The Suicide House was a tough one for me. I thought that the story was creepy and interesting. I did not connect with any of the characters, and lost track of who was who often. I didn’t really enjoy Rory, Lane, Ryder or any of the other characters mentioned.
The Man in the Mirror was creepy and interesting but I felt like it was a little glazed over. Mentioned heavily but not explained. I would have liked it if the murder used more of TMITM as a motive, or if it played a larger role.
I thought that the ending was a little hurried, but liked the closing scene. I wanted to have a bigger closure from the murders to the present.
Over all it was a good story, and I just didn’t feel anything for the characters.

The Suicide House is the second book I’ve read by author Charlie Donlea. The first being Some Choose Darkness. Both I consider to be 5 star reads. They are psychological thrillers and I found them to be amazing stories. They both have the same main characters of Rory Moore and her boyfriend Lane Phillips but each book is a separate story. Rory is a forensic reconstructionist that has an autism spectrum disorder and a bit OCD. I think that is what makes her so interesting to read about. There isn’t a cold case that she can’t solve! This particular story had me stumped the whole way through. I had the “bad guy” pegged for someone completely different than who it actually was. That’s what makes for a great, entertaining read in my opinion. This is a book I recommend to all readers who enjoy this genre. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed! I know I am a fan of this author and want to read everything that he writes. I’d like to thank Kensington Books for allowing me to read and review an early copy and NetGalley for supplying the arc. I really enjoyed this and give it a much deserved 5 stars!

Thanks to #netgalley, I was provided with a free galley of this book. Onto the review...

What a great read! I’m a confessed sucker for anything involving prep schools, and this one did not disappoint. Mysterious deaths at an abandoned house on the perimeter of the grounds still plague the school a year later, and with a new podcast renewing interest in the case and suicides of the original survivors of the events, something is not adding up.

I enjoyed all the main characters in this one, as well as the twist and turns of the story. I found out at the end that this is the second book with a couple characters, so I may add the previous book to my TBR list. The baddie became a little predictable about halfway through despite the red herrings the author threw in, but still worth a read!

The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

One year ago Westmont Prep was the site of a gruesome murder. A professor whom later attempted suicide is thought be the perpetrator and the case is closed. However, now survivors are started to commit suicide at the same scene, and a podcast has begun a new investigation.

This was an easy, quick and entertaining read for sure. There were a lot of characters to keep up with. I wish I had wrote all their names down to keep track. A few were only introduced a few times, so I’d advise doing so. I really enjoyed the investigators, Rory and Lane. It’s my understanding that they are from his other book as well. I wish that I had gotten to know them better because they really were great in the storyline. Overall, it was a fun, easy, and spooky mystery... but I felt there were just a bit too many moving parts and I didn’t feel like I dived in deep enough

“Arrive alone, leave together.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Donlea has easily become an auto buy author for me! He writes the most amazing mysteries that keep me guessing until the very end. This novel was amazing and I didn’t want to put it down. There was not one single page of this book that I didn’t enjoy. The characters were amazing and the journal entries really kept me confused! I am not going to give a single thing away, but you guys should definitely read this amazing novel!

Out July 28th!

"This wasn't a couple of kids screwing around. This was a goddamn slaughter."

I didn't realize when I requested this novel that it was the sequel to Some Choose Darkness, which I have never read. Thankfully, The Suicide House can be read as a standalone novel, but there is a very stark sense of missing so much character history and background.

The story was interesting enough--murder and mayhem at an elite boarding school in small-town Indiana. Unfortunately, there was so much going on, it diluted the mystery. While the conclusion was eventually tied neatly with a big, red bow, the sheer number of characters and story lines decreased my enthusiasm and diverted my attention to other chores and errands.

Very early in the story, I suspected two characters...I wasn't sure which it was, but I narrowed in on them almost immediately. When it was all said and done...I was proven correct. So, yea. That was a bummer.

I may choose to read the first book in this series...I haven't decided yet. I did love Rory and the way her mind was explained. Having a son on the spectrum, I could relate to Rory's genius and her quirks. Thankfully, her spectrum traits weren't portrayed in a derogatory manner either, which I appreciated.

Bottom line: This had the potential to be an amazing story, but it just tried to do too much.

3.5 stars

Available July 28th.

My sincere thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for my review copy.

A year ago, there was a horrific tragedy at a prestigious prep school in Indiana.  A teacher went on a grisly rampage and murdered two students, and then threw himself in front of a train attempting suicide but did not die and now is living in a vegetative state. And some of the students who witnessed the incidents have since taken their own lives, by throwing themselves in front of trains.

Now, a year later, the murder and the sordid ordeal are being brought back into the spotlight by a very popular criminal podcast.  They are calling the episodes The Suicide House due to the abandoned boarding house where the tragedy happened.  As the episodes begin, the anxiety of students and teachers at the school increases.  And then another one of the students who witnessed the murder throws himself in front of a train. 

That is when cold case expert Rory Moore and her partner Lane Phillips, a forensic psychologist are asked to come to Indiana and recreate what happened that night at the isolated house which was often times used for student rituals. Perhaps clues were missed at the scene and new eyes can shed new light on that night. 

Moore, who herself has a few idiosyncrasies, has just finished up solving a cold case and usually needs time to decompress, but Phillips who knows her soft spots convinces her to help him. But nothing is as it seems in this small town and their presence begins to stir things up.  Why?

The story races back and forth between what happened during the days leading up to the murders, to the new investigation and new puzzle pieces. There are chapters in which diary entries from a mysterious unknown person are read while they are in what seem to be counseling sessions.

Is someone lying? What really happened that night? What kind of burden do the students carry with them from that evening that they would want to take their own lives? Why would a teacher snap and kill his students?

The Suicide House is a heart thumping psychological case study in insanity with twists and turns that leave you craving for more.  The ending....a volcanic eruption! 

This is the second book in the Moore/Phillips series and as Donlea writes in the afterward, he tries to make sure that all his books can be read as a stand alone as well.  Since I was unaware this was a series book until I read his note at the end, I can certainly say he was able to accomplish what he set out to do.

The Suicide House can be preordered right now.  Publication date is July 28.  Get it!

Thank you #NetGalley #Kensington #CharlieDonlea #TheSuicideHouse for the advanced copy.

I had read a first look on Bookish First and I was hooked. I had no idea that it was the 2nd book in a series, because it didn't read like a sequel but rather just a new story including these two characters Rory Moore and Lane Phillips. They aren't the focus of the story but it seems that they were focused in the previous book so that was pretty cool

Any story that takes place in a boarding school is right up my alley. For some reason, it is always interesting to look at how the other side of the coin may live. although I know in stories like this, its always over the top. So here we are at a school where there is the murder of two teens and then shortly after, there are a string of suicides that may not have been actual sucide. Its a book filled with mystery and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Since THE SUICIDE HOUSE is listed as “Rory Moore/Lane Phillips #2,” do you have to read SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS (“#1”) first? Donlea explains in an Author’s Note at the end that all of his novels are stand-alone thrillers, but readers will find “little nuggets” of his previous books sprinkled within the pages of each subsequent one. So although this is the second book in the Rory/Lane series, it’s written so the books can be read in any order. I would personally recommend that SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS be read first though, if for no other reason than it’s a great ride.

In THE SUICIDE HOUSE, a forensic reconstructionist (Rory Moore) and her psychologist boyfriend (Lane Phillips) try to solve a crime committed at a boarding school that’s also being featured in a popular podcast. Moore is a fascinating, unique character. She is on the autism spectrum, and she dabbles in antique doll restoration. While that last bit might sound boring, it’s not.

All in all, there is A LOT going on here. So many characters. So many plot threads. So many time periods. While I found this thriller to be easily readable, all the jumping around got to be a bit much. Once I reached the end, I wanted two things: 1. To read a book with a straightforward linear narrative next, and 2. To read more from Charlie Donlea. He’s become a “slump buster” for me, and it’s comforting to know I still have two of his previous books unread on my shelf. Donlea is definitely an author to keep on your radar.

THE SUICIDE HOUSE’S U.S. publication date is July 28, 2020. I received an Advanced Readers Copy from #NetGalley & #KensingtonBooks in exchange for an honest review.

Looking over previous reviews, it appears that I’m in the minority for this one. I have no idea if it’s because this is the 2nd part to Some Choose Darkness (and I had no idea until the author’s note at the end), or if it’s just because there were so many redundancies and inconsistencies in this novel based on a read of it alone.

Rory is touted as this incredible puzzle solving partner of Lane, but does she actually solve anything? No, not really. It is explained that she “hears the souls of those who died” but does she hear anything in this book? Nope.

I swear to you at one point if I would have read the words “Dark Lord” one more time, I was going to put the book down and never pick it up again. And how many times do we need the crime scene explained, exactly? Because this was explained at least five too many times.

The dolls are... weird. And really, I understand it’s supposed to be part of Rory’s “quirks” but it’s just so out of synch with the rest of the story.

I really, really wanted to love this one, but I ended up finding more things to dislike than there were to enjoy about it. I did like the short chapters and the red herrings thrown in. The ending of the big mystery was just so absolutely dumb and strange that I can’t find it to be redeemable.

What happened at Westmont Prep last summer?

That's what this book sets out to explore. Two students were murdered at this elite prep school, with the others who were present that night committing suicide since then. Two reporters and two crime scene specialists are interested and wanting answers as well as the original investigator.

Each chapter shifts to a different character, a different time, a different part of the story... Generally, I would find this absolutely confusing, but it totally worked. There were lots of characters, but I was easily able to keep track of what was going on. And I was kept guessing the entire way through... In fact, I stayed up well past when I should have been asleep because I couldn't go to bed not knowing the ending.

High praise to Charlie Donlea for crafting such an interesting adventure that kept me thrilled.

The Suicide House is an interesting mystery novel. A year ago, two students of a boarding school were killed during a secret society initiation game. Within a couple of days a teacher was suspected of the crime. Now there is a podcast delving into the story and the producers of the podcast bring in Lane Philips, a former FBI profiler, to make a profile of the killer and of the teacher. Lane's girlfriend, Rory, who is a forensic re-constructionist joins him and starts looking into the case when the Detective asks because he thinks something isn't right.

I do not want to give away any part of the story but it is one of those books written in a series of shortish chapters so you end up reading it so quickly. I was done in two days with this one. I enjoyed the book but was not compelled enough by either Rory or Lane to go look at other novels they are in.

Thank you NetGalley for my gifted ARC in return of my honest review.

The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea is a creepy and riveting thriller about a horrific crime that occurs at a private academy called Westmont Preparatory Academy that is to have been solved my local PD. What you soon realize is that they were wrong, the person blamed for the murder may be innocent and then you have to figure out who actually did it. I didn't even realize this was a series, until the end and I am now looking forward to reading Charlie's other books because I really enjoyed this book so much. It kept me guessing until the very end and I did not see that ending coming at all. At first I thought all the different story lines were hard to follow, but they were written in a way they I felt I could keep track of each person's view very easily and it melded together beautifully. Highly recommend you pick this one up!

This was my second dive into the Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series. While this one didn’t have as much insight into their pasts, it was still so good.

It starts out explaining some loose ends of the previous book and a case that Rory worked on. That was such a relief for me (and this is a no spoiler tidbit because it wasn’t the bulk case of the previous book).

In The Suicide House we join Rory and Lane on their trip to a prep school in Indiana. A teacher is accused of murder and a popular podcast is unearthing some interesting information about the case.

There were so many elements to this story. A group of students involved in a night of teenage fun ends in two murders. Now, the survivors are all coming back to Westmont Prep to commit suicide. We get to see if Rory and Lane can uncover the truth and dig up secrets hidden for years.

This was so gripping and thrilling. I can definitely say that Rory Moore is a favorite female investigative lead from now on and I cannot wait to read more of Charlie Donlea’s work!

This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it for sure won’t be my last!! There was so much going on from the very beginning between different timelines and journal entries which occasionally led to a little confusion about what exactly was important, but it also held my attention since I couldn’t find out how everything tied together fast enough! In the end, it all came together really really well. The chapters are also super short which i loved!! As for the characters, I did really enjoy Rory’s eccentricities and her unwavering drive to solve cases that no one else can. I will definitely be picking up Donlea’s other book involving Rory and her partner Lane and will be keeping my fingers crossed for more Rory and Lane in future books!

{Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review - pub date 7/28}

First, a thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting for me. I'm always a suck for a seriously demented prep school setting mystery, and this was definitely that. I'm by no means squeamish when it comes to (fictional) murder - The Snowman is one of my favorite books after all - but I have to admit the killing here resulted in visual imagery I could've lived without. Not having read the first book in the series, but having really enjoyed The Girl Who was Taken, I went into this one thinking it would be more of the latter. It wasn't. While reading, my interest ebbed and waned, which I think was partly to due with the fact that there were too many characters and too many undelineated timelines that didn't transitional as seamlessly as they could have. It also didn't help that a couple of the characters had very similar names, I kept having to remind myself who was who. I did determine who the culprit was before the book concluded, but it did take me a while and I admit that I suspected an innocent for a good chunk of the story. I didn't love the book, but I may go back and read the first one, and if I do, I may second think my thoughts on this one. Charlie Donlea is a good writer, I just don't think that this is one of his best.

Wow. What an incredible ride this book offers. The author has an amazing talent of being able to weave each of her characters stories together without revealing true identities until the end. This book is a fascinating page turner that will not allow you to sleep until you finish it. Not only are the characters interesting but the author has created a heroine on the autism spectrum that wears combat boots. With all of her imperfections and quirkiness you grow to love and envy her brilliant mind and incredible attention. I would recommend this to anyone who loves mystery, This novel would make an excellent book club pick!

Rory is literally the character I have been looking for all my life. We have the same personality, she has my dream job, she is an bad ass in her Madden boots. She is what my vision board always looked like. I found out The Suicide House is #2 of Rory Moore/ Lane Phillips, so now I have to grab #1 and fan girl more.

When I head this was about a podcast and a Prepatory School, my mind automatically went to YA. I was not expecting this thriller whodunit wild ride that had me guessing every single chapter. Was it really a suicide? We’re they pushed? Is that a male or female staring through the keyhole? So many questions and so many answers.

I loved the characters in The Suicide House. Ryder and Rory were strong females that could save themselves. I was here for it. Lane was such a great balance for Rory, even though I felt he had a minor role in this book.

The ending is my actual dream come true. It’s like being in The Beast’s library in Beauty & The Beast. It was absolutely adorable and added the perfect touch to such a great thriller. 5 fantastic stars.

Also, a massive Thank You to Charlie Donlea on the authors note showing other books I could read with each character in it. I am reading to start reading Some Choose Darkness.

Thank you so much Kensington Books & NetGalley for the gifted copy. This comes out July 28th, and I can’t wait to hear everyone else’s reaction.

ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review

Woah. Just.. woah.

From the minute I picked up The Suicide House, I could not put it down.

It is a fascinating, gripping tale of murder, suicide (or is it) and the hunt for what really happened that night a year ago.

There were so many holy moly and WTF moments in this tale. As I turned each page, I was sure I knew what had happened. And each time, Charlie Donlea had left me on another wild goose chase, and left me scratching my head. Until again I thought I knew whodunnit.

I did have an inkling late in the story as to who it was, but not the full tale. I had no idea of motives or the whys of it all.

I was buddy reading this story, so my friend and I were constantly messaging each other with our thoughts on what was happening

In fact, at one stage I did say that one part had an I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe lol

Slowly but surely, Donlea pulled all the strings together, and this story came around full circle, the intriguing and horrible prologue now making sense.

I am new to Charlie Donlea's writing, so I did not know our main characters at all, but that did not affect anything. It has left me wanting more of Rory and Lane, and the end of this story has left me with the hopes of many, many more mysteries for me to solve.

I now also have a fantastic looking back catalogue to look up.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing Corporation and Bookish First for the complimentary ARC of THE SUICIDE HOUSE by Charlie Donlea (pub date 7/28/2020)!

I loved Charlie Donlea’s SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS last year, so when I saw his new book on Bookish First, I immediately used my points to get a copy even before reading the synopsis! I was therefore very pleased to learn that this was listed as book two in the Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series!

THE SUICIDE HOUSE begins big with a group of kids from Westmont Proeparatory High School playing a scary game in an abandoned boarding house, summoning the Man in the Mirror. In the end, two students are brutally killed and a teacher is fingered for the crime, though he is left permanently disabled by a failed attempt to kill himself in front of a train, so he is unable to answer the charges. In the year since this tragedy, two more students who survived that night have returned to the scene of the crime to kill themselves as well. The case has garnered a lot of attention in a true crime blog and a new serial podcast which is attempting to get more answers to what exactly a happened that night.

This book starts off creepy and had me hooked from page one. The author does an excellent job of giving you just enough detail to remain gripped to the pages, but with enough ambiguity to leave a lot of details to uncover as the investigation continues. Psychologist Lane Phillips is hired on by the podcast as a consultant and he in turn brings in forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore who is soon intrigued by the case. I especially enjoyed spending some more time with Rory Moore, a woman on the autism spectrum who has made the characteristics of this label into distinct strengths in her professional life and her hobbies (her doll reconstruction hobby makes a return as well and I again found this fascinating).

The mystery is laid out in alternating time periods, going back to the events surrounding the tragedy in 2019 and laying out the investigation taking place in 2020. Multiple points of view are involved as well in both time periods as the narrative follows students, school personnel, reporters, police and journalists. We also get snippets of the actual podcast itself in the beginning to introduce us to the events of 2019 and the remaining mysteries. All of this works really well to keep the story going at a good pace and I couldn’t help but keep flipping pages!

From the author’s note at the end, I now know that in addition to Lane and Rory, some of the side characters in this novel are also from Donlea’s prior books, but this book is absolutely written to work as a stand alone! I recommend adding this one to your TBR when it releases on 7/28/2020!