Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
3.5 * rounded to 4.

A compelling, creepy read that keeps on reading. A little too terrifying for what I usually prefer but the well crafted plot
kept me reading. Men usually cannot capture female protagonists as well as Dunlea does.

Thirty years apart, two women with obsessive-compulsive disorder track a serial killer in Some Choose Darkness.

In 1979, Angela is newly married to Thomas in suburban Chicago. She also has a photographic memory and ocd. When frightened by a stranger in the alley behind her house, she begins to suspect he is the notorious serial killer, the Thief. The Thief gets off by alternately choking his victims and himself in an elaborate rope and pulley contraption. He has been blamed for five deaths. Angela sees a pattern among the deaths.

In 2019, Rory works as a freelance forensic reconstructionist for the Chicago police. She also has ocd. The 2017 cold case she is working on has the same cause of death as those done by the Thief. But he is in prison. Is it a copycat twenty-eight years later?

The Thief tells his story from a prison cell. Finally granted parole in 2019, he is looking forward to giving payback to the woman who emprisoned him.

What a fantastic thrill ride! Some Choose Darkness has a complicated plot that pulls the reader first one way and then the other like a twisty rollercoaster. Any readers looking to play armchair detective, beware! There are several false trails within the storyline. However, despite being totally fooled myself, I highly recommend this thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 Exciting Stars!!

What can I say...Charlie Donlea did it again!! “Some Choose Darkness” is a chilling, captivating, fast-paced mystery/suspense novel with a one of a kind protagonist, Rory, a forensic reconstructionist who is on the autism spectrum. Once again, I was impressed with author’s ability to write truly suspenseful, gritty, and dark crime fiction novel while keeping his characters interesting and well developed. You cannot help yourself but to quickly connect with Rory, and join her on a gripping and twisty journey to find out the details of 40-year old cold case. There was not one dull moment in this story and it is safe to say that Charlie Donela just earned himself an auto approval spot on my to-go-to authors list. I am looking forward to reading more of his books, and hopefully we will get to read another book with Rory’s character as a main protagonist very soon.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and the author, Charlie Donlea, for giving me an opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A slow burn thriller that somehow managed to make me feel like I was on an edge of my seat thrill ride. This book was all the things I love in a great thriller.
The alternating timelines, along with alternating characters keeps a reader on their toes, and keeps their minds constantly engaged and working overtime, trying to get ahead of the author in order to figure things out. I especially enjoyed the way the story lines every so subtly started to intertwine. This helped with the pacing of the book, allowing the reader just enough time to think they have it all figured out, before something else connects, possibly causing the reader to second guess themselves. A thriller that keeps you guessing is the best kind of thriller!
The well thought out characters are easy for the reader to relate to in some way, which establishes a greater connection, therefore, a greater investment in the book itself.
I really loved every second of reading this book! I would like to add that they only reason I gave this book three stars instead of four is that I didn’t read it as fast as I usually read a book, which is one of the criteria I base my ratings on.
Thank you Charlie Donlea for a stellar read!!

Rory is doing present-day investigation on a 40 year-old case. This dual timeline story focuses on a serial abductor/killer, "The Thief", due to be paroled from prison.

The story was quick-paced, although I guessed the twist earlier in the story. It wasn't a detriment to my enjoyment, however!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

"Some Choose Darkness, others are chosen by it"

You must choose this darkness, it's intoxicating! In this exquisitely told tale we find not one but two female protagonists on the autism spectrum. One is Angela, the primary narrator in 1979, before the condition was known, the other the primary narrator in October, November 2019. I loved that Donlea chose two strong women to drive this story. In 1979, 5 women go missing and Angela obsesses over what connects the victims and their personal lives. In 2019, Rory, a forensic reconstructionist finds herself working a case that harkens back to that one long ago. The twists and turns keep coming as you race through this thriller, some seen, some not so much. I started this book thinking I'll read a few chapters before I go to sleep. Ha! It's 3am as I'm writing this! I couldn't stop even when my bladder was screaming for me to take a break. I highly recommend you rush out to pick this one up on it's release date. I can't wait to hear what you think.

Some Choose Darkness is a fantastic thriller. This should be on everyone’s list for poolside reading this summer!

Don’t Believe It was the first book I read by Charlie Donlea a few months ago and I LOVED it. When I saw he had a new book coming out, I was excited to read it and came in with higher expectations - and it delivered!

The story is told in dual timelines - modern 2019 timeline with Rory - a forensic reconstructionist who consults for the police on solving cold case homicides. She reminds me of a Sherlock type - and I loved being along with her as she put things together.

We also see a story in 1979 from the perspective of Angela. Angela has become obsessed with a local case of women going missing. It is taking up all of her free time - researching the women’s lives, looking for patterns and trying to solve who is responsible.

Both women are really interesting characters and I loved seeing what they would do next. Often in dual timelines, I find myself enjoying one more and sort of rushing through the other. Not so here - I was equally invested in both.

There are a few things I was able to figure out and a couple that didn’t wrap up as I expected - but it didn’t take away from the experience at all. I would definitely recommend this if you love thrillers and I am excited to read more of Charlie Donlea’s backlist.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Kensington for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

After her father, Frank's, death, Rory, a forensic reconstructionist for the Chicago Police Department, becomes involved in a decades old case involving a serial killer known as "The Thief." As she digs into the past, she soon becomes obsessed with not only the killer but also his wife, Angela, who disappeared never to be seen again. What happened to Angela, and why is Rory so drawn to her?

"At some point in every killer's existence, a choice is made. Some choose darkness, others are chosen by it."

Since the story opens with an extremely dark and disturbing murder scene, at first I wasn't sure if I'd like this book. After I got into it, however, it reminded me of the Profiler TV show that I loved in the late 1990s. Alternating between 1979 and 2019, Some Choose Darkness follows Rory as she uncovers mysteries from the past. Even though I guessed a key twist early on, I still couldn't wait to see how it would all play out in the end. I would definitely recommend this one for fans of dark, suspenseful thrillers and/or true crime fans looking for a fictional account.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

HOW is this my FIRST Charlie Donlea novel!? Some Choose Darkness gave me everything I crave in a thriller! The twists just kept on coming page after page. I love when I think I've got it all figured out and my theories are smashed. I'll take a slow build up of suspense all day long. I very much enjoyed the multiple point of views, the dual timelines and the characters! Loved Rory Moore. Now if you'll please excuse me I'm off to find more Donlea books, new fan over here!!

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the eBook and to Traveling Friends Read for another excellent group read and for introducing another new to me author! #SomeChooseDarkness #Netgalley

Wow. All I can say is wow. Charlie Donlea's Some Choose Darkness is a page turner for sure. 5 stars!

Readers follow Rory, a forensic reconstructionist, as she steps into her father's lawyer shoes a week after his passing. She reluctantly agrees to take her father's place as Thomas Mitchell approaches parole. Throughout the course of coping with her father's death, and the Thomas Mitchell case, the book is in varying time periods (present and the 1970s) with both Rory and other character's perspectives. I won't say anything further to avoid spoilers, other than absolutely no loose ends were present at the end.

Mental health issues, some substance abuse, police work, unsolved murders, a "solved" murder, and some familial uncertainty. All in all, everything I love about a book. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC :)

crime-fiction, thriller, psychological, kidnapping, serial-killer

Intense. Frightening. Riveting. If you want crime fiction too close to reality to scare you, this is it. If you're looking for an escapist read to negate harsh reality, give this one a pass. It's a little too good at realism. The publisher's blurb should give you a clue because it is well done, but it's the intensity of the writing that got me. It's not a book that's easy to forget.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I was so drawn into the world of Rory and Angela and the crime scenes that plague them. It was so interesting to have the perspective of The Theif, Angela's perspective and fear from home, and then Rory's story to tie them all together, like the roses she bundled for Aunt Greta. But most of all, I loved how this book played on my interest of true crime, while also giving me the details from many angles, making me feel as though I was truly invested, much like Angela, Rory, and Frank. Interestingly, though, Donlea didn't overwhelm me with the many different perspectives. Each of them were neccesary to the story and not a single one felt forced or underdeveloped.

Charlie Donlea really has a knack for writing a story that scares you and leaves you feeling as though it's happening in the moment. I felt almost as if I were reading about the BTK Killer at times because of his love of torturing and strangling his victims. Like the Thief. BTK got off more on the torture and ultimate death than he did the strangulation. Knowing that little tid bit about BTK made The Theif seem so much more real to me than just the images he painted in my head. Though those images, alone, were vivid enough for me to imagine.

I absolutely loved this one, like I do all of his books. Any fan of serial killers or true crime, in general, needs to pick this one up. Before they know it, they'll be swept away, trying to figure it all out, like Angela and Rory do, even when the book isn't in their hands!

Why is this my first Charlie Donlea novel? Where have I been? I'm embarrassed and ashamed to admit that his prior books passed me by, though at least I can now rectify that problem.

So, yeah, this is a great read!

Why, you might ask, did I enjoy this book so much? That's easy to answer. First, the writing puts us firmly in the story. There are no wasted words, no long-winded descriptions. I saw it, felt it, heard it - experienced it.

Then there are the characters, who are real people. I swear to you, they walked off the pages and spent a few hours with me. They're unique, quirky, and totally fascinating to hang out with.

As the plot unwound, I did figure a few things out ahead of time. That wasn't a big disappointment because the journey was as important as where we wound up. I totally enjoyed just being in the moment.

"Some choose darkness, others are chosen by it." Do I have your attention yet?

This is the first book I have read by Charlie Donlea and it will not be the LAST!
Some Choose Darkness is a fast paced, compelling psychological thriller about a serial killer and the two women, Rory and Angela, who get involved in his dark ways.

I loved Rory's character the best , she is smart and tough, but also sensitive. She is on the autism spectrum and I applaud the author for including diversity in his book that makes Rory so relatable.
I really enjoyed Rory and Angela's story.

There are pieces of the story from the serial killer's point of view and they are definitely dark but that's what I love about reading this book. The darkness and the light and the way that the mystery reveals itself is so organic, giving tidbits of clues, but just enough to keep the reader guessing.

This is a fast paced page turner with twists and turns that I look for in a great psychological thriller and this is a GREAT ONE!

This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it had me questioning how on earth I was sleeping on his books before this. How is it that he wasn't even on my radar? You can believe that I will be remedying this from now on because "Some Choose Darkness" was such a great read! It wasn't that it was entirely unpredictable, but the suspense was kept high from the start, and the characters and storyline were engaging throughout. The story is told in alternating narratives, shifting from the past with Angela Mitchell and the present with Rory Moore, with some other character perspectives thrown in there at the start. Through Angela's chapters we learn about how she discovered the identity of a serial killer known as The Thief in Chicago in 1979. With Rory's chapters, we learn about how that past ties in with the present when her father passes away and his cases, one of which concerns The Thief who her father represented, gets passed on to her.

I really appreciated the fact that both Angela and Rory are characters on the spectrum and that being autistic was what really enabled Angela to discover the truth and what makes Rory so great at her job as a forensic reconstructor of cold cases. I can't speak to the accuracy of how they're portrayed, but I thought Donlea did a really good job of representing characters with autism and OCD. Reading Angela's chapters often left me feeling itchy and restless and had my heart galloping so fast and I became so immersed in the mystery in Rory's chapters. When it came to the "big reveal" of The Thief, Donlea kept me guessing until Angela's most pressing discovery, when my jaw dropped in disbelief. I would have frozen cold and probably died if I had been in her shoes. I was so convinced it was someone else and the person it turned out to be wasn't even on my radar to start with! The rest of the story was slightly predictable; I was able to easily guess about something significant to Rory's character as I was reading, but that said, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.

I did think the ending was rushed and Rory's actions didn't make sense to me at all (personally, I thought it was completely out of her character), so that was a bit disappointing. To be honest, it was a little anticlimactic and very 'easily done'. I also didn't understand how the cold case Rory was initially involved in was relevant to the story. It did make a nice segue to a big part of Rory's life and personal character, but mentions of it kept popping up throughout the story, and I never really understood why. Is Donlea going to continue Rory's storyline as a forensic reconstructor? It would be interesting if he did and I'd definitely read a series with her in it!

4.5 stars

As I began reading this, I immediately thought that Charlie Donlea has a little bit of a hanging obsession. I immediately thought of his book, Summit Lake but this also has some auto-erotic themes as the killer likes the "Rush" hmmm...or maybe he is just wanting to put that research to good use.... Either way, he had me from page one.

I was completely sucked in as I said. I really enjoyed all the characters. One thing I especially enjoyed about this book is that he gives various characters POV. This is a nice touch. l liked getting into the mind of the killer without knowing who the killer was initially. I also liked how the character of Angela was depicted. My son is on the ASD, so I am sensitive to how those with Autism and those on the spectrum are depicted. I feel he did a great job and handle the issue with sensitivity. Plus, there is another female character, Rory, who has similarities to Angela. It was refreshing to see two female characters who were on the spectrum and experienced anxiety yet were strong and intelligent. Each, in her own way, did not back down. Donlea receives high marks for this.

Donlea is quickly becoming my go-to writer. There are Authors who I anxiously await new books from and he is right there at the top of the list. I enjoy that his plots are plausible. There are twists, turns and reveals but all of them seem plausible. Nothing comes to far out of left field. He does his research and writes very good mystery/crime/psychological fiction. His book contains interesting characters who I feel for, root for and some I boo and hiss at. I also appreciate that his books are intelligent. He does not spoon feed his readers. True, some will figure out things around the half way mark. I figured out one thing fairly early but still didn’t now everything until around the 55% mark. Even if you figure things out or don’t, this is still a riveting tale about “the Thief” his “rush” and the women who he encountered and had in his life.

Again, I was captivated from page one. I found this story to be engrossing, well thought out, perfectly paced, exciting and intelligent. There were some suspenseful moments, but more importantly, Donlea knows how to write interesting and fully developed characters which we care about. I cared about what happened to the female characters in this book. I admired their strength and the way their minds worked. The strength in this book was not only the way in which the story was told via multiple POVs but in the characters themselves.

Another solid book by Donlea. I read this book in one day as it was so compelling and captivated and held my attention. Highly recommend.

This was a traveling sisters group read.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another great read by Mr. Donlea, and he's clearly become one of my most anticipated authors these days. SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS has everything I look for in a mystery novel. A cold case with loose ends, a creepy serial killer, with a plan, and different points of view for past and present storylines. But the most important aspect for me is the connection you feel with the characters, and Donlea has completely outdone himself here. Angela and Rory felt incredibly real and they were amazing characters to root for.

I am leaning towards 4.5 stars. I'm a huge fan of Charlie Donlea and have read all of his previous books and have loved them. I still loved this book but not as much as the others. Rory is a very quirky character, I'm also not sure how she functions with the amount of alcohol she consumes. I can definitely see Rory in a sequel where she solves cold cases. (Crossing my fingers for sequels!!!) I wasn't sure who The Thief was going to end up being until his identity was finally revealed. I pretty much went along with all of Angela's theories. So I was definitely surprised. I wasn't too shocked about the secrets surrounding Rory. The book was definitely full of twists and turns. I was hooked from the very start. I didn't mind the back and forth between Angela in the past and Rory in the present. Why would Rory go to the cabin in the middle of the night without telling anyone???? She almost dials her boyfriend and 911 but never does. Nothing good ever comes from this!!! That's like wearing a huge PLEASE MURDER ME SIGN in a room full of killers!!!! If I thought someone was a possible crazy killer, the last thing I would do would be go see him ALONE.

Definitely recommend the book and the author's previous books. Loved everything about the book- characters, story and writing style. I can't wait to read more books by the author!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars

Not bad, but not great.

No real suspense or even the 'slow build up to the big reveal' intensity.
The mystery surrounding the missing Angela Mitchell was the highlight, but I figured things just over the halfway mark.

I’ll end as I began: not bad, but not great.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Rory Moore preferred her career as a forensic reconstructor of cold cases to her previous stint as an attorney. Rory had difficulty working with people, and her photographic mind was able to reorganize and restructure old clues well enough to solve cases when the police had all but given up. After her father’s death, she was forced to put on her attorney persona and represent her father’s last client, a man who had been in prison for the murder of his wife Angela.

Thomas Mitchell had been relying on his attorney, Frank Moore, to get him before the parole board. He had everything lined up, ready for his release, and the parole hearing went as expected. Rory made no objection to the deal brokered by her father, and Thomas Mitchell was released as scheduled.

One case that Rory couldn’t forget was during the summer of 1979, when multiple young women were missing from the Chicago area. As Rory began to look into the case, she found a Facebook page, called Justice for Angela, and she contacted the page administrator for more information. As Rory learns more about the case from Angela’s friend Catherine, she is drawn in by the pain of the families involved and becomes determined to solve the case.

This book drew me in, wondering all the while about Rory’s ability to figure things out, and what other secrets she might uncover. I liked Rory and felt her autistic traits were believable, and appreciated her insistence on discovering everything she could about the serial murders in 1979. Interesting read with many twists turns.