Thrillers can become samey quite easily but some authors just have that special knack of keeping the characters and stories fresh and intriguing. And Karin Slaughter is leading the field. She’s given us the wonderful Grant Count and Will Trent series and some fabulous stand-alones, now she’s started the new North Falls series and it’s a winner.
Emmy Clifton is a cop in North Falls, a small, quiet Georgia town where everyone knows everyone, or at least think they do. She’s also the daughter of the town sheriff.
The story begins the night of a Fourth of July fireworks celebration attended by almost the whole town. Between policing and keeping an eye on her young son, Emmy tries to talk to Madison, the teen stepdaughter of her best friend who is going through a troubled phase, but gets nowhere. However later in the evening when a worried Madison approaches Emmy, she’s preoccupied after a public argument with her deadbeat husband and brushes her off. This moment will haunt Emmy as not long after this Madison and her best friend Cheyenne go missing.
The investigation into their disappearance has Emmy and her father realising there are dark secrets in their quiet town and hoping they can unravel things to find the girls, It’s an absolute page-turner with characters that are well-developed and a story with so many layers and depth. Yes, it’s dark but it’s about flawed people and complicated families and I can’t wait to read more about Emmy and North Falls. One of my favourite books of 2025.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter is the first in a brand new series featuring Chief Deputy Emmy Lou Clifton.

It’s the Fourth of July in North Falls, Georgia. The town is celebrating. The fireworks will go off soon. And Emmy Lou has just had another fight with her husband. She seeks solace in the port-a-potty, away from the celebrations and people, and away from her best friend’s daughter Madison, who is anxious and wants to tell her something. Emmy Lou’s actions will haunt her because Madison is about to go missing.

It’s a typical small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, or at least they think they do. Can Emmy Lou and her father, the Sheriff, find the missing girls in time?

This is another deeply impactful mystery. Karin Slaughter does not shy away from the violence and damage done to women and girls. If you are a fan of her other books, you should definitely check this one out. I can’t wait to see the series continue. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Madison and Cheyenne, both young girls, vanish, this is the beginning of a gripping story. Will Emmy find them? That is a question you will need to read the book for if want to find out. I am not going to spoil the novel by telling the reader about what happens next, but this is karin slaughter at her finest and I would recommend the book highly both for the characters and suspenseful story.

Two teenage girls go missing during a local fireworks festival in North Falls, and there are more than one guilty looking suspects, fast forward to 12 years later and another teenager goes missing provoking the question did they get the right culprit the first time or have they struck again?
As always with Karen Slaughter I was hooked on this from the start and enjoyed it throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite authors, and naturally I was really excited for her new novel. Unfortunately, this was probably my least favourite book by her.

I found this very slow, very focused on police procedural, which I don't love, and on top the characters didn't do anything for me. Jude was fine, but I just didn't care about Emmy at all, and especially not about her personal family drama which kept overriding the case. This was also very tame for a Karin Slaughter novel, I love her books because of how dark they get, but this never really went there. There was never really any suspense or any danger for the characters and it just wasn't at all what I'm used to from her other books. I wish there would have been a POV of the missing girls or just something to make it interesting because I just found everything very boring.

It was also just very similar to the Will Trent series, and I guess I was hoping her new series would be something a little different. I also found the ending disappointing, I thought there would be a big showdown at the end but everything just worked out and then it ended. I really wish for a first book in a new series this would have been stronger, especially remembering how amazing the first two books in the Will Trent series were. I will always be reading everything Slaughter writes, but this one was just kind of a letdown sadly.

Karin Slaughter not only has the perfect name for the types of books she writes but this book was a wild ride from start to finish. It’s been a while since I read a Slaughter book but this one did not disappoint.

Emmy Clifton is deputy sheriff of a small town in the US state of Georgia. Her dad is chief, the county is named after the family. On July 4th two young girls go missing and it's a race against time to unravel what has happened to the girls. 10 years or so afterwards, the small town is rocked again by another girl going missing. Did they put the wrong person in jail? Or is the newly released accused guilty again

This is a fast moving plot. I found the first half, about the original kidnappings exciting to read and, as I was reading on my Kindle, I had no idea that there was still a lot of book left to go. The second half is almost like another book - maybe other people might think it would have been better as two books but I liked getting the second half of the story at once. I thought the plot was pacy and well conceived, the characters well written and the twists and turns very riveting to read. A really good book by this excellent author. Highly recommended

Thank You Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.


This is a great book by Karin Slaughter. I am halfway don’t with the Will Trent Series by Karin Slaughter and a few of her standalone novels. I love Slaughter’s writing. Her recipes for her books work for me. I devoured this book in a week like I usually do with her books. I usually listen to the audiobooks but I took a chance with the actual reading and I really enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the plot.

I adore Karin Slaughter, I will drop whatever I'm in the middle of to read her releases. I will admit to being slightly disappointed whenever it isn't an Atlanta/Grant novel but the feeling never lasts because whether it's returning characters or brand new faces the novels are always 5 star without fail.
We Are All Guilty Here is another perfect score for me. Emmy is a fantastic addition and I hope there is more in store for her, I loved everything about her character and heavily invested in the entire family. Karin knows how to break your heart and slowly piece it back together. The plot was wildly unpredictable and perfectly paced. I will be forever recommending all of Karin Slaughters novels to anyone that can handle the brutal content.

This book is written so well that it really does suck you into the story, you feel the emotions along with the main character as she’s desperately trying to find the missing teenagers. The plot is rich, and the characters brilliantly written. Truly another brilliant read by Karin Slaughter!

This book starts with the abduction of two teenage girls and the investigation that follows. The timeline then moves forward 12 years to the present day and the abduction of another girl in a case reminiscent of the previous one. No spoilers here but this is a very tense and gripping book with some quite graphic scenes.

I understand this is the first in a new series of books from Karin Slaughter and it certainly does not disappoint.

This book is complicated - not an easy read because the crimes committed are brutal and callous but it does set the stage for further stories for the protagonist Emmy.
There are many twists and surprises in this book which make it an interesting read.

One of the best books I have read for some time. Karin Slaughter has brilliantly captured the small town mentality concerning crime and how the community are quick to point a finger. The story moves at a pace and the deductions made do not stretch the imagination too far. Everything seems plausible!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the advance copy of this book.

This was really fun!! It was very reminiscent of The Good Daughter. I feel like I should have more to say; but honestly no notes. This was very enjoyable, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers.

Nobody does dark secrets and small towns like Karin Slaughter does; the intensity of that all-knowing, all-seeing eye and the ever present risk around the corner. Another thing that I do admire Karin Slaughter for is her ability to never rest on her laurels. Not content (and she would be perfectly entitled) to bring us the consistently high standard of her ongoing series each year, she again delivers something new and beyond what, for some, would be her comfort zone. I was soon swept up in the story of two missing girls in rural Georgia, because there was so much to learn about them and almost everyone in this tiny corner of the world they called home, but which they longed to escape.

In creating Emmy Clifton, Karin Slaughter has given us a strong lead character, one whose task is all the more challenging because with the investigation into the girls' disappearance, everyone is connected to either Emmy, or the girls, or both. There is a lot of violence in the revelations as the story progress but rather than gratuitous I found these elements to be all too revealing, giving way more to sadness and a degree of pathos I maybe wasn't expecting. The sense of claustrophobia of Small Town America is so well-coloured that I felt as if I was looking over shoulders at the action - no mean achievement but something Karin Slaughter excels at when she moves away from Atlanta and exposes the sadder, meaner side of rural America.

This is a big book and not one to to be taken lightly. Some serious themes from the backbone of the story but are in excellent, extremely sympathetic hands. After all, this is a thriller, and yes, it will keep you up if, like me, you need to read just one more chapter before bedtime.

Karin Slaughter's novel, "We Are All Guilty Here," is a must-read for enthusiasts of psychological thrillers.

The novel takes place in a small town in America where the disappearance of two teenage girls sends shockwaves through the community. Officer Emmy Clifton is tasked with the case. As one of the missing girls is the daughter of Emmy’s best friend the case is also personal. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a complex web of secrets, lies, and hidden motives that complicate the investigation at every turn.

Emmy Clifton emerges as a compelling protagonist. Her determination and resilience are rigorously tested as she navigates both personal and professional challenges, adding a profound layer to the narrative.

The atmospheric small-town setting creates tension and isolation and adds to the overall suspense.

The writing style is both engaging and evocative and the novel is perfectly plotted keeping the reader constantly engaged.
As the investigation unfolds and secrets are revealed, readers are taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and suspense.

An unputdownable thriller.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

North falls thriller book 1

As a number 1 Karin Slaughter fan and having already had this book on pre order I was ecstatic to be chosen for ARC so huge thank you.
Having followed Will Trent and Dr Sara Linton it was great to begin a new series from the 1st book of the North Falls thriller series.
Yes I am desperate for a Sara and Will update but it was great to get stuck into new characters and Emmy Lou Clifton didn’t disappoint. Sheriffs daughter she is from a town where family ties from generations run deep. Married to school love Jonah in a tumultuous marriage and mother to Cole aged 11 Emmy comes upon a case on fireworks night which changes Emmys world. Long standing best friend Hannah, step mother to 15 year old Madison, is distraught when Emmy makes the discovery of Madisons abandoned bike and missing best friend Cheyenne. Blood belonging to Cheyenne is present at a scene and the outlook isn’t looking good.
Hannah and Emmys friendship crumbles when Hannah discovers Emmy and Madison had been chatting a short while before her disappearance and Emmy knowing Madison looked upset made the decision to become embroiled in the usual messiness of her marriage leaving Madison upset and alone. Home truths are thrown at Emmy and the 2 fall apart.
12 years later as the case unfolds Jude Archer ,special agent in charge of serial killer Freddie Henley finally gets the location for the 12th child body before he dies meaning Jude , 2 years passed retirement decides to call it a day. Going over final emails she’s alerted to a missing child back in North fall and asks to go there. Having spent 27 year career delving in child killers and paedophiles Jude is keen to offer some expertise especially as the missing child coincides with the release of Adam Hurtslinger who had been jailed for the murders of Cheyenne and Madison some 12 years previous.
Jude’s return changes the story and not wanting to spoil this experience for anyone this is where I end!
This book was phenomenal, I cannot wait for more on Emmy Lou and her family and the next book. I was left speechless and tearful at times towards the end. The book has a little bit of everything and a whole lot of storyline and future books to follow.
Amazing is all I can say and 5 stars don’t give this book justice.

This book was incredible—raw, gripping, and painfully emotional. Karin Slaughter tackles unthinkable crimes involving children with a careful, deliberate touch that never feels exploitative. It’s dark and disturbing, yes, but it’s also filled with the kind of layered family dynamics and moral complexity that Slaughter does so well.

Set in a small Georgia town, the story follows Officer Emmy Clifton as she investigates the disappearance of two teenage girls. What starts as a search quickly becomes a deep dive into buried secrets, guilt, and the lies people tell to protect those they love. Emmy’s personal ties to the case only make everything feel more intense and real.

Slaughter weaves a tense, emotional narrative with characters that feel painfully human. It’s a heavy read at times, but one that sticks with you—not just for the crime, but for the people and relationships at the heart of it.

A must-read for anyone who loves thrillers with emotional weight and moral gray areas.

This was a heartbreaking read which I couldn’t put down. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I have read all of Karin’s last book series and I loved them, but this beginning to her new series didn’t disappoint; it was brilliant from start to finish, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

A first book in a new series, and it does not disappoint in its delivery of crime and suspense. We are given enough detail to fill in the gruesome gaps with our imaginations, making us want to continue turning the pages.

I enjoyed the introduction of the new characters and look forward to learning more about them in future books. The only reason it is not 5 stars is because we have only just met the characters.

What do we know? Karin Slaughter is a brilliant crime writer!
What do we think we know? There will hopefully be more from the Cliftons!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins, for providing me with an advance copy.