15-year-old girls during the annual Fourth of July celebration shocks the local populace. Emmy blames herself for the tragedy because one girl seemed agitated and wanted to speak with her shortly before their disappearance. Unfortunately, Emmy was upset over some personal problems and brushed off the soon-to-be-missing girl. She still leads the investigation, which soon results in the discovery of the girls’ bodies and the arrest of the apparent perpetrator, Adam Huntsinger.

The book then jumps forward in time by twelve years. In the interim, Huntsinger was convicted of the murders and narrowly avoided execution. He has now produced an unusual alibi, which, if true, means he couldn’t have abducted or murdered the girls 12 years earlier. As a result, Adam is released from prison and, shortly after, a 14-year-old girl disappears on the way to school under similar circumstances as the earlier abductions. Emmy again leads the investigation and must determine if Adam is repeating his earlier crimes or if the actual killer is trying to make Adam appear guilty. All the while, time is running out for any realistic hope of finding the newest abducted girl alive,

We Are All Guilty Here is primarily a police procedural, as Emmy and her fellow officers interview witnesses, gather evidence, and chase down leads. The investigation focuses on specific individuals as possible suspects until investigators uncover additional evidence that clears them. Emmy gets help from an unusual source: a recently retired FBI profiler who takes an interest in the case and arrives to assist in the investigation. Much of the book comprises conversations between Emmy and her father and, later, between Emmy and the profiler, as they discuss the case. These conversations allow the author to display the detailed research she has done into child abductions of this nature. Readers who enjoy true-crime examinations of criminal psychology will be fascinated by this material.

In a county the size of Clifton (county seat North Falls has a population of about 1,000), Emmy continually encounters people she knows. This familiarity gives the investigation a personal feel that is absent in most similar big-city crime stories. Emmy’s closest friend is the mother of one of the murdered girls, although their friendship is shattered by the tragedy. Many of the possible suspects are respected professionals with whom Emmy and her fellow investigators have had encounters for years. Although the author avoids specifying a specific time frame, We Are All Guilty Here appears to take place in the present day, albeit without much modern forensic evidence to help solve the crimes. Instead, Emmy does things the old-fashioned way.

Despite the book’s procedural trappings, We Are All Guilty Here is a complex whodunit. Karin Slaughter is the author of many similar books, including the popular Will Trent series, so she’s quite familiar with mysteries and crime novels. She drops a major clue in the book’s first few chapters, but does so in such a skillful manner that I completely missed it, despite my decades of familiarity with mystery literature. Emmy also misses the clue, and when she realizes its significance much later in the book, I had to go back to satisfy myself that the author had played fair with readers and Emmy, and mentioned the clue when it first occurred.

I admire it when a mystery author fools me fair and square, so I congratulate the author for doing so and for writing a highly entertaining mystery. The book’s background and descriptions of small-town life in rural Georgia feel authentic (the author is a native Georgian), and that small-town atmosphere is quite realistic. However, We Are All Guilty Here is a somewhat lengthy book with lots of discussion among the various investigators. Since the book describes two crimes that occurred 12 years apart, these discussions can become repetitive and slow down the story. Some tighter editing would have cut 50 pages of repetitive verbiage, making for an even more suspenseful story.

Despite its occasional talkiness, We Are All Guilty Here is a fast-paced book. Both storylines take place in only a few days. The author builds suspense by having Emmy constantly aware of the dwindling chances of rescuing the victims alive as more time passes. Most of the action takes place in the last 20 percent of the story as Emmy closes in on the killer. Genre fans should really enjoy the way the author wraps up the story. The book’s promotional material indicates this is the first volume in a planned North Falls series. The author provides some details about the town’s past, indicating a lot more potential backstory involving Emmy and other residents. However, We Are All Guilty Here focuses almost exclusively on a small set of core characters and suspects. Still, an author as talented as Karin Slaughter should be able to easily find more intricate mysteries in such a small town. For now, crime fiction fans will be guilty of enjoying a well-written story by a genre expert.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.