nots”. But while they may fight with one another, outsiders beware. The Cliftons protect their own.

Karin Slaughter’s books just don’t miss and this is no exception. The action starts early and never lets up. With expert skill, the author shows you who each character is rather than just telling you. Every interaction, every scene, tells you something more until each character simply leaps off the page and becomes real.

Gritty crimes, family drama, time running out, and the reveals and climax are intense and unforgettable. The next book in this series cannot come soon enough!

This is yet another great read by Karin Slaughter- I had trouble putting it down! The story centers on Emmy, a small town police officer trying to track down 2 missing girls, one of which is her best friend's daughter. But like all of Slaughter's books, there is way more to the story than that, and we get an additional abduction and an additional main character in the form of Jude, tying back to the initial storyline. We also get very real and believable characters who we are sometimes mad at and sometimes want to hug.

All of the main characters in the book were complex and fully formed, and I enjoyed the dynamic between them. One thing I like about this author is that she isn't afraid to kill off people you would never expect her to, which adds to the tension of the book in general and provides many surprises. There were multiple great twists that I did not see coming. I really liked how there was a passage of time at one point in the book as well, giving us perspective on how decisions made in the past affected what happens down the road. I had multiple different ideas of who the villain was and felt like there were many believable red herrings. I was surprised at the ending just because there were so many twists, but felt that it made sense and the loose ends were tied up.

Overall, this book reminds me of why I like this author so much. It\s a great mix of characters you want to root for, suspense, and surprises. I'd recommend to those who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Karin Slaughter does it again... mostly.

There are few certainties in life: death, taxes, and me reading every new Karin Slaughter the minute it hits shelves. She’s long been on my auto-read list for good reason—her trademark blend of gut-punch emotion, gasp-worthy twists, and razor-sharp character work rarely lets me down. We Are All Guilty Here continues that streak… albeit with a few speed bumps on the otherwise twisty, compelling road.

Welcome to North Falls—a town so tight-knit it practically chokes. Everyone thinks they know everyone. But when two teenage girls vanish during a night of fireworks, what explodes isn’t just the sky—it's the illusion of safety and familiarity.

Enter Officer Emmy Clifton: haunted, hardened, and harboring enough regret to fuel the local police cruiser. When her best friend’s daughter disappears, Emmy takes it personally—and so do we. Slaughter knows how to cut deep with just a few lines, and while this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, I still felt every ounce of Emmy’s guilt like a bruise that keeps getting poked.

As always, Slaughter excels at the emotional undercurrent—there are moments of ache and heartbreak that snuck up on me, reminding me why I connect so strongly with her characters. And true to form, the twists were anything but predictable. Just when I thought I had the plot pinned down—bam, I was wrong. Again.

That said, this entry didn’t quite rise to the top of my Slaughter shelf. The pacing had a few lulls, and some threads felt more like teases than full payoffs. Still, the small-town secrets, buried traumas, and the slow unraveling of facades made it a ride worth taking.

In short: We Are All Guilty Here might not be my number one Slaughter, but it was still a tightly woven, emotionally driven mystery that held me captive from start to finish. And yes—I’ll absolutely be first in line for the next in the series. Karin, you’re still batting 1,000 in my book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

Karin Slaughter is one of my all-time favorites, so I was so excited to dive into this debut for the new North Falls series. And let me say - it did not disappoint.

One of my favorite aspects of Slaughter’s writing is how intricately the characters are crafted and how real they feel. The characters in North Falls were no different. Emmy, Cole, Jude - every single character was fully fleshed out and had me wanting to binge a whole series in their small town.

The twists were hard to predict and I did not see some of them coming - which makes them the best kind of twists and turns.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this one. I can’t wait to read even more in these new series. Highly recommend this one. Definitely one of my favorites of the year!

Karin Slaughter does it again! Everytime I think she can't surprise me anymore, she gets me! This book was a wonderful, chilling read. This follows a small town cop named Emmy who investigates the disappearance of 2 girls. After they believe the crime has been solved, 12yrs later a similar incident occurs and they have to go back to the beginning and look at everything from the first case again. Everytime I thought I had it solved, I quickly realized I was wrong. This book gives just enough detail without becoming boring. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read more in this series in the future!

This book was like a really expensive bottle of wine. Each chapter, like a slow pour, reveals hidden undertones. There was a hint of danger, a swirl of emotions, and traces of twists throughout.

This story takes place in North Falls where Officer Emmy’s family has an extensive history. 2 girls go missing, one that’s Emmy’s best friend’s daughter. I don’t want to say much more, this book is best served chilled with no spoilers.

Just like the finest wines, the best dark thrillers aren’t just consumed — they’re experienced. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I was on the edge of my seat this entire book. Just when I thought I knew who the “Bad Guy” was, another piece of evidence was revealed, another alibi uncovered, another plot twist unraveled! I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters and following alongside Emmy as she navigated both the case and her interpersonal relationships. I am so excited for more of North Falls series to be released! I need more!

Karin Slaughter just keep hitting it out of the park. Every story she writes is so interesting and exciting. So many twists and turns but nothing that is unreasonable or too out there. She really gets you attached to the characters and as a reader you are very attached. I've noticed that a lot of her stories have included time jumps recently, and she handles it really well. overall really enjoyable story and excited for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Karin Slaughter, and Harper Collins Publishers for providing me with an advanced reading copy.