Amazing book!! First time ever reading Charlie Donlea and so highly impressed, I have already ordered another one of his books and will be reading all he has written added to my TBR list. I love the eery creepy factor of the abandoned boarding house in the woods, the mystery of the man in the mirror because who when they were a kid didn't kind of believe in the creepy made up tales of ghosts that appear in the mirror. The characters are great and really fit in well to the whole storyline, and my favorite is Rory she is so quirky but a genius in her own way and definitely one of a kind and her with Lane is a great duo!! I didn't know who the killer was until the end, and actually was suprised I was way off for a little bit about who I even thought the killer could be! Great writing, amazing read!!!

In Peppermill, Indiana, there is a private boarding school. Behind the walls of this school there are secrets. One year ago, two students were murdered at an abandoned house in the woods surrounding the school. The killed was captured, only after trying to kill himself by stepping in front of a moving train outside the house. But then, one by one, the survivors of that massacre return to the house, to kill themselves. This draws the attention from the host of a podcast, Mack Carter, and reporter Ryder Hillier. And eventually, Rory Moore, an expert at solving cold cases and her partner, Lane Phillips, a renowned criminal profiler and psychologist. As they search for answers, they discover many secrets about that night, and that house.

This book had me drawn in from the beginning. The first few pages captures your interest, and holds it. From one page to the next, you don’t know what is going to happen. I fell in love with these characters, they were so well written and even their quarks, made you like them. With a lot of books, I can clearly tell what is going on and what is going to happen. That wasn’t the case with this book. It had be guessing until the end. This is the first book my this author that I’ve read and it won’t be my last. I will say that with some of the things in the book I had trouble following, but had I read the first book in this series, I would have followed better. It’s definitely worth a read. You won’t regret it.

I enjoyed this book- as other reviewers have said, I did not realize it was a sequel, but thought it read find as a standalone. The premise is around the gruesome murders of a couple of kids during what seems to be some kind of hazing/initiation ceremony at a prestigious prep school. The reader gets a lot of POVs on this, including the detective, Lane, his girlfriend and forensic reconstructionalist Rory, the students involved, a reporter, the creator of a podcast, and an unknown villain. Lane and Rory are the primary characters, and much of the story is told from their perspective.

The story itself was interesting- I am a sucker for prep school secret society books and could easily visualize the campus, the creepy house, and the murders. The apparent suicides that kept happening after the initial murders was an interesting twist and definitely hooked me. I had a few different ideas of who the villain might be, but the author did not dive deeply enough into any character for me to have a sure guess. When it came out, it made sense, though. This book starts out with action literally on the first page, and that action continues through, making for a fast-paced read.

My one gripe is that I didn't really get to know the characters well- maybe reading the first book would have given me more background on Lane and Rory. They seemed like an oddly matched pair to me and I didn't understand what drew them together. I also would have liked to understand the students better -I got the allure of wanting to be part of the secret group, but beyond that, I didn't really feel like I "knew" them.

All in all, this was a good story, though, and I recommend it to those who love prep school books, mysteries, and psychological thrillers. I plan on going back and reading the first book featuring Rory and Lane. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I discovered Charlie Donlea not that long ago looking for a new voice in the thriller genre and was impressed with his writing and plot lines. The Suicide House was a gripping read. A bit formulaic, I did guess the culprit, but it kept me reading through the night.

I didn’t know this was a book 2 when I requested it and I hadn’t read book 1, Some Choose Darkness. I found you need not have read it to follow along, but I loved this one so much that I will go back and read it now. This book was simply amazing, yet there was nothing simple about it. Normally I would sum up the book in my own words, but I will skip that and just get straight to gushing.

You know when you’re watching crime movies, and the detectives have these walls of information on all the suspects with their pictures and details? I imagine such a wall in Donlea’s house, but with plotlines and characters. There are multiple perspectives in this book, multiple writing styles, and alternating timelines which seem like it would be utterly impossible to keep track of. The result is a fantastically layered book that comes together in the way of a puzzle.

Let’s talk about the various writing styles. You get the brilliance that is Rory’s mind, a podcast in written form, a journal entry, and the storyline. Add in the multiple points of view, and alternating timelines, then you can see why I picture Donlea’s wall as I described. I think where others are complaining there are too many points of view, I see only the brilliance of how well executed it is.

So I was reading this and going: “hey, I can have more of Rory and Lane in book 1.” But then I got to the Author’s Note at the end and learned that some of these characters crop up in other works of Donlea, and he’s just hooked a reader for life. This was such a super fun read. I loved the multiple mysteries that arise, and I loved the characters and how each of them goes about solving them (or creating them). So well done! Thank you, Kensington Books for sending this along!

The Suicide House was a tough one for me. I thought that the story was creepy and interesting. I did not connect with any of the characters, and lost track of who was who often. I didn’t really enjoy Rory, Lane, Ryder or any of the other characters mentioned.
The Man in the Mirror was creepy and interesting but I felt like it was a little glazed over. Mentioned heavily but not explained. I would have liked it if the murder used more of TMITM as a motive, or if it played a larger role.
I thought that the ending was a little hurried, but liked the closing scene. I wanted to have a bigger closure from the murders to the present.
Over all it was a good story, and I just didn’t feel anything for the characters.

The Suicide House is the second book I’ve read by author Charlie Donlea. The first being Some Choose Darkness. Both I consider to be 5 star reads. They are psychological thrillers and I found them to be amazing stories. They both have the same main characters of Rory Moore and her boyfriend Lane Phillips but each book is a separate story. Rory is a forensic reconstructionist that has an autism spectrum disorder and a bit OCD. I think that is what makes her so interesting to read about. There isn’t a cold case that she can’t solve! This particular story had me stumped the whole way through. I had the “bad guy” pegged for someone completely different than who it actually was. That’s what makes for a great, entertaining read in my opinion. This is a book I recommend to all readers who enjoy this genre. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed! I know I am a fan of this author and want to read everything that he writes. I’d like to thank Kensington Books for allowing me to read and review an early copy and NetGalley for supplying the arc. I really enjoyed this and give it a much deserved 5 stars!

Thanks to #netgalley, I was provided with a free galley of this book. Onto the review...

What a great read! I’m a confessed sucker for anything involving prep schools, and this one did not disappoint. Mysterious deaths at an abandoned house on the perimeter of the grounds still plague the school a year later, and with a new podcast renewing interest in the case and suicides of the original survivors of the events, something is not adding up.

I enjoyed all the main characters in this one, as well as the twist and turns of the story. I found out at the end that this is the second book with a couple characters, so I may add the previous book to my TBR list. The baddie became a little predictable about halfway through despite the red herrings the author threw in, but still worth a read!

The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

One year ago Westmont Prep was the site of a gruesome murder. A professor whom later attempted suicide is thought be the perpetrator and the case is closed. However, now survivors are started to commit suicide at the same scene, and a podcast has begun a new investigation.

This was an easy, quick and entertaining read for sure. There were a lot of characters to keep up with. I wish I had wrote all their names down to keep track. A few were only introduced a few times, so I’d advise doing so. I really enjoyed the investigators, Rory and Lane. It’s my understanding that they are from his other book as well. I wish that I had gotten to know them better because they really were great in the storyline. Overall, it was a fun, easy, and spooky mystery... but I felt there were just a bit too many moving parts and I didn’t feel like I dived in deep enough

“Arrive alone, leave together.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Donlea has easily become an auto buy author for me! He writes the most amazing mysteries that keep me guessing until the very end. This novel was amazing and I didn’t want to put it down. There was not one single page of this book that I didn’t enjoy. The characters were amazing and the journal entries really kept me confused! I am not going to give a single thing away, but you guys should definitely read this amazing novel!

Out July 28th!

"This wasn't a couple of kids screwing around. This was a goddamn slaughter."

I didn't realize when I requested this novel that it was the sequel to Some Choose Darkness, which I have never read. Thankfully, The Suicide House can be read as a standalone novel, but there is a very stark sense of missing so much character history and background.

The story was interesting enough--murder and mayhem at an elite boarding school in small-town Indiana. Unfortunately, there was so much going on, it diluted the mystery. While the conclusion was eventually tied neatly with a big, red bow, the sheer number of characters and story lines decreased my enthusiasm and diverted my attention to other chores and errands.

Very early in the story, I suspected two characters...I wasn't sure which it was, but I narrowed in on them almost immediately. When it was all said and done...I was proven correct. So, yea. That was a bummer.

I may choose to read the first book in this series...I haven't decided yet. I did love Rory and the way her mind was explained. Having a son on the spectrum, I could relate to Rory's genius and her quirks. Thankfully, her spectrum traits weren't portrayed in a derogatory manner either, which I appreciated.

Bottom line: This had the potential to be an amazing story, but it just tried to do too much.

3.5 stars

Available July 28th.

My sincere thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for my review copy.

A year ago, there was a horrific tragedy at a prestigious prep school in Indiana.  A teacher went on a grisly rampage and murdered two students, and then threw himself in front of a train attempting suicide but did not die and now is living in a vegetative state. And some of the students who witnessed the incidents have since taken their own lives, by throwing themselves in front of trains.

Now, a year later, the murder and the sordid ordeal are being brought back into the spotlight by a very popular criminal podcast.  They are calling the episodes The Suicide House due to the abandoned boarding house where the tragedy happened.  As the episodes begin, the anxiety of students and teachers at the school increases.  And then another one of the students who witnessed the murder throws himself in front of a train. 

That is when cold case expert Rory Moore and her partner Lane Phillips, a forensic psychologist are asked to come to Indiana and recreate what happened that night at the isolated house which was often times used for student rituals. Perhaps clues were missed at the scene and new eyes can shed new light on that night. 

Moore, who herself has a few idiosyncrasies, has just finished up solving a cold case and usually needs time to decompress, but Phillips who knows her soft spots convinces her to help him. But nothing is as it seems in this small town and their presence begins to stir things up.  Why?

The story races back and forth between what happened during the days leading up to the murders, to the new investigation and new puzzle pieces. There are chapters in which diary entries from a mysterious unknown person are read while they are in what seem to be counseling sessions.

Is someone lying? What really happened that night? What kind of burden do the students carry with them from that evening that they would want to take their own lives? Why would a teacher snap and kill his students?

The Suicide House is a heart thumping psychological case study in insanity with twists and turns that leave you craving for more.  The ending....a volcanic eruption! 

This is the second book in the Moore/Phillips series and as Donlea writes in the afterward, he tries to make sure that all his books can be read as a stand alone as well.  Since I was unaware this was a series book until I read his note at the end, I can certainly say he was able to accomplish what he set out to do.

The Suicide House can be preordered right now.  Publication date is July 28.  Get it!

Thank you #NetGalley #Kensington #CharlieDonlea #TheSuicideHouse for the advanced copy.

I had read a first look on Bookish First and I was hooked. I had no idea that it was the 2nd book in a series, because it didn't read like a sequel but rather just a new story including these two characters Rory Moore and Lane Phillips. They aren't the focus of the story but it seems that they were focused in the previous book so that was pretty cool

Any story that takes place in a boarding school is right up my alley. For some reason, it is always interesting to look at how the other side of the coin may live. although I know in stories like this, its always over the top. So here we are at a school where there is the murder of two teens and then shortly after, there are a string of suicides that may not have been actual sucide. Its a book filled with mystery and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Since THE SUICIDE HOUSE is listed as “Rory Moore/Lane Phillips #2,” do you have to read SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS (“#1”) first? Donlea explains in an Author’s Note at the end that all of his novels are stand-alone thrillers, but readers will find “little nuggets” of his previous books sprinkled within the pages of each subsequent one. So although this is the second book in the Rory/Lane series, it’s written so the books can be read in any order. I would personally recommend that SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS be read first though, if for no other reason than it’s a great ride.

In THE SUICIDE HOUSE, a forensic reconstructionist (Rory Moore) and her psychologist boyfriend (Lane Phillips) try to solve a crime committed at a boarding school that’s also being featured in a popular podcast. Moore is a fascinating, unique character. She is on the autism spectrum, and she dabbles in antique doll restoration. While that last bit might sound boring, it’s not.

All in all, there is A LOT going on here. So many characters. So many plot threads. So many time periods. While I found this thriller to be easily readable, all the jumping around got to be a bit much. Once I reached the end, I wanted two things: 1. To read a book with a straightforward linear narrative next, and 2. To read more from Charlie Donlea. He’s become a “slump buster” for me, and it’s comforting to know I still have two of his previous books unread on my shelf. Donlea is definitely an author to keep on your radar.

THE SUICIDE HOUSE’S U.S. publication date is July 28, 2020. I received an Advanced Readers Copy from #NetGalley & #KensingtonBooks in exchange for an honest review.

Looking over previous reviews, it appears that I’m in the minority for this one. I have no idea if it’s because this is the 2nd part to Some Choose Darkness (and I had no idea until the author’s note at the end), or if it’s just because there were so many redundancies and inconsistencies in this novel based on a read of it alone.

Rory is touted as this incredible puzzle solving partner of Lane, but does she actually solve anything? No, not really. It is explained that she “hears the souls of those who died” but does she hear anything in this book? Nope.

I swear to you at one point if I would have read the words “Dark Lord” one more time, I was going to put the book down and never pick it up again. And how many times do we need the crime scene explained, exactly? Because this was explained at least five too many times.

The dolls are... weird. And really, I understand it’s supposed to be part of Rory’s “quirks” but it’s just so out of synch with the rest of the story.

I really, really wanted to love this one, but I ended up finding more things to dislike than there were to enjoy about it. I did like the short chapters and the red herrings thrown in. The ending of the big mystery was just so absolutely dumb and strange that I can’t find it to be redeemable.

What happened at Westmont Prep last summer?

That's what this book sets out to explore. Two students were murdered at this elite prep school, with the others who were present that night committing suicide since then. Two reporters and two crime scene specialists are interested and wanting answers as well as the original investigator.

Each chapter shifts to a different character, a different time, a different part of the story... Generally, I would find this absolutely confusing, but it totally worked. There were lots of characters, but I was easily able to keep track of what was going on. And I was kept guessing the entire way through... In fact, I stayed up well past when I should have been asleep because I couldn't go to bed not knowing the ending.

High praise to Charlie Donlea for crafting such an interesting adventure that kept me thrilled.

The Suicide House is an interesting mystery novel. A year ago, two students of a boarding school were killed during a secret society initiation game. Within a couple of days a teacher was suspected of the crime. Now there is a podcast delving into the story and the producers of the podcast bring in Lane Philips, a former FBI profiler, to make a profile of the killer and of the teacher. Lane's girlfriend, Rory, who is a forensic re-constructionist joins him and starts looking into the case when the Detective asks because he thinks something isn't right.

I do not want to give away any part of the story but it is one of those books written in a series of shortish chapters so you end up reading it so quickly. I was done in two days with this one. I enjoyed the book but was not compelled enough by either Rory or Lane to go look at other novels they are in.

Thank you NetGalley for my gifted ARC in return of my honest review.

The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea is a creepy and riveting thriller about a horrific crime that occurs at a private academy called Westmont Preparatory Academy that is to have been solved my local PD. What you soon realize is that they were wrong, the person blamed for the murder may be innocent and then you have to figure out who actually did it. I didn't even realize this was a series, until the end and I am now looking forward to reading Charlie's other books because I really enjoyed this book so much. It kept me guessing until the very end and I did not see that ending coming at all. At first I thought all the different story lines were hard to follow, but they were written in a way they I felt I could keep track of each person's view very easily and it melded together beautifully. Highly recommend you pick this one up!

This was my second dive into the Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series. While this one didn’t have as much insight into their pasts, it was still so good.

It starts out explaining some loose ends of the previous book and a case that Rory worked on. That was such a relief for me (and this is a no spoiler tidbit because it wasn’t the bulk case of the previous book).

In The Suicide House we join Rory and Lane on their trip to a prep school in Indiana. A teacher is accused of murder and a popular podcast is unearthing some interesting information about the case.

There were so many elements to this story. A group of students involved in a night of teenage fun ends in two murders. Now, the survivors are all coming back to Westmont Prep to commit suicide. We get to see if Rory and Lane can uncover the truth and dig up secrets hidden for years.

This was so gripping and thrilling. I can definitely say that Rory Moore is a favorite female investigative lead from now on and I cannot wait to read more of Charlie Donlea’s work!

This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it for sure won’t be my last!! There was so much going on from the very beginning between different timelines and journal entries which occasionally led to a little confusion about what exactly was important, but it also held my attention since I couldn’t find out how everything tied together fast enough! In the end, it all came together really really well. The chapters are also super short which i loved!! As for the characters, I did really enjoy Rory’s eccentricities and her unwavering drive to solve cases that no one else can. I will definitely be picking up Donlea’s other book involving Rory and her partner Lane and will be keeping my fingers crossed for more Rory and Lane in future books!

{Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review - pub date 7/28}