Tense, fast-paced thriller, with chapters about characters and stories you will feel are irrelevant, but it will come together. It was like Lisbet Salander's little American sister involved in investigating Jeffrey Epstein. Lots of vigilianteism and injustice, lots of podunk cop stereotypes that felt unfair, and a lot of badass women. Like, 75% well done, 25% twists and conspiracies too many.

Those Empty Eyes is a multifaceted thriller that follows Alex years after not only witnessing the murder of her entire family but going on to be blamed for it. In the aftermath, Alex spends years of her life hiding and trying to find answers. She never gave up on finding out the truth behind the death of her family. And the truth is truly shocking.

I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. There were so many layers to this story, different perspectives and time periods, each one wrapping up at the end into one beautiful plot twist. It was one of those twists that makes you gasp and re-evaluate all that you read previously. I loved the way this book ended. Overall, a great story and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this book. This is a great book. Donlea lets you have small snippets of the background of peripheral characters so that you can focus on the main ones. Alex Quinlan is the only survivor of the murder of her family. An intruder killed them when she was just a teenager. She is dubbed Empty Eyes by the media. Years later, Alex has changed her name, is working as an investigator, and still looks for the person who killed her family. When a businessman is murdered and there are similarities between his murder and that of her family’s, she starts digging deeper. This book isn’t so intricate that you can’t follow the plot. Each section leads into the next and Donlea ties it up nicely by the end of the book.

I liked this one however I’m not a huge fan of the author’s writing style- lots of short, choppy sentences. I also did lot love all the repetitiveness. I did like the storyline and enjoyed all the twists and turns. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was wonderful!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! That is all I can say, wow! This book was so gripping and incredible!!! I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book! This book will suck you in right from the beginning and does not let go. Throughout I felt for Alex and hoped she would find her family’s killer and that the true crime hounds would just leave her be.

We meet Alex right away the night her family is brutally murdered and I assumed this book would be her search for the killer. It is, and then again it isn't. Life moves on for Alex and soon there are many new characters introduced, along with several new story lines. My brain struggled to find the connections and for a while I was a bit confused, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. Once the story lines started intersecting my interest grew and I couldn't listen to the book fast enough. I was completely surprised when the killer was revealed and I loved the last minute twist as well. For this I am rating the book 4 stars. While I liked this book I do feel like there were too many characters to keep straight and also everything ended up a little too neat.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for my copy of the audio book in exchange for my honest opinion.

My first ARC! The story of Alex and her family’s murder was interlaced with two other story lines, so you definitely have to pay attention a bit. I thought the ‘messy plot’ style was well done, and there were just enough twists to keep you guessing until the very end. I really enjoyed this one.

Those Empty Eyes - Charlie Donlea

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this eARC.

Charlie Donlea, the master of the mystery novel scores another home run with "Those Empty Eyes".

This captivating novel is about a young woman who is the only survivor when the rest of her family is murdered. Initially, the police view the survivor as guilty of killing her family, and although she is eventually found innocent in a court-of-law, many in the court of popular opinion disagree.

The survivor's lifelong goal is to bring the real murderer who killed her family to justice. The police stopped searching for the killer immediately after the survivor's arrest, they judged her as guilty (along with the "true crime" online community, and the public at large) making her feel unsafe in public although she was found innocent at trial; she is forced to remain hidden for her own safety and sanity.

I really enjoyed the main character's development and her role in this story (frankly I think the author should continue the character in a series, she is smart and likeable).

Don't fear, this story has the unexpected twists that you have come to expect in this type of psychological thriller, and they WILL surprise you!

Until next time...

Overall the plot was a good one: girl witnesses family murdered, girl tries to move on, girl continues to investigate the murders for over 10 years. I got a little lost at times, though, when the author started to weave in alternate story lines without much of an understanding as to why until the climax of the novel. That plus some of the implausibility of characters and their actions, made for a distracting read. But I liked the story and the twist ending.

A teen's entire family is killed right before her eyes. The killer didn't catch her though. She was hiding. But the police tried to accuse her of the crime. She gets a lawyer that proves her innocence, but she has never stopped trying to find out why her family was killed and who killed them

This book really took me on a ride. There are multiple points of view over a 10 year time period with lots of jumping around. The murder of Alex’s family was brutal. She then had to learn to survive the aftermath while trying to track down her family’s killer.

This is my first book by Donlea and I enjoyed it. It was definitely a slow burn and there were parts that at times felt redundant and unnecessary. Overall it kept me engaged trying to get to the bottom of it. I liked how the media and true crime podcasts were incorporated. The ending was so good! The narrator did a fantastic job voicing all of the characters and had great emotion.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for access to this ALC available now.

Starting off strong, with a terrifying kill scene, I figured this book was going to be incredibly dark and shocking. The plans were set, with a survivor and a mystery. Unfortunately, I found it lost the thrill half way through the book.
I know this is going to be unpopular opinion, because this book has a lot of twists and turns that will shock the unseasoned reader. I am a veteran thriller lover, and saw all the twists coming. I was also confused with the different side storylines, and felt there were way too many. Sure they all woven together in the end, but it takes a minute and was more of a head scratcher then anything. I could have done without the reporter, or even the podcaster. I never really felt any attachment to Alex. I did want to know why her parents were killed, so that kept me reading.
As an audiobook, the narrator did a great job, and held my attention where I might have stopped reading. But at times that was just as confusing, where multiple narrators might have helped or chapters strictly in other perspectives. If I have to take notes to keep up with the characters, it’s too much.

You know her name.
You know her face.
You know those eyes…
Ten years after she was exonerated for the slaughter of her family, the girl the tabloids called “Empty Eyes” is the only one looking for the truth in this propulsive excoriation of our cultural obsession with true crime from #1 internationally bestselling author Charlie Donlea.

Review catch up time 😂

You know when you need a really good thriller to sink your teeth into? THIS is one of them. I’ve only read a few books by @charliedonlea and each time I’ve been blown away. This one is no exception. He’s definitely become an author I will now look out for.

One of my biggest interests and sympathies goes to the plight of those wrongly accused and the often skewed justice system. I passionately follow #theinnocenceproject who work towards exonerating the wrongly accused and bringing reforms to the criminal justice system to prevent future injustices.

Throw in elements of true crime, a legal battle and defamation suit against the state and we have a resounding winner in Those Empty Eyes.

Set over multiple timelines from the 80s, 2013 to the present, we follow Alex’s arduous journey over the period of a decade. Short, sharp chapters make this book a breeze to fly through.

Like with most thrillers, I prefer to go in blind, and this is definitely one I suggest the same for. Donlea is a superb storyteller, crafting a clever, compelling, addictive story with a palpitating plot. It’s thriller you’ll stay up late reading and one I highly recommend.

Juicy 4 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Many thanks to @netgalley and #rbmedia for a #gifted advanced listening copy 🥰
Out 28 March 2023

Pub date: 3/28/23
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Alexandra Quinlan witnessed the massacre of her family, and her shocked reaction earned her the nickname "empty eyes". Years later, she finds herself at the center of another crime connected to her parents' deaths.

2023 is the year of the unorthodox thriller, and I am here for it! The first part of the book covers Alex's childhood, with a time jump that allows Alex to investigate the past as an adult. Narrator Vivienne Leheny did a great job pulling me into the story, making it feel like I was listening to a true crime podcast. There were plenty of twists in the narrative, and I liked how everything wrapped up at the end. I'm excited to try another book by Charlie Donlea.

Thank you to Recorded Books for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller definitely leans to the procedural but not in a way that made the story drag. It took me awhile to finish, but mostly because this is a heavy book. I had the audio and I couldn’t just binge it - it’s too heavy - so I took my time and read other books while decompressing.

This one feels like it’s everywhere but it comes around full circle in the most interesting way. The cases don’t feel connected at all which makes it feel all over the place but once the pieces fall into place it’s a well rounded very interesting story!

The narrator did an amazing job with the suspense this book included. This can be hit or miss for me many times but this one did a great job.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was so weird and I liked it. Normally I don't do cop type stories but this isn't that. It was a little unbelievable but that makes it fun.
The narrator was wonderful!

4 1/2 stars

There was a LOT to keep up with in this book. I went back and forth between the ebook and audiobook as I was reading. Since there were multiple story lines and characters, I often had to refer back to the ebook to be sure I didn't miss something along the way with the audio. I would always see that I hadn't -- but it took a great deal of attentiveness to keep up with all the moving pieces. That said, it was worth it because this was a stunningly well- crafted puzzle where all the pieces ultimately come together in the end. You just have to be patient and wait for it.

The primary character in this book is Alex Quinlan ( who later becomes Armstrong). You are first introduced to Alex in the beginning of the book when she witnesses the slaughter of her parents and thirteen year-old brother by an unknown armed intruder in their home. Seventeen year-old Alex barely escapes the same fate but then goes on to be the main suspect of the police and is basically convicted in the media. Her life is thrown into chaos. Ultimately, she's exonerated and goes on to try to live her life under the radar in the hope of avoiding media attention. She is taken in by the female police officer who was first on the scene when her family died and her husband, a high profile defense attorney who defended Alex. As her substitute parents through the years, they provide Alex with the only stability she has when she needs it and try to advocate on her behalf.

Meanwhile, you also get viewpoints from others including a reporter, Tracy Carr who was on the scene the night Alex was arrested for her family's murder. Tracy's career took off when she nicknamed Alex "empty eyes" that night. So, she continued to piggy back off that success each time there was an anniversary date of the murders by televising from the family home or doing something to keep it in the public's minds - - all of which made it difficult for Alex to move on.

Meanwhile, the true murderer of Alex's family had never been discovered. Alex couldn't let it go and kept a board with clues on it as she found them. But everything seemed to be a dead end and it was obvious that the police hadn't put any additional effort into it and had probably lost momentum when they pinned all their initial suspicions on Alex instead of looking for other possibilities.

As the story progresses, you also have other stories that are introduced, including that of an FBI agent, Annette Packard, who is in charge of vetting a potential new Supreme Court justice recommendation. Initially, you wonder how all these story lines will tie together but they eventually do. In addition, there is a narrator whose identity you don't know. An unknown narrator is always good for some twistiness in the plot.

I was mesmerized by this book. Even though the things that happened in the story were flat out heartbreaking, you just wanted to see people get justice. It just shows that things aren't always so simple. But it really made for a great story.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Excellent narration. It really was great to listen to and kept me glued to the story. My only problem was like what I mentioned earlier, I sometimes felt like I missed something and had to reference the actual ebook to be sure I hadn't. But that was probably due to me. It might not be an issue for others. There was a great deal going on in this book. Which was good and bad. Bad because you REALLY had to pay attention and good because it was a crafty storyline. 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to review both of them and the opinions contained within are my own.

Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea was a complex murder mystery full of action at every turn. This story always had something happening. The pacing was fast and engaging. Unfortunately all of the plot twists were very easy to see coming which was a bit disappointing. But with strong characters and an interesting plot it was still very enjoyable. It was the perfect audiobook to binge in one session.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

2023 is the year of the completely bingeable smart & layered thriller. THOSE EMPTY EYES is the story of an infamous teen girl who was accused of gunning down her family in the night.

The story strikes a perfect balance between propulsive plot and a tangled web of nuanced characters. I had no idea where this story would take me and I was happy to be along for the wild ride. I’d recommend you do the same, but with the full knowledge that topics such as childhood sexual abuse and the #metoo movement are sensitively broached.

THOSE EMPTY EYES is much more than your standard popcorn thriller. This is an interesting social commentary on exploitation at the hands of the media as well as our societal fascination with true crime stories. This was my first book by Charlie Donlea and I was thrilled to see he has an extensive backlist of books I look forward to binging.

The audiobook narration by Vivienne Leheny was really well done. She captured the tension of the story perfectly and I look forward to listening to her in the future.

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: 3/28/23

Many thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

True crime detective and corrupt town is always a favorite combo for me. The book was very fascinating and I was hooked from the 1st chapter. The middle drug on for me and by the ending approached I was happy for it to be over. Something about detectives and news reporters tend to get a little repetitive on the dialogue.