Charlie Donlea's Blog

My New Thriller

Guess Again releases on July 29th. It has been described as The Silence of the Lambs meets Cruel Summer. I wrote it so that each chapter contains clues for the reader to discover so they can work side by side with the main character to figure out the final twist before they get to the last page.

If you read closely, maybe you'll guess the surprise ending correctly. Good luck...

Guess AgainCharlie Donlea

BEFORE I GO

As many Goodreads fans know, I wrote a novel under the pen name Brian Charles.

BEFORE I GO is a love story with a twist, and is very different from the edgy thrillers I usually writer (hence the pen name).

It's been described as THE NOTEBOOK meets THE SHACK, and is set in Chicago during the Holidays.

WARNING: It will make you cry, but it will also make you laugh and fill you you hope this Holiday Season.

I hope you decide to check it out.

Blog post about BEFORE I GO: https://www.charliedonlea.com/post/be...

Happy Holidays,
—Charlie Donlea


Before I Go

THE FIRM, Only Better...

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to say Thank You to all the Goodreads readers and reviewers who have helped put TWENTY YEARS LATER on the map. I am truly grateful!

To those who have shelved the book to their TBR lists, here is a blog post about the writing of the novel – a little "Behind the Scenes" information about how Twenty Years Later came to be. And why it reminded my agent of John Grisham's THE FIRM, only better...

I hope you find it interesting.

https://www.charliedonlea.com/post/th...

All the best,

Charlie Donlea Twenty Years Later Behind the Scenes

Q&A

Hi Everyone,
Traveling Sisters Book Reviews as invited me to a Q&A on Wednesday, August 19. Basically an AMA and I'll be popping in all day to answer your question about my books, writing, finding an agent, or anything you want to discuss!

Follow the link below to join in on the conversation.

The group is: Behind the Pages with The Traveling Sisters


https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Thanks for reading my books!

Charlie Donlea

Reviews

The Suicide House

Dear Goodreads Readers, Friends, and Reviewers,

Thanks for all the kind words you’ve offered for The Suicide House. If you have the time, and would be kind enough, please cut and paste your reviews to Amazon. It would mean the world to me.

In-the-know readers are very active on Goodreads, but more casual readers often check reviews on Amazon. The more the merrier. Thanks for taking the time to review my books and voice your opinions; it’s certainly allowed others to find my novels.

Thanks a million,

Charlie Donlea

Book Giveaway | THE SUICIDE HOUSE

View My May Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I hope you are staying safe and healthy during this quarantine. Many of us, myself included, are suffering a bit of cabin fever as we work from home and shelter in place. But better times are ahead, and we will hopefully soon be enjoying warmer weather and outdoor activities that will help break this cycle. Perhaps, even, we will start getting back to normal.

During this time of isolation, entertainment is at a premium. Readers have asked about my next thriller and when it will be available. The Suicide House House is slated for an August release, so we still have about three months until pub day.

But fret not! My publishing house has teamed up with Goodreads to give away 100 digital copies. The giveaway is open now and lasts until May 10, so head over to Goodreads to ENTER. Good luck!

If you don’t have a Kindle or e-reader, there will be future giveaways of the physical copy. To be the first to learn about these giveaways, and for more information about the book, I invite everyone to visit TheSuicideHouse.com where you can sign up to become an INSIDER. You will receive all the latest updates on the book as we get closer to publication.

That’s all for now. Stay safe!


—Charlie Donlea
@CharlieDonlea

Add to your Goodreads The Suicide House


Interested in learning more about the "Inspiration" behind my novels? Read More

About The Suicide House
A chilling murder in a prestigious prep school is at the heart of this riveting new novel from acclaimed author Charlie Donlea, featuring forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore and her psychologist partner, Lane Phillips.

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. . . .

Pre-Order Now



Coming July 28, 2020
US Edition



Coming Aug 4, 2020
Australian Edition


Check out THE SUICIDE HOUSE PODCAST and read an excerpt

Ten Facts About Some Choose Darkness

Ten Facts About Some Choose Darkness
—From the Author, Charlie Donlea

1. Two covers, two titles. Same book



Australian Edition
SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS (5/28/19 US) has a different cover and title than the Australian version. In Australia, the book was released as THE WOMAN IN DARKNESS (4/2/19 AU). It’s the same book for those of you inquiring, and many of you have, hoping that I had put out yet another book in 2019. I wish I could write that fast but my last name is Donlea, not Patterson.

In the publishing world, different countries (and different publishers) warrant different titles and cover art to fit with their buyer audience. “Woman” in titles is still very popular in Australia, and so...a title change.


2. Two different covers for SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS

First Draft
When a book is in development and a publishing house is starting its promotion, one of the first steps is to introduce the novel to booksellers to get their opinion on the synopsis, the logline, and the cover.

Especially the cover! The artwork that drapes the cover of a novel is a carefully plotted storyline all to itself. The cover is what draws a reader’s attention. It’s what gets a reader to grab the book off the shelf and read the cover flap. So, the cover has to be perfect. It has to be eye-catching. It has to match the trends of the season. Or, better yet, it has to lead the charge.



Final Cover
The art department at my US publishing house had designed a fabulous cover for Some Choose Darkness before they nixed it after receiving negative feedback from booksellers.
For the record, I couldn’t be happier with the final cover. The booksellers love it, and so do I. More on that below...


3. Chicago, IL

Some Choose Darkness is my first book set in Chicago, the city where I grew up. I had no plans to set the story in Chicago until I took a trip to my childhood neighborhood with my kids to show them the house where I was raised. They were completely puzzled by the “small road” behind my childhood house and wanted to know all about this curious bit of urban architecture.

Alley

The small road was an alley, and when I realized my kids had no idea what they were or that they even existed, I knew I was going to set my next novel in the city of my youth (and give alleys a starring role). More about this epiphany and my trip to the city in this blog post.


4. Starved Rock, IL

Starved Rock, Illinois is a State Park located 2 hours southwest of Chicago. It was voted the #1 attraction in the state of Illinois. With its towering trees, majestic waterfalls, and miles of hiking trails along the Illinois River, it’s a world apart from the urban setting of Chicago. It plays a major role in Some Choose Darkness, and the two contrasting settings create a great atmosphere for the book. (blog post link)


Ripple

In fact, the tranquil but chilling backdrop of Starved Rock plays such a significant role in the story that the amazing and clever cover design offers a snippet of the things that take place there. Like a pebble dropped in a pond, the events that transpire in Starved Rock will create ripples that go on forever and ever...


Peoria, IL

Peoria is a city 2.5 hours southwest of Chicago. It's perched on the Illinois River and in addition to it's famous Grandview Drive in the heart of the bustling downtown area that looks out over the river valley, the surrounding county is also known for its rolling meadows, miles of cornfields, and farmhouses. Beautiful and majestic farmhouses.

The Illinois River links Peoria to Starved Rock, and both of these rural settings are perfect contradictions to the urban setting of Chicago that makes up most of the book.


5. Art Imitating Life (Imitating Art)

In Some Choose Darkness, a serial killer who stalked the streets of Chicago in 1979 is released from jail after spending forty years at Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison in Crest Hill, Illinois, not far from Chicago.

Because of public outcry (and outrage), the judge grants this “reformed” killer some leniency so that his whereabouts will not be made public upon his release.

After a friend read an early copy of Some Choose Darkness, he sent me a text alerting me to an eerily similar situation that was currently playing out in the Chicago media. Apparently, a serial killer who terrorized Chicago in the early 1980s was being released from Stateville Correction Center after spending nearly forty years in jail.

The exact whereabouts of his living arrangements had not been made public at the time of me writing this. The public is outraged. Here is a link to the story.


I had no idea about this story before I started writing Some Choose Darkness. I actually spent a considerable amount of time talking with two lawyer friends to make sure it was possible for a convicted serial killer to find his way out of prison. Apparently, it is. Sometimes coincidences are just too creepy to think about.


6. Forensic Reconstruction

Rory Moore is a forensic reconstructionist. She reconstructs cold case homicides until she finds answers that the best detectives have missed. To the best of my knowledge, this occupation doesn’t exist. But man, it fits Rory and her uncanny abilities perfectly.


Kestner Dolls

Her occupation goes hand-in-hand with her hobby of restoring damaged porcelain China dolls. Both demand attention to detail, a bit of obsession and redundancy, and a mind that sees answers where everyone else sees questions.


7. Mental Illness

Autism plays a major role in the novel. In the 1970s, autism was poorly understood. It was often confused with schizophrenia and mental retardation. This misconception weaves its way into the narrative and forces a main character to overcome stereotypes that have held her back her entire life.


8. Dark Lord Stout
3 Floyds.com

Rory Moore’s vice is a Russian-style Imperial Stout called Dark Lord. It’s impossible to find craft beer produced by 3 Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana.

In real life, Dark Lord is available only one day a year — on Dark Lord Day — when 3 Floyds holds a ticketed tasting event at the brewery. Tickets sell out in minutes, and are scalped for hundreds of dollars. Rory Moore, of course, has other means of obtaining the beer she loves. They involve the creepy China dolls she restores and some bartering.


9. Murder Accountability Project
MurderData.org

In Some Choose Darkness, Rory Moore is part of the Murder Accountability Project—a company that uses a computer algorithm to track down serial killers. By looking for trends in homicides from around the country, the algorithm finds similarities in homicides in order to identify a pattern of killing.

There is a real-life Murder Accountability Project that is responsible for identifying serial killers, including some that have been tracked down, tried, and convicted. One famous case was from Gary, Indiana, just south of Chicago. Recently, the algorithm has picked up on similarities in killings around Chicago, too, and it is suspected that there may be a serial killer on the loose. Here is the link to the article.

Thomas Hargrove is the founder and CEO of the Murder Accountability Project, and I’m grateful that he took my calls when I was researching this book, and donated his time to explain what he does. He made it into the acknowledgments.


10. Great Aunt, Old Lady, Friend

Some Choose Darkness is dedicated to my great-aunt, Cecilia A. Donat. Aunt Ceil had ten great-nieces and nephews who loved her dearly. I was proud to be one of them and to have gained her wisdom (and sass) during my youth.

If a more independent woman existed on this planet, I never met her. Aunt Ceil lived until she was ninety-seven years old. I called her “old lady” every time we had a visit, and she loved it. Rory Moore calls her great aunt the same thing.





Charlie Donlea is the USA Today and International bestselling author of Summit Lake, The Girl Who Was Taken and Don't Believe It. His fourth novel, Some Choose Darkness to be released May 28, 2019. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages across fifteen countries. He resides in Chicago with his wife and two young children. More about Charlie

On Sale Now! Buy the Book

To view photos and read the entire Blog Post

—Charlie Donlea

Originally posted as part of Q&A with Charlie Donlea 6/19 For other interviews like this visit: JudithDCollins.com

Review: New York Journal of Books —Some Choose Darkness

“Donlea’s cinematic style puts readers squarely into the scenes, and his skillful prose takes his work to a higher level.”

Some writers choose tried and true tropes and straightforward story structure. For Some Choose Darkness, Charlie Donlea treads literary ground not often traveled.

Different time periods, different points of view, and characters who don’t fit into neurotypical norms are all bold choices for a bold writer.

The plot hops back and forth between 1979, 1981, and 2019. We experience the story through the eyes of the killer, those who hunt him, those who fear him, and those who are forced to help him.

Two of the point of view characters struggle with autism and mental health issues. These characters are faced with the challenges of dealing with society’s expectations and prejudices along with the difficulties of their own personal demons.

“Angela would forever be aware of the sideways glances she encountered from most of the world, but she took solace in the fact that Thomas accepted her, despite her many idiosyncrasies.”

In 1979, a serial killer finds the noose, literally, tightening around his neck as he’s brought to justice. In the present, Rory Moore—a forensic reconstructionist with a law degree—finds herself forced to handle his appeal for parole.

Despite her honesty, “Sir, I’m not suited for a courtroom. Or parole boards. Or for lawyering, in general,” a judge requires she brush off her bar card to complete the negotiations started by her recently deceased father. Forced into contact with the convicted killer, Rory does what she does best: reconstruct his crimes.

Her reconstruction, augmented with information she discovers going through her father’s records, unravels secrets held hostage for 40 years.

The year 1981 tracks the experiences of Rory’s father, the one-time attorney of record for The Thief, as he was named during his killing spree in 1979.

All of the jumps in time and multiple points of view provide readers with more information than any one character. Because of this, Donlea creates suspense not through wondering what happened so much as what will happen next.

Despite the various point of view characters, Rory Moore is the clear protagonist. She is a compelling character in the vein of Lisbeth Salander and Temperance Brennan.

She’s on the spectrum, extremely bright, and socially awkward, but able to maintain relationships when she wants to. Rory brings her expertise in understanding victims, and the crimes perpetrated against them, to solving the unsolvable. Her quirky thought processes and near eidetic memory make her a formidable if unconventional, investigator.

Faced with aiding The Thief, she goes down the rabbit hole, following her hunch that the only murder her client was convicted for is the one crime he didn’t commit. She takes his history, and ultimately her own, apart piece by piece, then puts it back together again, whole.

Donlea’s cinematic style puts readers squarely into the scenes and his skillful prose takes his work to a higher level. “The woman reached into the garden, pinched the clippers to the base of the rose, and severed its stem.”

Donlea also does a good job of keeping readers located in time and place despite the complicated timeline and numerous characters. Though sometimes to a fault, as information becomes repetitive when characters reiterate information readers already know.

Donlea’s autistic characters have active roles, not just supporting characters or victims. They have autonomy, skills, and lives more complex than simply being strange women, out of step with society.

The pace might be faster, however, if he relied more on showing us these dynamic characters in action rather than telling us about their challenges.


Despite the sometimes slower pace and occasionally repetitive passages, Donlea’s unique characters and complicated story create enough tension to satisfy most mystery readers. More psychological than thriller, the novel fits into Donlea’s impressive list of titles with uncommon protagonists.

Rather than taking the well-traveled road of a traditional private eye or writing a straight-up police procedural, Donlea upsets story structure and plays with storytelling techniques while simultaneously presenting sleuths we might not have seen before.

Though not every bold attempt is completely successful, Donlea creates an intriguing character in Rory Moore.

Some Choose Darkness ends with enough unfinished threads that the door is open for a sequel. More importantly, Rory Moore is a strong enough protagonist to carry a series. So the final question the novel asks is what will Donlea write next. Read the Review

SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS AVAILABLE NOW!

New York Journal of Books. Reviewed by: Elena Hartwell

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Tags: #copprocedurals #suspense #thriller #mystery #psychological #chicago #fiction #crime #mentalhealth #forensics #scd #charliedonlea #darklord #somechoosedarkness #murder #kestnerdolls #reconstruction #profiling #serialkiller #may2019books #Kensington #femalesleuth #nyjournalofbooks #elenahartwell #bookreview

Spring🌴Break, Beach Reads 📚 & An Early Father's Day 👔 Present

I’m a beach reader. My wife and I have been going on beach vacations since we visited the Cayman Islands on our Honeymoon where I laid on the Seven Mile Beach reading Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park.

I plan my vacation reads weeks in advance. I purchase them early, save them, and then pack them into my carry-on. I keep them tucked away until I’m settled on the airplane.

Then, once we’re airborne, I dig in. My goal is always to be solidly into the story by the time I hit the beach with a 🥃 rumrunner.

My wife is the same way. My kids have witnessed this behavior ever since their first beach vacation with us. They’ve watched their parents lay in the sun and...read. Simply read. On the beach, 🏖 with no phones and no computers. Just a book and a rum drink.

So, when we went to Turks and Caicos this past March and my son and daughter pulled up neighboring chairs to read with us poolside, I had to smile. Not only because they were adopting a tradition their mom and dad love, but also because they were each cozying up with one of my books.

Frisbee in the sand and waterslides, early morning beach walks and pool volleyball, were fabulous parts of the trip. 🐠 Catamaran cruises and reef fishing, too.

Late night dinners and midnight moon viewings are things that made the trip special. I'll remember those things forever. 🥂

But it was the times during the day when we all sat poolside reading our books, so simple and quiet, that made the trip unforgettable.
A "few moments" from those days stand out.

Like when my daughter looked up and said, “Oh. My. God. Dad, this is so good!”

And when my son closed Don’t Believe It and said, “I didn’t see that coming. And I’m not talking about the first twist.”

On those days, the rum was a little sweeter, the ocean breeze 🌊 a bit more refreshing, and life in general pretty good. 😎

For as long as I’ve published books, the tagline on my bio has read: He lives in Chicago with his wife and two young children. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

I guess it's time to change that. They’re not that young anymore. At least, they’re old enough to read Dad’s books.

And they're kind enough kids to let me know they like them, which is the best Father’s Day gift I’ve ever received. Even if it came a couple of months early.

Happy Father's Day.

—Charlie Donlea
June , 2019


View the Blog Post

Review: Booklist—Some Choose Darkness

“Part 1970s serial-killer thriller and part contemporary Chicago crime novel, this deceptively quick read has something for everyone.”—Booklist



Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea


Rory Moore is a forensic reconstructionist who uses her genius IQ and phenomenal attention to detail to reassemble crime scenes and the events that happened there. When her lawyer father dies, she’s forced to dust off her law degree and represent one of his clients at a decades-delayed parole hearing. Researching the case, she finds parallels between herself and the inmate’s alleged victim, Angela Mitchell, who disappeared in 1979, one of five Chicago women who were presumed abducted that summer. Angela was considered “odd” or “fragile” by her family and friends, but Rory recognizes the behaviors of an autistic woman trying to drown out the sounds of a distracting world. Part 1970s serial-killer thriller and part contemporary Chicago crime novel, this deceptively quick read has something for everyone. This is bestselling author Donlea’s fourth novel (following Don’t Believe It, 2018).

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