3.5 stars

In this 2nd book in the 'Rory Moore/Lane Phillips' series, the criminalists look into deaths at a private school. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Classy 'Westmont Preparatory High School' in Peppermill, Indiana used to pride itself on graduating ALL its students and sending them on to good colleges. Then starting on June 21, 2019, a string of tragedies ruined the school's statistics. Two students were murdered on that summer solstice night, and - in the subsequent year - two more students committed suicide.

The institute's losses were the media's gain. Crime blogger Ryder Hillier has a blog devoted to the Westmont deaths, and television newsmagazine host Mack Carter has a podcast, called The Suicide House, about the incidents.

Mack Carter leases a house near Westmont Prep, and in the summer of 2020 hires Chicago forensic psychologist/criminal profiler Lane Phillips to contribute to future episodes of the podcast. Lane rents a cottage in Peppermill and cajoles his girlfriend, forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore, to follow him a couple of days later.

Lane specializes in psychotic killers and Rory is a cold case expert, so they're good 'gets' for The Suicide House podcast.

Up to this point the blog and podcast covered the following: Two students named Andrew Gross and Tanner Landing were brutally killed in an abandoned house on the edge of the Westmont campus on June 21, 2019. A few days later the prime suspect, a chemistry teacher called Charles Gorman, threw himself in front of a train near the abandoned house, and is now a vegetable. In the following months, two friends of the dead boys, Bridget Matthews and Danielle Landry, also threw themselves in front of trains, and died.

It turns out that Westmont Prep has a secret club, called 'The Man in the Mirror', that meets at the abandoned house. Each year the club extends invitations to a few juniors, who must perform harrowing challenges to become members. All the dead students were associated with The Man in the Mirror, and - as the story unfolds - more deaths follow.

Lane and Rory make it their mission to unravel all the mysteries at Westmont Prep, and endanger themselves in the process.

The book is very complex, with several subplots. Moreover, the story skips back and forth between the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2020. Thus there's a lot to follow, but once I got into the rhythm I was able to keep up.

A strong point of the book is the wide array of characters, including students; faculty; administrators; parents; journalists; police; and more. The best character is forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore, a woman on the autism spectrum whose favorite beverage is Dark Lord beer.

Rory has trouble making eye contact and is most comfortable wearing a beanie hat; big glasses; and Madden Girl Eloisee combat boots. Rory also has OCD, which she controls by restoring damaged antique dolls. In this book Rory reconstructs an Armand Marseille Kiddiejoy German baby doll, and the scenes of Rory working on the doll are instructive and interesting.

I won't give away plot secrets but I will say that Charlie Donlea is a master of misdirection and twists. For me the plot is a bit overly contrived, but I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of suspense novels.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Charlie Donlea), and the publisher (Kensington Publishing) for a copy of the book.

I have to say, I am hooked on these Rory/Lane novels. This is the second book in the series, and I wasn’t sure if it could compete but I was blown away.

I was going through the book and thought, oh this is too obvious, I’ve got it figured out already. I was very, very wrong. I 100% did not see that twist coming! I had previously read one of the author’s other books outside this series but now I am really looking forward to reading other works by this author.

This is my first book by Charilie Donlea. The cover is what drew me first and then the title.

“The Suicide House" is a podcast that focuses on the grisly murders of two students at an elite prep school, where the "secret" society is a known secret. It is a tradition. Stunts hope to be chosen to be initiated into the secret society, to go to the hidden cottage in the woods, and survive the Man in the Mirror. A year later the tradition becomes a nightmare as students are dead, a teacher has been blamed and the horrors lives on.

There is a lot going on in this book. There are many characters, several mysteries and subplots going on. I felt like I read three different books at the same time. Maybe if it would be a book about the campus murders and podcast host’s killing case solved by crime blogger Ryder Hillier, it would be easier for me to concentrate. But there is also Gus’s cold case story connects with the murders and another missing person’s case. There are so many questions to answer, so many POVs to read and too many characters to connect! Rory Moore hasn’t been involved in the case until the second half of the book. So many times I missed her and Lane because the other characters’ POVS and stories made me question if this was a sequel of my favorite characters or if they turned into supportive characters of the story, make cameos like Gus.

I think the author’s intention was to prepare us for the next books and introducing the new characters. And she wants to connect her main characters from the other books to bring out new cases and new stories.

The second in the Moore/Phillips series, unfortunately for me not as enjoyable as the first.
I think this is my third Donlea book and I loved the other three. This one not so much.

Set in a boarding school where there is a secret club that everyone wants to be a part of. There is initiation into the club twice a year for those who pass but on the night in question here some students are murdered while the survivors cant seem to cope and commit suicide.

One of the teachers is accused of the killings and the evidence is very strong but he too takes his own life before he can be brought to trial.

A year later and Lane Phillips finds himself in the town as an advisor. Asked to appear on the no 1 podcast about the event, it has a huge following and all sorts of conspiracy theories to go with it.
Rory follows him down as a surprise and both get wrapped up in the case as new evidence starts to come to light.

As I said, this is my least favourite Donlea novel I have read so far. The saving grace is that the two main characters are really strong characters(as in the first book)and are great and interesting to spend time with.

Unfortunately a lot of the time is not spent with them but in flashback to the night of the event and to be honest it just got a little boring and convoluted. The student and teacher characters were not nearly as interesting as our main pair and you had little empathy with them. It also felt like an age to flesh the story out.

Its not a bad book but its not a particularly good one either. The two stars of this series are Moore and Phillips and they get lost somewhat in the story and the effort to tell the tale which, if Im honest is a little silly and convoluted.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love stories about boarding schools, or girls going to boarding schools.. there is always so much drama brought up in stories like this.. So with that being said I really did enjoy this book. Everyone loves a good scandal in his book was filled with Scandal rumors and things being brought up from the past.

Some Choose Darkness was the first Charlie Donlea book that I read. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found that The Suicide House brings back 2 characters from that book. But you do not need to have read it to enjoy Suicide House. Again Donlea has given us a book full of twists and drama. I read this in 2 sittings and couldn’t get enough.

Suicide House is a podcast that has true crime fans excited. Just over a year ago 2 students were brutally murdered on the grounds of Westmont Prep School. A teacher was charged with the murders but why are other students who were involved on the night returning to the scene and killing themselves? And there are some that do not believe that the teacher was the murderer. Forensic Reconstructionist Rory Moore and her partner Lane Phillips get involved and early on it is clear that someone doesn’t want the case to be investigated.

Another fantastic book from Charlie Donlea. Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

Heart-chilling abandoned places need no words.

Charlie Donlea is venturing into the deep and the dark in this one. The Suicide House is far more than the usual "Who dun it?" that Donlea has showcased in the past. This one drifts off into minds filled with scurrying head spiders. Gave me a web-infested feeling throughout.

The stately Westmont Prep School juts out from behind tall trees. It's been renowned for almost 80 years for turning out the best in its students here in Peppermill, Indiana. But a shadow will be eclipsing this fine school this semester. Not from an over-zealous moon. More like tragedy and death.

Mack Carter has heard all the buzz about Westmont Prep. The horrific events have been like pouring gasoline while setting his podcast on fire. His fan base keeps growing and growing as they can't get enough chatter about what happened but with no "why" in sight. But there's some resentment from Ryder Hillier, researcher/journalist, who as a true crime blog on just this topic. It seems like Mack is grabbing Ryder's info for his own podcast.

With three deaths surrounding the abandoned teachers' boarding house in the overgrown acreage of Westmont Prep, highly professional help is needed. Lane Phillips, forensic psychologist, and Rory Moore have been sent in from Chicago. Rory is a forensic reconstructionist. Bordering on the autistic spectrum, Rory has an uncanny talent for seeing what others never will. She is an ace when it comes to cold cases. But will this be a chase down a dark rabbit hole for even these two?

The Suicide House has earmarkings of the stellar writing talent of Charlie Donlea. I've read every novel of his and clamor for more. But this one ranked at a 3.5 kicked up to 4 stars. It is evident that there is an abundance of research, time, and effort into this one. But The Suicide House bogged down at times with the weight of too many characters to keep track of and too many flips between passages. I think a more linear storyline with Lane and Rory at the helm would have been the way to go. Donlea shows that he can set up a bucketful of horror with a Stephen King vibe. Next time, I'd like to see more of those Madden Girl boots from our fav, Rory.

I received a copy of The Suicide House through NetGalley for an honest reivew. My thanks to Kensington Books and to the talented Charlie Donlea for the opportunity.

3.5 stars. I vaguely remembered the main characters from this authors previous book, but not in detail, as I felt I was expected to to truly appreciate them. Like the authors last book, I also felt the narration changed too many times to be able to closely track the story. But aside from those points, I really enjoyed it - even couldn’t put it down. Awesome characters, their crucifying features well hidden until the end, and unique storyline. Will continue to look forward to new works from this author!

Charlie Donlea has yet to disappoint me as an author. He’s one of my favorite go to authors. I enjoyed the Suicide house and all its twists and turns. It wasn’t as great as my absolute favorite of his books that is called “Don’t believe it”. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

I was excited to read this one because the story line sounded really good. But once getting into the book and all the characters thrown into your face all at once was a little much. Plus there is multiple stories happening all at the same time. It just seems like to much for one book. Also one thing that was super annoying is how similar the names were Rory, Ryder, Marc, Mack, Gavin and Gwin just made things confusing as at times. So many names to pick from. This was a very slow burn for me.

I did enjoy Rory's character and could see a series just about her. The twist was great becausei suspected someone else being the killer.

Thank you Netgalleyfor allowing me to read this!!

Charlie Donlea has another winner with The Suicide House. Mr Donlea takes the reader back and forth in time as we try to figure out today what actually happened last year. He merges the two flawlessly and also gives us some edge of the seat moments. I want to thank Net Galley and Kensington Books for an early copy to review.

This is billed as the second in a series but, as the author himself explains at the end of the book, it is designed to be easily read as a stand alone. In fact, the same explanation also goes on to detail the links and crossovers between all his books. As a reader I love this stuff. I predominately read series book but I do love it when an author includes familiar stuff in subsequent stand alones, be it characters or settings. Just brings me closer to the book in question and, and this is key, makes me smile knowingly...
Anyway, that's all by the by... In this book we are reconnected with forensic reconstructionist (yep, that's a thing) Rory Moore and her partner, psychologist Lane Phillips - two great characters that I first met in Some Choose Darkness. (Sorry, another aside - I said in my review for that book that I wanted more from these characters so... yay!)
In this book they are called on to investigate a closed case. Two students got brutally murdered in a house on campus, a suspect caught, convicted and, after trying to kill himself, jailed (hospitalised); case closed. Even a spate of suicides by three of the other students involved in the main incident have been glossed over as coincidence. But there's one cop who can't let it lie. There's also interest from a couple of media people. Things get real when Lane is injured in an explosion and it becomes evident that there is so much more to what happened than people are willing to say. But without evidence they have nothing. Rory and Lane have to dig deep to make any sense of it all but, when they do make a breakthrough, they are both shocked and scared by what they find...
We follow the action in the present as Rory and Lane start their investigations, with flashbacks from the past in the days leading up to the main incident. In the past we learn about the six students involved in what happened, the background of what was really going on. Again in the present we follow the two survivors as they try and survive the fallout. Oh and if that wasn't enough, we also have excerpts from a journal peppered in along the way. These threads weave around and about themselves until they eventually pull together to deliver the full and final shocking truth.
As with most series books we get to know the main characters a little bit better than in standalones and here we learn more about Rory's past and her present day fixation with her porcelain doll restoration. I found this background to be informative, speaking to characterisation rather than distracting.
It's quite a busy book with a lot of characters. Some known, others notsomuch. There's also quite a bit of obfuscation with certain characters, some of which I did find a bit too contrived and not quite as professionally done as I would have liked. A minor niggle but I feel worth mentioning. You really do have to have your wits about you with a full cast and all that flitting about in time but, when all was said and done and the ending came into sight, it did all come together to my satisfaction and I was rewarded for the amount of confusing things I had to hold onto during the journey.
All in all, a great addition to an already impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

While this is a very good book and I was glad to have Rory and Lane back, there are a lot of characters to keep track of and the story was very slow, by the time I got to the conclusion I was beyond ready for it.

The Suicide House features characters from other novels by the author, but it’s written as a standalone mystery. This was my first Donlea, so I didn’t get all the connections and yet I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I guess I’m more curious now about some storylines that are alluded to. The plot is solid. There was a brutal murder during an initiation ceremony at a boarding school. The murderer was quickly found but jumped in front of a train before facing justice. Shortly afterwards, the survivors are killing themselves by recreating the circumstances and jumping in front of that same train. Profilers Rory and Lane know that there’s something weird going on and start investigating. There are bloggers, shrinks, mental hospitals and someone who’s clearly up to no good. The story flows well and kept my interest even after I had figured out whodunit. The characters are likable and I especially enjoyed the creepy undertones.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Kensington Books!

This is a favorite author of mine, Charlie Donlea, and I’m slowly making my way through all of his books. This one follows the same characters as “Some Choose Darkness” – Rory and Lane. They are both crime experts and a couple. While it’s been a while since I read “Some Choose Darkness” there were plenty of explanatory pieces to bring me up to speed (maybe a bit much!) and refresh my memory. I really like the character of Rory and I wish we got more background and details to flesh out her character in this one.

This story is set at a prestigious prep high school in Indiana, modeled after similar schools on the east coast. One interesting point is that no one is ever kicked out of this school. Everyone sees a counselor and issues are dealt with by the school. There are problems at Westmont though as a year ago two students were murdered, and now other students have returned to the scene to kill themselves. What on earth is going on?

There’s a fascinating first portion of the story with a true crime podcast built in and I really liked this piece and I was wishing for more of this storyline! Rory and Lane dig into the school and rumors of a secret society. The story features flashbacks to the summer one year ago when the tragic events took place. I’m used to a much longer gap between storylines! Can the duo get to the bottom of things before there’s another tragedy?

I had a few gasp-worthy moments when a twist was revealed, and I did not see the ending at all! There’s a tense conclusion and a lot of pieces to figure out along the way. Overall, I enjoyed this one and looking forward to more from this author. While this wasn’t my favorite read of his, it still was a good distraction! I do recommend reading “Some Choose Darkness” if you want to start this series.

Creepy journal descriptions, a gruesome murder, and a hit true crime podcast...what more could you ask for? When an unspeakable crime takes place at Westmont Prep School it draws the attention of true crime lovers from all over. A popular podcast host heads to Westmont Prep School to find out what really happened on June 21st and what is happening to all the students who are committing suicide( who also happened to be at the house the night the murder took place). Dark secrets tried to get buried Westmont Prep School, but they will usually come back to haunt you.

I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the beginning. This is the first book I've read by Charlie Donlea and can not wait to read more. There was a lot of good twists, characters all had a purpose, and there was some definite creep factors. Overall, I could not find a lot wrong with this book. A few predictable surprised, but it did not ruin it for me!

Rory and Lane are back!
But, maybe they shouldn’t be...🤔

I was ALL IN, when this book began!

Intrigued by the mysterious journal entries being read aloud by “somebody” to ????

Enjoying the podcasts hosted by the famous Mack Carter.

Loving the moxy of Ryder Hillier, a “true crime column” writer and blogger, who has more knowledge of the Westmont Prep Murders and Suicides than Mack Carter does, but lacks his name recognition.

I wanted to know what 13:3:5 meant!!

And, to see if Mack and Ryder would compete or cooperate, to solve the mysteries surrounding “The Suicide House”.

And, just as things were getting good, Mack and Ryder, become a sub plot as the focus shifts to Rory and Lane.

The pace slowed considerably as we are reintroduced to these characters (from book one, “Some Choose Darkness”.)

The author’s note at the conclusion of the book shares that Charlie Donlea, wants each of his books to be able to be read as a standalone and that he will often have characters from past books make an appearance in a new one.

I am all for cameos, but feel that I would have preferred learning what happened at the “Suicide House” through the eyes of Mack and Ryder.

Rory and Lane making a cameo appearance to share their expertise, would have been welcomed, but would not have required these characters to be “fleshed out” for a second time.

I hope that Charlie Donlea moves in a new direction with his next novel, and that it is not a Rory/Lane book 3...and I say that with lots of love and admiration for the author’s work! ❤️

I would like to thank Kensington Publishing for the digital ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for a candid review!

You can pick up a copy of this on July, 28, 2020!,

I discovered Author Charlie Donlea last year when I read Some Choose Darkness, and I loved it! So when I saw he was coming out with a new book this year I knew it was one I had to read.
I find that stories about prep schools all start to run together if you read enough of them. Not this one. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this page turner. The book automatically pulls you in by starting off Chapter 1 with Journal Entry. You quickly figure out that the journal belongs to someone who got away with murder when they were younger.
Every so often the chapters take us back to Westmont Prep- Summer of 2019 and then bring us back to the investigation in August 2020. So we get a peek into how the survivors from that night are doing, and we get to go along with the investigation past and present. There is one element to the investigation I couldn't figure out until the end. It's a nice little twist.
There are quite a few players and it did take a moment to figure out whose who, but that didn't slow me down. Each character played an important part no matter how short lived. However you know that if a character died early, they were on to something!
This was such a wild ride, and I loved every minute of it. I would have liked the podcast to have played a bigger part, but it was kind of the jumpstart needed to look more into what happened that night at the abandoned boarding house. I felt the main characters were well developed and so intriguing.
If you enjoy reading Charlie Donlea's books, then don't miss out on this one when it's released July 28, 2020. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

This was a crazy book to read and I loved every minute of it. Synopsis , two students are found murdered and there teacher is charged with the crime. Suddenly all the students who were present commit suicide! And that’s all I’m going to tell you!

This book was everything I wanted and more! Thank you so much to Kensington Books and Charlie Donlea for this fantastic ARC. The premise was truly captivating and I had no idea where it was going. It’s based around an elite prep school (which is my absolute favorite setting) and a haunting game called Man in the Mirror.

When two students are found brutally murdered their teacher is charged with the crime. A year later, the other students who were present are committing suicide one by one and no one knows why. A podcast starts reporting on the case and many interesting characters get involved.

Thoughts: This book grabbed my attention right from the beginning and I didn’t lose interest for a second. The premise was so unique and was full of all the things I loved- the boarding school setting, a mystery podcast, and suspicious murder. I had no idea where this story was going and was completely caught up in the mystery. The idea of the Man in the Mirror game was truly horrifying and the whispers of the supernatural gave me chills.

I liked that the story switched between a few different perspectives. One of them was a psychopathic child, another a strong willed main character that I wanted to learn more about. I will be reading other books by Charlie Donlea for sure, and completely loved this one. 5-fantastic stars!