Cover Image: Some Choose Darkness

Some Choose Darkness

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Member Reviews

"Some choose darkness, others are chosen by it."

It's 1979 and there's an auto-erotic serial killer on the loose. The Thief lives for the "rush" he gets from strangling his victims to death. He has managed to keep this part of him a secret from those closest to him... until now.

Forty years later, The Thief is up for parole. When his attorney dies unexpectedly the burden of his defense falls on Rory Moore, a silent/unofficial partner in her father's law firm who is also a forensic reconstructionist. Once involved in the case she quickly uncovers that her father had secrets, secrets he never wanted her to discover.

Although the story wasn't surprising, it was definitely dark and disturbing. I was fully engrossed by the main characters. I loved the two strong women who were the focus of the duel timelines - Rory and Angela. They were such complex characters. Donlea did an amazing job of developing them and writing about how autism has been viewed over time. It was so interesting to see how differently these women were treated over the span of 40 years.

This was my first Charlie Donlea book but it certainly won't be my last. I'm also hoping we get to see Rory in future books. She is definitely a character I would happily follow in a series.

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I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is Charlie's fourth novel and may be one of his best! The books main character is Rory who is a forensic reconstructionist, but also has a knack for restoring old dolls which she got from her Aunt Greta. She takes on the hardest cases, even some cold case, that couldn't be solved by the experts, and solves them.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she is left dividing up the cases in his law firm, except one that is going to go to trial very soon. After speaking with the judge, he insists she takes it on. She must represent 'The Thief.' He is suspected and charged with killing five Chicago women, but no bodies were ever found. He is coming up on parole, but Rory finds a file in her father's law office that suggests he may not be so innocent. She must map together what her father knew after he is gone and there is only one person that might have a few answers.

This book had me engaged from the beginning and the end is twisted and unbelievable. I am an avid reader of psychological thrillers and in no way did I predict what was going to happen. My heart pounded with the characters and I also sat shocked with the characters, thinking how could this be happening (in a good way). I'm thrilled Mr Donlea will be writing more books in the future and can't wait to see what he comes up with in the future! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!!

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Another excellent book by Charlie Donlea!! Rory is a very interesting character - socially awkward but brilliant. It was fascinating to follow this story as it was told in two time frames that eventually concluded in a shocking finale! The characters are all believable, the narrative concise and fast moving.

One secret after another was revealed and though I had guessed at a few of them, others came as a complete surprise.

This author just gets better and better!

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Read this book today and I really can't say enough about how good this book is. When Rory's father, who is a lawyer, dies, it's up to Rory to notify his clients. She cannot escape helping one client who is up for parole, a serial killer, known as The Thief. There are flashbacks to 1979 when The Thief was actively abducting women. Rory will make devastating discoveries about The Thief and about her own family. Just a great, compelling read. Highly recommend!

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This is my first book by Charlie Donlea and I am now a fan! Some Choose Darkness is narrated in two timelines, one is set in 2019 and another one in the late 70s and early 80s.The 70s tells the story of one summer in 79 where women started disappearing. In the midst of this storm is Angela, a woman who started following the case and soon got close to the answers before she disappeared. In 2019, Rory is working as a reconstructionist, she gets a new case but her world is soon turned up and down and she gets caught up in the events that occurred 40 years ago.

This book is super captivating. I knew it would be something special right from the first page. The writing is flawless and the two timelines flowed seamlessly. In cases of dual timelines, I usually find myself more interested in one than the other. However, my experience was different this time. Both timelines were fascinating. I was transported back to Chicago in 79 in the heat of the summer and fear of The Thief. The author set up the setting so well that I could visualize the characters in the dressing and hairstyles that marked the 70s. I could also feel the summer heat and the fear of having a suspected serial killer stalk the town.

Apart from the setting, I think the characters were very well developed. I like how different the MCs, Rory and Angela, were.They were both Autistic(if I am not wrong). I love that they were geniuses who although misunderstood by the world, could understand the world better than most people. The representation of Autism in 2019 and 1979 illustrates just how much time has changed, at least for the better in terms of awareness and understanding.

This book was one twisty, shocking roller-coaster ride. The mystery is multilayered and it took time for all the dots to connect. My jaw drop each time a puzzle piece slid into place. Charlie Donlea is undoubtedly a masterful storyteller. Some Choose Darkness is enthralling, twisty and utterly thrilling.

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This is the second book by this author I have read and I think he is the master of suspense and weaving an intricate story.

There was so much going on, in this story, I don't know exactly where to start. Rory is a young woman who inherits her lawyer father's cases when he passes away. She manages to pass on all of them, except one. As she gets more and more drawn into this one case, it becomes clear that she has a personal connection to the man who has been in prison for decades. With her unique brain and way of looking at things, Rory is well-placed to make sense of this case, if anyone can.

The Thief, Angela Mitchell, Aunt Greta.....all of these people are linked in some way to each other. How, this is the interesting thing.

I don't want to give away the plot so I will stop now. Needless to say, this is an incredible story and a must-read.

5 well-deserved stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books.

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Rory is a forensic reconstructionist. This is an unusual job but unfortunately we don’t see her doing it. She is asked to do reconstruct a crime but some personal problems keep her busy. Her father dies suddenly and leaves her with handling his law office. Rory is actually a lawyer herself so she is asked to finish her father’s last client. “The Thief”, a man convicted for murder is soon to be released from prison. Rory does not understand why her father has this case of the infamous murderer. “The Thief” is the name of a killer who is supposed to killed many women during the summer of 1979. But he was caught only because of one woman who became his victim herself.

The story is told in two timelines. One is with Rory in the present who has a lot of her plate. The other one is in 1979 with Angela, the woman who figured out who “The Thief” was and disappeared afterwards, supposedly becoming the latest victim of the killer. There is one thing that connects Angela and Rory: they are both on the autistic spectrum. They both have the ability to see connections where nobody else could see them. In the present Rory is getting more and more involved in the mystery that surrounded Angela’s disappearance and the whole case about “The Thief”. In the past we get to know Angela with her anxieties and her maniacally working mind.

This story is as complex as it sounds. Charlie Donlea has become one of my favorite authors over the last years. So I was very excited when I came across his latest book. But I had some difficulties finding into the story. The idea behind it is very good and the story itself is unique and complex. But somehow it never worked for me. It seems like there was the idea but there was no time to put it all nicely into a neat story. It all felt over-hasty and not worked out properly. The book has it all – the story, the writing, strong and unusual female characters, a nasty killer. But there was something missing. I saw all the reveals and twists coming. It was quite obvious. I cannot put my finger on it but somehow this book did not run smoothly. It is still a good and gripping read but I am not overexcited about it and definitively not my favorite book from Donlea. But I will watch out for his next one.

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It’s no secret to just how much The Traveling Sister’s love Charlie Donlea and we have been reading his books in our groups since reading The Girl Who Was Taken. It was one of our first Traveling Sister group reads even before starting our Goodreads Group two years ago. Since then we have been introducing him to our members and everyone has become a fan for sure!

We read Some Choose Darkness with a few of our Traveling Sisters and with a few friends on Instagram and of course, we all loved it.

Deadly secrets hiding in plain sight, a forensic reconstructionist, a cold case and the search to reconstruct the crime.

Some Choose Darkness is a gripping, suspenseful fascinating character study and compelling thriller with interesting strong characters. I loved the fierce, intelligent and determined characters of Rory and Angela. I love the dynamics created here between them that was done so differently with one from the past storyline and the other character in the present.

Charlie Donlea boldly writes another entertaining, well-layered story with those red herrings and carefully laid clues that only he can write and he has become a master at. We were drawn into uncovering the dark truth that connects the past to the present with some of us making those connections before others. Of course, I didn’t make too many and that heart-pounding ending left me once again tongue-tied after reading it and then shouting I can’t believe you did that to us again Charlie Donlea. I should have seen that coming. There are some unanswered questions that left me thinking and needing to discuss them in the group and in the end, we all agree we really didn’t care. I highly recommend!

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I really don't know what to say about this book, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

It was the first I've read from this author and I can guarantee it won't be the last. The characters, Rory with her idiosyncrasies and The Thief with his secrets, were so well developed. The twists and turns in the book will blow you away!

Thank you Kensington Books for the early copy!

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4.5 stars.

“Nothing can scare you unless you allow it to scare you.”

The book features Angela, a woman whose investigation skills have finally led her to identify The Thief - one of Chicago's most notorious killers; and Rory, whose father died and left her with the responsibility of handling the parole of that same killer.

I love that the author delves into various important subjects: autism, the incorrect way it used to be viewed, mental health, motherhood, and in the middle of it all, a woman's mission to uncover a killer's identity and meeting possible sinister repercussions because of it.

I also loved the mystery element as Rory, in the present day, investigates her father's connection to The Thief and the woman who disappeared all those years ago after unmasking our killer.

Some Choose Darkness is a dang good, clever mystery/serial killer thriller that doesn't lose its quick pace as it delivers multiple gasp-worthy twists and turns. There's this big twist halfway through and that's when you know you're completely hooked.

Make sure to get your hands on this book as soon as you can. An absolute must-read for all of you thriller readers out there!

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I was captivated from the first page. This was a gripping novel and nothing is as it seems. The author weaves all of the pieces together and you don’t even see it coming. Rory is such a strong character and I liked her extremely.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Gripping, suspenseful, & fabulous characterizations!

Well the absolute perfect hook for enticing me to read this book was being invited to read her story from none other than our protagonist herself, Rory Moore in a very clever letter. It was just enough to pique my interest and get me excited to dive into this story!

SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS by CHARLIE DONLEA is an entertaining, dark, disturbing, suspenseful, and engaging psychological suspense novel that I must admit didn’t immediately grab my attention. I did have a little bit of problem with the repetitive nature of the story in the beginning, although I quickly learned its purpose though. Once I ignored that little niggling voice in my head I was able to sit back and enjoy this story and fly through those pages.

CHARLIE DONLEA delivers a compelling, intriguing, and well-written read here with absolutely fantastic characters that totally captivated and fascinated me. The strength of this novel handsdown is the author’s fabulous characterizations. CHARLIE DONLEA definitely shines when it comes to how interesting and fleshed out his characters are.

The story is told in alternate timelines and perspectives which I absolutely loved. There is a pivotal point in the story that happens around the halfway mark which I thought was quite the brilliant way to add tension and suspense to the storyline.

So I played at being an armchair detective and I’m not playing that game anymore as I pretty much had the whole ending figured out and it definitely ruined it for me. I really need to learn to just read the story and try not to piece things together so much. I felt the ending was a play by play of what I already had figured out. I definitely felt a little letdown and was not all that impressed with myself. LOL Although I will say I absolutely loved one aspect to the ending and so look forward to reading more about Rory Moore in the future. Hint...hint!

Norma’s Stats:
Cover: I’m kind of neutral when it comes to this cover design.
Title: Appealing, suspenseful, intriguing and absolutely loved how it played so fittingly into the storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, readable, fluent, appealing, straightforward, engaging, and captivating.
Plot: Disturbing, dark, chilling, edgy, memorable, fascinating, suspenseful, fast-paced, absorbing, enjoyable and entertaining.
Ending: I was a little bummed in the end as I didn’t find it all that surprising or twisty.
Overall: Rory was such a fabulous, refreshing & quirky character! I absolutely loved her and kind of wanted to join her in drinking a Dark Lord stout with her! Would recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Charlie Donlea for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. And a special shoutout to Rory Moore for sending me a NetGalley widget! ;)

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An intense rollercoaster ride....with both ups and downs, slow spots and break-neck speed. I felt wrung out, exhausted, and a little freaked out about real-life possibilities. Thank you, Mr. Donlea, for an interesting ride, ummm, story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Kensington Publishing, and the author via NetGalley and bookmail. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.

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This was my first Charlie Donlea book and I have to ask what took me so long?

I'm usually not a fan of going back and forth between past and present, but it really, really worked in this book.

The characters were awesome (even the ones you love to hate), I love it when the book envokes all of my emotions. It had my mind whirling and I had so many no, no, no and aha moments!

I truly hope there's more Rory in my future! If you love that did not just happen moments, believing you've figured it out and you haven't moments, than you NEED this book.

It really is as good as all the comments/reviews I've read.

I am so looking forward to more Charlie Donlea books in my future!

#netgalley, #somechoosedarkness, #lovedit

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3.75 Stars* (rounded up)

Frightening and Wholly Realistic.

Rory is a forensic reconstructionist. She recreates crime scenes finding new details and assists in solving crimes for the Chicago PD. She is also a non-practicing attorney who, after her father’s passing, is assigned to handle the parole of a man who was her father’s client. Known as “The Thief” he murdered a woman in 1979. Her name was Angela and she believed “The Thief” to be a serial murderer. “The Thief” killed her because of it.

Told in two timelines, 1979 and the present day. “Some Choose Darkness” is a fascinating mystery / suspense about two women, both on the autism spectrum. Angela Mitchell and Rory Moore are reclusive and have trouble relating to others. Both women, along with “The Thief” are relentless when it comes to getting what they want.

The chase is dark, terrifying and sinister and once I got a third of the way into “Some Choose Darkness,” I was wholly invested. There are several moments that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and will make you rethink walking alone at night, stepping into your garage, or going down to that basement. Thanks for that, Charlie Donlea!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and to Charlie Donlea for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 5.26.19.
Will be published on Amazon on 5.28.19.

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Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington and Charlie Donlea for the opportunity to read his latest thriller. Trust me - set a block of time to read this book. I couldn't put it down and read it with heart pounding for much of the time! Highly recommended!

In the summer of 1979, a series of girls went missing in Chicago. The media dubbed the killer, The Thief. Angela Mitchell lived in Chicago during that summer and was obsessed with the missing girls. Autistic before that was a diagnosis, she struggled with OCD and other social issues that caused people to think she was crazy. However, she came up with a chart and paperwork that linked the missing girls together and identified their killer. Then she disappeared. Forty years later, Rory is a forensic reconstructionist, specializing in cold cases and solving the murders. When her father dies, Rory finds herself thrust back in the past when she discovers her father was The Thief's attorney.

Enough said about the plot. This is a wonderfully written and constructed thriller. I loved these characters! Don't miss this thriller.

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My first book by this author and judging by everyone's reviews I have been missing out! Never mind, I can make up for it now.

Some Choose Darkness grips the reader from the start with not one but two women with Autism taking the main roles. Both were intriguing characters dealing with very difficult situations and I was so interested in both of them that I did not mind when the author chopped and changed backwards and forwards in time to tell their two separate stories?

Not quite a five star read for me - some parts were a little over the top and other parts lagged but overall it was an interesting and entertaining mystery with a very appropriate ending.

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
3.5 * rounded to 4.

A compelling, creepy read that keeps on reading. A little too terrifying for what I usually prefer but the well crafted plot
kept me reading. Men usually cannot capture female protagonists as well as Dunlea does.

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Thirty years apart, two women with obsessive-compulsive disorder track a serial killer in Some Choose Darkness.

In 1979, Angela is newly married to Thomas in suburban Chicago. She also has a photographic memory and ocd. When frightened by a stranger in the alley behind her house, she begins to suspect he is the notorious serial killer, the Thief. The Thief gets off by alternately choking his victims and himself in an elaborate rope and pulley contraption. He has been blamed for five deaths. Angela sees a pattern among the deaths.

In 2019, Rory works as a freelance forensic reconstructionist for the Chicago police. She also has ocd. The 2017 cold case she is working on has the same cause of death as those done by the Thief. But he is in prison. Is it a copycat twenty-eight years later?

The Thief tells his story from a prison cell. Finally granted parole in 2019, he is looking forward to giving payback to the woman who emprisoned him.

What a fantastic thrill ride! Some Choose Darkness has a complicated plot that pulls the reader first one way and then the other like a twisty rollercoaster. Any readers looking to play armchair detective, beware! There are several false trails within the storyline. However, despite being totally fooled myself, I highly recommend this thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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4 Exciting Stars!!

What can I say...Charlie Donlea did it again!! “Some Choose Darkness” is a chilling, captivating, fast-paced mystery/suspense novel with a one of a kind protagonist, Rory, a forensic reconstructionist who is on the autism spectrum. Once again, I was impressed with author’s ability to write truly suspenseful, gritty, and dark crime fiction novel while keeping his characters interesting and well developed. You cannot help yourself but to quickly connect with Rory, and join her on a gripping and twisty journey to find out the details of 40-year old cold case. There was not one dull moment in this story and it is safe to say that Charlie Donela just earned himself an auto approval spot on my to-go-to authors list. I am looking forward to reading more of his books, and hopefully we will get to read another book with Rory’s character as a main protagonist very soon.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and the author, Charlie Donlea, for giving me an opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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