The Suicide House - (A Rory Moore/Lane Phillips Novel) by Charlie Donlea (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Charlie Donlea is a superb psychological suspense writer...the book has a fast-paced plot and main characters unlike any typically found in this genre." --Seattle Book Review

An Apple Books Best of the Month Selection
A Publishers Weekly Summer Reads 2020 Editors' Pick
A Library Journal "12 Novels Featuring Protagonists on the Autism Spectrum" Selection

At an elite prep school haunted by mysterious deaths, someone is playing a dangerous game...

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 sits an abandoned boarding house, 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 become the focus of a hit podcast, The Suicide House. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, questions remain. The most urgent: why so many students who survived that horrific night have returned to the boarding house--to kill themselves. Rory is working on the podcast with Lane, recreating the night of the killings in order to find the elusive answers. But the more they learn, the more convinced they are that the sinister game inside Westmont Prep hasn't ended. It thrives on secrecy and silence. And for its players, there may be no way to win--or to survive . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for Charlie Donlea

"Excellent... The ingredients--adultery, fake identities, ulterior motives, forgery, plagiarism, rough sex, unusual chapter breaks, a little murder thrown in here and there -- are enticing, and Donlea tells a propulsive tale." --The New York Times on Twenty Years Later

"Gripping...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." --Publishers Weekly on The Suicide House

"Charlie Donlea is a superb psychological suspense writer...the book has a fast-paced plot and main characters unlike any typically found in this genre." --Seattle Book Review on The Suicide House

"Bristles with intrigue and suspense." --Mystery Scene on The Suicide House

"Donlea obliges more perverse tastes with more killing, more mystery and more sleuths...Rory maintains a firm grip on our interest, mainly because "the mysterious and unexplained intrigued her" as much as it does us. And let's not forget that she speaks to those terrifying dolls." --The New York Times Book Review on The Suicide House

"Part 1970s serial-killer thriller and part contemporary Chicago crime novel, this deceptively quick read has something for everyone." --Booklist on Some Choose Darkness

"Engrossing...Donlea smoothly mixes red herrings and genuine clues...Readers who relish a good puzzle will be rewarded." --Publishers Weekly on Some Choose Darkness

"In Donlea's skillful hands, this story of obsession, murder, and the search for truth is both a compassionate character study and a compelling thriller." --Kirkus Reviews on Some Choose Darkness

"Don't Believe It displays excellent craftsmanship, from the way sentences are constructed to the serpentine plot. The prose sings. Sentences are short and punchy. Word choices are specific and impeccable. The story captivates. The central mystery unfurls in layer after layer of falsehoods and deception. It's easy to get hooked on the book's heady cocktail of highly rated television and high-stakes subterfuge." --ForeWord Reviews

"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!" --Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl and Every Last Lie

"[A] fast-moving page-turner...Donlea skillfully maximizes suspense by juggling narrators and time." --Publishers Weekly on The Girl Who Was Taken

"Donlea's sophomore effort is solid. He effectively tells the story using shifts in time, and...keeps the reader guessing and second-guessing until the end, thanks to an expertly crafted abundance of potential suspects. For fans of medical suspense and forensic thrillers, especially those who like morgue scenes in television crime shows." --Library Journal on The Girl Who was Taken

"If you're looking for a gripping thriller that will give you the chills in the heat of summer, you'll love Some Choose Darkness." --SheReads, Best Books of Summer

"With a soaring pace and teasing plot twists, Charlie Donlea's debut mystery is like a cool drink of water with a twist of lemon. It's refreshing to find a book that has such a well-developed plot and excellent writing to back it up." --BookPage on Summit Lake

About the Author

Charlie Donlea is the USA Today, IndieBound, and #1 internationally bestselling author of critically acclaimed, propulsive thrillers including The Girl Who Was Taken, Twenty Years Later, Some Choose Darkness, and Those Empty Eyes. Published in nearly 40 countries and translated into more than a dozen languages, his books have sold nearly 2.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Donlea has been praised for his "soaring pace, teasing plot twists" (BookPage) and talent for writing an ending that "makes your jaw drop" (The New York Times Book Review). He was born and raised in Chicago, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. Visit him online at CharlieDonlea.com.