Happy Thriller Thursday 🖤 Earlier this week I finished listening to the newest @charliedonlea audiobook, Those Empty Eyes, and holy cow 🤯 the ending of this book! The twists were definitely surprising and the ultimate villains were shocking. I did not guess them ahead of time. I also enjoyed the different storylines in this book. I recommend reading this book and any other book by Charlie Donlea.

My only negative was that I did not care for the narrator on this one. She kept mispronouncing Appalachian which is a huge pet peeve of mine and causes me to cringe every time.

Thank you @recordedbooks and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great suspense thriller that had me gripped from the first chapter. Although it was a little confusing with a lot of characters storylines crossing paths I overall loved it. A+ for Charlie Donlea! Also I enjoyed the narrator which is very important to me!

I was given permission to read this book as an early release from the publisher. It is slated to be published on 3-27-23 and here are my thoughts.

The storyline jumps from character and time. The first time it happened, I was a little confused but after that, it did make sense have a great flow as the author is trying to describe characters and a timeline of events as pertained to the whole plot, so beware of that.

That was the only thing I could think of that might throw people for a loop. Oh and the future dates… in some areas the dates were in the future as in May 13, 2023…

The plot, the characters, the twists and turns… the descriptions of emotions were spot-on and began from the beginning all the way to the end. As soon as you think you put two and two together… you realize you don’t even know the half of it. Some of the descriptions of the scenes were as if you would right next to the character.

Professionally, I am a director of a city library and will be recommending this book to my patrons. About 3/4 of the them are all mystery and thriller lovers and this book will be right up their ally!

Personally, I loved it and I’m grateful I got to read it before it was published.

I just reviewed Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea. #ThoseEmptyEyes #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Wow. A fantastic novel that grabs for by the throat and doesn’t let go until the very last page. This is a thriller you don’t want to miss!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest and candid review.

This book focuses on Alexandra, who lost her entire family as a teenager, when her parents and brother were killed by an unknown attacker one night. Alex was initially suspected, given she was found holding the shotgun that was used in the murders. Even after being cleared off wrongdoing, she's hounded by tabloid journalists. As an adult, she continues to search for clues about the identity of her family's murderer.

I enjoyed this suspenseful mystery thriller. It was well-crafted, with several interwoven narratives.The book's structure, with multiple storylines and side characters, surrounding Alex's story, was effective. Though a bit far-fetched at times, the story kept me engaged and built at a steady pace, with a satisfying conclusion.

Readers should be aware that the book includes themes of sexual assault, including against children.

What a ride. Those Empty Eyes tells us the story of Alex Quinlan, the sole survivor after her family is brutally murdered. Donlea clearly knew where he wanted to go with this storyline but man was it convoluted to get to the twist at the end, which for what it's worth, I didn't see coming.

Each of the storylines could've been their own novel. I received an audio arc and I had to rewind again and again and again because I was lost wondering where I was and what was going on. This had the potential to be a 4 star read but there was just way too much going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Another great thriller by Charlie Donlea. Alex is "those empty eyes," and has been searching for answers as to why her parents were killed. She starts trading information with reporters and lawyers who are trying to solve the case against some rapes on campus. The author has flashbacks to some kids at a summer camp who are sexually assaulted. The author ties all the characters together in a way that will shock you! I couldn't listen to this fast enough!

3.5 stars

Donlea’s Twenty Years Later was such a solid read, so I was excited when I saw he was out with a new book. The premise of this story immediately grabbed my attention. I love an unsolved mystery and a victim determined to find out the truth. Similar to other reviewers, there were a lot of aspects I liked; however, the overall experience felt a bit chaotic. Donlea had a lot of moving parts in this story, and it created a disjointed reading experience at times with all of the side plots. That said, some of the reveals along the way definitely caught me by surprise, and I was never bored. I was certainly interested in learning what happened to Alex’s family, and I really enjoyed the ending. Still, this did not quite live up to my hopes based on how much I loved Twenty Years Later.

17 year old Alexandra Quinlan is the sole survivor of her family massacre that occurred late one night. While she was in shock and found sitting at the edge of her parents bed holding a shotgun she was wrongfully accused of committing the shocking murders. Dubbed as "Empty Eyes" by the media her life is turned upside down. Fast forward 10 years later and she is still putting the pieces together to find out who the killer is.

I really enjoyed the book and the narration was really good. There were quite a few additional story lines and it was a touch on the long side. Over 10 hours long. Narration by Vivienne Leheny was done well. This was a mystery that kept me guessing time and time again. I definitely did not see the ending coming. I had mixed emotions for Alex and was happy to see her get closure.

I voluntarily read / listened to an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley, RB Media Publishing, Author Charlie Donlea for the opportunity. Review left on NetGalley and GoodReads.

3.5 Stars
Too many subplots. It felt like I was reading different stories mashed into one.

The main plot: Alex's entire family was murdered. Alex was now trying to find out why and who murdered her family. (Love the concept and how the story was set up.)

Subplot 1: Alex was blamed for the murder of her family. She ended up suing for defamation. (I also enjoyed this part, but not sure if it was necessary.)

Subplot 2: People were still convinced she was the killer, even when she was proven innocent. People became obsessed. They even tried to track her down years later, including a news reporter. (I don't see the point of this except for the title.)

Subplot 3: Alex's current work case. A college student and her podcast. (This part could have been condensed down significantly. )

Subplot 4: A summer camp where kids were molested and raped. (Need to be incorporated into the story differently. Maybe have the entire plot closer to the end.)

The story is good. But there's too much going on. Making the story lack cohesion and flow. With some reworking, this can become an easy 5-star.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Donlea, and RB Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

To preface this- I’m giving a 4.5 rating on this book.

This was the first book by Charlie Donlea that I had the pleasure of enjoying. Between the storyline and narration, it did a wonderful job of vividly sucking you in.

The story of Alex and her search for the truth had me anticipating the next chapter. The twist ending was 10/10. I truly didn’t see it coming.

My only fuss dropping this .5 of a star is that some plot lines were abruptly dropped and wanting it to be elaborated on. Then again, that probably makes me selfish as the book would be far too long.

To sum it all up- do not pass on this book especially if you’re a fan of a solid mystery thriller. You’ll absolutely enjoy “Those Empty Eyes”.

This was my first book by Donlea and I have to give him credit for being able to weave multiple stories together throughout one book. I really enjoyed the main character, Alexandria, and her ambition to find out who killed her family even 10 years later, but I lost interest when the story seemed to stray from that case. I did enjoy how everything came full circle and made sense at the end. Bonus points for a couple of twists I wasn’t expecting. With a plot this complex I think physical would be the route to take. Keeping all of the characters, timelines, and stories straight became difficult at times on audio. 3-3.5 ★

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded books for this ARC. I enjoyed the narrator for this story, she had a steady even tone that added to the seriousness of this story. I wanted to give this one 3 stars, but it had a little bit too much police procedural for my liking. I also felt like it could have been like an hour shorter, it dragged in a few places. All and all, I enjoyed the story and I felt it was written very well. This was my first read by this author, but I’d be interested in reading more in the future.

I might come back and change this to a 4.5 star (which I always round up to a 5) because holy cow this book was incredible! Very convoluted plot with a huge cast of characters. I received the audiobook from NetGalley, and had it not been for a friend giving me her physical ARC, I'd have gotten so lost.

Now I'm ready to to read his full backlist!!!

Like with all Charlie Donlea books the reader is given about 6 moving parts each moving in its own direction and wondering, how on earth is he going to morph these things together to create 1 functioning machine?? I really thought this book was going to finally be the one that he couldn't pull off, but whoa the last 10% of this book all the parts started falling into place to create a fantastic ending that I did not see coming!

The main storyline had 17 year old Alex Quinlin left as the only survivor when her whole family is mowed down in a home invasion. Initially she was accused of being the shooter but eventually let go and given a hefty settlement for the wrongful accusation.

Now years later we follow Alex (living under an alternative name because of all the bad press that followed her) works as an investigator for the lawyer that "Saved" her when she was a teen. She is still trying to piece together what happened to her family that fateful night and figure out who the shooter was. All she knows is there is an unidentified fingerprint, a large amount of money in her "middle class" family's account and some scandalous photos.

Next Morning Part: A potential Supreme Court nominee's son is attached to the recent string of rapes/date rape drugging at McCormick college. Once a young co-ed is found dead on the brink of releasing her podcast she produced at the University that would expose the rape occurring at the Delta Chi house.

Next Moving Piece: FBI agent Vets potential political candidates, she starts looking into the supreme court nominee.

Next Moving Piece: A camper in the past time line experiences the horrors of his camp counselor.....

See what I am talking about? How do these come together....well well dear reader, that is what you must do! Sit down, grab a snack and get ready for a book you will not be able to put down.

My mind was spinning so fast trying to connect all the dots, and Donlea kept me on the edge of my seat. And in typical Donlea fashion those darn last chapters left my mouth opened, jaw dropped and me gasping for breath.

I am so excited to have received an advanced copy of Charlie Donlea's book that is set to be published on March 28, 2023. Thank you Net Galley and Charlie Donlea for the opportunity to review this book. I was not influenced for this honest review.

WHEW! What a ride!

"Those Empty Eyes" is my favorite kind of mystery/thriller: when a past crime intertwines with a present one. We have our MC Alex, formerly Quinlan, now Armstrong, who has had to completely reinvent herself after being charged for killing her entire family when she was a teenager. After botched police work and a winning defamation suit, Alex Armstrong is working as an investigator for a law firm, but still doing everything she can to stay under the radar.

While still working desperately to find the real killer of her family, she works to find justice for others through her investigative work, like college student Matthew who is the main suspect in the disappearance of his girlfriend.

Somehow, the past and present begin to collide as other cases at the law firm help Alex draw connections to her family's murder.


Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I'm thankful I had 6 hours in the car to binge listen to most of it! Alex, above all, was an incredible character. You wanted her to find answers like it was your own family whose justice she was chasing. That being said, as an audiobook, it got a little confusing at times. There are multiple POVs, and a lot of jumping around timelines. I think this one would be better to read on paper so you can go back and look at where you in time because occasionally listening to so many details of POVs and timing can get hard.

One thing that didn't entirely work for me was the amount of layers this story had. Because it had MANY. The way they all tied up in the end was executed very well and definitely satisfying, but there are times throughout the story that we are randomly jumping back twenty years to a place we don't even know about and don't know who's talking, and it felt like a lot of filler. Again, it all tied together, but it feels like a lot of build up that may not have been entirely necessary. However, I can definitely see other readers saying the end justifies the means.

The narration was soooo, so well done. Again, with so many different characters, it would appear tough but Vivienne Leheny did a wonderful job of differentiating voices and inflections.

If you love a mystery with multiple characters and storylines, I think you'll really be a fan of this one!

I'm going to give this two separate ratings:
3.75 as an audiobook & I imagine it would be about a 4.25 on paper!

When Alex Quinlan loses her family to a massacre the local police instantly accuse her of the crime in the first reporter on the scene called her empty eyes (A very stupid name in my opinion.) after the reporters and online journalist have a heyday with her and the case she is found to be not guilty but wins a slander lawsuit against the police department. She tried to start over by going to Cambridge in-state close to the police woman and her husband Garrett who was her defense attorney. Unfortunately in England two people tried to blackmail her and this is what sent her back stateside working as an investigator for Garrett. She is still trying to find out who murdered her parents before leaving England gets a little help with that. Throughout the book those other subplot that mirror recent True Crime which I found a great touch and although I was surprised at who the murderer was I think I can honestly say I was satisfied with the ending although it was hard to really like Alex because we just knew she was a smart ass and was a crack investigator thinks to the lead investigator at the law firm. All these stories get intertwined to the ending and as I said it was a great story but Alex needs a little more words she says common sense things that didn’t make sense to me but I’m just a reviewer and not a writer. This is a solid four-star listen and one I highly recommend. I thought the narrator did a great job and I love her voice and have heard it before and she makes the book sounds so much more legitimate not saying it wasn’t she just made it better as what I’m saying. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily

Wow! I loved this book. From the start there there was action and thrill. There were puzzle pieces that you will attempt to fit together, turning one way then another while desperately trying to stay in your seat with close calls.
As the puzzle comes together, the illusion of the final depiction is deceiving and throws you off your game.
This book is about a family that is killed and the daughter is assumed guilty. She fights her way through the legal system only to be constantly haunted and harassed by the media. With the help of others, she is able to hide but the nightmare of what happened to her family is left unsolved. She begins to build the puzzle, create the picture. But is the picture clear? Can this nightmare end?
Fabulous thriller! I definitely recommend this book to others who love a good mystery puzzle and thriller to keep you on your toes!

Thank you RB Media, Recorded Books and Netgalley for this alc. It comes as a surprise to approvals. I enjoyed the story. Many timelines made the story so griping. A tragedy put a young girl in an impossible sitiation. She was left alone and never stopped to search what happened to her family. Also an other girl wanted to know who was behind her and other tragedies. Some scenes were really not nice about children. We get to know a really sad things happening at a summer camp between everything. All stories then come to an end. And was a great conclusion in all the mess. Very difficult themes not for everyone but it worked really well for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Recorded Books for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This excellent thriller follows Alex Armstrong, a woman who was falsely accused of killing her family when she was a teen, as she tries to prevent others from going through what she did. Dubbed “Empty Eyes” by the press, Alex changed her name and began working as a legal investigator for the law firm that saved her from being wrongly convicted. When a podcaster at a college goes missing before breaking a story about a fraternity drugging girls at parties, Alex works to prove the boyfriend of the victim is innocent. Then she stumbles upon a shocking connection between the crime and the slaying of her family.

I LOVED this book. Charlie Donlea juggles multiple timelines, POVs, and setting flawlessly and writes a truly engaging story. I was pulled in immediately and the pacing was perfect. I loved the commentary on true crime and the role of the media in court cases, as well as the legal aspect. This is one of my favorite thrillers of the year with excellent narration by Vivienne Leheny.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.