Charlie Donlea is brilliant! I've read many of his titles and learned to watch closely for clues and twist that turn a story I thought I knew into a surprise. I know he's going to turn the story and I still miss at least 50-75% of the clues. In THOSE EMPTY EYES, the story line is great from the first, murdering an entire family except for the teenage daughter. Lots and lots of evidence, but no suspects except the teenager. No, she didn't do it. The story jumps in some places, but the threads connecting Alex to her parents' and little brother's murder are there and she can't escape the media's nickname. "Empty Eyes". I'm going to have to be very careful to not give you any spoilers. Donlea's books are so good, they are auto reads for me. I always plan a binge read, I know I'm not going to want to stop for anything as unnecessary as sleeping or eating. Suffice to say, I have given every one of his titles 5 stars and the friends and family I shared with have given him 5 stars.

Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea is so well written. When I was done, these words came to mind: excellent, highly recommend.

Those Empty Eyes is a page-turner with edge-of-your-seat drama and good twists. And it had a jaw-dropping twist at the end.

I would highly recommend this book and this author. A great read and storyline.

#ThoseEmptyEyes #NetGalley @KensingtonBooks

YIKES BIKES!!! Its Charlie Donlea!!!!

If Donlea, wrote a phonebook, I would read it. The depths of my love for this author are immeasurable and this book right here is everything my little heart could have desired and so much more.

In true Donlea, fashion, you'll never figure out this twisted tale and when it smacks you right up in the face, you'll never know what hit you.

If you know anything about Donlea, books you know not to spoil it for the next reader. So, I will leave you with this. Read the Those Empty Eyes, it will change the way you feel about the thriller genre and sets a whole new bar for authors to follow.

Check out this teaser :

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, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, 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.

It’s been ten years since, and Alex hasn’t stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who’s under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister.

Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university’s faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children.

Most shocking of all—as Alex digs into Laura’s disappearance, she realizes there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be . . .

Empty Eyes is a twisty thriller. You don’t know who or what is involved in the crimes that have been committed over many years. Alex is the survivor of one of these crimes, and has made it her life’s work to find who killed her family, and she’s afraid of nothing as her search for justice continues!

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.

WOW! This book is absolutely amazing! The plot has multiple story lines that come together in a way that I never expected. The characterization appears to be flawless. And the plot completely captured my attention and didn't let go until the very last sentence.

If there was ever a book that deserved more than 5 stars , this is it!

Those Empty Eyes by C. Donlea, published by Kensington Books is a thriller of its finest.
Suspenseful, twisty and full of unexpected turns the book had me guessing till the last page. Literally unputdownable the story gives these wonderful goosebumpy vibes. I recommend the book, 5 stars.
Blurb:
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, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, 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.

It’s been ten years since, and Alex hasn’t stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who’s under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister.
Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university’s faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children.
Most shocking of all—as Alex digs into Laura’s disappearance, she realizes there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be

Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea is a thriller you'll want to add to your summer reading list.

"It's been ten years since Alexandra Quinlan was arrested for killing her family. When evidence pointed to her not being the killer, charges were dropped. Alex testified at her highly publicized defamation lawsuit against the police department. With the help of her lawyer, a family friend, she won a large judgement.
Alex changes her name and moves away because the True Crime junkies all believe she got away with murder. But Alex never stops looking for the person responsible for killing her family. Now she's an investigator for a law firm and finds similarities with one of her cases to that of her parents. Will she finally have the answers she's looked for?"

Donlea grabs you from the very beginning. You are mesmerized by the trial and the events of the evening where Alex's family was gunned down. Donlea eventually jumps to Alex as an investigator while also filling in the background of the story. It all leads to a wild ending. And a twist you feel coming but never believe he'll actually go there.

The middle third of the book is slower than the beginning and end but still worth it. I did not want to stop reading this book.

Another great thriller to add to the beach bag this year.

If you are EVER looking for multi faceted and incredibly layered stories, Charlie Donlea is where to look and in Those Empty Eyes, he has crafted it beautifully.

When a brutal murder rocks a quiet town, the teenage daughter of slain parents is splashed across the news as the dead eyed killer, but Alex was publicly acquitted of the murders of her parents and brother. It doesn’t stop the “true believers” from trying to prove her guilt.

Now it’s years later and she has hidden her identity and started over… sort of… She has never stopped searching for her family’s killer. And who would have known that a case she is working on now as a legal investigator, would have such a strange connection to her past.

This book was INCREDIBLE! From beginning to end, this book sinks into you and doesn’t let up. The way it all plays out is masterful and so well written. Pulled from headlines, this book dives into many social issues, abuse and corruption. I highly recommend the audiobook as the narrator tells the story singularly, while doing a great job of capturing many characters.