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North Falls #2
The Secrets We Hide
Not yet published
Expected 11 Aug 26The next thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series.
Welcome to North Falls. A small town where everyone knows everyone. But nobody knows the truth.
1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street. But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.
When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene. Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead.
Everyone thinks they know what happened. But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town.
And it’s up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth…
Welcome to North Falls. A small town where everyone knows everyone. But nobody knows the truth.
1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street. But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.
When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene. Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead.
Everyone thinks they know what happened. But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town.
And it’s up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth…
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 11, 2026
About the author
Karin Slaughter
132 books91k followersKarin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular storytellers. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty- five novels, including the Edgar nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels PRETTY GIRLS and FALSE WITNESS. An international bestseller, Slaughter is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER, based on her novel, debuted at #1 worldwide on Netflix as an original series in 2022. Her bestselling thriller series, Will Trent, is now a television and streaming sensation in its 4th season. THE GOOD DAUGHTER will soon be a limited series starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy, and further projects are currently in development for film/TV. Karin 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.
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Website: http://www.karinslaughter.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 471 reviews
June 18, 2026
Is this now becoming my new favorite series? Yes, I do believe it is. The second book in the North Fall series does not disappoint in the least!
We pick up a few weeks after the events of the first novel, and Emmy is investigating a murder of a police officer. There are many suspects to flesh out, and the crime scene just doesn’t seem to be adding up. On top of the investigation, there’s a lot going on in Emmy’s personal life as well. Like a ton! Her relationship with Jude is forefront. We see Emmy struggling, trying to juggle both her personal life and this investigation that hits close to home for her.
I liked this one a tad bit more than the first one. There was a ton going on in the first one, whereas this one kept close to the main storyline. I appreciate the focus on the investigation as well as the banter back and forth between Jude and Emmy. There were just enough suspects to investigate without throwing in the whole town. Does it count that I solved the mystery one page before Emmy did? I think so!
The ending was set up nicely for a follow up book, and I can’t wait! Do I recommend this novel? Absolutely!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
We pick up a few weeks after the events of the first novel, and Emmy is investigating a murder of a police officer. There are many suspects to flesh out, and the crime scene just doesn’t seem to be adding up. On top of the investigation, there’s a lot going on in Emmy’s personal life as well. Like a ton! Her relationship with Jude is forefront. We see Emmy struggling, trying to juggle both her personal life and this investigation that hits close to home for her.
I liked this one a tad bit more than the first one. There was a ton going on in the first one, whereas this one kept close to the main storyline. I appreciate the focus on the investigation as well as the banter back and forth between Jude and Emmy. There were just enough suspects to investigate without throwing in the whole town. Does it count that I solved the mystery one page before Emmy did? I think so!
The ending was set up nicely for a follow up book, and I can’t wait! Do I recommend this novel? Absolutely!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Want to Read
June 25, 2026It’s not August yet but I’m seated
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Karin Slaughter's firmly back in familiar territory: tangled family dynamics, inherited trauma, small towns with big secrets, violence that feels too close to ordinary life, and the kind of darkness that doesn’t so much lurk as it settles in and refuses to leave.
This a strong read and great book, but it's not peak KS. It actually took me a while to get into. Once the initial excitement of omg omg new Karin Slaughter book wore off, my first impressions were… not great. I really thought I wasn’t going to like it, which was crushing. But once it found its rhythm (or I adjusted to new(ish) characters), it pulled me in completely.
There are twists and turns everywhere. The dust barely has a chance to settle before something else shifts, which makes it so engaging. It’s very much a “just one more chapter... wait, what now? okay, well I have to find out what's going on here” kind of experience.
Emmy. A mixed bag for me. It's not that I don't like her, but she's pretty weak in comparison to characters from previous series. This is a universe where unstoppable force of competence and intimidation Amanda Wagner exists. I just keep comparing Emmy to all the other amazing women KS has written and she comes up short.
I liked her more in the first book. In this one she’s, I dunno, just a bit pathetic at times? She's crazy relatable and a really well written character, but sometimes she’s just overwhelmed in a way that feels like it actively works against her ability to function in her job.
I get that she cares. That’s very clearly the point of her character, but it often hinders her more than it helps. She’s so emotionally invested in victims, suspects, case outcomes, and what her deputies think of her that she ends up second-guessing herself or drifting away from the actual task in front of her. There are moments where you can almost see the investigation slipping through her fingers while she’s off in her head trying to process everything emotionally or trying to clear "the shard of glass in her throat" 🙄🙄 Honestly hate that imagery and its overuse. Across this series, there is a lot happening in Emmy's throat. Cotton, glass, lumps... girl, see a doctor. Call Sara Linton!
Emmy works with her son (yay nepotism), but rarely lets him take on anything more meaningful than knocking on doors or directing traffic because she’s too focused on keeping him safe. Which is understandable, but also slightly concerning given the job description and makes you wonder if this is the right career path for these two. Emmy herself only has the position because her dad gave it to her (double yay nepotism), which adds another layer to how uncertain she sometimes feels in the role.
Jude, on the other hand, is a standout for me. She’s a breath of fresh air in a book full of touchy-feely, emotionally overloaded characters. She's direct and grounded, refreshingly no-nonsense when everyone else is spiralling or overthinking every possible connection to their family history.
And whenever the GBI's mentioned, I briefly spiral into crossover hope. It never happens, but I remain emotionally committed to the idea, and I'm going to do my best to manifest it.
One recurring frustration with Slaughter’s writing in general is how central parental relationships are to almost every emotional thread. Everyone's constantly processing their parents (living, dead, non-existent, it's complicated, or otherwise). Emmy, you are 42 years old. You have an adult son. At some point you have to look up from the generational trauma and focus on the case in front of you.
I have to remind myself when I get mad at Emmy that I was so mad at Will when he turned up because I missed Sara. I guess I have attachment issues. And even when it’s messy, it’s all very intentional. KS builds her stories out of interconnected emotional threads, and nothing ever exists in isolation. It's not my favourite from Karin, but once it hooks you, it refuses to let go.
--------
Pre-read:
Heavy breathing intensifies
No way! A Karin Slaughter ARC???? trying to stay calm and totally normal about this 🙀🙀
This a strong read and great book, but it's not peak KS. It actually took me a while to get into. Once the initial excitement of omg omg new Karin Slaughter book wore off, my first impressions were… not great. I really thought I wasn’t going to like it, which was crushing. But once it found its rhythm (or I adjusted to new(ish) characters), it pulled me in completely.
There are twists and turns everywhere. The dust barely has a chance to settle before something else shifts, which makes it so engaging. It’s very much a “just one more chapter... wait, what now? okay, well I have to find out what's going on here” kind of experience.
Emmy. A mixed bag for me. It's not that I don't like her, but she's pretty weak in comparison to characters from previous series. This is a universe where unstoppable force of competence and intimidation Amanda Wagner exists. I just keep comparing Emmy to all the other amazing women KS has written and she comes up short.
I liked her more in the first book. In this one she’s, I dunno, just a bit pathetic at times? She's crazy relatable and a really well written character, but sometimes she’s just overwhelmed in a way that feels like it actively works against her ability to function in her job.
I get that she cares. That’s very clearly the point of her character, but it often hinders her more than it helps. She’s so emotionally invested in victims, suspects, case outcomes, and what her deputies think of her that she ends up second-guessing herself or drifting away from the actual task in front of her. There are moments where you can almost see the investigation slipping through her fingers while she’s off in her head trying to process everything emotionally or trying to clear "the shard of glass in her throat" 🙄🙄 Honestly hate that imagery and its overuse. Across this series, there is a lot happening in Emmy's throat. Cotton, glass, lumps... girl, see a doctor. Call Sara Linton!
Emmy works with her son (yay nepotism), but rarely lets him take on anything more meaningful than knocking on doors or directing traffic because she’s too focused on keeping him safe. Which is understandable, but also slightly concerning given the job description and makes you wonder if this is the right career path for these two. Emmy herself only has the position because her dad gave it to her (double yay nepotism), which adds another layer to how uncertain she sometimes feels in the role.
Jude, on the other hand, is a standout for me. She’s a breath of fresh air in a book full of touchy-feely, emotionally overloaded characters. She's direct and grounded, refreshingly no-nonsense when everyone else is spiralling or overthinking every possible connection to their family history.
And whenever the GBI's mentioned, I briefly spiral into crossover hope. It never happens, but I remain emotionally committed to the idea, and I'm going to do my best to manifest it.
One recurring frustration with Slaughter’s writing in general is how central parental relationships are to almost every emotional thread. Everyone's constantly processing their parents (living, dead, non-existent, it's complicated, or otherwise). Emmy, you are 42 years old. You have an adult son. At some point you have to look up from the generational trauma and focus on the case in front of you.
I have to remind myself when I get mad at Emmy that I was so mad at Will when he turned up because I missed Sara. I guess I have attachment issues. And even when it’s messy, it’s all very intentional. KS builds her stories out of interconnected emotional threads, and nothing ever exists in isolation. It's not my favourite from Karin, but once it hooks you, it refuses to let go.
--------
Pre-read:
Heavy breathing intensifies
No way! A Karin Slaughter ARC???? trying to stay calm and totally normal about this 🙀🙀
July 2, 2026
Karin Slaughter is one of my favourite crime authors. She writes incredible books with deeply flawed and real characters and I just love them. The Secrets We Hide is the second book in her new North Falls series and it is fabulous. Not always easy reading, it tackles some difficult topics and is very dark. I cannot recommend this book and series more.
We are back in North Falls with Emmy Clifton, now the sheriff after her father’s death. Not everyone in town is happy about this and she is desperate to prove her opponents wrong. Driving home one afternoon she hears shots fired and races to the scene. There she finds her former colleague and friend Allison Vickery shot dead and her daughter badly injured. Everyone on the small town thinks that they know what happened and criticise Emmy for not arresting the man. But Emmy isn’t convinced, and with the help of her sister Jude, she sets out to find the truth.
I loved this book! Emmy has the weight of the world on her shoulders and yet she goes ahead and does her job, despite all the criticism she receives. We see past the tough exterior and her vulnerability is evident. So much has happened to her and her family that anyone would be struggling. Jude tries her best to be there for her and Cole, while keeping her own secret that she knows has to come out . This book is gritty and unapologetically intense. It is far from your run of the mill police procedural and am all there for that. I am emotionally attached to these characters and I had tears in my eyes reading parts of this book.
Another absolute winner from Karin Slaughter. Easy 5 stars
Thank you Harper Collins UK for allowing me to read this book early. Out on June 18th.
We are back in North Falls with Emmy Clifton, now the sheriff after her father’s death. Not everyone in town is happy about this and she is desperate to prove her opponents wrong. Driving home one afternoon she hears shots fired and races to the scene. There she finds her former colleague and friend Allison Vickery shot dead and her daughter badly injured. Everyone on the small town thinks that they know what happened and criticise Emmy for not arresting the man. But Emmy isn’t convinced, and with the help of her sister Jude, she sets out to find the truth.
I loved this book! Emmy has the weight of the world on her shoulders and yet she goes ahead and does her job, despite all the criticism she receives. We see past the tough exterior and her vulnerability is evident. So much has happened to her and her family that anyone would be struggling. Jude tries her best to be there for her and Cole, while keeping her own secret that she knows has to come out . This book is gritty and unapologetically intense. It is far from your run of the mill police procedural and am all there for that. I am emotionally attached to these characters and I had tears in my eyes reading parts of this book.
Another absolute winner from Karin Slaughter. Easy 5 stars
Thank you Harper Collins UK for allowing me to read this book early. Out on June 18th.
June 19, 2026
Happy Publication Day UK Readers! Expected North America Publication Date: August 11, 2026
A tense, emotionally grounded police procedural that explores themes of generational family secrets trauma, and resilience.
Thank you to Harper's Collins UK and Harper's Fiction Marketing for providing me with an ARC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Having thoroughly enjoyed We Are All Guilty Here, the first book in the series, I was eager to dive into the sequel, The Secrets We Hide. The story picks up six weeks after the events of the first, and reconnecting with Emmy and Jude felt like catching up with old friends. While this installment moved at a slightly slower pace and could have used some trimming, it still held my attention. I found myself wishing for a bit more action at times, but the intriguing mystery kept me guessing right up to the stunning ending, complete with twists and a reveal I never saw coming. Overall, a compelling follow-up that has me already looking forward to the next book in the series.
June 27, 2026
So, North Falls. Basically, it’s a small town owned by the Cliftons. Clifton family members are everywhere—their name is on every street sign, and even the sheriff of the police department is a Clifton. Multiple gunshots set the story in motion, with the sheriff and her long-lost ex-FBI agent sister trying to solve the case (preferably without killing each other—the Clifton way).
The overall theme was dark (typical Karin): a devastating crime scene, dirty cops, conspiracies, and decades-long secrets. I enjoyed the investigation, the legal process, the tension, and the urgency of solving the case. Even though there are a lot of characters to keep track of, you’ll slowly learn to love and visualize each of them.
I love this book, and I love Karin, but damn, Emmy irritated the living shit out of me! I literally wanted to punch her in the face and knock some sense into her. What the hell? She somehow managed to be annoying and unlikeable on every page, in every chapter. Thank God Jude is a badass because, no matter how much I love Karin, I would’ve dropped this series in a heartbeat. TF!
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It dragged a bit at times, but it was intense nonetheless.
The overall theme was dark (typical Karin): a devastating crime scene, dirty cops, conspiracies, and decades-long secrets. I enjoyed the investigation, the legal process, the tension, and the urgency of solving the case. Even though there are a lot of characters to keep track of, you’ll slowly learn to love and visualize each of them.
I love this book, and I love Karin, but damn, Emmy irritated the living shit out of me! I literally wanted to punch her in the face and knock some sense into her. What the hell? She somehow managed to be annoying and unlikeable on every page, in every chapter. Thank God Jude is a badass because, no matter how much I love Karin, I would’ve dropped this series in a heartbeat. TF!
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It dragged a bit at times, but it was intense nonetheless.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all… I cannot express how happy I was to get approved for this ARC. Thank you to the HarperCollins gods, because Karin Slaughter is an auto-read author for me.
Aaaand I have to say… I think I liked this one even more than book one.
The case itself is really tragic and quite heavy. It touches on domestic violence, trauma, complicated family relationships… and fun fact (not so fun actually), I somehow ended up reading two books with these themes in the same day... so yup, my brain needs a break.
Now, when it comes to the story… it might not be her most shocking book in terms of the crime itself, but the amount of twists and secrets? Insane. At some point I was like… wait, what now?? It just keeps layering reveal after reveal.
I also found myself rooting for Emmy even more in this book. I really liked seeing the dynamic between her and Jude evolve. She’s still guarded, still a bit hostile, but she slowly starts to open up and accept Jude’s help. They’re definitely still testing the waters, but we are getting there.
And of course… small town = BIG drama. We’ve got lots, lots of secrets, guns, drugs, dirty cops… all the good stuff.
I was honestly thinking this would be around a 4 or maybe 4.25⭐… BUT!!!
I read the last line.
EXCUSE ME????
Jaw. On. The. Floor. (and it's still there)
I need book 3 like… yesterday.
⭐ 5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.
https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...
Aaaand I have to say… I think I liked this one even more than book one.
The case itself is really tragic and quite heavy. It touches on domestic violence, trauma, complicated family relationships… and fun fact (not so fun actually), I somehow ended up reading two books with these themes in the same day... so yup, my brain needs a break.
Now, when it comes to the story… it might not be her most shocking book in terms of the crime itself, but the amount of twists and secrets? Insane. At some point I was like… wait, what now?? It just keeps layering reveal after reveal.
I also found myself rooting for Emmy even more in this book. I really liked seeing the dynamic between her and Jude evolve. She’s still guarded, still a bit hostile, but she slowly starts to open up and accept Jude’s help. They’re definitely still testing the waters, but we are getting there.
And of course… small town = BIG drama. We’ve got lots, lots of secrets, guns, drugs, dirty cops… all the good stuff.
I was honestly thinking this would be around a 4 or maybe 4.25⭐… BUT!!!
I read the last line.
EXCUSE ME????
Jaw. On. The. Floor. (and it's still there)
I need book 3 like… yesterday.
⭐ 5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.
https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...
July 9, 2026
Ahhh I love this series so much!! Karin does it again with Emmy and Jude and the depth in their characters. And the entire story and how it all unfolds. And what the heck how does she keep us readers on our toes and not know what’s coming?!
GIVE ME BOOK 3 NOW!!! How am I supposed to wait a full year?!
Highly recommend this series and start with book 1 - WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE.
GIVE ME BOOK 3 NOW!!! How am I supposed to wait a full year?!
Highly recommend this series and start with book 1 - WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE.
June 18, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the imprint for an ARC of "The Secrets We Hide" in exchange for an honest review.
I had a great time with this novel, the second in Slaughter's new "North Falls" thriller series. It had the great writing, character-building, and gritty twists we've come to expect from Slaughter's writing. Did I think this one was as good as the first book? No, mainly because this novel went too much into the small-town politics and crime-shenanigans that the first book glossed over. I'm more interested in the murders, lol, than the world which precipitated them. But overall, will definitely be reading the next book in the series. Had a blast despite my (petty) complaint!
I had a great time with this novel, the second in Slaughter's new "North Falls" thriller series. It had the great writing, character-building, and gritty twists we've come to expect from Slaughter's writing. Did I think this one was as good as the first book? No, mainly because this novel went too much into the small-town politics and crime-shenanigans that the first book glossed over. I'm more interested in the murders, lol, than the world which precipitated them. But overall, will definitely be reading the next book in the series. Had a blast despite my (petty) complaint!
July 2, 2026
Now then KS is one of my favorite authors and I did enjoy this book but this wasn't her best one (in my eyes).
We jump few weeks ahead from previous book and Emmy just having trauma of letting go both of her parents when she gotta solve a murder. A police murder. Someone she knew. If the emotional load isn't already a heavy enough she also is the new sheriff (for now) and is questioning her place in the office with unhelpful subordinates. She also has new family member tagging along and she is trying to keep her son out of harms way (he is a cop also..).
As Classic KS there is a lot of personal drama, heavy subjects (this is not for the faint of heart although I think this is milder than grant county series) and mystery to solve. The only problem I had was Emmy. She spiraled in self doubt too much sometimes and she is over forty. Please act like an adult and focus. Jude (the other pov) was the saving grace in this.
Now I still enjoyed the book and could not put this one down.
We jump few weeks ahead from previous book and Emmy just having trauma of letting go both of her parents when she gotta solve a murder. A police murder. Someone she knew. If the emotional load isn't already a heavy enough she also is the new sheriff (for now) and is questioning her place in the office with unhelpful subordinates. She also has new family member tagging along and she is trying to keep her son out of harms way (he is a cop also..).
As Classic KS there is a lot of personal drama, heavy subjects (this is not for the faint of heart although I think this is milder than grant county series) and mystery to solve. The only problem I had was Emmy. She spiraled in self doubt too much sometimes and she is over forty. Please act like an adult and focus. Jude (the other pov) was the saving grace in this.
Now I still enjoyed the book and could not put this one down.
June 21, 2026
5 BIG starts!!
We are back in North Falls and not a moment too soon! This is the most anticipated book of the year for me. I love this author’s style of writing, how her characters are so relatable and the writing style is easy to follow with her updates and re-caps as she reveals the threads of the story.
Catching up with Emmy and Jude already feels like catching up with two old friends and we are only on book 2! Straight away we are thrown into the action when a retired cop and her daughter are both shot in their home.
I like Emmy but I love Jude she is so complexed and I was barely able to contain my excitement getting to explore the dynamics between those two. This is already a fantastic series, one where each wait between each book is going to come close to finishing me off, especially if KS keeps up with the explosive endings and mind blowing revelations this series is already known for.
We are back in North Falls and not a moment too soon! This is the most anticipated book of the year for me. I love this author’s style of writing, how her characters are so relatable and the writing style is easy to follow with her updates and re-caps as she reveals the threads of the story.
Catching up with Emmy and Jude already feels like catching up with two old friends and we are only on book 2! Straight away we are thrown into the action when a retired cop and her daughter are both shot in their home.
I like Emmy but I love Jude she is so complexed and I was barely able to contain my excitement getting to explore the dynamics between those two. This is already a fantastic series, one where each wait between each book is going to come close to finishing me off, especially if KS keeps up with the explosive endings and mind blowing revelations this series is already known for.
June 21, 2026
The book opens at a graveside, not a crime scene, and that choice tells you almost everything about what Karin Slaughter is doing here. Sheriff Emmy Clifton is burying her mother six weeks after burying her father. She has a sister she barely knows, a grown son in a deputy's uniform, and a whole county full of relatives who fix their own parking tickets and whisper about cousins who showed up to the funeral uninvited. Then, on the drive home from the wake, three pops crack the autumn air on a quiet residential street, and the second North Falls novel stops being a family drama and becomes something far colder.
That cold thing is the engine of The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter, the follow-up to We Are All Guilty Here. A retired detective named Allison Vickery lies dead on her own kitchen floor. Her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs. The town already thinks it knows what happened, because small towns always do, and most of this book is about how wrong a confident town can be.
The setup: one tidy house, several ugly possibilities
Slaughter spends remarkably little time being coy about the body and a great deal of time being honest about the suspects. Allison was a cop, a single mother, a friend of Emmy's, and a woman who made herself small around the men in her life. That last detail matters, because the people who knew her best each carry a motive you can almost sympathize with. A gambling husband. An ex-lover with a badge and a temper. An older man no one can name. A federal angle that reaches further up than a county sheriff should ever have to look.
What keeps you turning pages early on:
A crime scene that refuses to add up, staged just carefully enough to make Emmy distrust her own first read
A timeline structure (counting down to the shooting, then forward from it) that doles out information like a slow leak rather than a flood
A victim who grows more complicated the more you learn, so your sympathy keeps shifting
A small-town power map where the wealthy families and the dirty cops are often the same people
The pacing in this stretch is patient in a way that pays off. Slaughter lets Emmy work the case the way a real investigator would, by tugging at loose threads and following the ones that resist.
The sisters are the real story
Emmy and Jude Archer are why this book works as well as it does. Jude is the long-absent older sister, a retired federal agent with a doctorate in criminal psychology and a recovering alcoholic's wariness about her own certainty. She returns to North Falls just as everything falls apart, and she keeps offering help that Emmy did not ask for and cannot quite refuse.
Their dynamic runs on a single repeating beat that Slaughter names early: irritation, chased by gratitude. One sister reads people, the other reads rooms, and the friction between Jude's clinical detachment and Emmy's bone-deep local knowledge generates most of the book's best scenes. When they walk a crime scene together, you feel two different intelligences circling the same facts. That partnership is the strongest argument for picking up The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter, even if the plotting around them occasionally creaks.
Where it stumbles
This is a four-star book, not a five-star one, and it earns that gap honestly. The conspiracy at the center grows several heads. By the midpoint, Emmy is juggling dirty narcotics cops, a US senator, an FBI handler of questionable loyalty, decades-old blackmail, and a buried family crime, and the connective tissue between these strands sometimes feels willed rather than earned. A reader keeping a mental corkboard may find a few pins that only stay up because the author needs them to.
Honest sticking points before you start:
The plot leans on a stacked web of corruption that asks you to hold a lot of names and grudges in your head at once
A late pivot in the investigation depends on Emmy reaching a conclusion the evidence supports but does not quite force
The grief subplot, while genuinely moving, slows the middle and occasionally competes with the murder for the book's attention
Some secondary suspects exist more as misdirection than as people, and a couple of red herrings are dangled a beat too obviously
None of this sinks the book. It does mean the experience is closer to a strong, absorbing procedural than a flawless one. If you read crime fiction for airtight clockwork, the gears here are good rather than perfect.
Slaughter's voice, working at full strength
The prose is where The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter rarely falters. Her sentences hit in short bursts when the tension spikes and stretch out when grief or memory takes over. She writes a forced-entry sequence and a CPR scene with such physical precision that you feel the rib give and the Sheetrock dust settle. Then she turns around and lands a dry, funny line about a relative's chlamydia at a graveside, because that is how people actually talk through fear.
There is also a real moral seriousness running under the violence. Slaughter has written about domestic abuse across her career, and here she folds it into the mystery without ever using it as a cheap twist. The book takes seriously how hard it is for a woman to leave, and it refuses to let the reader feel superior to anyone trapped in that trap.
The verdict
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter is a confident, emotionally heavy second outing that is stronger on character and atmosphere than on the tidiness of its conspiracy. The Emmy and Jude relationship gives the series a beating heart, the small-town corruption feels lived-in rather than cartoonish, and Slaughter's prose carries you over the spots where the plot strains. Come for the murder, stay for the two sisters trying to trust each other across forty years of silence. It is a satisfying read that leaves the door open for more, and most readers will close it wanting exactly that.
That cold thing is the engine of The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter, the follow-up to We Are All Guilty Here. A retired detective named Allison Vickery lies dead on her own kitchen floor. Her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs. The town already thinks it knows what happened, because small towns always do, and most of this book is about how wrong a confident town can be.
The setup: one tidy house, several ugly possibilities
Slaughter spends remarkably little time being coy about the body and a great deal of time being honest about the suspects. Allison was a cop, a single mother, a friend of Emmy's, and a woman who made herself small around the men in her life. That last detail matters, because the people who knew her best each carry a motive you can almost sympathize with. A gambling husband. An ex-lover with a badge and a temper. An older man no one can name. A federal angle that reaches further up than a county sheriff should ever have to look.
What keeps you turning pages early on:
A crime scene that refuses to add up, staged just carefully enough to make Emmy distrust her own first read
A timeline structure (counting down to the shooting, then forward from it) that doles out information like a slow leak rather than a flood
A victim who grows more complicated the more you learn, so your sympathy keeps shifting
A small-town power map where the wealthy families and the dirty cops are often the same people
The pacing in this stretch is patient in a way that pays off. Slaughter lets Emmy work the case the way a real investigator would, by tugging at loose threads and following the ones that resist.
The sisters are the real story
Emmy and Jude Archer are why this book works as well as it does. Jude is the long-absent older sister, a retired federal agent with a doctorate in criminal psychology and a recovering alcoholic's wariness about her own certainty. She returns to North Falls just as everything falls apart, and she keeps offering help that Emmy did not ask for and cannot quite refuse.
Their dynamic runs on a single repeating beat that Slaughter names early: irritation, chased by gratitude. One sister reads people, the other reads rooms, and the friction between Jude's clinical detachment and Emmy's bone-deep local knowledge generates most of the book's best scenes. When they walk a crime scene together, you feel two different intelligences circling the same facts. That partnership is the strongest argument for picking up The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter, even if the plotting around them occasionally creaks.
Where it stumbles
This is a four-star book, not a five-star one, and it earns that gap honestly. The conspiracy at the center grows several heads. By the midpoint, Emmy is juggling dirty narcotics cops, a US senator, an FBI handler of questionable loyalty, decades-old blackmail, and a buried family crime, and the connective tissue between these strands sometimes feels willed rather than earned. A reader keeping a mental corkboard may find a few pins that only stay up because the author needs them to.
Honest sticking points before you start:
The plot leans on a stacked web of corruption that asks you to hold a lot of names and grudges in your head at once
A late pivot in the investigation depends on Emmy reaching a conclusion the evidence supports but does not quite force
The grief subplot, while genuinely moving, slows the middle and occasionally competes with the murder for the book's attention
Some secondary suspects exist more as misdirection than as people, and a couple of red herrings are dangled a beat too obviously
None of this sinks the book. It does mean the experience is closer to a strong, absorbing procedural than a flawless one. If you read crime fiction for airtight clockwork, the gears here are good rather than perfect.
Slaughter's voice, working at full strength
The prose is where The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter rarely falters. Her sentences hit in short bursts when the tension spikes and stretch out when grief or memory takes over. She writes a forced-entry sequence and a CPR scene with such physical precision that you feel the rib give and the Sheetrock dust settle. Then she turns around and lands a dry, funny line about a relative's chlamydia at a graveside, because that is how people actually talk through fear.
There is also a real moral seriousness running under the violence. Slaughter has written about domestic abuse across her career, and here she folds it into the mystery without ever using it as a cheap twist. The book takes seriously how hard it is for a woman to leave, and it refuses to let the reader feel superior to anyone trapped in that trap.
The verdict
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter is a confident, emotionally heavy second outing that is stronger on character and atmosphere than on the tidiness of its conspiracy. The Emmy and Jude relationship gives the series a beating heart, the small-town corruption feels lived-in rather than cartoonish, and Slaughter's prose carries you over the spots where the plot strains. Come for the murder, stay for the two sisters trying to trust each other across forty years of silence. It is a satisfying read that leaves the door open for more, and most readers will close it wanting exactly that.
July 14, 2026
Karin Slaughter is honestly incredible. The way she writes her books to keep you enthralled and yearning for more, all while giving so much detail is just incredible.
This is the second book of the North Falls series and it was top notch. I did like our first book better and struggled a bit on whether to rate this 4.5 or 5 stars, but ultimately it does deserve 5 stars. I do have a few lingering questions, but I'm hopeful that means we'll be getting a 3rd book. The ending was done well, even with me having some lingering questions.
The twist was shocking... I most certainly was not expecting that. The way we were strung along and all the details that were sprinkled in to finally come together and give that holy shit moment were just *chefs kiss*
I most definitely recommend this series!!!
This is the second book of the North Falls series and it was top notch. I did like our first book better and struggled a bit on whether to rate this 4.5 or 5 stars, but ultimately it does deserve 5 stars. I do have a few lingering questions, but I'm hopeful that means we'll be getting a 3rd book. The ending was done well, even with me having some lingering questions.
The twist was shocking... I most certainly was not expecting that. The way we were strung along and all the details that were sprinkled in to finally come together and give that holy shit moment were just *chefs kiss*
I most definitely recommend this series!!!
June 29, 2026
Let me start by saying that I LOVE Karin Slaughter. She is one of my favorite thriller authors because no one does it like her. Unfortunately, this is my least favorite of hers I have read so far. I did not find it to be as gripping as her others. I want to be on the edge of my seat (like I have with her previous). In addition, I did not feel drawn or entertained by any of the characters. As always, her writing is superb. It's just hard when I have to compare it to her others that I love.
Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, & Karin Slaughter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Secrets We Hide will be released on August 11, 2026!
Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, & Karin Slaughter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Secrets We Hide will be released on August 11, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I did a re-read of WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE before starting this second book. Due to my bookalzheimers I was afraid I couldn't remember Emmy and the town. But I was surprised how much I remembered. I loved book #1 and this second one starts only six weeks after the end of the first one. Both can be read as standalone thrillers, but please read them both - and in the right order!
This time a retired cop is killed and her teenaged daughter is left bleeding to death with a head wound. And there are lots of suspects in and around North Falls. That's when our Emmy Lou comes into the picture. Since her dad died six weeks ago, Emmy is now chief of police and together with her deputy son and her new-found ex-FBI older sister, she needs to find a cop killer! All while dealing with A LOT of personal stuff on the side!
I enjoyed this second book just as much as the first one.
It was mysterious, exciting, suspensy, a bit funny and sweet and adorable and heartbreaking. Full of secrets, small town things, grief and anger and so much more! I just adore Emmy and Cole and the town and the whole Clifton clan. Aunt Millie and Taybee are just hilarious.
I want a third book asap and I can't wait until we'll get to see all this on TV!
Tiny complainings...I kind of missed a bit of romance for Emmy. We talk about it for a second, but even less than in the first book, and I get that it's all about strong ladies, but I wanted her to be with her lawyer guy. (I can't even remember his name - that's how not often we talk about him!)
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June 24, 2026
4,5⭐ Emmy Clifton (aka Boss Bitch) is back! Na meerdere flinke klappen heeft ze nauwelijks tijd gehad om op adem te komen. Wanneer voormalig politieagente Allison Vickery wordt vermoord, zijn Emmy, haar zus Jude en zoon Cole als eersten ter plaatse. Ook Mandy, de dochter van het slachtoffer, raakt zwaargewond en belandt in het ziekenhuis. Maar wie zit er achter de aanval? Zowel Allison als Mandy blijken een ingewikkeld leven te leiden, waardoor er al snel meerdere verdachten in beeld komen. Tijdens het onderzoek komen allerlei dorps-, familie- en politiegeheimen aan het licht...
In dit tweede deel van de North Falls-serie groeien Emmy en Jude meer naar elkaar toe, al liggen ze ook nog geregeld met elkaar overhoop. Hun dynamiek blijft een van de leukste aspecten van de serie. Tegelijkertijd probeert Emmy haar zoon Cole te beschermen tegen de harde realiteit van het politiewerk door hem vooral op te zadelen met de minder leuke klusjes.
Ook dit deel was weer ontzettend sterk. Vooral de karakterontwikkelingen en de rijke verzameling aan Clifton’s en inwoners van North Falls maken indruk. Emmy's nicht Taybee verdient bovendien een shout-out; wat een geweldig personage. Het politieonderzoek wist me net iets minder te grijpen dan in het eerste deel, maar zoals ik van Karin Slaughter gewend ben, zit alles weer uitstekend in elkaar.
In dit tweede deel van de North Falls-serie groeien Emmy en Jude meer naar elkaar toe, al liggen ze ook nog geregeld met elkaar overhoop. Hun dynamiek blijft een van de leukste aspecten van de serie. Tegelijkertijd probeert Emmy haar zoon Cole te beschermen tegen de harde realiteit van het politiewerk door hem vooral op te zadelen met de minder leuke klusjes.
Ook dit deel was weer ontzettend sterk. Vooral de karakterontwikkelingen en de rijke verzameling aan Clifton’s en inwoners van North Falls maken indruk. Emmy's nicht Taybee verdient bovendien een shout-out; wat een geweldig personage. Het politieonderzoek wist me net iets minder te grijpen dan in het eerste deel, maar zoals ik van Karin Slaughter gewend ben, zit alles weer uitstekend in elkaar.
June 9, 2026
We zijn terug in North Falls met Emmy Clifton. Terwijl Emmy bij een begrafenis is, worden een moeder en dochter neergeschoten in hun huis. De koffers stonden al op de stoep, ze waren van plan te vluchten. Emmy kent de slachtoffers, dus is vastbesloten deze zaak snel op te lossen.
Helaas lukt het niet om de zaak snel op te lossen, er ontbreekt bewijs van het plaats delict en door de verkiezingen tot nieuwe sheriff staat niet iedereen aan Emmy’s kant. Daarnaast lijkt iedereen geheimen te hebben, niemand praat. Met hulp van haar zoon Clifton en haar zus Jude komt Emmy best ver. De oplossing van de zaak ontdekte ik op hetzelfde moment als Emmy. Er waren meerdere opties, maar deze zag ik niet aankomen.
Naast de zaak en het perspectief van Emmy, lees je af en toe vanuit het perspectief van Jude. Ook Jude loopt met een geheim, ze wil het aan Emmy vertellen, maar het lukt niet het juiste moment te vinden.
De North Falls serie is sterk begonnen en met dit tweede deel goed voortgezet. Heel benieuwd naar hoe het verder gaat met Emmy, Jude en Clifton in volgende verhalen.
De schrijfstijl van Karin Slaughter is heel opbouwend en dan aan het einde van het boek actie, maar ondertussen word je ontzettend nieuwsgierig gemaakt naar alle geheimen van alle personages. In dit boek vond ik ook niet dat de hoofdstukken ontzettend lang waren, zoals Karin Slaughter dat eerder wel deed. Precies goed en ik wilde constant weten hoe het verder zou gaan.
Stille geheimen van Karin Slaughter is het vervolg op Gebroken Engelen en het tweede deel in de North Falls serie. Ik zou aanraden om de boeken niet los te lezen.
Bedankt voor het vroeg opsturen van het ebook en uiteindelijk de mooie Limited Edition paperback @harpercollins_holland @worldofthrillers 🧡
Helaas lukt het niet om de zaak snel op te lossen, er ontbreekt bewijs van het plaats delict en door de verkiezingen tot nieuwe sheriff staat niet iedereen aan Emmy’s kant. Daarnaast lijkt iedereen geheimen te hebben, niemand praat. Met hulp van haar zoon Clifton en haar zus Jude komt Emmy best ver. De oplossing van de zaak ontdekte ik op hetzelfde moment als Emmy. Er waren meerdere opties, maar deze zag ik niet aankomen.
Naast de zaak en het perspectief van Emmy, lees je af en toe vanuit het perspectief van Jude. Ook Jude loopt met een geheim, ze wil het aan Emmy vertellen, maar het lukt niet het juiste moment te vinden.
De North Falls serie is sterk begonnen en met dit tweede deel goed voortgezet. Heel benieuwd naar hoe het verder gaat met Emmy, Jude en Clifton in volgende verhalen.
De schrijfstijl van Karin Slaughter is heel opbouwend en dan aan het einde van het boek actie, maar ondertussen word je ontzettend nieuwsgierig gemaakt naar alle geheimen van alle personages. In dit boek vond ik ook niet dat de hoofdstukken ontzettend lang waren, zoals Karin Slaughter dat eerder wel deed. Precies goed en ik wilde constant weten hoe het verder zou gaan.
Stille geheimen van Karin Slaughter is het vervolg op Gebroken Engelen en het tweede deel in de North Falls serie. Ik zou aanraden om de boeken niet los te lezen.
Bedankt voor het vroeg opsturen van het ebook en uiteindelijk de mooie Limited Edition paperback @harpercollins_holland @worldofthrillers 🧡
Read
May 11, 2026Thank you my krime kween Karin
July 13, 2026
A cinematic return to North Falls.
“Abusers are very good at presenting a happy image to the world. They don’t just groom their victims. They groom the people around them. That way, when the victim comes forward, no one believes them.”
Full review to follow
“Abusers are very good at presenting a happy image to the world. They don’t just groom their victims. They groom the people around them. That way, when the victim comes forward, no one believes them.”
Full review to follow
May 12, 2026
As a longtime Karin Slaughter fan, The Secrets We Hide was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it more than lived up to expectations. Returning to North Falls felt like revisiting a town where everyone knows each other’s history, but nobody is telling the full truth.
The novel begins with Sheriff Emmy Clifton being called away from her mother’s funeral after a brutal attack at the home of local officer Allison Vickery. Allison is found dead, while her teenage daughter is discovered badly injured upstairs, setting off an investigation that uncovers abuse, long buried secrets and deep fractures within the community.
What I loved most was the continued development of the characters introduced in the first book. Emmy is still carrying enormous grief while trying to hold herself together professionally, and her evolving relationship with her sister Jude adds real emotional weight to the story. Their dynamic feels complicated, messy and believable throughout.
Karin Slaughter is so good at writing small town life in all its darkness. The setting feels claustrophobic at times, with gossip, loyalties and old resentments shaping every interaction. Alongside the crime plot there is a strong focus on trauma, family and survival, which gives the story real emotional depth.
The investigation itself is gripping and full of tension, but for me it was the characters and relationships that made this such an outstanding read. I already cannot wait for the next book in the series.
With thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
The novel begins with Sheriff Emmy Clifton being called away from her mother’s funeral after a brutal attack at the home of local officer Allison Vickery. Allison is found dead, while her teenage daughter is discovered badly injured upstairs, setting off an investigation that uncovers abuse, long buried secrets and deep fractures within the community.
What I loved most was the continued development of the characters introduced in the first book. Emmy is still carrying enormous grief while trying to hold herself together professionally, and her evolving relationship with her sister Jude adds real emotional weight to the story. Their dynamic feels complicated, messy and believable throughout.
Karin Slaughter is so good at writing small town life in all its darkness. The setting feels claustrophobic at times, with gossip, loyalties and old resentments shaping every interaction. Alongside the crime plot there is a strong focus on trauma, family and survival, which gives the story real emotional depth.
The investigation itself is gripping and full of tension, but for me it was the characters and relationships that made this such an outstanding read. I already cannot wait for the next book in the series.
With thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
July 4, 2026
Karin Slaughter is my favourite author in the crime genre and I am always so excited when she has written a new book. Her stories are so gripping with very real and relatable characters.
The Secrets We Hide is the second book in the North Falls series and just as with the first one I was hooked from the first page. Ms Slaughter really has a way of drawing the reader in with her phenomenal writing.
It is full of twists and turns, as many secrets are uncovered, and we are left wondering who to believe. Slaughter's trademark jaw dropping ending is nothing short of brilliant!
I already can't wait for the next North Falls installment.
The Secrets We Hide is the second book in the North Falls series and just as with the first one I was hooked from the first page. Ms Slaughter really has a way of drawing the reader in with her phenomenal writing.
It is full of twists and turns, as many secrets are uncovered, and we are left wondering who to believe. Slaughter's trademark jaw dropping ending is nothing short of brilliant!
I already can't wait for the next North Falls installment.
Read
May 10, 2026I usually enjoy Karin Slaughters work, but the North Falls series feels like it falls slightly short. The story seems quite long-winded without much shock or surprise, and there’s a lot of repetition in conversations between the characters.
Overall a fair, easy-to-read police drama, but nothing super thrilling and it doesn’t make you want to race through the book.
Overall a fair, easy-to-read police drama, but nothing super thrilling and it doesn’t make you want to race through the book.
June 18, 2026
Begin juni 2026 verscheen Stille geheimen, het door Karin Slaughter geschreven tweede deel van de serie waarin sheriff Emmy Clifton de rust in de kleine (fictieve) gemeenschap North Falls probeert te bewaren en er tevens de misdaad wil bestrijden. Het voorgaande boek uit de reeks (Gebroken engelen, 2025) werd goed ontvangen en de verwachting is dat dit vervolg hier niet voor zal onderdoen.
Deze keer krijgt Emmy te maken met de moord op haar oud-collega Allison Vickery, wier zestienjarige dochter bij de schietpartij zwaargewond is geraakt. Hoewel Emmy een paar uur eerder haar moeder heeft begraven en haar hoofd in principe ergens anders naar staat, doet ze er meteen alles aan om te achterhalen wie de schutter is geweest. Hierbij krijgt ze hulp van haar oudere zus en voormalig FBI-agent Jude Archer. De meeste bewoners van North Falls denken te weten hoe de vork exact in de steel zit, maar er is geen mens die er iets over kwijt wil.
Na de korte proloog, die de lezer nieuwsgierig maakt naar het voorval dat zich daarin voordoet en waarin eveneens een klein beetje spanning voorkomt, gaat het verhaal ongeveer drie kwartier terug in de tijd en zit de lezer midden in een situatie waar iedereen weleens mee te maken krijgt: een begrafenis. Dit duurt echter niet lang, want al snel moeten sheriff Emmy Clifton en haar zus Jude Archer in actie komen vanwege de schietpartij waar ze auditief getuige van zijn. Vervolgens bevat de plot een grote hoeveel ontwikkelingen waardoor eigenlijk geen moment hetzelfde is. Deze hebben zowel betrekking op het onderzoek naar de moord, diverse bijkomende zaken in North Falls en de privéomstandigheden van Emmy en Jude. Kortom, er is meer dan voldoende afwisseling en dit zorgt ervoor dat de lezer zich geen seconde hoeft te vervelen.
Evenals in Gebroken engelen, het eerste deel van de serie, is Emmy de protagonist en wordt het verhaal voornamelijk vanuit haar perspectief verteld. Daarnaast heeft haar zus Jude ook een uitgebreidere rol toebedeeld gekregen, wat vanwege hun niet altijd soepel verlopende onderlinge verhouding zonder meer een interessante en mooie aanvulling is, maar ook omdat je haar hierdoor iets beter leert kennen en er tevens enkele familiegeheimen worden blootgelegd. De nadruk ligt uiteraard op het onderzoek naar de moord en daarbij komt de hulp die Jude verleent Emmy goed van pas, hoewel haar ondersteuning niet altijd gewaardeerd wordt. Ondanks de vele wendingen en verdachtmakingen krijgt de lezer ver in de plot een vermoeden wie verantwoordelijk is voor de dood van Allison. Dit blijkt uiteindelijk te kloppen, maar dat je dit zag aankomen komt niet door de eventuele voorspelbaarheid van het verhaal, maar meer door hoe een en ander verloopt.
Op de schrijfstijl van Slaughter valt, zoals je eigenlijk wel van haar verwacht, niets aan te merken, die is namelijk uitermate verzorgd en soms meeslepend. Vanaf de eerste tot en met de laatste pagina weet ze de lezer te boeien en hem aan het verhaal en de personages te binden. De opbouw van de thriller is goed, het tempo behoorlijk, er zijn verrassingen en vanzelfsprekend ook diverse spannende momenten. Het is trouwens aan te raden om in het eerste deel van de reeks te beginnen, want de persoonlijke aangelegenheden hebben in dit boek namelijk een vervolg. Aan het eind van de ‘limited edition’ is overigens een scène opgenomen die uit het definitieve verhaal geschrapt is. Dit is een keuze die goed heeft uitgepakt, want de oorspronkelijke tekst is minder sterk dan hoe die nu is geworden.
Al met al is Stille geheimen een prima en intrigerend tweede deel van de North Falls-serie een doet heel stiekem alweer uitkijken naar de voortzetting ervan.
Deze keer krijgt Emmy te maken met de moord op haar oud-collega Allison Vickery, wier zestienjarige dochter bij de schietpartij zwaargewond is geraakt. Hoewel Emmy een paar uur eerder haar moeder heeft begraven en haar hoofd in principe ergens anders naar staat, doet ze er meteen alles aan om te achterhalen wie de schutter is geweest. Hierbij krijgt ze hulp van haar oudere zus en voormalig FBI-agent Jude Archer. De meeste bewoners van North Falls denken te weten hoe de vork exact in de steel zit, maar er is geen mens die er iets over kwijt wil.
Na de korte proloog, die de lezer nieuwsgierig maakt naar het voorval dat zich daarin voordoet en waarin eveneens een klein beetje spanning voorkomt, gaat het verhaal ongeveer drie kwartier terug in de tijd en zit de lezer midden in een situatie waar iedereen weleens mee te maken krijgt: een begrafenis. Dit duurt echter niet lang, want al snel moeten sheriff Emmy Clifton en haar zus Jude Archer in actie komen vanwege de schietpartij waar ze auditief getuige van zijn. Vervolgens bevat de plot een grote hoeveel ontwikkelingen waardoor eigenlijk geen moment hetzelfde is. Deze hebben zowel betrekking op het onderzoek naar de moord, diverse bijkomende zaken in North Falls en de privéomstandigheden van Emmy en Jude. Kortom, er is meer dan voldoende afwisseling en dit zorgt ervoor dat de lezer zich geen seconde hoeft te vervelen.
Evenals in Gebroken engelen, het eerste deel van de serie, is Emmy de protagonist en wordt het verhaal voornamelijk vanuit haar perspectief verteld. Daarnaast heeft haar zus Jude ook een uitgebreidere rol toebedeeld gekregen, wat vanwege hun niet altijd soepel verlopende onderlinge verhouding zonder meer een interessante en mooie aanvulling is, maar ook omdat je haar hierdoor iets beter leert kennen en er tevens enkele familiegeheimen worden blootgelegd. De nadruk ligt uiteraard op het onderzoek naar de moord en daarbij komt de hulp die Jude verleent Emmy goed van pas, hoewel haar ondersteuning niet altijd gewaardeerd wordt. Ondanks de vele wendingen en verdachtmakingen krijgt de lezer ver in de plot een vermoeden wie verantwoordelijk is voor de dood van Allison. Dit blijkt uiteindelijk te kloppen, maar dat je dit zag aankomen komt niet door de eventuele voorspelbaarheid van het verhaal, maar meer door hoe een en ander verloopt.
Op de schrijfstijl van Slaughter valt, zoals je eigenlijk wel van haar verwacht, niets aan te merken, die is namelijk uitermate verzorgd en soms meeslepend. Vanaf de eerste tot en met de laatste pagina weet ze de lezer te boeien en hem aan het verhaal en de personages te binden. De opbouw van de thriller is goed, het tempo behoorlijk, er zijn verrassingen en vanzelfsprekend ook diverse spannende momenten. Het is trouwens aan te raden om in het eerste deel van de reeks te beginnen, want de persoonlijke aangelegenheden hebben in dit boek namelijk een vervolg. Aan het eind van de ‘limited edition’ is overigens een scène opgenomen die uit het definitieve verhaal geschrapt is. Dit is een keuze die goed heeft uitgepakt, want de oorspronkelijke tekst is minder sterk dan hoe die nu is geworden.
Al met al is Stille geheimen een prima en intrigerend tweede deel van de North Falls-serie een doet heel stiekem alweer uitkijken naar de voortzetting ervan.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Uh.
This was my first time reading a book from Karin Slaughter, and I knew her books were longer than a lot of other thrillers, which is absolutely fine, I don’t mind longer books at all. However, I did find the chapters a little too long for my personal taste, and at times I struggled to push my way through them.
Emmy, a detective, is investigating the murder of a mother and the attempted murder of her teenage daughter. Along the way, she has her sister, Jude, helping her piece things together. But who can you really trust when everyone around you seems to be hiding secrets, lying to protect themselves, and betraying those closest to them?
I really wanted to enjoy this, I genuinely did, but there were so many characters to keep track of that I found myself trying to remember names, piece together connections, and work out how everyone fit into the story.
The pacing was okay, but for me it felt like it took quite a while between some of the major plot developments, which made parts of the story feel slower than I would usually prefer.
That said, around the 60% mark I found myself becoming much more invested. Things started moving a little faster, more pieces began falling into place, and I was definitely more engaged with what was happening.
Karin is clearly a very talented writer and storyteller. The writing itself is strong, detailed, and carefully crafted. I think this simply comes down to personal preference. I tend to enjoy thrillers that are a little more straightforward to follow, whereas this one was more layered and complex than what I usually gravitate towards.
While this one wasn’t quite the right fit for me, I can absolutely see why so many readers love her books.
But my 3 stars may be your 5 stars, and that’s the beauty of reading, it’s all so subjective 🥹
Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early. I appreciate it so much!
This was my first time reading a book from Karin Slaughter, and I knew her books were longer than a lot of other thrillers, which is absolutely fine, I don’t mind longer books at all. However, I did find the chapters a little too long for my personal taste, and at times I struggled to push my way through them.
Emmy, a detective, is investigating the murder of a mother and the attempted murder of her teenage daughter. Along the way, she has her sister, Jude, helping her piece things together. But who can you really trust when everyone around you seems to be hiding secrets, lying to protect themselves, and betraying those closest to them?
I really wanted to enjoy this, I genuinely did, but there were so many characters to keep track of that I found myself trying to remember names, piece together connections, and work out how everyone fit into the story.
The pacing was okay, but for me it felt like it took quite a while between some of the major plot developments, which made parts of the story feel slower than I would usually prefer.
That said, around the 60% mark I found myself becoming much more invested. Things started moving a little faster, more pieces began falling into place, and I was definitely more engaged with what was happening.
Karin is clearly a very talented writer and storyteller. The writing itself is strong, detailed, and carefully crafted. I think this simply comes down to personal preference. I tend to enjoy thrillers that are a little more straightforward to follow, whereas this one was more layered and complex than what I usually gravitate towards.
While this one wasn’t quite the right fit for me, I can absolutely see why so many readers love her books.
But my 3 stars may be your 5 stars, and that’s the beauty of reading, it’s all so subjective 🥹
Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early. I appreciate it so much!
June 18, 2026
4.25 stars
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter is the second book in the North Falls series. If you've not read the first book yet (We Are All Guilty Here), the plot of this book would work as a standalone. However, it includes a couple things that were huge reveals from that first book, so I would recommend reading them in order.
The main characters of the book are Sheriff Emmy Clifton and Jude, a retired FBI agent. The two have a strained relationship so it pains Emmy to accept help from Jude in her current case. Jude is matter-of-fact and opinionated, but she is also smart and an excellent investigator. Allison VIckery, a police officer, has been killed in her own kitchen and her teenage daughter is in critical condition. Some people in the small town of North Falls think this is an open and shut case and want Allison's abusive husband to be arrested immediately, but something about the case doesn't feel right to Emmy. She is determined to do some digging to find the truth. Secrets and lies are obstacles to the investigation but so is Emmy's state of mind since she is grieving the loss of her parents.
Emmy, Jude, and others in the story are complex, flawed characters. Family dynamics and life in a small town play a big role in the book, too. The story is very engaging but for me, didn't have the same surprises as the first book. The case and personal lives of the main characters both take big turns, but I actually had predicted most of them. However, I was shocked by something that is put in motion at the end and am anxious to see what the fallout will be. At the end of the book, the reader knows more than Emmy does, so things should really get interesting in the next book!
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Harper Collins UK and NetGalley. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter is the second book in the North Falls series. If you've not read the first book yet (We Are All Guilty Here), the plot of this book would work as a standalone. However, it includes a couple things that were huge reveals from that first book, so I would recommend reading them in order.
The main characters of the book are Sheriff Emmy Clifton and Jude, a retired FBI agent. The two have a strained relationship so it pains Emmy to accept help from Jude in her current case. Jude is matter-of-fact and opinionated, but she is also smart and an excellent investigator. Allison VIckery, a police officer, has been killed in her own kitchen and her teenage daughter is in critical condition. Some people in the small town of North Falls think this is an open and shut case and want Allison's abusive husband to be arrested immediately, but something about the case doesn't feel right to Emmy. She is determined to do some digging to find the truth. Secrets and lies are obstacles to the investigation but so is Emmy's state of mind since she is grieving the loss of her parents.
Emmy, Jude, and others in the story are complex, flawed characters. Family dynamics and life in a small town play a big role in the book, too. The story is very engaging but for me, didn't have the same surprises as the first book. The case and personal lives of the main characters both take big turns, but I actually had predicted most of them. However, I was shocked by something that is put in motion at the end and am anxious to see what the fallout will be. At the end of the book, the reader knows more than Emmy does, so things should really get interesting in the next book!
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Harper Collins UK and NetGalley. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
June 8, 2026
✨Recensie✨
Wanneer Allison Vickery dood wordt gevonden in haar huis en haar dochter zwaargewond achterblijft, krijgt sheriff Emmy Clifton de moeilijke taak om te achterhalen wat er precies is gebeurd. Samen met haar zus Jude Archer, een voormalig FBI-agent, gaat ze op zoek naar de waarheid. Tijdens het onderzoek ontdekken ze dat de zaak verbonden is met gebeurtenissen uit het verleden waar niemand in het dorp over wil praten.
Het verhaal speelt zich af in het kleine stadje North Falls, waar iedereen elkaar kent maar tegelijkertijd veel verborgen houdt.
Vanaf het begin hangt er een mysterieuze en dreigende sfeer, waardoor ik steeds verder wilde lezen. Vooral Emmy Clifton vond ik een interessant personage. Ze probeert sterk en professioneel over te komen, maar je merkt ook dat de zaak haar persoonlijk raakt. Daardoor voelde ze realistisch en menselijk aan. Ook de samenwerking tussen Emmy en Jude maakte het verhaal boeiend, omdat ze allebei anders omgaan met de situatie en het verleden. Ook krijg je steeds meer te weten over hun verleden, als rode draad door de boeken heen.
Daarnaast vond ik de schrijfstijl erg prettig. De hoofdstukken zijn vlot geschreven en eindigen vaak spannend, waardoor ik nieuwsgierig bleef naar wat er zou gebeuren. Het verhaal bevat meerdere onverwachte wendingen, waardoor ik regelmatig verrast werd. Karin Slaughter beschrijft de gebeurtenissen bovendien heel beeldend, waardoor de spanning extra goed overkomt.
Juist doordat het boek niet alleen draait om spanning, maar ook om familie, trauma en geheimen uit het verleden, kreeg het verhaal voor mij meer diepgang.
“Elke thriller van Karin Slaughter is een intense reis vol spanning, emotie en onverwachte waarheden.”
Wanneer Allison Vickery dood wordt gevonden in haar huis en haar dochter zwaargewond achterblijft, krijgt sheriff Emmy Clifton de moeilijke taak om te achterhalen wat er precies is gebeurd. Samen met haar zus Jude Archer, een voormalig FBI-agent, gaat ze op zoek naar de waarheid. Tijdens het onderzoek ontdekken ze dat de zaak verbonden is met gebeurtenissen uit het verleden waar niemand in het dorp over wil praten.
Het verhaal speelt zich af in het kleine stadje North Falls, waar iedereen elkaar kent maar tegelijkertijd veel verborgen houdt.
Vanaf het begin hangt er een mysterieuze en dreigende sfeer, waardoor ik steeds verder wilde lezen. Vooral Emmy Clifton vond ik een interessant personage. Ze probeert sterk en professioneel over te komen, maar je merkt ook dat de zaak haar persoonlijk raakt. Daardoor voelde ze realistisch en menselijk aan. Ook de samenwerking tussen Emmy en Jude maakte het verhaal boeiend, omdat ze allebei anders omgaan met de situatie en het verleden. Ook krijg je steeds meer te weten over hun verleden, als rode draad door de boeken heen.
Daarnaast vond ik de schrijfstijl erg prettig. De hoofdstukken zijn vlot geschreven en eindigen vaak spannend, waardoor ik nieuwsgierig bleef naar wat er zou gebeuren. Het verhaal bevat meerdere onverwachte wendingen, waardoor ik regelmatig verrast werd. Karin Slaughter beschrijft de gebeurtenissen bovendien heel beeldend, waardoor de spanning extra goed overkomt.
Juist doordat het boek niet alleen draait om spanning, maar ook om familie, trauma en geheimen uit het verleden, kreeg het verhaal voor mij meer diepgang.
“Elke thriller van Karin Slaughter is een intense reis vol spanning, emotie en onverwachte waarheden.”
July 5, 2026
After absolutely loving We Are All Guilty Here, I couldn’t wait to get back to North Falls, and I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Secrets We Hide.
This series feels a little different to a lot of crime thrillers. Yes, there is a murder investigation at the heart of the story, but it is just as much about the people caught up in it. When a woman is murdered and her teenage daughter survives a horrific attack, Sheriff Emmy Clifton is once again faced with uncovering the truth in a town where everyone seems to be hiding something.
Like the first book, this is a slower paced thriller, but that really works for me. Karin Slaughter takes the time to develop both the investigation and the characters, and I think that is what makes this series so addictive. I found myself just as invested in the family dynamics and personal struggles as I was in solving the crime.
The characters continue to be the standout. They are messy, flawed, and feel like real people. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Emmy and Jude together in this book. They are both carrying so much, while trying to build a relationship as sisters after everything that has happened between them. Their scenes added so much emotional depth to the story.
The mystery itself kept me guessing almost until the end. There were plenty of red herrings that had me questioning everyone, although I did begin to suspect the real culprit shortly before the reveal. Even so, it was still an emotional ending that packed a punch.
And that final scene… wow! It left me desperate to see where this series goes next, because I need book three immediately.
This series feels a little different to a lot of crime thrillers. Yes, there is a murder investigation at the heart of the story, but it is just as much about the people caught up in it. When a woman is murdered and her teenage daughter survives a horrific attack, Sheriff Emmy Clifton is once again faced with uncovering the truth in a town where everyone seems to be hiding something.
Like the first book, this is a slower paced thriller, but that really works for me. Karin Slaughter takes the time to develop both the investigation and the characters, and I think that is what makes this series so addictive. I found myself just as invested in the family dynamics and personal struggles as I was in solving the crime.
The characters continue to be the standout. They are messy, flawed, and feel like real people. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Emmy and Jude together in this book. They are both carrying so much, while trying to build a relationship as sisters after everything that has happened between them. Their scenes added so much emotional depth to the story.
The mystery itself kept me guessing almost until the end. There were plenty of red herrings that had me questioning everyone, although I did begin to suspect the real culprit shortly before the reveal. Even so, it was still an emotional ending that packed a punch.
And that final scene… wow! It left me desperate to see where this series goes next, because I need book three immediately.
July 8, 2026
The Secrets We Hide is the second book in the North Falls series, and it's definitely not one you can read as a standalone. While the central case is self-contained, the characters and several ongoing storylines continue directly from the first book.
This time, Emmy Clifton takes on a difficult case: Allison Vickery, a former cop turned private investigator, has been murdered, and her teenage daughter has been left fighting for her life. Allison had been the victim of domestic abuse, but is her husband really the killer? Or is something far more sinister at play? With the help of her FBI sister, Jude, and Emmy's son, Cole, Emmy begins to unravel a complex web of lies and deceit that puts both her and her family in danger.
This was a tense, slow-burning, engrossing crime novel. Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors, and once again she excels at creating unforgettable characters and a layered, intricate plot where nothing is quite as it seems. New suspects and secrets emerge when you least expect them, constantly shifting the direction of the investigation. This isn't a fast-paced popcorn thriller, but a novel that slowly creeps under your skin and stays with you long after you've finished it.
This time, Emmy Clifton takes on a difficult case: Allison Vickery, a former cop turned private investigator, has been murdered, and her teenage daughter has been left fighting for her life. Allison had been the victim of domestic abuse, but is her husband really the killer? Or is something far more sinister at play? With the help of her FBI sister, Jude, and Emmy's son, Cole, Emmy begins to unravel a complex web of lies and deceit that puts both her and her family in danger.
This was a tense, slow-burning, engrossing crime novel. Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors, and once again she excels at creating unforgettable characters and a layered, intricate plot where nothing is quite as it seems. New suspects and secrets emerge when you least expect them, constantly shifting the direction of the investigation. This isn't a fast-paced popcorn thriller, but a novel that slowly creeps under your skin and stays with you long after you've finished it.
June 18, 2026
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book and what a book it is
so many names to remember but stick with it cos its the ride of a lifetime
so many red herrings and misdirections but when the truth starts to come out its shocking in itself
emmy her son cole and jude are in the car when they hear shots fired..... and what they find is a devastating scene
one dead and a young girl fighting for her life....
emmy is quickly sorting out the investigation but with the funeral of her mom and her sisters presense things arent going well plus non of the fellow officers are showing her any respect
its a fraught time and the town want answers
ohhh man this book gripped me in such a way i couldnt put it down.... work just kept getting in the way and when the last answer came at the end of the book even that shocked me.... and believe me there are plenty of shocks coming in this book
i am so looking forward to the next book in this brilliant series...
so many names to remember but stick with it cos its the ride of a lifetime
so many red herrings and misdirections but when the truth starts to come out its shocking in itself
emmy her son cole and jude are in the car when they hear shots fired..... and what they find is a devastating scene
one dead and a young girl fighting for her life....
emmy is quickly sorting out the investigation but with the funeral of her mom and her sisters presense things arent going well plus non of the fellow officers are showing her any respect
its a fraught time and the town want answers
ohhh man this book gripped me in such a way i couldnt put it down.... work just kept getting in the way and when the last answer came at the end of the book even that shocked me.... and believe me there are plenty of shocks coming in this book
i am so looking forward to the next book in this brilliant series...
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