We Are All Guilty Here

Author Karin Slaughter returns with a new crime thriller series set in a small town where everyone knows everyone—or do they? We Are All Guilty Here is a highly addictive, well-crafted suspense thriller that’s impossible to put down, featuring flawed characters with a ton of baggage that bears a closer look.

Slaughter draws readers in from page one and doesn’t let them go until the final shocking revelation slaps them in the face. Take care of business and find some alone time before settling in with this masterpiece.

We Are All Guilty Here explores the many layers of life in a typical small town in the South. On the surface, everyone’s life is an open book. No secrets, right? But peel back a layer or two, and you’ll find almost everyone has nasty little secrets—things they’d do anything to keep hidden. These dark truths begin unraveling after two teenagers disappear on the night of the town’s annual Fourth of July celebration. Police Officer Emmy Clifton and her father, Chief Gerald Clifton, are on the scene from the start, and they follow the evidence, eventually putting the bad guy in prison—despite Emmy’s lingering doubts.

Over a decade later, another girl disappears under similar circumstances. Emmy is now Chief of Police and faced with the chilling possibility that they may have put the wrong man behind bars. To uncover the truth, Emmy joins forces with Jude Archer, a retired FBI agent and psychologist, and together they race against time. It soon becomes clear that the small-town neighbors Emmy thought she knew are hiding secrets that could destroy them if revealed. How far would they go to keep them buried? With a few skeletons rattling around in her own closet, Emmy is forced to face her personal demons and navigate the tangled web of relationships within her own family as her professional and personal lives collide.

Author Karin Slaughter slays it with this gripping, tension-laden, tautly written thriller, balancing small-town dynamics with compelling, richly developed characters—led by a flawed yet likable protagonist burdened with guilt and regret. The dual timeline connects past crimes with the present, setting a chilling tone of malice throughout. As the story unfolds, characters and readers are sent reeling with each shocking revelation until it becomes clear: no one in North Falls is as blameless as they seem… not even Emmy.

We Are All Guilty Here is an emotional, gripping thriller that highlights how the past can dictate the path of the future while throwing open all the doors in a tightly knit town. As always, Slaughter excels at turning small-town settings into vivid, living elements that shape the story and drive the pace. Guilt, secrets, and family dynamics all collide and explode across the pages of this suspense thriller. No one does it better than Karin Slaughter. I can’t wait for the second book in this series. Highly recommended for readers who love a challenging whodunit and fans of mysteries and psychological thrillers.