Book 1 of the North Falls Series
In this new series set in Georgia’s North Falls, Slaughter introduces us to Emmy Clifton, a sheriff’s deputy. She’s the last person to see teenage Madison Dalrymple before she disappears. Emmy had just been in a public fight with her husband and needed a moment to compose herself, so she brushed Madison off… and then she disappeared along with her best friend Cheyenne Baker.
Emmy is the best friend of Madison’s step-mother Hannah and therefore has a personal stake in finding the person who kidnapped the girls. Sadly, Emmy is the person to find the bodies of both girls in her aunt’s pond.
Twelve years later, Emmy is now a chief deputy sheriff, working closely with her father, the sherrff, and her son Cole – another deputy. The man who was convicted for the kidnapping and murder of Madison and Cheyenne is released from prison because he was found to have committed another crime when the girls went missing.
Then another girl goes missing. Madison’s father is enraged about the convicted killer’s release from prison and shoots at Emmy. However, he shoots and kills the sheriff instead. Emmy is now made the acting sheriff.
FBI profiler Jude Archer has just retired and when she learns about the missing girl in North Falls, she decides to return there. She left many years ago after a falling out with her parents.
Karin Slaughter is one of the authors whose books I will pre-order without even reading a summary. Slaughter did not disappoint with this book – it’s engrossing and graphic and raw. Emmy is flawed and likeable though her butting heads with Jude was a bit strange. The twist at the end… wow, I had my suspicions…
This was my highly anticipated read for the year and boy did it deliver!
Read for the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 19: A highly anticipated read of 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
