The instant No.1 Sunday Times bestseller!

The gripping and exciting first book in a brand new crime thriller series from the international sensation Karin Slaughter.

A thriller of breadth and depth—a powerful and gripping read — Shari Lapena

Explosive from the very start — Cara Hunter

This is a huge novel with an even bigger heart — Jane Casey

Karin Slaughter is always a must read — Harlan Coben

A dark, shocking and visceral story … Absolutely brilliant — Janice Hallett

Powerful, beautiful, brimming with heart and grit – an astonishing novel. I adored it — Andrea Mara

Welcome to North Falls

Welcome to North Falls. A small town where everyone knows everyone. But nobody knows the truth. Emmy Clifton has lived here all her life. She thinks she knows her neighbours. She's wrong. She thinks it’s just another hot summer night: a night like any other. She's wrong. When her best friend's daughter asks for help, she thinks it’s just some teenage drama. She thinks it can wait. She's never been more wrong in her life. As the town ignites in the wake of the girl's disappearance, Emmy throws herself into the search. But then she realises: You never really know a town until you know its secrets. Is Emmy ready for the truth?

Reader reviews

Karin absolutely nails small town America with complex family lives filled with secrets and paranoia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

Brilliant, heart-breaking, tense, disturbing and another impossible to put down ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

A compelling and intricately woven thriller that will keep readers hooked from start to finish ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review