Those Empty Eyes opened with a compelling scene that immediately captured my full attention and curiosity right out of the gate.

The Quinlan family are the victims of a middle of the night intruder. The only survivor is the 17 year old daughter, Alexandra, who hides from the attacker. She is arrested for the murder of her family, exonerated, and sues the state for defamation. Who is the real killer? What happened that night in the Quinlan home and why? This is the initial setup and these are the questions that open this engrossing thriller.

We're given multiple story threads and a large cast of characters and the narrative frequently jumps back and forth between them. There's a lot going on and this is far from being a simple narrative. I loved the multiple layers of the story and felt the author did a nice job of bringing everything together at the end as he revealed the complex web connecting all the seemingly unrelated stories and events. I didn't see the ending coming. There were so many different directions the story could have gone that I genuinely had no idea where things were headed until the last couple pages when the final turn in the story was revealed.

There were only a few small negatives for me. I didn't connect with the characters as much as I normally do in Donlea's books. There were a couple characters who really appealed to me during their limited page time and I'd love to have seen more of them. Alex I struggled with and never fully warmed up to her character. I enjoyed her early chapters, but this was such a busy book that we spent a lot of time with storylines other than hers.

Charlie Donlea excels at telling a suspense filled, edge-of-your-seat, twisty thriller that both keeps momentum and also doles out new information at a measured pace. Just when I believed I'd found a place to pause the story, he droped another carefully placed bread crumb and off I went into another chapter.

I really enjoyed this complex story brimming with twists, turns, and new developments around every corner. it was an entertaining ride and kept me on my toes until the last page. I look forward to future books and hopefully getting to see a few familiar faces once again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for providing a copy for me to read and review.

My Review:
Wow!!!!! Loved!!!!! Speechless!!!!! These are just a few words that I would use to describe this incredible book. This has to be my favorite read of the year so far. Charlie Donlea is my new favorite author. I’m always hesitant and nervous to try a new author because you never know what you are going to get but I’m so glad I just went for it with this one. It was so rewarding to find a new author that I enjoyed so much. I really got into this book and lost all track of time. It had a great story line that kept me interested and that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. There were so many twists that you never saw coming and left you saying what the heck just happened. You never knew where this read was going to take you from one minute to the next. It combined many stories then wrapped it into one giant story that came to a shocking conclusion. It was awesome. I will definitely be reading more if this authors books.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Wow! Donlea is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! Great writing and a 5 star read for mystery lovers. Highly recommend

A superb fast paced thriller. I absolutely loved the story and couldn’t stop reading it. It’s perfect for all readers, especially thriller lovers.

Alex Armstrong has changed everything about herself—her name, her appearance, her backstory. She’s no longer the terrified teenager a rapt audience saw on television, emerging in handcuffs from the quiet suburban home the night her family was massacred. That girl, Alexandra Quinlan, was accused of the killings, fought to clear her name, and later took the stand during her highly publicized defamation lawsuit that captured the attention of the nation.

Now ten years later Alex is still determined to find out who killed her family, she was charged for the murders but we are lead to believe she is innocent. I have heard of Charlie Donlea but now he will be put right at the top of my list. The house work was left along with any other chores I was meant to do as I could not put this book down, this is a very gripping and entertaining read. What really happened to Alex's family, who is responsible for the deaths of her parents and brother? Alex swears it was not her and will stop at nothing to find answers, the only problem is she may not like them when she gets them.

There seems to be mixed reviews for this book but I cannot recommend it highly enough. Any book that makes me leave my house a mess is a winner for me. As I have not read any of his other work I do not have anything to compare it to but I know I will be looking out for more. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I have read every Book this author has written and loved them. I absolutely devoured this book!
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Ten years ago Alex was discovered at the bottom of her parents bed with her daddy’s shotgun in her hands…of course she was the prime suspect but it was not handled well and Alex knew she was innocent, The case was all over the news and she was called empty eyes. She fought to clear her name and won, she changed her looks and moved. She became a legal investigator to help others convicted of crimes they didn’t commit. When she takes on Matthews case the clues are the same as in her parents case. What is going on? The killer has never been found? Is he killing again ? Why are the two cases connected? A heart stopping thriller!

NetGalley November is going well! This is another book that I absolutely loved! There’s flashbacks and flash forwards all throughout, and the short chapters make this a perfect read. The story starts with a brutal murder of Alex’s family and due to terrible work by the police she ends up getting accused and the killer goes free. The twists were so well done, and I can honestly say I did not see the end coming! Give this a read if you like true crime and detective reads. This will be released in March.

"Those Empty Eyes" is a twisty modern thriller that encompasses numerous plot lines, all in some measure ripped from the headlines. At first, it's an indictment of a rush to judgment when a teenage girl is wrongfully charged and held in juvenile hall for two months after being found with a shotgun amidst the corpses of her family members. Next, it is about defamation suits and an indictment of the paparazzi such as chased Princess Diana down as they tormented the poor teenage girl, labeling her Empty Eyes as if she was some cold uncaring monster. But then, the story coalesces to fraternity rapists and judicial nominations and the teenage girl who won millions in her defamation suit becomes an investigator who breaks into homes and offices. But, wait, throw in Epstein's island and bodies in Rocky Creek Park. Maybe sticking with one theme is no longer exciting enough, but this one throws everything in but the kitchen sink.

I was very excited to read this book - the plot sounded fantastic and I was not dispointed! I loved how the story weaved together elements of both true time and mystery. Also excellent character development, I enjoyed reading about Alex throughout the different phases of her life and how she deals with the tragedy. The different character perspectives were unrelated in the beginning but the author brought them together seamlessly in the last 1/4 of the book. The ending was excellent - did not see it coming!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a multilayered story that at times I found myself kind of wandering. The first part of this was by far my favorite with the murder and the defamation trial. The next small part was where I lost interest a bit, but found it picking back up shortly after. I enjoyed the different perspectives to a point but it seemed to draw away from the original story at times a little too much. Overall this was a good, twisty mystery with likeable characters. I'll rate this three and a half stars rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

“Those Empty Eyes” includes three different storylines introducing us multilayered, inspiring heroines coming from different backgrounds, ages and motives.

One of them is Alexandra Quinlan ( Armstrong) might be considered as main character/ survivor/ tormented soul/ outcast/ tough fighter/ smart detective of the book. She found her parents and her brother massacred at their own house at the age of 17 and she outsmarted the killer by hiding behind grandfather clock. But at the same night, the police officers misunderstood her situation as she was holding a gun into her lap, sitting in her parents’ bedroom where they were lying in blood pool.
The officers thought she killed them and one of the officers: Donna Koppel understood something was wrong, calling her hotshot lawyer husband Garrett Lancaster ( that’s why Donna doesn’t carry his past name) to defend her. Because she was only 17 and officers jumped the conclusion that she was the murderer without investigating any further.

After spending months at detention center, Alex takes a stand during her highly publicized defamation trial and she gets acquitted, earned 8 million dollars as a result of misconduct and unserved justice!

But she has no chance to live a peaceful life as the reporters lurking around her old house, true crime fans who think she got away with the murder. Tracy Carr: another hotshot reporter gave her name “Empty Eyes”, holding her mic to her after catching her off guard, handcuffed, taking into custody after few minutes later she’s found entire family dead!!!

10 years later, Alex still works with her lawyer and also guardian Garett Lancester’s law firm as an investigator, using unethical methods, getting hands dirty to bring out the justice, with a new image reminding you of Lisbeth Salander.
In the meantime Tracy Carr posts special videos on her channel to remind her fans of 10th anniversary of Quinlan murders, challenging Alex to come out from wherever she’s hiding.

Alex finds herself representing Matthew Claymore whose girlfriend has gone missing. Her investigation pushes her to dig out more about the missing girlfriend :a popular student journalist Laura McAllister, radio host of McCormack University who also gets invited to NBC’s morning show, followed by millions of fans. Laura was working on the rapes in the campus site related with a fraternity house members who use a raping drug to hunt the innocent girls. Her latest episode may be political threat to Larry Chadwick who is getting ready for Supreme Court nomination. His son Duncan is a member of the fraternity house that is gonna be mentioned on the episode. The connection can ruin his political career and his son’s life!

That’s the exact time we meet with Annette Packard, another tough, powerful heroine, FBI agent who is specialized finding the dirt and exposing it!

All those characters’ paths get crossed. Could Alex’s parents’ death be connected with those other cases?

I could give this book five stars if it didn’t contain so many storylines! All of them are impressively good and well written but I think it takes too much time to connect with each piece of puzzle. When I concentrated on Alex’s story, I realized I got introduced new and powerful heroines and their storylines. Even though all of them got connected in the end, i felt a little exhausted to put the pieces together. The mysterious bludgeoning murder, the abuse in the youth camp, the campus rapes, political fractions, the embezzlement cases…. Oh boy, there are so many materials to write three more books.

I decided to cut only one star and giving my extra intelligent, riveting psychological and political and also legal thriller stars! I preferred that book was focused on Alex’s case but I loved the entire storylines and creative writing. It would be not fair to grade this book with less than four stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

10 years ago her entire family was murdered in their home. Only 17 year old Alexandra Quinlan was left unharmed holding the murder weapon in her lap. The press dubbed her Empty Eyes.
She was wrongfully accused of the crime and even though she sued the Police Department and won, she will always be known as Empty Eyes by the public.
10 years later she is now known as Alex Armstrong and she works as an investigator for a law firm. She is still trying to find out who killed her family so long ago.
This story started off strong for me but it seemed to veer away from Alex's story. It did all tie together in the end though.
This was not my favorite book by this author but I would still highly recommend any of Charlie Donlea's books.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars for DNF as I cannot comment on the overall quality of the book. This included one of my favourite tropes (familicide) so I was very excited to be approved. Unfortunately, after part 1 (primarily courtroom scenes and flashbacks), my interested waned as the writing felt rushed and shallow. I also wasn't a fan of the writer using the character's name in every sentence AND switching between full gov name and just the first name... it read as very basic and choppy.

This was so good right up until it changed from Alex’s perspective to someone else and then I got bored. This doesn’t read like a typical true crime thriller. This felt more like a psychological thriller and after the first half. It just bored me to tears.

I’ve read 3 thrillers this week looking for one that really captivated me, and per usual, Donlea lives up to the expectation. Despite the bleh title (to me), I was instantly pulled into this story and wanted to know more. That being said, a few questions remained (though not enough for me to not be impressed with those clever twists);

1. Why did Jacqueline use Alex for the missing person’s case - it’s made clear she often used her brother and at that point, she couldn’t suspect Alex of anything, so it just seemed like a lazy plot device in an otherwise meticulously thought out novel

2. Spoiler ahead… I don’t understand how Garrett would’ve been the one Jacqueline was partnered with. Wouldn’t the detective have told Alex Garrett also went to the camp? Did he? What about Buck, Jacqueline’s actual brother?? A bit messy to me, but perhaps I missed something.

Nonetheless, looking forward to Donlea’s next. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea An engrossing fast paced story that is presented as part true crime and a murder/missing person mystery. The details seem disjointed at times but are skillfully woven together by the author to a satisfiying conclusion. Did not expect the ending, but was pleased that Alex received closure.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book

I do not think this book was for me. Based on the description, I was expecting more of a focus on Alex, but the story was kind of all over the place. It was also way too technical to enjoy.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Kensington Books and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A thrilling read with an end you’re bound to remember.

That ending though!!! Whew! I was worried that I was going to have to give a Charlie Donlea book less than 5 stars! I know, right? In the beginning there are SO many moving parts that I had difficulty keeping up. But WAIT! Suddenly I made one connection, then another and they just kept coming until WOW! AWESOME ending! I thought there was a glaring loose end, but that got cleared up too! I swear, this guy cannot write a bad book! Now, as for the story, Alex was a really cool main character. She has never given up trying to figure out what really happened to her family and why. It was cool to reconnect with Lane Phillips also. I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, so I am just going to say READ THIS! You are always in good hands with Charlie Donlea!

Thak you to #NetGalley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Books for tis much appreciated ARC! All opinions are my own.

Well, this is definitely a book I would recommend to everyone. It is very enticing and straight to the point. I could not put it down.