From acclaimed author Charlie Donlea comes a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel of suspense in which a filmmaker helps clear a woman convicted of murder—only to find she may be a puppet in a sinister game.The Girl of Sugar Beach is the most watched documentary in television history—a riveting, true-life mystery that unfolds over twelve weeks and centers on a fascinating question: Did Grace … fascinating question: Did Grace Sebold murder her boyfriend, Julian, while on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of circumstance and poor police work? Grace has spent the last ten years in a St. Lucian prison, and reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan in a last, desperate attempt to prove her innocence.
As Sidney begins researching, she uncovers startling evidence, additional suspects, and timeline issues that were all overlooked during the original investigation. Before the series even finishes filming, public outcry leads officials to reopen the case. But as the show surges towards its final episodes, Sidney receives a letter saying that she got it badly, terribly wrong.
Sidney has just convinced the world that Grace is innocent. Now she wonders if she has helped to free a ruthless killer. Delving into Grace’s past, she peels away layer after layer of deception. But as Sidney edges closer to the real heart of the story, she must decide if finding the truth is worth risking her newfound fame, her career . . . even her life.
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A perfectly executed and entirely satisfying read, Don’t Believe It is a gripping thriller that will blow readers away, from the first page right up to the very last words. Charlie Donlea’s best book yet!
**This review is for the audiobook on Audible.**
Charlie Donlea’s Don’t Believe It takes you on a ride you won’t soon forget. Not only are you given a front-row seat into the world of crime solvers and reporters, but you are also introduced to the real-life ups, downs, truths, and lies that they all face and must sift through on daily basis, in order to make the distinction between fact and fiction.
It is clear from the beginning that a great deal of time and research went in to writing this book. Every character is real and believable, causing readers to eagerly tune in each week with viewers from all over the world to the most-watched documentary in history, The Girl of Sugar Beach. As new evidence is introduced to the case, in near real-time, Charlie Donlea sends his audience on a highly-engaging, emotional rollercoaster filled with unpredictable twists and turns, excitement, and suspense.
I preordered this audiobook, and it was well worth the wait! In addition to this being Charlie Donlea’s best work, the performance by narrator Nina Alvamar is outstanding! She did a phenomenal job bringing the events to life; I could easily see and hear everything as if it was unfolding before my very eyes. She had me from the very first word to the very last. While I also own the print copy of Don’t Believe It, my overall experience was made that much more enjoyable being able to listen to the audiobook. I absolutely loved it!
Without hesitation, Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea, narrated by Nina Alvamar deserves 5/5 stars across the board! I recommend it to those who thrive on the element of suspense. Fans of mysteries, thrillers, and even real-crime will find this novel to be thought-provoking and captivating. It will stay with them long after all is said and done. I know the truth. Now, it’s your turn to figure out what is real and what is not. What do you believe?
Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. 🙂
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Filmmaker Sidney Ryan feels she has found the perfect subject for her new documentary. Grace Sebold has been in prison in St. Lucia for the past 10 years. Found guilty of killing her boyfriend while on Spring Break. A crime she says she didn’t commit. She had reached out to Grace to tell her story and hopefully prove she didn’t kill anyone.
Sidney starts investigating and quickly sees many inconsistencies in the previous investigation. She sells the story to television, pitching a 10 episode series that she will do almost in real time as she digs into the case.
The series premiers with good ratings and grows with each episode. A public outcry gets the attention of the U.S. government and they realize one of its citizens may be in prison in a foreign country for a crime she didn’t commit. At the same time, Sidney receives a letter telling her that her docudrama is wrong and that Grace has to be guilty. Before she can put together the final episodes she takes her investigation in a different direction and by doing that she risks everything.
This story could be ripped from the headlines. True Crime dramas are hot right now. They are all over television, even have channels dedicated to this type of program. This one also delves into the police procedures and the courts in St. Lucia, an island where tourists are their bed and butter.
Most of the story is told from Sidney Ryan’s point of view and she plans and investigates. Interspersed between are interviews Sidney has with people connected to the case. The fact that she was creating the episodes almost in real time, sometimes just a day or two before it aired, including all the behind the scenes drama was so interesting. It kept the pace of the story at a high level.
The author does an excellent job of giving us readers an intense story. I was sucked in right from the start. The story has twists that changed my thinking several times. Was Grace really innocent? If she was, who killed Julian? I had a clear thought of another suspect and then another and then back to Grace. I don’t want to say too much to ruin the story but the ending took a turn I never imagined.
After reading The Girl Who Was Taken last summer, I did not even read the synopsis for this book before reading it. I just knew it was written by Charlie Donlea and I had to read it. I am glad I did that. This is a book you just need to jump into and let it take you away. This story is well written, very detailed, and much more than it originally seems. A totally entertaining story that I had a hard time putting down.
This is the second book I’ve read by Charles Donlea and both have been very good. This book has all the great elements of great mystery. An American tourist, Julian Crist, is murdered in St. Lucia. The woman convicted, Grace Sebold, was his girlfriend and continues to maintain her innocence. With no other options available, she reaches out to Sydney Ryan, a documentary film maker and asks her to help reveal the truth. Sydney agrees and her documentary, The Girl of Sugar Beach, gains a wide audience as she promises to uncover the truth. A definite page turner!
I received a copy if this book along with an ARC copy of some choose darkness, I have to say that charlie Donlea is one of my new favorite author’s and highly recommend him to anyone, his story telling ability makes you feel like you aren’t just reading but apart of it. You will think you know exactly what’s going on then with a turn of the page he throws you for a loop, this book just that and much more.
This is the second book that I have read by this author, and this one was just as awesome as the first one I read. I really enjoyed the storyline, and the interaction between Sidney and the other characters in the book. I had figured it out right before Sidney did, yet I found the ending to be a shocker. I would definitely recommend this book to others.
Had me guessing up to the very end. Definitely a fan!
Filmmaker Sidney Ryan receives a request to investigate a ten year old murder. The person asking is Grace Sebold who was convicted of her boyfriends murder on the island of St. Lucia. Sidney produces a documentary called The Girl of Sugar Beach which becomes one of the most watched documentaries on tv. As Sidney researches and interviews things begin to twist and turn. Who is guilty and who is innocent? The book will keep you guessing until the very end. I found this book to be very hard to put down. Highly recommend!
Ten years ago, Grace Sebold was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Julian Crist, while they were attending her friend’s wedding in St. Lucia. She reached out to Sidney Ryan for help, a true crime documentarian of rising fame whose work was directly responsible for helping to free three wrongly convicted people. After some preliminary research, Sidney decides that maybe there’s something to Grace’s claim of innocence and develops the network series, The Girl of Sugar Beach, which chronicles her investigation in real time each week.
This was an utterly fascinating story that begins with Julian’s murder, told from the murderer’s first person account. We just don’t know who that person is but that voice stays with you throughout. There’s the build up during the investigation that makes it clear that there is compelling evidence to support Grace’s claim of innocence. At the same time, there’s also lots of information given about others who might have committed the crime. There are lots of red herrings, some I fell for and others I didn’t but in the end, I was ill prepared for that shocking twist. I literally was listening with my jaw dropped wide open. Did. Not. See. That. Coming.
I loved how the narrator focused on telling the story without a lot of drama. There was enough of that in the writing and she delivered it with a perfect pitch.
It is rare that I’m caught so completely off guard in a story. Yes, I’ve read books with big twists but normally the writers haven’t included enough clues to give you a shot at figuring it out on your own. This is one of those where you also shout, “But, of course!” even though you never felt that way before the conclusion. Then there’s a twist on the twist! What an absolutely cleverly written story, very Hitchcockian in its ending. Donlea is now an auto read for me. 4.5 stars
(I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
This book was a quick read and it kept me guessing until the end.
When Grace goes to St. Lucia for a friend’s wedding, she has no idea how dramatically her life will change. Her boyfriend’s body is discovered in the water at the base of a cliff and the police suspect Grace murdered him. The evidence is damning and Grace is convicted. Ten years later, Sidney, a filmmaker, decides to make a documentary to reexamine Grace’s case after receiving a multitude of letters from Grace and her friend proclaiming her innocence. The more she delves into the case, the more questions arise. Is Grace really innocent?
I really enjoyed this book. I don’t want to give anything away though so I will leave this review with one thought:
Even if you think you know who the killer is early on, you’ll still most likely never see the ending coming!
Definitely recommended!
So I basically went into Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea blind since I had long ago read and forgotten the blurb. I love to do this because it removes any expectation you may have about what the book is going to be like. Donlea is an auto-read author for me anyway, but I’m still glad that’s how I approached this novel.
Don’t Believe It is about an up-and-coming film producer named Sidney Ryan, age 36, who has produced three documentaries which have resulted in the exonerations of people imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. She becomes involved in the case of Grace Sebold, a US citizen who was convicted of killing her boyfriend while they are in St. Lucia for a friend’s wedding. Sidney starts production on a real-time documentary revolving around Grace’s case. Has Grace been in a St. Lucia prison for 10 years for something she hasn’t done? Or is she right where she belongs?
My thing with Donlea’s books is that I know I am going to like them but it takes me awhile to get into them. While they don’t grip me right away, they are still very readable and I know I’m in for at least one crazy twist that will leave me gasping. Well I have a confession that will probably be an unpopular opinion (meaning I am the only person in the world that feels this way), but I was SO FRUSTRATED with the ending to this book – like on the verge of hating it. So why did I still rate it a 4? Because Donlea is an amazing writer, and he is great at shocking the reader with things you can’t possibly see coming. Is the ending all that believable? I have a hard time thinking so and it honestly left me feeling rather unsatisfied. But I gotta hand it to him because it was definitely a shock (plus a damn shame). I feel like there is a common theme to Donlea’s endings that always leave me very frustrated and slightly unsatisfied, but I believe this is the point.
I loved the concept of the real-time documentary in a book and although some readers may feel like it drags on a bit, I really liked it since it was something new and different for me. It kinda felt like I was watching a TV show instead of reading a book, and I loved the behind-the-scenes aspects the book talks about. I also learned that George Clooney has a tequila, who’d a thunk it?!
I also really loved that we got to catch up with Livia Cutty again who is a repeat character from The Girl Who Was Taken. You don’t need to read that book to read this book, but if you want the backstory of Livia first it might be a good idea. She plays a fairly small role in this book, but I loved it nonetheless.
Final Thought: I’m not going to say anything else about this book other than you need to read it because it is CHARLIE FREAKING DONLEA PEOPLE! ‘Nuff said.
Don’t Believe It in 3-ish words: Shocking, Unpredictable, Twisted
The ending certainly took me by surprise! This was the first Charlie Donlea book that I read, and it made me want to come back for more.
What a great book with suspense and twists that complement blew my mind
Another great book by this author. I especially loved the character, Gus, and would love to see him featured in other books.
Don’t Believe It was my first read/listen by author Charles Donlea. I don’t know why I haven’t read this outstanding author before. I’d bought The Girl Who Was Taken on an Audible Daily Deal for $3.95 back in January of 2018 & never got around to reading it. It will be my next read. This story takes off like a fighter plane off an aircraft carrier & builds speed from there. A must read outstandingly written mystery/suspense! An Audible Daily Deal I bought for $2.95, the book was so good I just went out & bought Summit Lake & Some Choose Darkness by the same author! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
OMG!! I so didn’t expect that!!
Grace, Grace, Grace……how can you live with yourself??
Sydney and her documentary about Grace was off the chain big. Sydney discovered that parts of Grace’s case was fraudulent, and Grace was grateful. However the more Sydney dug, the more things became clear!
This had my heart racing, trying to read fast enough to get to the next page. Once it was all said in done though, I’m left with questions. What in the world just happened? The case against Sydney’s dad, the case again Grace and now Ellis! Where does it all lead to! What’s the ending??
Fantastic read and mind twisting!!
My goodness! Where do I start…..This book had been calling my name. Now I know why. Being born and raised in Upstate NY, and having traveled to St. Lucia myself, I was immediately able to relate to the scenery and places this amazing story depicted as it grabbed ahold of me and led me on its path.
Although this genre is not my norm, I was immediately hooked and immersed by its vividness and suspense, it’s intensity and finesse, as well as its love and loyalty that author Charlie Donlea expressed throughout each and every page. It’s impeccably written and the story flows beautifully as we learn about and become familiar with the main characters; Julian Crist and Grace Sebold.
Charlie Donlea knows how to tell a story and does his research…….I’m not one to write reviews with spoilers and I won’t be now as I would feel it to be unfair to those looking forward to the surprises this story holds for its readers.
A jaw-dropping suspense novel that will fascinate and one you’ll have trouble putting down, even if for just a moment.
Thank you #CharlieDonlea and #KensingtonPublishers for this extraordinary, gripping read.
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Pretty good read. Some twists helped keep my interest.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I can honestly say that this is a new method of solving a murder for me which is amazing after the number of murder mysteries I have read in my life by this point. Grace has been found guilty of murdering her boyfriend at an exotic local. After a decade of incarceration she reaches out to Sidney who is a well known maker of documentaries that have cleared others that have been wrongly convicted. This leads to an interesting method of investigation as filming and more is worked in to keep the bosses happy. The story does drum up attention just nor necessarily they kind they wanted. All of this leads to a surprising conclusion that I didn’t really see coming. Overall this is a well written mystery/crime/suspense novel that keeps the story moving as it brings all of the parts together. I really enjoyed it so I give it 4/5 stars.