[ About The Secrets We Hide ]
The house at 1601 Iris Drive looks like any other in the quiet, residential street. But rumours are rife about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.
Then one afternoon gunshots ring out. Allison Vickery is found murdered in her own kitchen, her teenage daughter bleeding and left for dead.
Everyone thinks they know what happened. But they’re wrong. The truth is more shocking than anyone could ever have imagined.
Secrets are everywhere in this small town.
And it’s up to Detective Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth…
[ My Review ]
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter published with Harper Collins June 18th and is described as ‘a gripping and twisty thriller’. It is the second book in the North Falls series, following on from We Are All Guilty Here, featuring Emmy Clifton, who is now the interim Sheriff for the town of North Falls in Clifton County.
On the day of her mother’s funeral Emmy is struggling to contain her emotions. Her mother had been ill for a number of years and Emmy had watched her declining health as her mind slowly slipped away. Immediately following the burial, Emmy is travelling with her son Cole, and her sister Jude, when they hear the recognisable pop of gunshot. Calling for backup, all three immediately race to the scene, the Vickery home, but what awaits them is shocking. Allison Vickery is dead and her teenage daughter is bleeding out from serious gunshot wounds. With no obvious sign of a break-in Emmy and the team focus their attention on Allison’s relationships, both past and present. Allison Vickery was an ex member of the force but had challenges in her own personal life. There were plenty with motive but why now and why shoot a sixteen year old girl?
Emmy has serious confidence issues. As lead investigator on the case she feels threatened by her male counterparts and grapples with delegation. Her relationship with her sister Jude, a retired FBI agent and psychologist, is a fluid one. Jude had disappeared off Emmy’s radar for most of her life and now keeps her cards very close to her chest leaving Emmy frustrated in her company. She knows that Jude can assist with the investigation, but Emmy feels an inexplicable anger toward her. Jude is conscious of Emmy’s emotions. She knows and understands Emmy’s reactions but she just wants to help her and Cole in any way she can. She takes the verbal abuse and rejection that Emmy throws at her and is accepting of the fact that their relationship needs to be more truthful before they can ever truly bond.
Their personal story runs in parallel with their search for the killer but, what neither Emmy or Jude were anticipating, was the level of corruption and scheming that is rife in Clifton County. North Falls is a claustrophobic town where rumours catch fire pretty quickly and historic enemies lay dormant. Emmy is not one to shy away from danger but as secrets start to surface, ones with the potential to destroy a lot of important people, she finds herself in some very challenging situations.
Emmy Clifton is a very authentic and flawed protagonist. Her vulnerabilities are constantly exposed, as her anxiety levels heighten, but she is a warrior, always pushing through the barriers she faces. Emmy has had a tough few years which have impacted her self-confidence and played havoc with her mental health. With an election for sheriff on the horizon, she needs to pull herself together and set out her stall. Yes she is a Clifton but that is no guarantee that she will be chosen as the new sheriff in the role that had been vacated by her father. As the pressure to succeed takes hold, Emmy can feel the walls closing in. Is she cut out for this job? Can she step into her father’s very big shoes?
Karin Slaughter takes the reader on a suspenseful, page-turning journey as multiple secrets unfold and a shocking truth is revealed. The Clifton family dynamic is central to this series as we witness their complex lives and relationships in transition. Jude’s character is fascinating and we slowly get additional glimpses into her backstory while also being left with tantalising gaps as we await the next book in this riveting series.
With red herrings aplenty, this is another twisty and tense tale from a writer who always shows up. Crime fiction at its best, The Secrets We Hide is a compelling and emotional read, interwoven with the complexities of family relationships and the echo chamber of small town cronyism. Bravo Karin Slaughter!
[Thank you to Harper Collins Ireland for a copy of The Secrets We Hide in exchange for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
Karin 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. Her novel Pieces of Her 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 has been adapted into 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.
