Atmospheric, Compelling..
North Falls, a small town where seemingly everyone knows everyone and where secrets cannot normally be kept. When two teenage girls vanish on Fireworks Night the town is thrown into chaos and Officer Emmy Clifton is determined to get to the bottom of the case and bring those girls home. She is soon to realise that the town is keeping secrets and that many of the residents are really strangers. Atmospheric, compelling and immersive with a cast of wholly credible characters populating a simmering plot littered with twists and keen observation. A promising start to this new series.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I loved all the complex characters and the tragedy of getting things wrong. The book kept me hooked and guessing the whole way through.

A story of family, friendship and secrets. Interwoven with small town murders 12 years previously and present day. Told at the usual great pace, with twists and turns that are so unexpected. Well worth the read.

Set aside a weekend for this fast paced and thrilling read.
A small town with a lot going on. Gritty, horrific with plenty of twists.
Such well written characters that were so believable.
This is not for the fainthearted!
I loved every page.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

When 2 teenage girls go missing at a fireworks event, police officer Emmy Lou Clifton is on the case and a man is convicted of the crime. Fast forward 12 years and another girl is missing. This throws into doubt previous convictions and forces Emmy to review the case with Special Agent Jude Archer.
This well-written and brilliantly plotted novel kept me glued to the page. Karin Slaughter brings the small town community of North Falls to life. Secrets and lies are revealed including a shocking twist involving Emmy Lou's family. I look forward to reading more of this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter due to be published June 19, 2025.
Everyone knows everyone in North Falls – or do they? When two teenage girls vanish, Officer Emmy Clifton takes it personally. Emmy finds out the girls had lots of secrets. So does the town. Will Emmy find out who took the girls before it happens again?
I love Karin Slaughter and the Will Trent series so couldn’t wait to dive into this one. It did not disappoint! Her descriptions of the small town of North Falls almost made me want to visit some of the shops and restaurants there. The characters were very detailed so you almost could pick them out walking down the street. The plot was woven together from time past to present with a very satisfying ending. I highly recommend this one for thriller fans!
#NetGalley #KarinSlaughter #HarperCollinsUK #WeAreAllGuiltyHere

I love Karin slaughters books and her writing and this book wasn’t a disappointment! I loved Emmy and her dysfunctional family and their relationships. She stayed strong in such tragic circumstances never giving up determined to find the truth. The scene with Hannah was heartbreaking breaking but so brilliantly written! Great book

A brilliant psychological thriller that grips you from the beginning, When two young girls go missing the search is on but for cops Emmy and her father things turn very dark in the race to try and find them alive and it haunts them for many years,Can they find who was responsible for what happened as they try to piece together the evidence after another young girl goes missing years later full of drama,twists and turns with some quite disturbing people and a terrific ending. Fans of this author will love it I'm sure it will be another winner

I've got my fingers crossed that this will be a new series from Karin Slaughter and not simply a standalone.

The novel is set in rural North Falls, Georgia. It's one of those insular towns where everyone knows everyone and they all feel safe. When two teenaged girls disappear during the July 4th fireworks, it shatters the town. Emmy, a cop, and her father Gerald, the county sheriff, are on the case from the beginning. As the investigation into the disappearance continues, there are numerous secrets unveiled and eventually an arrest is made. But that's only the beginning of the story. Years later, when the supposed kidnapper is released from prison due to new evidence, a very similar disappearance occurs. Now Emmy is the chief deputy and together with her father, they are in a race against time to find the girl. A recently retired FBI agent / psychologist, Jude Archer, comes to town to assist in the search - and there are a few family complications. This is a wild ride, filled with twists and turns, some that I saw coming and others were complete surprises. I am definitely hoping that we will return to North Falls again.

This is a novel about secrets and there are many layers in small town North Falls. Small towns harbor secrets and even the gossip may contain an element of truth. There are deceptions, intrigues, and complicated relationships. The characters are all hiding something and it is a wild ride to peal away the layers. No one, it seems, is entirely innocent.

This was a brilliant novel and definitely recommended to all Slaughter fans. The first part is a *little* slower paced, but the second is a roller coaster ride. There are difficult topics. Karin Slaughter does not shy away from dark elements, like sex trafficking and child pornography. But despite the intensity, there is sensitivity towards the victims. This gritty novel has a palapable authenticity, especially with the police and forensic parts of the investigation. It is a must-read for 2025! Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read this novel.

Quotes I liked:

If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.

Every kid gets a different set of parents, even if they grow up in the same house.

A man has to prove himself once. A woman has to prove himself every day.

Madison will always be trapped between those two people. The woman we didn't get to meet, and the girl we used to know.

When people die, your relationship with them doesn't end. You find new ways to connect with them.

A brilliant story with so much going on and so much potential that I didn't see the perpetrators coming! 100% recommend this.

The story begins with Madison, a teenage girl who is worrying that her friend Cheyenne is late to meet her. They are clearly involved in a dangerous scheme and later the same night, both girls are missing. Emmy is a police officer working the case alongside her father and the first section of the book investigates their disappearance with a seemed resolution, Flash forwards twelve years and it seems that they might have arrested the wrong person and another young girl goes missing. An experienced FBI agent with links to Emmy’s family arrives to help them and they work the new case together. The truth is pretty grim and, like many of the author’s books, this is not for the faint hearted. It kept me gripped and guessing throughout and the characters of Emmy and Jude were well drawn and sympathetic. However, I wouldn’t recommend reading it late at night. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Another belter by Karin Slaughter with lots of twists and turns. A great introduction to a new set of characters. I sincerely hope this series continues.

4.5 stars from me.

I have been a huge fan of Karin Slaughter for many years, even before I discovered NetGalley and it was a privilege to review yet another fantastic story by the queen of the genre. A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

I have read most of Karin Slaughters books and this latest one does not disappoint.
I was hooked from the first few pages and could not put it down. The plot is heartbreaking at times, kept me guessing and thought provoking from start to finish.
The characters are well written, not always likeable but well portrayed. Wholeheartedly recommended.

I could not love this book more if I tried!

Initially I wondered if I could engage with a new series considering how much I love Sara Linton and Will Trent. I need not have worried. This new series is brilliant.

As always, Karin Slaughter writes of relationships that are skewed, toxic, strong, and complicated. She certainly knows how to describe family dynamics!

Emmy is an interesting protagonist who knows she's flawed. There is no good cop heroism here. We have someone very real.

The story is told over two time periods which works well to show how old crimes can still cut deep, particularly when they begin again.

I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. There are so many threads left loose to pick back up.

A no holds barred, thrilling story.

I’ve been a long standing fan of Karin Slaughter. Her deep understanding and knowledge of forensics and police procedural combined with her skill in creating to compelling and complex characters sets her apart from her peers.

Set in a small town, where gossip comes before fact and family lineage dictates loyalties. Karin sets the scene for a a series of abductions and brutal murders set 12 years apart. Her lead character Emmy is both flawed and vulnerable yet surprisingly head strong and quick thinking. Her character has real depth and real-ness making her relatable and intriguing.

Karin’s books are always MASSIVE reads but unlike other tombstone books every page is considered. It’s a real triumph to her style that you could be reading for weeks and yet it’ll only feel like days because the writing is so good!! - You can’t help but getting drawn into the drama and investing in the characters so much that when you reach the end a ‘mourning’ period is required to acknowledge that your connection with North Falls has come to an end.

If you’ve not read Karin Slaughter before, don’t let it stop you now. You can read any and all of her books out of order and will still be fast tracked into fan status.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I usually leave the thank yous for the end of the review but I would like to change that this time. Thank you to HarperCollins UK for sending me the early copy of this book. I was so excited to meet these new characters and start a new Karin Slaughter series…and it didn’t disappoint at all. I mean, the rating says it all. But I’m still going to write a very long review.

Any time is a good time to read a Karin slaughter book but my timing this time was nearly perfect. What better than a fast-paced mystery thriller after spending a month reading an epic fantasy book over a thousand pages long? This genre is the best for getting out of reading slumps but it also prevents them. I had to pick up another book right after finishing this one because it’s the kind of book that makes me so addicted to writing.

Now let’s talk about this book more. I kept highlighting things on the Kindle for different purposes. One, is to be able to find quotes more easily but I won’t share them here to avoid any spoilers. The other reason was that I was trying to solve the mystery. I didn’t solve it. I never do. I realised something two pages before it was revealed and I don’t think that deserves high praise. What does deserve praise is how this author can confuse me so much when I’m trying to guess who the Bad Guy (you’ll get why I call it that when you read the book) is…but then it makes sense. The clues were there and I don’t think I’m dumb and that’s why I didn’t get it. But we’re talking about an author who knows how to leave hints all over the book that could mean a lot or could mean nothing at all…until we realise they are what solves the puzzle. But then once we know the answer, all those little hints come back and it just makes sense. I can’t blame plotholes for my inability to guess who the Bad Guy is. I can only blame the book for being so well-written. But it’d be silly to complain about that.
The mystery, once again, was very gratifying to read. And the way it was solved worked very well with the story and the social commentary it was trying to make. More on that later.

The crimes depicted in the book were obviously horrific. Very close to things that are happening in real life all over the world at least by the time I read this. I can’t guess the future but similar things happen, sadly, all the time. So by the time the book is out, the commentary will remain relevant. The way what’s done to the victims ties in with the title of the book is brilliant too. I always wonder how the title will fit with the story and it’s usually very well done.
I found it interesting a reading app classified most of the Karin Slaughter books I read as “true crime”. I never would have done that myself and it surprised me a little. But how fitting that this new book actually mentions true crime. The commentary about it was great, in my opinion. But I’m not the biggest fan of true crime so I don’t know how others who do love that “genre” (for lack of a better word) might feel. I said I wouldn’t share quotes but I’ll say very briefly that someone in the book refers to those who create true crime content as people who “don’t care about the victims”, which is my main issue with it. By victims, I mean those who the crimes were committed against but also their families and friends. The lack of respect towards that was very well depicted here through an insufferable character.
There’s more social commentary about women’s safety, mainly focused on younger girls this time but also done in a more general way. That’s always something I expect to find in Karin Slaughter's books and I feel this type of commentary only gets better with every new book.
And apart from those two topics, a very big theme in this book is parents “forcing” their children to rebel. And the consequences that can come from that. I love that, in each case, it was portrayed slightly differently because we can’t pretend that all parents are the same. And many just try to do the best they can to protect their children and it just backfires.

So the mystery was good, the resolution was good, the commentary was good…what about the characters? Because this is a new series. One that, from what I can guess, will work similarly to my beloved Will Trent series. Well, I love these new characters. Emmy is a fantastic protagonist and Jude compliments her character very well. Given all we’ve found out about them, I’m definitely curious to see how their relationship evolves in future books. Did I see certain revelations coming? We all know the answer. No, I didn’t but wow. Emmy’s feelings towards her parents and what was going on with them were ones I could relate to and so I found it was something else that was very well depicted. For others, their experiences might be different and I acknowledge that but I related a lot to her.
Cole and Dylan are two secondary characters I cannot wait to know more about. Both are fantastic, even if we know very little about them. I’m assuming their characters will be expanded in the next books in the series and that’s something I’m excited to read. Plus Emmy’s family seems to have a lot of members, which I assume will keep showing up and that’s also something to look forward to. Taybee was a very good minor character as well.

I honestly have so many thoughts about this book and I’ve tried my best to write them down in a way that makes the most sense but what a start for this new series! It’s hard to imagine the people who read book 1 and finish it won’t come back to pick up book 2. And I know I’ll be patiently (kind of) waiting for it.

*Until the Night of the Fireworks* is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that pulls you in from the first page. Officer Emmy Clifton’s personal connection to the case of two missing teenage girls adds emotional depth to the mystery, as she uncovers shocking secrets about the girls and the town they live in.

The story is full of twists and turns, with a compelling lead and a suspenseful plot that keeps you guessing until the very end. It explores themes of trust, guilt, and hidden truths, making for a thrilling and thought-provoking read.

A must-read for fans of mystery and suspense—this book will keep you on the edge of your seat! Karin Slaughter just never disappoints!

As a big fan of Karin Slaughter I was looking forward to reading this book. The tension and suspense was there from the start and continued throughout the book. The setting in a small town in America is described perfectly and the relationships and secrets keep you gripped. A good twist at the end which will lead nicely into further books in the series. A great read.

Delighted to have a new Karin Slaughter series to sink my teeth into. This one doesn’t disappoint. Set in small town America two teenage girls are found dead, opening up old cases that had gone unsolved. But these cases are only part of the enjoyment of this book as we meet a new cast of characters and begin to scrape the surface of their lives and their stories. I’m looking forward to the next instalment. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy, really thrilled to have read it.