Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
The first thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series.
Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.
Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.
For Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home.
But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.
Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?
We Are All Guilty Here is the first installment in a brand new series by author Karin Slaughter called North Falls. Set in the claustrophobic small town of North Falls, Georgia, the novel unravels a chilling mystery that exposes the underbelly of a seemingly idyllic community, leaving readers both haunted and eager for more. The story opens 12 years ago on the Fourth of July in North Falls, a tight-knit town where everyone knows everyone—or so they believe.
The festive atmosphere of the annual fireworks display is shattered when two teenage girls, Madison Dalrymple and Cheyenne Baker, vanish without a trace. For Officer Emmy Clifton, the disappearance is deeply personal: Madison is the daughter of her best friend, Hannah, and Emmy’s guilt over dismissing Madison’s distress earlier that day fuels her determination to find the girls. The narrative unfolds across two timelines—present-day and twelve years prior, when the initial investigation led to the conviction of a suspect, only for new evidence to overturn that conviction years later.
When another girl, Paisley Walker, disappears in a chillingly similar manner, Emmy is forced to confront the possibility that she and her police-chief father, Gerald, got it wrong all those years ago. As Emmy digs deeper, aided by Jude Archer, a retired FBI agent with her own secrets, the investigation reveals a web of predation, betrayal, and institutional corruption that implicates some of North Falls’ most trusted figures. The novel’s structure builds suspense while exposing how trauma reverberates across generations, culminating in a devastating yet satisfying climax that ties the threads together without feeling contrived.
Emmy, now a Deputy Chief, is a standout protagonist—flawed, fierce, and burdened by guilt that makes her both relatable and compelling. Her personal stakes—her strained marriage, her role as a mother to her deputy son, Cole, and her complicated family history—add layers to her relentless pursuit of justice. Especially after her own father is murdered right in front of her. Emmy’s internal conflict is realistic as she struggles to balance professional duty with personal regret. When Jude returns to the scene after 40 years, she brings a twisted history along with a stellar 27-year career with the FBI.
The two characters don't get along that way at first, but things eventually are revealed about both that I won't spoil here. Cole, Emmy’s son, embodies the earnestness of youth while grappling with the weight of his family’s legacy. I do think that if you pay attention to the subtle clues that the author gives you along the way, the ending shouldn't be that much of a surprise for anyone. Overall, this was a story that proves that Karin Slaughter should be among the author's you must turn to for your next escape.
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