The Secrets We Hide - the second installment in Karin Slaughter's North Falls series is as dark, gritty and engaging as the first.

Detective Allison Vickery is planning her escape from town with her teenage daughter Mandy. But she never gets the chance. Allison is brutally murdered, and her daughter is left clinging to life. Emmy Lou Clifton, acting sheriff of North Falls, Georgia, must figure out what happened. Emmy has just buried her mother, Myrna, after a long illness, and her father, Sheriff Gerald Clifton, was killed only six weeks ago. Her long-estranged sister, retired FBI criminal psychologist Jude Archer, joins Emmy in the investigation, struggling with whether to reveal a 40-year secret she's kept from her. As suspects emerge, dark secrets in this small town are uncovered.  

The Secrets We Hide is the second book in Karin Slaughter's North Falls series, following her satisfying We Are All Guilty Here (2025). The emotionally charged and tense story unfolds over a few days, featuring a large cast of characters, including some unsavory people such as an abusive husband, drug dealers, and possibly a dirty cop or two. As the web of lies and secrets keep growing, you'll enjoy trying to solve the crime along with Emmy and Jude. The crime is independent from the first book so this second in the series can be read as a standalone. But it's certainly worth reading both books. Ms. Slaughter has already announced that she is hard at work on the third book! I can't wait.

Many thanks to William Morrow for the advance.

Rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Mystery Thriller.

Publication Date: August 11, 2026.

Please "like" this post if The Secrets We Hide sounds like a book you’d enjoy reading. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.