An Apple Books Best of the Month Selection A Publishers Weekly Summer Reads 2020 Editors’ PickA Library Journal “12 Novels Featuring Protagonists on the Autism Spectrum” SelectionFrom #1 International Bestseller Charlie Donlea—A chilling murder in a prestigious prep school is at the heart of this riveting new suspense novel that’s perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.Forensic … suspense novel that’s perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.Forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore and her psychologist partner, Lane Phillips,must chase down the truth behind the ghastly killings featured on the hit true crime podcast sweeping the nation. Can they uncover the hidden secrets of the school and the psychology of a killer before the next episode airs?
Inside the walls of Indiana’s elite Westmont Preparatory High School, expectations run high and rules are strictly enforced. But in the woods beyond the manicured campus and playing fields sits an abandoned boarding house that is infamous among Westmont’s students as a late-night hangout. Here, only one rule applies: don’t let your candle go out—unless you want the Man in the Mirror to find you. . . .
One year ago, two students were killed there in a grisly slaughter. The case has since become the focus of a hit podcast, The Suicide House. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, mysteries and questions remain. The most urgent among them is why so many students who survived that horrific night have returned to the boarding house—to kill themselves.
Rory, an expert in reconstructing cold cases, is working on The Suicide House podcast with Lane, recreating the night of the killings in order to find answers that have eluded the school, the town, and the police. But the more they learn about the troubled students, the chillingly stoic culprit, and a dangerous game gone tragically wrong, the more convinced they become that something sinister is still happening. Inside Westmont Prep, the game hasn’t ended. It thrives on secrecy and silence. And for its players, there may be no way to win—or to survive. . . .
“Multiple intertwining story lines keep the pacing brisk and the tension high throughout. But the book’s real strength is the idiosyncratic Rory, who suffers from OCD and is on the autism spectrum, a deeply developed character readers can’t help rooting for. Hopefully, she’ll be back soon.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
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Donlea writes from every direction! It’s not enough to confuse you, but it keeps you interested and the story moving along. The chapters are short so it makes for a somewhat quick read. They can be read as stand aliens, but I believe you should read Some Choose Darkness first. It gives you the history on Rory and Lane. Helps you understand them a little better.
The story was told from past to present. Every pet was past or present and it helped tell the story. It was an interesting read that I stayed up late into the night to finish it.
You have a prep school that has some secrets. The students play a game of Man In The Mirror. Except one year it turns dangerous. Five students end up dead. You find out there was another victim involved too. And most of it stems from the past of a faculty member. Lane was asked to help with a podcast and he persuaded Rory to come along. Lane ends up in the hospital and the podcast producer ends up dead. The deaths are gruesome, but it also shows the research Donlea put into this book. I highly recommend it! The ending was surprising, but leads me to patiently wait for the next!
I was lucky euro win an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
*5 Stars*
ARC kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gripping. Thrilling. Unputdownable. There are many ways to describe the thrill of reading this book. From the get go, I was hooked. Another great novel from this author. I was immediately immersed into the world of this story, and I just had to know what was going on. How on earth was everything going to match up and play out? What as happening to these kids at the school, and how did the other mysterious characters fit in?
There are plenty of characters at play in this one, and I spent the majority of the novel wondering how they would all link together by the end. Donlea expertly plays everything out in a way that keeps you on edge, slowly putting together bits and pieces and coming up with your own theories.
I loved so many things about this book, and my favourite characters were Rory and Lane, along with Ryder. And maybe Gus too, by the end. They all played their own roles in telling this tale, and I enjoyed their individuality and the pieces they brought to the story.
I eventually pieced things together a little bit before the end, but only certain pieces, like one of my suspicions of who dun it. The other things came slowly, as piece by piece, Donlea reveals them all in one big finale.
There is certainly potential for many books after the ending of this one, and I absolutely cannot wait. Highly recommend, and bring on the next book!
I have to be honest and say it took me a while to get into this book as there was just to much back and forth and stories within the story.
With that being said, if you love a good whodunit murder mystery, than you will enjoy this book as there is lots of cray-cray, murder, abuse, lying, suicides or were they? Some things were believable, some not so much, but the cast of characters are great.
#Rory #Lane #NetGalley #NotasGoodasFirstOne
How excited was I to see a new book from Charlie Donlea?! And then, to discover that one of the best characters in recent fiction came back to grace us with her presence, made me ecstatic! Rory and Lane are back to investigate the mysterious suicides of high school students from Westmont Prep. Each has been found along the railroad tracks, outside an abandoned house, tucked deep into the woods. This story is perfect for fans of true crime podcasts, secret societies and urban legends. Sure to keep you turning the pages late into the night, this story is hard to put down! Another pleasant surprise was the reappearance of retired cop, Gus Morelli, and his amazing stash of case files from his long career. This brought a fun, unexpected element into this story and it was such an appropriate tie-in (don’t want to give too much away!). While this is a book with recurring characters, it could read as a stand alone. Reading previous books will give you more insight into the characters personalities and may make them more enjoyable and like old friends. Don’t forget to add this to your to-read lists – you don’t want to miss it!
Interesting idea and the beginning had a great hook, but it was simply not well executed. Wish I hadn’t wasted my time.
This story started out unnecessarily complicated. There are several seemingly unrelated stories with multiple characters and points of view. They eventually made sense, though, and all the ends finally weaved themselves together.
This is the second of a series, which I did not know until after I had completed it. It made sense as a standalone. I did think that I’d like to have more of Rory Moore and it turns out that I will! I also liked the journalist Ryder, of course.
I found this story to be well written and a huge page-turner. My criticism comes in the form of (lack of) chapter headings and character names. Often times I was lost as to what timeline we were following as it seemed all over the place in a short amount of time. And no only having a huge amount of multiple POVs but similar names (Ryder, Rory, Mack, Marc, Gwen, Gabriella) made some things hard to keep track of and a lot of going back and checking. The overall story put a fresh spin on a cliche used mystery/thriller plot.
After a double murder at a prep school, students gather at the “suicide house” to kill themselves. Rory, a forensic reconstructionist for the Chicago Police Department, begins to investigate the case of “The Man in the Mirror” and is desperate to figure out why this is happening. Can she solve the mystery before another student dies?
After reading SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS, the first in this series, I was excited to get my hands on this one! Like the first, this one reminded me of the Profiler TV show I loved in the late 1990s. I would definitely recommend this one for fans of dark, suspenseful thrillers, and/or true crime fans looking for a fictional account.
Location: Indiana
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
Bookish First Impression
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.
—Albert Szent-Györgyi
The Suicide House pulls you immediately into the book where there are many moving pieces. Several characters are introduced setting the stage of mystery and suspense. In the introduction to the story, someone confesses to pushing his brother in front of a train which kills him. It makes you wonder about all the apparent suicides which were reported after the tragic “accident” at the private boarding school.
Having read book 1, Some Choose Darkness, I would say that this can easily be read as a stand alone novel as the author intended. I would say that you learn more about the nuances of the characters who may have been in a previous book. Each story is totally unrelated in context so the reader isn’t confused.
Rory Moore is taking a break from last case, which is typical given the extent to which she invests herself into each investigation. She has learned over the years how to use her OCD and autism spectrum symptoms to help her when needed. For the most part she prefers to work alone as a forensic reconstructionist and porcelain doll restoration to “relax”.
In this novel, Lane Phillips asks her to join him as he goes to meet Mack Carter, an investigative reporter now running a popular podcast called, The Suicide House. They sought Lane for his expertise with profiling serial killers and wanted his input for the podcast. Before Lane arrives, Mack goes to Westmont Prep to meet Ryder who is hoping to make a name for herself like Mack. She alerts him to a post on his podcast website which indicates that one of the surviving students from the Suicide House murders wanted to tell him what really happened. This case has been closed by the Peppermill Police department as they discovered a manifesto describing the killings of the students by chemistry teacher, Charles Gorman.
Unfortunately, when Mack and Ryder make it to the school they discover the body of Theo Compton lying on the train tracks. He had given a brief interview to Mack stating that Charles Forman didn’t commit the crimes.
Alternative chapters provide a mystery person reading from a therapy journal discussing many disturbing events from the past. As all the students at Westmont Prep are encouraged to write in a journal the author isn’t discovered until later when the mystery starts to unfold.
The story is a complex history of the year of the murders and suspected suicides and the present where some of the stories don’t add up. Whenever Rory and Lane get involved you are sure to uncover much more than the truth. Another creepy psychological thriller by Charlie Dunlea is not to be missed!
3 stars
Need a Character Chart
After reading an excerpt of The Suicide House on Bookishfirst, I was excited to be approved for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I looked forward to a great summer read. The author grabs the reader at the very beginning with the brothers and the train incident. The main story takes place at Westmont Preparatory School in northern Indiana. I am hooked as the opening scene is late at night, a candle needs to be lit to keep the Man in the Mirror away.
I liked the short chapters but soon became confused with so many characters and trying to remember who was who. This book needed to include a character chart with a warning to the reader to use it. I later found out that this book was the second in a series but was able to stand alone. I wish I had known as the two characters, Rory and Lane, were in the first book. I especially liked Rory who is on the spectrum.
I think my rating would have been higher with either less characters and weaves in the plot or if I had realized there would be so many characters to remember.
I thought this book was going to be unputdownable from the first page, how wrong I was. It felt like a YA suspense novel more to me than an adult suspense novel.
Set at Westmont Prep School, a few select Junior’s get a chance to enter a private club. As an initiation to this club the Juniors must face the man in the mirror. To the dismay of the school and the members of the club things go awry at this initiation. All is not as it seems when Lane and Rory get involved.
This was the first book I read that Charlie Donlea. As I said I didn’t care for it but as it went on it did get a little better. I just consider this book okay.
Thanks to Goodreads, the author, and the publisher for this book.
Donlea writes from every direction! It’s not enough to confuse you, but it keeps you interested and the story moving along. The chapters are short so it makes for a somewhat quick read. They can be read as stand aliens, but I believe you should read Some Choose Darkness first. It gives you the history on Rory and Lane. Helps you understand them a little better.
The story was told from past to present. Every pet was past or present and it helped tell the story. It was an interesting read that I stayed up late into the night to finish it.
You have a prep school that has some secrets. The students play a game of Man In The Mirror. Except one year it turns dangerous. Five students end up dead. You find out there was another victim involved too. And most of it stems from the past of a faculty member. Lane was asked to help with a podcast and he persuaded Rory to come along. Lane ends up in the hospital and the podcast producer ends up dead. The deaths are gruesome, but it also shows the research Donlea put into this book. I highly recommend it! The ending was surprising, but leads me to patiently wait for the next!
I was lucky euro win an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review
Woah. Just.. woah.
From the minute I picked up The Suicide House, I could not put it down.
It is a fascinating, gripping tale of murder, suicide (or is it) and the hunt for what really happened that night a year ago.
There were so many holy moly and WTF moments in this tale. As I turned each page, I was sure I knew what had happened. And each time, Charlie Donlea had left me on another wild goose chase, and left me scratching my head. Until again I thought I knew whodunnit.
I did have an inkling late in the story as to who it was, but not the full tale. I had no idea of motives or the whys of it all.
I was buddy reading this story, so my friend and I were constantly messaging each other with our thoughts on what was happening
In fact, at one stage I did say that one part had an I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe lol
Slowly but surely, Donlea pulled all the strings together, and this story came around full circle, the intriguing and horrible prologue now making sense.
I am new to Charlie Donlea’s writing, so I did not know our main characters at all, but that did not affect anything. It has left me wanting more of Rory and Lane, and the end of this story has left me with the hopes of many, many more mysteries for me to solve.
I now also have a fantastic looking back catalogue to look up.
4.5 stars
Another page turner by Charlie Donlea! The Man in the Mirror is a game played by a secret society that only a select few upperclassmen at Westmont Prep are invited to join. The initiation into the club is tough and not all students are cut out for it. Last year, a tight knit group of six juniors had been selected as potential candidates into the club. One of the initiation challenges goes horribly wrong however and ends in a double homicide. To complicate matters more, the remaining students who were there that night seem to be committing suicide one by one.
Rory Moore solves cold cases. Her excellent memory and attention to detail allows her to see what others miss. Her boyfriend, Lane Phillips, is a criminal profiler that’s recently been asked to review the material on the Westmont Prep suicides for a popular podcast about the grisly crime. While a killer has been apprehended for the murders, the recent suicides indicate something else may be going on.
While this is the second installment in the Moore/Phillips series, there is no need to to read the first book. There are a few instances where material from the first book is mentioned in this one, but there is nothing that keeps any reader from reading this as a stand alone. With that said, I would suggest at some point reading Some Choose Darkness if for no reason other than it will give you a better understanding into Rory’s unique character.
Donlea does such a great job with character development. As a reader, it’s easy to get a sense of what drives each character and why. These great characters drive the plot along rapidly. It’s difficult to put this book down because you really want to know the reasoning behind the student’s suicides. There are twists and turns along the way and some I didn’t see coming for quite some time!
Finally, as others have said, I really appreciated the after note by the author. He mentions that his any of his books can be read as stand alone BUT he also is kind enough to point out where a reader may have become familiar with a character in another book. So much appreciation for this because it drives me crazy when I know I’ve been acquainted with a character but can’t remember where!
I highly recommend The Suicide House, as well as any other book that Donlea has published to date. I haven’t been disappointed yet.
Thanks to Goodreads First-Reads for a Kindle ARC of this book.
A year ago, two students were killed at Westmont Prep. The case has since become the focus of a hit podcast, The Suicide House. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, mysteries and questions remain. The most urgent among them is why so many students who survived that horrific night have returned to the boarding house to kill themselves. I’ve been listening to true crime & supernatural podcasts so i was hooked with this one. The characters are quirky, my fave is Rory! It’s twisty, suspenseful and creepy everything I expected it to be!