Review by andareadstoomuch - We Are All Guilty Here

andareadstoomuch 's review for:

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

4.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I fell in love with Will Trent watching the show (based on the series from Karin Slaughter) and it doesn’t hurt that it’s rotted in where I live currently. I’ve read Pieces of Her and Girl, Forgotten, so of course I jumped at the chance for an ARC of her new series North Falls! It’s got all the hallmarks of a Slaughter book, twist after twist, an unflinching look at the mind of killers, and the small southern town miasma that can’t quite bring itself to the current century.

Just know, the first chapter is going to make your skin absolutely crawl. You are going to see everything wrong with what Madison thinks her future is going to look like. The mistake that youth thinks as adult is rarely the case. It’s hard to read but necessary for the rest of the story.

And truly, overall, this is a gut-wrenching read. From the exploitation of the two teen girls, overprotective parents missing the signs of trouble, to the failures of the school and the predators that hid what they were in plain sight. Anyone who spent time in a public school knows this grim reality and it doesn’t make it easier to read through. This is not a feel good book. It’s so damn well-written, you can’t help but get sucked into the deep darkness of the subject matter. This is not a get the bad guy in the end, even though they do. This is too real and reminiscent of events that take place every damn day. Add to that the special flavor of small town southern living, and you’re in the thick of it. I’d be mad a Karin Slaughter if this wasn’t written so damn well. I just wish we saw more pushback on the misogynistic and racist bullshit the main character Emmy experiences. Not speaking up is still tacitly allowing it to persist. It’s still living over our heads when we don’t push back in the moment. That’s really my only gripe.

It’s a solid read, and well-written. But it’s not a light subject matter, especially for a kidnapping and/or murder mystery. I didn’t see trigger warnings in the ARC, I do hope they plan to add them as they aren’t glancing mentions, this book is thick with them.

Thank you to William Morrow for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings