Karin Slaughter launches a gripping new series with We Are All Guilty Here, returning to the kind of tightly knit Southern community that made her Grant County novels so compelling. Set in the fictional town of North Falls, the story centers on Emmy Clifton, a young cop from a family that has shaped the town for generations. Her father, Gerald, is the long-serving sheriff; her mother, Myrna, is in declining health; and Emmy’s marriage is collapsing under the strain of a husband who won’t step up for their son.
When two teenagers—Madison and Cheyenne—vanish during the town’s Fourth of July fireworks, the case hits Emmy where she lives. Distracted by a fight at home, she turned Madison away earlier that night; the girl is the stepdaughter of Emmy’s best friend, Hannah, and someone Emmy has known since childhood. As the search intensifies and the girls’ bodies are found, Emmy starts to see that the teens’ secrets are only part of a deeper web: adults in their orbit—some of them within her own family—aren’t telling the full truth.
Twelve years later, the novel shifts to the present. Emmy is divorced and now serves as her father’s deputy. Her son, Cole, has followed the family path into law enforcement, while her friendship with Hannah lies in ruins. Emmy and Gerald have taken comfort in believing they put the right killer away—until a new witness emerges, the convicted man walks free, and another girl disappears.
Enter Jude, an FBI agent with a formidable record catching child predators. She shows an unexpected interest in the case and arrives in North Falls with motives that will surprise readers. With the past rushing back, Emmy is forced to ask whether she and her father were steered in the wrong direction all those years ago—and whether it’s happening again. As the investigation reopens, the book peels back layers of community loyalty, long-held grudges, and the kind of small-town secrets that fester in plain sight.
Slaughter’s strengths are on full display: nuanced characters, messy and believable family dynamics, and a keen eye for the ways misunderstandings take root between parents and teenagers. The novel does not shy away from difficult realities—sexual assault, child abuse, and exploitation—yet grounds them in character-driven storytelling rather than shock value. The Clifton family feels lived-in and complicated, promising rich avenues for future books.
Added perspective and value
– Thematically, the novel probes guilt—personal, familial, and communal—and the pressures that can push investigators toward quick answers after a tragedy. It also explores confirmation bias in policing and the cost of getting it wrong, especially when the badge and the bloodline intersect.
– Jude’s presence widens the scope beyond North Falls, hinting at patterns and histories bigger than one town. Her hidden motivation adds a second engine of suspense that propels the back half of the story.
– Emmy’s arc is ultimately hopeful: she’s willing to reopen old wounds and question her own past decisions in the pursuit of the truth. That openness sets the stage for reconciliation, accountability, and growth.
The ending positions several characters at crossroads and clearly lays groundwork for the next installment. Fans of Slaughter’s Will Trent and Grant County series will recognize the rich sense of place, razor-fine tension, and moral complexity that have long defined her work—now reframed through a fresh cast with secrets worth following.
Brief summary
A Fourth of July disappearance in North Falls devastates a community and leads to a conviction that seems airtight—until, twelve years later, a new witness emerges, the prisoner is released, and another teen goes missing. Emmy Clifton, now her father’s deputy, and Jude, an FBI predator hunter with her own agenda, must reexamine what everyone thought they knew. As buried truths surface, Emmy confronts the possibility that she helped send the wrong man to prison—and that someone is manipulating the narrative again. Despite its dark subject matter, the novel is an absorbing, character-rich start to a series with real heart and momentum.