Karin Slaughter kicks off a brand-new series with “We Are All Guilty Here,” and it’s everything fans could hope for—dark, twisty, and impossible to put down. This first installment introduces Emmy Clifton, a character as layered and compelling as any Slaughter has created. Emmy’s return to her hometown of North Falls sets off a slow-burning fuse that ignites with secrets, betrayal, and the kind of tension that Slaughter crafts so well.

North Falls feels like a character in itself—claustrophobic, gossipy, and brimming with small-town drama. You feel like you’re living right there alongside Emmy, watching the walls close in as old wounds reopen and long-buried secrets surface. Slaughter makes the town come alive with every sideways glance and every whispered lie.

The twists come fast and sharp, the suspense is relentless, and the emotional weight hits hard. Emmy’s story isn’t just about surviving the past—it’s about exposing the truth, no matter the cost. The book examines guilt in all its forms and forces readers to question how far they'd go to protect the ones they love—or themselves.

We Are All Guilty Here is a stellar start to what promises to be a must-read series. With her signature style of grit, psychological insight, and nerve-shredding suspense, Slaughter proves once again why she’s a master of the genre. This one should hold court proudly among her best—and keep fans eagerly waiting for what’s next.

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Okay, so first off — what a ride. You know when you pick up a book thinking, yeah okay, small town secrets, missing girls, got it… and then it just wrecks your nerves in the best way? That was this. I went in expecting your standard twisty mystery and came out feeling like I'd lived in North Falls for a week, side-eyeing everybody at the Fourth of July fireworks.

The vibe is peak small-town claustrophobia with a side of generational drama. Emmy, our lead, is messy in a way I totally love — not annoyingly perfect, just real, frustrated, and making bad choices in-between trying to solve a nightmare. And the town? It’s basically a character in itself. Everyone’s got skeletons. Everyone's lying. It’s so good.

Now, heads up: this isn’t light. It gets dark and it sits with the heavy stuff, but in a way that actually feels earned. Some twists I saw coming, some punched me in the face, and while it drags a smidge in the middle (like, okay girl we get it, interview suspect #47), the payoff works.

I didn’t adore every choice plot-wise, but honestly? The characters carried it for me. Emmy’s complicated family, old resentments, weird town politics — it gave the whole thing a little extra spice beyond the crime thread. I’m so down for more from this series.

4 stars from me — slightly messy, a little brutal, but totally addictive. Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a longtime fan of Karin Slaughter, I was eager to dive into We Are All Guilty Here, and it did not disappoint. Slaughter’s signature blend of gripping suspense, complex characters, and emotional intensity is on full display in this novel. What stood out most to me was how the story weaves themes of guilt, justice, and redemption into a narrative that feels both timely and deeply personal.

The protagonist is layered and flawed in a way that feels real—someone trying to do the right thing while wrestling with past mistakes. The pacing is razor-sharp, with tension that builds steadily until the explosive climax. Slaughter doesn’t just deliver a thriller; she forces readers to question what it means to be complicit, to stay silent, or to fight back against systemic wrongs.

What I appreciated most was how the book challenged me emotionally and morally. It left me thinking long after I turned the last page, not just about the plot, but about the quiet ways we participate in injustice—and how we might confront that in ourselves and others.

This isn’t just a crime novel. It’s a powerful, unsettling, and thought-provoking story that stays with you. I highly recommend it to fans of intelligent thrillers with heart and substance.

Officer Emmy Clifton turned away from her best friend's daughter when she needed help and now she must work to bring her home. As Emmy combs through the evidence and the puzzles that the girls left behind, she realizes that she did not know them at all. In North Falls, a small town where everyone knows everyone else, the public ignites when two teenage girls vanish and leave behind a trail of secrets.

Wow there were so many twists in this book. The characters were so complex and fascinating. If this becomes a series, I would be excited to read more about the town and the people in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley, author Karin Slaughter, and publishers William Morrow and HarperCollins for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. Not going to lie, I screamed when I got the approval email. #slaughtersquad

We Are All Guilty Here is the first book in a new series from Karin Slaughter. I think this was an amazing first book and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next books. We got so much information, character development, and backstory in this first book and it’s only 400 or so pages. I think everything we were given in this book will only lead to further secrets being revealed in later books. I also wonder if we’ll see other characters from the KS universe?

I thought the pacing was perfect, we’re following an investigation so there’s always going to be highs and lows. Also, again, this is the FIRST book in a new series, the whole North Falls universe has to be set up first before we can advance.

Plot twists were 10/10 – KS never dissapoints me and always gets me in the end. Every book of hers I get to a point in the story where I think I have it all figured out and then she jukes me.
The story is told from different POV’s (which I think is always good for a story and adds more depth, especially in a crime procedural/thriller). We also see the story from different timelines, the past and the future.

With every book, I always say that Karin Slaughter writes some of the most real, gritty, and messed up characters. Everyone in this book felt like a real person and I don’t know how she can write emotion and depth like she does (I think she’s a wizard).

This story took turns I wasn’t even expecting. It was gritty and raw, and at some points had me in an emotional chokehold. KS never fails to keep me engrossed in her books.

This book was a 5/5 stars and could possibly be my new favorite book of hers.

As a die hard Slaughter fan I was absolutely delighted to get a galley of this, especially as we branch out into a new series! I could not resist immediately starting this and in typical Slaughter fashion, the main character as well as whole cast of side characters all feel really distinct and lived in, they’re authentically messy, emotional, flawed in ways that make sense and also bring forth a deep understanding of how complicated family and small town dynamics are. This was probably my favorite part of this book, and it also featured very prominently, maybe even to the detriment of the central plot / crime.

Because of this, I felt this lacked the typical gripping suspense and intrigue that I expect in Slaughter books. There was too much endless description of every scene, every interaction, every back road and every way everyone in town was interrelated or knew each other. It’s likely due to Slaughter setting up this new series which will undoubtedly focus on this small town and its people, but it didn’t feel smooth or palatable. I found my eyes glazing over quite a bit with so much extra detail that in the end reveal, really didn’t add much to the way it all came together. That said, I’m sure some of those details and people will surface again on future books, so maybe just a necessary growing pain of the series setup.

As far as Slaughter books go, this was one of her more tame books in terms of the content and crime portrayed on the page, that said, this is still chock full of TWs so please check those before proceeding.

Overall, I found the characters and Clifton family to be very richly detailed and interesting if only because of all their thorny relationships, Emmy herself is found mildly intriguing if a bit too naive somehow. I think this does enough to setup a new series but for seasoned Slaughter fans, I’m not sure this will measure up to her previous series and mysteries. That said, there’s a lot of opportunity to wrangle and polish this so I’m excited for what’s to come.

long but good!! it’s hard for a thriller to keep me interested (weird, i know) but despite calling some of the twists i did enjoy this!

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter was a solid, if not standout, read for me. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Slaughter’s previous books, and while this one had its moments—especially with the tense atmosphere and twisty plot—it didn’t fully win me over. The story moves quickly and there are a few surprises, but I found some of the characters hard to connect with and the pacing a bit uneven at times.

That said, Slaughter’s writing is as sharp as ever and the central mystery kept me guessing enough to keep turning the pages. Fans of her style will likely find a lot to enjoy, but for me, it landed squarely in the middle.

I am a huge Karin Slaughter fan, so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy. Thank you to NetGalley! 4.5 ⭐️

I am always uncertain when a new series starts - especially when I don’t want the old series to end!!
But I really enjoyed the new cast of characters! And I can see that this will keep going!
I thought the first half of the book was a bit slow - but once it picked up, the action and mystery was endless.
Every time I thought it was going to wrap up, other twist was thrown in! I was exhausted by the end!!

As with Karin’s books, the subject matter and mystery are intense. But that is what makes her so good.
Thank you, Karin another winner!

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was completely thrilled to be approved as an advanced reader for Karin Slaughters new ebook. As always, she does not disappoint. There are so many layers to this story with complex characters. It sounds like this might be the beginning of a new series!

Slaughter has outdone herself with this novel. Fast paced, terrifying, and beautifully written, this novel has everything. North Falls is a small close knit town that seems to have everything. During a summer celebration two teenage girls disappear with terrifying results. The ensuing fallout will change the town and its police force forever. Definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

We Are All Guilty Here was the most layered and memorable thriller I have read this year.. The twists keep twisting until the end!

Finally got my hands on another Karin Slaughter book and it was fantastic. I loved the amount of detail that went into this book. It had so many twists and turns and kept my attention the whole time. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series when it comes out.

Karin Slaughter does it again! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was invested in the characters and their outcomes. It was an easy read and kept my attention until the end.

It starts off with 2 young girls that were abducted in a small town and Emmy, a female officer, that is consumed by the case. Ultimately, the case is solved and the book fast towards 12 years with, you guessed it, another abduction. Now, Emmy needs to reopen the past to face the future.

This book has some twists that I didn't see coming which I enjoyed. Thank you for this opportunity!

Wow. This book had me on the edge of my seat. The story had some really great characters like Emmy, Gerald, Cole and Emmy's siblings. I really enjoyed the various relationships in this story and the complexity of some them. I adored the father daughter relation between Emmy and Gerald. It also had some gut wrenching moments with the crime scenes and some twists in the book that I was not expecting and some that I enjoyed. This was a great book and I really enjoyed the read.

In WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE, written by Karin Slaughter, Madison plans to meet her friend, Cheyenne, at a park in North Falls (Clifton County), Georgia, for a birthday fireworks celebration. Madison finds Cheyenne tied up in the trunk of a car. What happens to Madison? Why is Cheyenne tied up in the trunk of a car? Emmy, the protagonist, is a deputy who works for her father (Sheriff Gerald Clinton). She realizes Madison is nowhere to be found and eventually realizes there has been a kidnapping of Madison and Cheyenne. I want to know what happens, especially because blood is found at the scene.

This novel is the first in a series, and with the background given in the first chapter, appears to have a lot of fodder for future books. This particular story is quite engaging with increasing tension as the search for the girls intensifies. There are times when I have to keep reading to find out what happens next. The characters are well-developed with interesting backstories. The dialogue flows naturally, and the plot moves at a good pace with several cases that lead to a satisfying conclusion. There is so much material in this novel that it could have been turned into two or three books. I look forward to reading future books in the North Fall series. Thank you, William Morrow and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE.

Loved this book so much!! I've been so busy with life and not a lot of time to read, when I couldn't read it, I couldn't stop thinking about how I so badly wanted to pick it up and keep reading!! Sooo good!

I love this author! I enjoyed this book and would rate it a strong 3.5 stars. I did struggle keeping track of all the characters, there were just so many. Some of the twists I did see coming but there were some that I didn’t. 😉 Always love it when the author catches me of guard!

First of all, kind of a given, but anyone wanting to read this should check triggers. Some intense stuff here.

Small town cop Emmy Lou is haunted by the two girls she couldn't save 12 years ago, and now it's happening again. Another young teen has disappeared without a trace, and Emmy Lou is racing against the clock to find her. As the clues lead her to places she never dreamed she would go, the truth closes in, and with it, revelations she might not want to face.

Parts of this book were hard to read, but it was a super gripping thriller and I really liked it. It kept me guessing and there were lots of red herrings that threw me off, plus a twist at the end I did not see coming. I was stoked to see it the first of a series, because I loved all of the characters we met in North Falls. Fans of Karin Slaughter will not be disappointed.

Mystery/thriller is not my genre. This book was recommended to me by a TikTok creator whom I respect, Celine. I’m glad I ventured out of my usual. This was my first Karin Slaughter book and I was captivated. The storyline and characters are propulsive. The fictional town, becomes one of the main characters and I always enjoy that in a story. The book opens with two missing teenage girls. There are many significant relationships that are nicely flushed out. It’s very far from a simple who-done-it. The end of the book has a twist I never saw coming but the seasoned mystery readers may be able to anticipate it. I strongly recommend this book to the literary fiction readers that are looking to branch out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced readers copy.