Sheriff Emmy Clifton of North Falls, Georgia, and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, are moments from leaving their mother's funeral when they hear shots ring out. The house at 1601 Iris Drive belongs to Allison Vickery, a former detective turned PI. Her lifeless body and that of her badly injured daughter, Mandy, are found when Emmy and Jude enter their home.

This is the abrupt and breathless opening to THE SECRETS WE HIDE, the second novel in Karin Slaughter’s latest series, following last year's WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE.

"Nothing is predictable in THE SECRETS WE HIDE, and Slaughter is quietly building up a series that almost rivals her Will Trent novels.... The deepest secret of all sets the tone for the next installment, which I simply cannot wait for."

Secrets are clearly at the heart of this book --- not just the ones that will be uncovered about Allison and Mandy, but also the blockbuster secret that Jude has kept from Emmy for over 40 years. I will leave the latter for you to discover. It has the potential to completely change the trajectory of this tense thriller and the entire series going forward.

Allison and Mandy were shot at close range. Paramedics are eventually able to bring Mandy back to life, but she is far from being out of the woods. Perhaps most frightening is that Emmy and Jude entered the house just as the assailant was making his escape. He shot at Jude, and the bullet grazed the side of her head, inches away from killing her. With both of them dealing with grief from the loss of their mother, and Emmy battling the political elements inside and outside of her precinct that did not want her to be the new sheriff, this case could not have come at a worse time.

Beyond this, the secrets that threaten to be uncovered by the investigation could unravel a long web of deceit that stretches over North Falls and beyond. When a cache of $350,000 is found inside Allison’s home, it is obvious that she and Mandy were about to make a run for it. The questions that need to be answered are why and from whom.

Emmy’s case begins with Allison’s abusive husband, Bill Garrison, as well as a member of a nearby police squad who had a lusty affair with her that ended in a very public lawsuit. While Mandy is fighting for her life, Emmy and Jude follow an angle that she may have been involved with an older man. So they meet up with her closest friends to try to get the scoop from them. Slaughter keeps the plot bouncing, and it seems chapter by chapter that the story takes a new turn to the point where it becomes impossible to correctly guess the outcome.

Nothing is predictable in THE SECRETS WE HIDE, and Slaughter is quietly building up a series that almost rivals her Will Trent novels. Emmy and Jude are terrific characters, and their own family history and secrets act as the undercurrent to the myriad of surprises that this complex tale throws at you. The deepest secret of all sets the tone for the next installment, which I simply cannot wait for.