We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

Another day, another finished book! And oh boy, I have to say, this is definitely one of the best books I’ve picked up this year. What an amazing plot, beautiful main characters, and such an atmospheric setting. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter had me hooked from page one. It’s full of twists, emotion, and those moments that make you stop and say, “Wait, what?!”

I couldn’t put it down. If this one’s on your radar, I’ve got some thoughts to share!

Let’s jump in!

Spoiler-Free Zone
This review is completely spoiler-free, no twists revealed, no key plot points given away. It’s safe to keep reading, even if you haven’t started the book yet.

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter is a powerful, fast-paced thriller set in a small town where it feels like everyone’s hiding something. It blends a gripping mystery and procedural investigation with messy family dynamics and real emotional depth. Some parts get pretty intense, but Slaughter’s storytelling is super sharp, and her characters are so compelling that you won’t want to stop reading.
A true 5-star read!”

We Are All Guilty Here – Book Synopsis

Published 19 June 2025

Welcome to North Falls. A small town where everyone knows everyone. But nobody knows the truth.

Emmy Clifton has lived here all her life. She thinks she knows her neighbours. She’s wrong.

She thinks it’s just another hot summer night: a night like any other. She’s wrong.

When her best friend’s daughter asks for help, she thinks it’s just some teenage drama. She thinks it can wait. She’s never been more wrong in her life.

As the town ignites in the wake of the girl’s disappearance, Emmy throws herself into the search. But then she realises: You never really know a town until you know its secrets.

Is Emmy ready for the truth?

Goodreads Rating

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Title	We Are All Guilty Here – North Falls #1
Author	Karin Slaughter
Genre	Thriller, Crime, Psychological Thriller, Mistery Thriller, Procedural
Format	448 pages, Hardcover
Published	19 June 2025, HarperCollins
ISBN	9780063336773 (ISBN10: 0063336774)
ASIN	0063336774
Language	English

Author’s Bio – Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter is the author of twenty-five instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Town and standalone novels The Good Daughter, Pretty Girls, and Girl, Forgotten.

She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally). The Good Daughter and False Witness are in development for film/TV. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project, a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

Check her Official Website: Karin Slaughter

Consider adding We Are All Guilty Here to your TBR list on Goodreads.

We Are All Guilty Here – Quick Summary

We Are All Guilty Here – Trigger Warnings, Sensitive Topics and Age Rating

Before we go any further, I always like to include a quick note on sensitive content. Every reader is different, and some themes in this book might be difficult for certain people.

If you prefer to check content warnings before reading, just click below to reveal the list of trigger warnings, sensitive topics and age ratting.

Age Rating

18+ (Mature Readers Only)
Due to the intense subject matter, graphic content, and mature themes, this book is best suited for adult readers. It may not be appropriate for younger teens.

Trigger Warnings / Sensitive Topics:

Child abduction
Sexual abuse and exploitation (involving minors)
Grooming by an adult
Physical violence
Psychological and emotional abuse
Drug use and drug dealing (involving teens)
Underage drinking
Strong language
Discussions of trauma, grief, and loss
Domestic conflict and toxic relationships
Police corruption and community bias
Descriptions of sexual acts and sexual violence
Violence against girls and women
Depictions of panic, fear, and mental distress

Notes

This book includes a range of sensitive topics that may be distressing for some readers. While the writing is literary and not overly graphic, the themes are emotionally heavy and complex.

Plot Overview

Taking place in the quiet town of North Falls, where everybody knows everybody, We Are All Guilty Here follows Sheriff Emmy Clifton as she’s pulled into a case that echoes a tragedy from her past, the unsolved disappearance of two girls during the Fourth of July over a decade ago. Now, when a new teenage girl goes missing under eerily similar circumstances, Emmy must reopen old wounds and confront the secrets that the town, her family, and even she herself have kept buried for years.

As the investigation moves forward, Emmy tries to balance the pressure of her job with the emotional weight of her personal life. At the same time, the sudden return of a long-absent family member brings new tension and stirs up grief she never fully faced. As the story unfolds, it shifts between past and present, slowly revealing how much of the truth has been hidden, and what it might cost to finally bring it into the open.

We Are All Guilty Here blends suspense, emotion, and dark, weighty themes. Karin Slaughter explores ideas like guilt, justice, memory, and forgiveness in a town where no secret stays buried forever.

My Thoughts

What I Loved

One thing I loved most about We Are All Guilty Here is how Karin Slaughter develops her two female lead characters, Emmy and Jude.

They feel incredibly real, shaped by past trauma and personal struggles, which makes them easy to connect with. Both are skilled professionals, but we also see how they deal with challenges at home, whether it’s family, parenting, or addiction. It’s especially interesting to watch how their personal experiences influence the way they approach the case.

The contrast between them adds so much depth to the story. I really enjoyed seeing two strong, amazing women at the center of a mystery like this.

What Surprised Me

What really surprised me about this book was how many strong female characters it had. Even in the middle of a dark, heavy story like this, I had moments where I quietly laughed at some of the Clifton family dynamics. They’re strong, stubborn, and full of personality, and their interactions felt so real. Each woman has her own way of facing challenges, and together they show what it means to be tough, loyal, and honest. Even when they don’t agree, they still support each other in their own way. I love it!

Vibe Check

Oh, this one is heavy, friends, the kind of heavy that makes you stop and take a breath. The themes are dark and sometimes hard to sit with, and that’s something Karin Slaughter is known for. She doesn’t shy away from showing the raw side of violence, pain, or grief, and in this book, it really stays with you.

There’s also this constant emotional pressure that runs through the story. You feel it in the small-town dynamics, in the friendships, the family ties, and even the way people work together. Everyone knows each other, and that closeness adds to the tension. It’s not just a mystery, it’s a story about people carrying guilt, secrets, and loss, and trying their best to keep going.

What Didn’t Work for Me

One thing that didn’t fully work for me was the lack of development for some of the male characters. For example, Cole seemed really interesting, but we didn’t get to spend much time with him. I felt like there was more to his story that we didn’t get to see in this book.

But since this is only the first book in the North Falls series, I believe we’ll learn more about him in the next ones. I’m looking forward to seeing how his story grows.

About The Plot Twist

The plot twist in this book isn’t one of those big, shocking moments that makes you stop and gasp, and honestly, that’s okay. It’s not trying to catch you off guard just for the sake of it. There are clues along the way, so if you’re paying attention, you might start to figure things out before the reveal.

What really worked for me wasn’t the twist itself, but the reason behind it. The motivations, the emotional depth, and the way everything came together at the end made it feel satisfying. The resolution felt complete, and when the truth came out, it all made sense without any loose ends.

Conclusion

Although We Are All Guilty Here deals with some very heavy themes, it’s a powerful and well-crafted procedural mystery thriller. The story is gripping, the plot is tight and cohesive, and the female characters truly stand out. It’s emotional, intense, and thoughtfully written, definitely a strong start to a series I’ll be eager to follow.

Some Book Quotes

“I just needed a place to bury my grief.“

“You’re not sorry. People who are sorry don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again.”

“Trauma doesn’t go away. It stores itself in the body, particularly with children. The more they try to force it down, the more ways the body finds to push it back out.”

We Are All Guilty Here – Full Spoilers FAQ

Contains Major Spoilers
If you haven’t finished the book yet, you might want to bookmark this page and come back later. I’ll be diving into important plot points, big twists, and key character details. Read on only if you’re ready for the full story!

On the night of July 4th, during the town’s fireworks celebration, Madison Dalrymple and Cheyenne Baker disappeared from North Falls Park. The two girls had secretly planned to run away in a couple of months, but that night, they wanted a taste of freedom. Cheyenne was supposed to steal her dad’s car, meet Madison under the oak tree, and they’d drive around and have some real fun.

But Cheyenne never showed up.

Worried, Madison went looking for her. During the fireworks, she saw a car driving across the soccer field and thought it was Cheyenne. But when she ran toward it, she saw something terrifying: Cheyenne was tied up in the trunk. Before Madison could react, she was grabbed and taken too.

Earlier that same day, Madison had tried to talk to Deputy Emmy Clifton, who was a close family friend. Madison looked upset, but Emmy was distracted by problems with her husband and didn’t take time to listen, something she would regret deeply.

Right after the girls disappeared, police looked into Dale Loudermilk, the choir teacher at their school. He wasn’t charged for the girls’ case, but he was arrested on other charges involving minors.

Later, following a gut feeling, Emmy searched the Clifton family farm. There, she made a heartbreaking discovery: both girls’ bodies were found in a pond. The truth was horrifying, Cheyenne had been tortured and shot, while Madison had also been tortured and then strangled.

As police dug deeper, they discovered that Cheyenne and Madison had been involved in dangerous activities. The girls were selling drugs and exchanging sex for money to save up for their escape. A man named Adam Huntsinger, who worked on the Clifton family’s property, had been in contact with them and was supplying the drugs. During the investigation, Emmy found Cheyenne’s broken necklace, marked with Adam’s fingerprints, inside the Huntsinger family home. Because of this and his ties to the crime scene, Adam was arrested and charged with their murders.

He spent 12 years in prison, until a true crime podcast revealed new information. It turned out that Adam had been with a sex worker the night the girls were killed. Her story proved his alibi. Although he was charged for assaulting her, this helped show he didn’t kill Madison and Cheyenne. He was finally released.

Soon after, another girl, Paisley Walker, disappeared under eerily similar circumstances. While searching for her, Emmy uncovered the full truth behind all three cases.

The real killers were Virgil Ingram and Walton Huntsinger, Adam’s father. Both men had been involved in inappropriate relationships with Cheyenne and Madison. Cheyenne had secretly recorded the encounters and was using the videos to blackmail them. On the night of July 4th, the girls planned to trade SIM cards containing the footage in exchange for money. Fearing the videos would be exposed, Virgil decided to kill them. Walton later admitted he helped lure the girls there, but claimed he thought they were only going to scare them, not kill them. Virgil had other plans.

Emmy confronted Virgil and, in a tense moment, had no choice but to shoot and kill him. Walton was later arrested and eventually confessed to his role in the crime. It also came out that Dale Loudermilk had helped them get the car used in the abduction, making him part of the crime too.

So in the end, three so-called “respectable” men from North Falls, Virgil, Walton, and Dale, were the ones responsible for the terrible crimes that took two young lives and shook the entire town.

Paisley Walker, a 14-year-old girl, leaves home early one morning to ride her bike to school. Not long after, a 911 caller reports finding a child’s bike abandoned on one of the local backroads near North Falls. The bike’s back tire is bent, the chain is off, and there’s blood nearby, but no sign of Paisley.

Sheriff Emmy Clifton quickly takes charge of the investigation. At first, she considers whether Paisley ran away or if something happened at home. But as more details come to light, Emmy starts to believe that this case might be connected to the earlier disappearance of Madison and Cheyenne.

As the search continues, Emmy uncovers that Walton Huntsinger and Virgil Ingram, both trusted community members, tried to frame Walton’s son, Adam, just like they had done twelve years earlier. After Adam was released due to new evidence proving he wasn’t responsible for Madison and Cheyenne’s murders, Virgil and Walton grew nervous that the case might be reopened. Fearing exposure, they tried to protect themselves by planting new evidence to frame Adam again. If the police focused on him, they could avoid suspicion and keep their secrets buried.

So they did exactly what they had done twelve years earlier, they kidnapped another girl using the same method and planted the murder weapon, a hammer covered in blood, to make it look like Adam was guilty.

But Emmy began to doubt Adam’s involvement after returning to the Huntsinger house for another visit. This time, she noticed small but suspicious details that didn’t make sense. These clues slowly started pointing not to Adam, but to Walton himself.

Emmy first confronts Walton Huntsinger, who becomes defensive but doesn’t admit to anything. Confused and uneasy, Emmy starts thinking back to the details of the first disappearances. She remembers how strangely Virgil Ingram acted after Madison and Cheyenne were found — distant, tense, and too involved in covering up loose ends.

That memory leads her to recall an old barn Virgil had access to, where she once saw heavy chains and locks. The more she thinks about it, the more suspicious she becomes. Emmy heads to the barn and begins searching. What she finds shocks her, evidence that clearly ties Virgil to all three cases. There are trophies, phone records, and other items he had hidden instead of entering into the police system, clearly to cover up his involvement.

With the truth laid out, Emmy confronts Virgil Ingram. During their tense exchange, he eventually admits to being involved in Paisley’s abduction and the murders of Madison and Cheyenne. The confrontation turns violent, both draw their guns, and Emmy, acting in self-defense, ends up shooting and killing him.

Even injured, Emmy pushes forward. Remembering Virgil’s pattern, she realizes Paisley might still be alive and hidden somewhere in the barn. She refuses to waste another second and begins searching immediately.

Following her instincts, Emmy heads to the barn. Even with an injured wrist, she pushes through and discovers a hidden loft behind stacked hay. There, she finds Paisley barely alive — bruised, dehydrated, and with broken hands and feet, just like Madison. But she’s still breathing. Emmy calls for an ambulance and saves her life.

Paisley is rushed to a trauma center in Atlanta. Her condition is critical, and doctors aren’t sure if she’ll regain full use of her hands and legs.

Jude Clifton, born Martha Clifton, is the daughter of Gerald and Myrna Clifton and the biological mother of Emmy Clifton. As a teenager in North Falls, Martha was abused by Adam Huntsinger and later discovered she was pregnant. At the time, she was struggling with alcohol addiction, unstable, and had no real support. She quietly left town and gave birth alone under extremely difficult circumstances.

After a brief and painful return to North Falls, Martha wanted to turn her life around to raise her baby, but her parents convinced her to let them raise Emmy as their own. Given Martha’s instability at the time, they believed she wasn’t capable of being a mother. From that moment on, Emmy grew up believing Gerald and Myrna were her parents, with no idea that Martha was actually her biological mother. To support the story, Gerald told the entire town that Martha had died, and only a few people knew the truth, another lie meant to explain Jude’s absence and keep the real story buried.

Martha then changed her name to Jude, got sober, married, and eventually joined the FBI, building a career focused on missing children. She returns to North Falls during the investigation into Paisley Walker’s disappearance, and after Gerald’s death. Her reappearance brings long-buried family secrets to the surface and forces both her and Emmy to confront the painful truth about their shared past and deep ties to the town.

The crimes in North Falls were committed by Virgil Ingram, Walton Huntsinger, and Dale Loudermilk. Virgil and Walton were responsible for the abduction and murder of Madison Dalrymple and Cheyenne Baker, and later for taking Paisley Walker.

Virgil was a police officer who had worked closely with Gerald Clifton and his daughter Emmy. Walton was a dentist known for helping people in small towns who couldn’t afford care. Both were respected in the community, had families, steady jobs, and strong reputations, which made their actions even more shocking.

Dale Loudermilk, the school’s choir teacher, helped get the car used in Madison and Cheyenne’s abduction. He was also arrested for other serious crimes involving children, showing that he had been hiding dangerous behaviour for years.

Later, we find out that these men were likely connected to many other murders, with victims whose bodies were never found. In the end, Virgil confesses to Emmy that the only reason he left Madison and Cheyenne in the pond was because he knew their families, and thought they deserved to have their daughters’ bodies back.

Gerald Clifton’s secrets play a big role in how the story ends. For years, he hid the truth about Emmy’s real mother, Jude (born Martha Clifton). He and his wife, Myrna, raised Emmy as their own daughter and told everyone, including Emmy, that Martha had died. This lie shaped Emmy’s entire identity and family history.

Before Gerald died, he began to regret his choices. He left behind a letter he never finished, starting with “Dear Daughter, I’m so,” which Emmy and Jude both read differently. One believed it meant “I’m sorry,” the other believed it meant “I’m proud.” That unfinished letter, along with Emmy discovering the truth about her parentage, becomes a turning point.

In the end, Gerald’s choices, both the lies he told and the efforts he made later in life to protect Emmy and care for his family, show how guilt, love, and forgiveness are deeply tied together in the story. His actions shape not just Emmy’s past, but how she and Jude choose to move forward.

Let’s Chat!

What did you think of We Are All Guilty Here? Who was your favorite character, and what made them stand out to you?

Drop a comment below and let’s talk about it! Whether you’ve already read the book or just added it to your list, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m always up for a good book chat!

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