I blazed through this book, it was really entertaining and dark enough to satisfy my thriller cravings. I had some issues with the characters and the pacing, but otherwise it was a pretty fun read. I'll pick up more from this author in the future for sure.

Alexandra Quinlan (Alex) was seventeen years old when she had her whole world turned upside down when her parents and brother were horrifically killed one evening by a person with a gun. Alex survived but was arrested and charged with their murders. Dubbed "Empty Eyes" by a journalist on the scene, she was tried in the public eye before she was ever tried in court.

Luckily for Alex, Donna, the first officer on the scene of the murder felt things were not right and called her husband, Garrett, an attorney who agreed to represent Alex in court. She is found not guilty, won a defamation suit against the police and changed her name. She is hoping for a new beginning, a new life and to never be called "Empty eyes" again.

Ten years after her family's murder, Alex is working for Garrett while also looking for clues as to who killed her family and why.

Then the story changes gears and delves into a young woman who was raped and a missing college podcaster who went missing while looking into the case. Alex begins to investigate the rape and what happened to the podcaster and finds that there are connections between this case and her own.

Whew! I really wanted to love this one. I have devoured Donlea's other books in the past, always finishing them satisfied and happy. This book took a turn which I didn't feel that it needed and lost its mojo for me. I felt that there was a good mystery in the beginning but then it became muddled and dragged on. Things do come together in the end, but it was a bumpy ride for me.

I enjoyed this but had my issues with it. It felt slow, with unnecessary subplots and left me feeling a little let down. I did enjoy the shocking reveal at the end! I did not see that coming and feel that Donlea did a great job with that. Plus, Lane Phillips comes in at the end (from another Donlea book).

I enjoyed this but felt it was not the author’s best work. I feel that he tried to tackle too much in this book. We can't love them all and this was the case of this book. Others have enjoyed this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

Although I liked but didn't love this one, I will be reading more of Donlea’s books in the future.

Charlie Donlea’s latest thriller, THOSE EMPTY EYES had me turning pages late into the night, then getting up early to get back to the story. You know those books; the ones you only put down because your (empty) eyes are crossing and your eyelids won’t stay open. I found myself racing to finish only to be sad that it was over.
Alexandra Quinlan escaped the night her parents and brother were massacred in their home but is found in her parent’s room holding the shotgun that killed them all. While the media dubs Alexandra with the dubious name of Empty Eyes, the first officer on the scene is not convinced that the police have the right person in custody and contacts Garrett Lancaster, her lawyer husband to come to Alexandra’s defense. When she is proven to be not guilty, a defamation lawsuit nets her millions but the case is never solved.
Ten years later, Alexandra has re-invented herself into Alex Armstrong, a dogged investigator in her own right, working for Lancaster and Jordan but still trying to piece together what happened to her family that night.
Meanwhile, a journalism student, Laura McAllister at nearby McCormack University who has had some great success in the world of podcasts is ready to release an explosive episode about rapes occurring on campus. When the son of a potential nominee for the US Supreme Court is to be implicated in the rapes, Laura disappears and is later found murdered. As Alex digs into the case to clear Laura’s boyfriend she finds information that returns to her own family’s murder years before. WOW! What a ride.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book and I sometimes wondered what one thing had to do with another but in Charlie Donlea’s expert hands, all comes full circle and, as always I found myself shaking my head and wondering “How does he do that?”

Alexandra Quinlan gets her life destroyed one night as her parents and brother are brutally murdered. She is accused of the crime. The media ruins her reputation and gives her a nickname of “empty eyes” with one picture no one will seem to forget.

Alex eventually gets her name cleared but she is tormented that the killer has not been found. She sets out on her own investigation to find out who killed them and why.

First book by this author and I will be looking for more. I loved all the different stories and watching them all come together to find the killer.

A messy plot that ends with a surprising twist!

When she was 17 years old, Alexandra Quinlan's parents and little brother were ruthlessly shot and killed inside their family home. Accused of the crime, she becomes a media sensation dubbed "empty eyes (which is a stupid name, IMHO).

Ten years have passed. Exonerated from the crime, Alex is now an investigator for a prominent law firm, searching for the killer.

It seemed like the plot was heading in one direction, but it abruptly changes direction with a time jump, linking Alex’s story to several other mysteries.

Alex is the main narrator, but random chapters told from the perspective of minor characters are thrown in. It seems like these chapters were added to make everything connect but were not needed. What results is a chaotic plot moving in competing directions, some over-the-top moments, and characters I couldn’t distinguish.

Alex is the most fleshed-out character, but with that being said, she isn’t quite multi-dimensional. All one knows about her is that she has spiky hair and a colorful lipstick fetish, she is searching for her family’s killer, and she is very particular about the coffee she drinks. Outside of these details, there isn’t much to her.

In the last 20%, Lane Phillips steps in. He is one of the main charactrs from the Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series--see Some Choose Darkness for reference. I wish this had been a Rory Moore/Lane Phillips novel vs. a random bunch of characters trying to hold together a chaotic plot.

There are some good things about this book: A lot is going on, but I was never bored. While I couldn't connect with Alexandra's character, I was interested in learning who killed her family. The killer’s identity took me by surprise in a good way, and even better, the final chapter reveals another surprising twist that threw me for a loop.

Those Empty Eyes has plenty of flaws, but it has some good things going for it. I have loved Donlea's other books, but this one was a mixed bag.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.

4.5. The book opens with the following quote: “ Follow the evidence, wherever it leads, and question everything.” That sounded like this was going to be a good procedural book to me. What follows is a murder in the first chapter of a mom, dad and son. The 17-year old daughter escapes from the gunman but most people think she killed then. The book follows the daughter as she tries to figure out the who and the why. I absolutely loved all the little stories within this book - knowing they were all going to come together at one point. There were a few “are you kidding me?” moments in the book for sure. This was such a refreshingly smart book though so I let the little “no ways” go by the wayside. The gal in the book reminded me a lot of the girl in The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, another fantastic book. She was smart and fierce and determined. I thought this book was fantastic and keep me quickly reading to the very end. Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Charlie Donlea for this great ARC.

Every. Single. Time.

I love reading Donlea. He always start explosive and with a bang.

A apparent house invasion killed 3 of a family 4. The surviving daughter is later blamed and the investigation is botched. With the help of an arresting officer and her lawyer husband they fight for Alex Armstrong. To give her justice and 8 million dollars. By the media, she is dubbed Empty Eyes and her life continues to be an upheaval. She is determined to find out why her parents and brother were killed and with the help with an unlikely FBI, she discovers more than what she bargained for.

Books like this I don't want to give to much because the pull is the element of surprise and the twists and turns. I also like that he bought in characters from previous books Some Choose Darkness that gave the connecting dots for Alex. Alex is character that you are drawn to. Her strength in tragedy. Her resolve and how she connected with others even though she was a loner for good reason. A thriller with meat and vulnerability. Loved it!

A special thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

An original and absorbing plotline. A likeable heroine, a survivor of a massacre that killed the rest of her family. We follow her struggle to live beyond this and figure out what happened. Other plots come together over time to show their connection to the crime. I figured it out partway through but it didn't take away from my interest in the book. He writes strong female character really well as well as multi-layered plotlines. 4.5 This book is also called the Survivor

Ten years ago Alex’s family was murdered and she was the only survivor. Everyone at the time thought she was the killer but was later proved to be innocent, although after all these years some people still believe since nobody was ever convicted of the crime. Alex works at a lawyer’s office as an investigator and still trying to find out what happened to her family that night. This book had so many twists and the shocking ending I did not see coming. Thanks Netgalley for this Arc.

Alex's family was murdered when she was a child. Now she works with her mentor / surrogate father at a law firm as an investigator while looking for clues on who murdered her family. This book has so many twists and turns and from the very first pages the author just captivates you. I love when you start a book and it's so good that you can't put it down. I knew from the first couple pages who was involved in Alex's parents murders but it didn't deter me from wanting to see how the author comes to the same conclusion. Absolutely recommend if your looking for a fast paced mystery. Loved this book!

3.5⭐
Was it shock? Or something darker that gave Alexandra those “empty eyes.”👀

Alexandra Quinlan woke to a living nightmare. Her family being gunned down in their home.

Now the sole survivor, Alexandra quickly becomes the prime suspect, and the police see no reason to look any further. They probably should have…as Alexandria was a victim too.

With the help of her lawyer Garrett, she’s slowly piecing her life back together. But of course, she’ll never forget that day, and it’s up to her to find justice for her family. No one else seems to be searching.

I’ve struggled with this author’s books as of late. While I did enjoy this one more than his two previous, I was left with so many unanswered questions.

There are multiple storylines mingling through this book, which I normally love. Unfortunately, some were left underdeveloped leaving me frustrated with a jigsaw puzzle that didn’t fit together completely.🧩😕

This was a buddy read with Susanne who loved this one more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books

You can't blame the police for thinking they had an open and shut case when they find 17-year-old Alexandra Quinlan at the foot of her murdered parents' bed, holding the murder weapon. Alexandra seems to be in shock when the police first arrive. Unfortunately, a TV news crew is also on the scene and gets footage of a dazed Alexandra being led to the police car. Her "empty eyes" are mentioned by the reporter, and the description sticks. After a sympathetic cop calls her husband (a high-powered defense attorney) to represent the girl, the police must stop questioning her. Since there is little evidence to show that Alexandra is the killer, and due to the fact that some conflicting evidence was found at the scene, she is eventually released. Her attorney, Garrett Lancaster, helps Alexandra to sue the local police and district attorney for her treatment and subsequent lack of investigation into the case. She wins millions of dollars and then disappears. Alexandra tries desperately to stay out of the public eye, eventually changing her name and appearance so she can remain anonymous despite media and "true crime sleuths" attempts to locate her. She eventually becomes an investigator for Garrett's law firm but never stops trying to figure out who was behind the murder of her family.

The story is very suspenseful and has lots of twists and turns. There are several other stories and characters that pop up and seem to have nothing to do with Alex and the original murders, so it's interesting to try to figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. There is one final twist waiting at the end of the story. This book is a very thrilling read that will keep you guessing!

In “Those Empty Eyes” by Charlie Donlea, seventeen-year-old Alexandra Quinlan is accused of killing her entire family. She was innocent of the crime and fought to have her name and reputation cleared. Ten years later she is still looking for the killer as she hides behind a new identity. But when a college student goes missing “Alex” sees something connecting her disappearance and the murder of her own family. But as she gets closer to the truth her own safety is compromised and the people around her finally show their true selves.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book, and this is my honest voluntary review.

DNF at 33% (end of Part 2) NO RATING
( note: The title of the UK edition is The Survivor)

TWENTY YEARS LATER-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMIT LAKE -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
DON’T BELIEVE IT-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS (Rory Moore/Lane Phillips #1) Almost ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE SUICIDE HOUSE (Rory Moore/Lane Phillips #2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clearly, I AM a fan of the author’s work BUT this will be a DNF for me.

The first 25% alternates between the night of the brutal crime when Alexandra’s parents and brother are killed, and the day of her “defamation of character” court case, 8 months later. She is suing because the Police ignored the evidence-and instead arrested her for the murders.

Photographs of three different women had been left on her parents bed, and a fingerprint was recovered from her bedroom window, but all of that was disregarded.

I was definitely intrigued by the setup.

BUT- the problem is that we could’ve learned all of that, in one chapter and instead the facts were rehashed in both narratives, (scene of the crime and court case) with Alexandra’s lawyer, Garrett, feeding the witness her lines.
And, the witness, who was the first Cop on the scene, just happened to be his wife. Hmm..

It just didn’t ring true.

Police also OVERSHARED information with reporters at the crime scene and the Press dubbed Alexandra as “empty eyes” an observation of the dead look she wore as Police escorted the seventeen year old from her home, while she was clearly still in shock……

The moniker is OVERUSED throughout the book.

She will attempt to rebuild her like in Cambridge, but when a lead takes her to Switzerland two years later, she is immediately recognized as “those empty eyes”, and she will be threatened with exposure, if she doesn’t pay her blackmailers a huge part of her settlement money.

Fortunately, help will arrive in Cambridge in the form of a man who ends EVERY sentence with the term, “mate”.
Used with the intent to make the location and conversations sound convincing-it had the opposite effect for me.

I am sure that this is a one off- and I WILL give the author the benefit of the doubt, and request his next book based on my previous POSITIVE experiences.

However, as much as I would have loved to solve this crime, I am struggling to move past the repetition and bad dialogue,. This story seems to be lacking the meticulous research, that has given his past novels such a feel of authenticity.

I hope I am an outlier, and you have better luck with it.

Expected Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Thank You to Kensington Books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

There's a crime happening in the first few pages of Charlie Donleas newest novel, Those Empty Eyes.
Alexandra Quinlan's parents and thirteen year old brother have been murdered by a shotgun carrying maniac. Alex saved herself by hiding behind the grandfather clock in the hallway. When the police get there, Alex is in her parents' bedroom sitting with the shotgun in her lap. "Empty Eyes" was the display of shock she displayed after she is handcuffed and accused of the murders.

A criminal defense team of Jacqueline and Garrett represent Alex and she is proven not guilty. There's a counter suit that creates piles of money for Alex. Alex, hounded by the media, takes off to London to attend the university.

Ten years later, Alex is working at the same legal firm that assisted her as a now legal investigator. But she's always pursued a deadend when it came to finding out who actually killed her family. She's even created a crime board in her apartment.

We're given multiple story threads and a large cast of characters in this one. The narrative frequently jumps back and forth between them so there is a lot going on. I loved the multiple layers of the story and felt the author did a nice job of bringing everything together at the end as he revealed the complex web connecting all the seemingly unrelated stories. I didn't see the ending coming which is saying a lot. I have always enjoyed Charlies novels and this one was no different. I don’t want to give away too many details but this is one you should definitely pick up March 2023.

Thank you Net Galley and Kensington Publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

There’s a lot to unpack here. When Alex’s parents and young brother are shot to death, she’s wrongfully charged with their murders. After winning her defamation lawsuit, Alex begins work for the defense attorney who saved her. In doing so, she hones her skills as an investigator in the ultimate hope of solving the mystery of her family’s deaths. Lots of side plots soon evolve … fraternity rape, politics, media overreach, money laundering, pedophilia … you name it. I often found myself re-reading certain sections just to keep things straight.

If you like mysteries, this author is worth following. He does a good job of raising questions and keeping the story moving. However, I do have a nitpick about this particular book. There was a revelation at the end which switched a character’s identity from one whom the the reader assumed it to be. For me, it felt like a cheap writing trick and not really necessary.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read and review this advance copy.

Thank you for a copy of this arc in exchange for my review.
I think this had potential and I enjoyed some of the themes that were going to be explored. However for me the true crime junkie element lost me. That is not something I enjoy but that’s just my opinion and I can see how others would like it.

I wasn’t able to complete the book due to the subject matter not being able to hold my interest due to my personal tastes.

Others will enjoy this so it you’re into a mystery with a true crime junkie element then please give this a go.

Giving 3 stars for fairness as I didn’t make it to the end.

There is something about the books that Charlie Donlea writes that just suck me in and take me for a ride, every single time. Empty Eyes was just as wild. I also love the cameo appearances that other characters make in his books, that if you have read his other books, they are a nice surprise but you can still read them as standalones.

I loved Alex as a character and it was cool to dive into the world of semi legal investigating, as she helps get her law firm answers to questionable clients, all the while trying to solve the case of her own family's murder, Lots of twistys in this story and things that seem to make no sense all tie together in a slam bang finish that left me going what?!! Noooo! It was really good!

And yes this review is light on details but I don't want to give anything away so that others may enjoy the surprising twists.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book to read and review!

#ThoseEmptyEyes #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

Alex Armstrongs family was murdered ten years ago and she was falsely accused. She now works for Garett, the lawyer who got her released, as an investigator. She’s been working on solving their murder and gets help from an FBI agent. Shocking secret’s come to light.
This was a suspenseful read and many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC that will be published March 27, 2023.