Amazon.com: Charlie Donlea: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Summit Lake Mar 28, 2017

$8.29

“A gem of a mystery, fast-paced and suspenseful.”--Catherine Coulter, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

Set in a small, picturesque North Carolina town, Charlie Donlea’s suspenseful debut novel tells the haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.

“No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.”

Some places seem too beautiful to be touched by horror. Summit Lake, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is that kind of place, with charming stilt houses dotted along the pristine water. But two weeks ago, Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student, was brutally murdered in one of those houses. The daughter of a powerful attorney, Becca was hard-working, accomplished, and ambitious. Now, while the town reels with grief and shocked residents gather to share their theories, the police are baffled.

At first, investigative reporter Kelsey Castle thinks of the assignment as a fluff piece. But the savagery of the crime, and the determined efforts to keep the case quiet, all hint at something far more than a random attack by a stranger. As Kelsey digs deeper, pushing on despite danger and warnings, she feels a growing connection to the dead girl. And the more she learns about Becca’s friendships, her love life—and the secrets she was keeping—the more convinced she becomes that learning the truth about Becca could be the key to overcoming her own dark past…

Advance Praise for Summit Lake

“An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last. There’s a bright future ahead for this newcomer to the thriller genre — definitely a talent to watch.”--Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“Gripping! This one kept me up late into the night.”--Nancy Bush, New York Times bestselling author

“A swift, outstanding debut. Summit Lake engrossed me then knocked me cold. Charlie Donlea is a superb storyteller sure to damage the best seller lists.”--Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

“Summit Lake makes a small town come alive through the lens of madness, misunderstandings, betrayal, and a pile of the kind of secrets that makes a mystery of a life so hard to untangle from its death. The pages fly by, zinging through the twists and revelations, all the way to the shattering conclusion.”--Jamie Mason

“A brilliant, haunting thriller in which The Lovely Bones meets The Silence of the Lambs—with a bit of Twin Peaks thrown in for good measure! Charlie Donlea weaves a unique, spellbinding tale about a bond between two fascinating women—one living, one dead. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Summit Lake is an irresistible page-turner.”--Kevin O’Brien, New York Times bestselling author

“Grabs you from the very start and doesn’t let go! This gripping thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat and gasping in all the right places. Donlea spins a perfectly crafted story of two women, both victims of violent crime, searching for justice, redemption and ultimately—peace. You won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve uncovered all the secrets hidden inside the picturesque town of Summit Lake.”--Emily Bleeker

The Girl Who Was Taken Mar 27, 2018

by Charlie Donlea

( 459 )

$1.99

Two abducted girls—one who returns, one who doesn’t.

The night they go missing, high school seniors Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are at a beach party in their small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. Police launch a massive search, but hope is almost lost—until Megan escapes from a bunker deep in the woods. . . . A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has made Megan a celebrity. It’s a triumphant story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing.

Nicole’s older sister, Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole’s body will be found and her sister’s fate determined. Instead, the first clue comes from another body—that of a young man connected to Nicole’s past. Livia reaches out to Megan to learn more about that fateful night. Other girls have disappeared, and she’s increasingly sure the cases are connected.

Megan knows more than she revealed in her book. Flashes of memory are pointing to something more monstrous than she described. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you’ve been looking for . . .

“A fast-moving page-turner. . . . Donlea skillfully maximizes suspense by juggling narrators and time all the way to the shocking final twists.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Well worth the read.”
—Booklist

“Donlea’s sophomore effort is solid. He keeps the reader guessing and second-guessing until the end, thanks to an expertly crafted abundance of potential suspects.”
—Library Journal

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Some Choose Darkness (A Rory Moore/Lane Phillips Novel Book 1) May 28, 2019

by Charlie Donlea

( 342 )

$0.99

Forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case . . .

In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies or clues behind—until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigations appeared to unmask the killer. Then Angela disappeared without a trace. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder. But the cryptic file Rory finds in her father’s law office suggests there is more to the case.

Making one startling discovery after another, Rory becomes helplessly entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell and what happened to her. As she continues to dig, even Rory can’t be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging . . .

The Suicide House: A Gripping and Brilliant Novel of Suspense (A Rory Moore/Lane Phillips Novel Book 2) Jul 28, 2020

by Charlie Donlea

( 410 )

$7.11

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

A chilling murder in a prestigious prep school is at the heart of this riveting 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 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 . . .

Don't Believe It Mar 26, 2019

by Charlie Donlea

( 253 )

$7.99

From acclaimed author Charlie Donlea comes a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel of suspense in which a filmmaker helps clear a woman convicted of murder—only to find she may be a puppet in a sinister game.

The Girl of Sugar Beach is the most watched documentary in television history—a riveting, true-life mystery that unfolds over twelve weeks and centers on a fascinating question: Did Grace Sebold murder her boyfriend, Julian, while on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of circumstance and poor police work? Grace has spent the last ten years in a St. Lucian prison, and reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan in a last, desperate attempt to prove her innocence.

As Sidney begins researching, she uncovers startling evidence, additional suspects, and timeline issues that were all overlooked during the original investigation. Before the series even finishes filming, public outcry leads officials to reopen the case. But as the show surges towards its final episodes, Sidney receives a letter saying that she got it badly, terribly wrong.

Sidney has just convinced the world that Grace is innocent. Now she wonders if she has helped to free a ruthless killer. Delving into Grace’s past, she peels away layer after layer of deception. But as Sidney edges closer to the real heart of the story, she must decide if finding the truth is worth risking her newfound fame, her career . . . even her life.

Twenty Years Later Dec 28, 2021

by Charlie Donlea

$13.77

In this gripping new thriller from #1 international bestselling author Charlie Donlea, a TV news host sets out to uncover the truth behind a brutal, decades-old murder . . .

Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.

Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.

But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life belies a much darker mystery. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .

La chica que se llevaron (versión latinoamericana): Ella no recuerda nada. Mejor así (Spanish Edition) Mar 1, 2021

by Charlie Donlea, Constanza Fantin Bello

( 10 )

$8.99

Ella no recuerda nada. Mejor así. Su verdad era solo la mitad de la historia.
Megan McDonald está terminando el bachillerato, es popular, carismática, y tiene un futuro increíble por delante. En una de sus últimas noches en Emerson Bay, la secuestran.
Megan está dos semanas en cautiverio hasta que escapa, y pasa a ser conocida como "la chica que se llevaron". Pero esa noche también desapareció Nicole Cutty y de ella nadie sabe nada.
Megan escribe su libro, que se convierte en un bestseller, pero ella no está bien. Recuerda muy poco de lo que ocurrió y necesita saberlo. Livia, médica forense, es la hermana mayor de Nicole. Todavía se siente culpable por no haber contestado el teléfono cuando Nicole la llamó la noche en que desapareció.
Megan y Livia deciden investigar qué pasó con Nicole. Cuanto más profundizan se dan cuenta de que el verdadero terror reside en encontrar exactamente lo que estabas buscando.
Llega al español Charlie Donlea, autor de thrillers, best seller internacional #1, traducido a 12 idiomas en 20 países.
"Donlea mantiene a sus lectores adivinando todo el tiempo. Las vueltas de la historia son inteligentes y atrapantes, para fans que disfrutan de las historias de misterios con giros inesperados". Library Journal.
"Un excelente libro con todos los ingredientes necesarios, cautivante desde la primera a la última página. Charlie Donlea tiene un talento para no perder de vista dentro del género de thrillers". Steve Berry, bestseller de The New York Times

Other Formats: Paperback

Twenty Years Later: Sneak Peek May 31, 2021

by Charlie Donlea

( 62 )

$0.00

Be one of the first to read this sneak peek of the gripping new thriller from #1 international bestselling author Charlie Donlea, a TV news host sets out to uncover the truth behind a brutal, decades-old murder . . .

Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.

Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.

But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life belies a much darker mystery. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .

Mörderische Aussichten: Thriller & Krimi bei Droemer Knaur: Ausgewählte Leseproben von S. K. Tremayne, Isolde Peter, Veit Etzold, Val McDermid uvm. (German Edition) May 1, 2020

by Thomas Rydahl, A. J. Kazinski, Joseph Knox, Isolde Peter, Magnus Argen, Val McDermid, Sam Eastland, S. K. Tremayne, Charlie Donlea, John Katzenbach, Gilly Macmillan, Veit Etzold, Lisa Jackson, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Eva Siegmund

( 4 )

$0.00

Sie lieben Nervenkitzel und Spannung? Das schön-schaurige Gefühl, das Ihnen den Rücken hinabläuft, wenn Sie von Verschwörungen, Psychoterror oder Mordfällen lesen? Dann ist dieser Leseproben-Mix genau das Richtige für Sie!

Bewahren Sie die Ruhe, wenn plötzlich die Smart Home-Assistentin aus S. K. Tremaynes "Die Stimme" Dinge über ihre Besitzerin weiß, die sie nicht wissen dürfte, oder Dinge tut, zu denen sie nicht in der Lage sein dürfte? Sie faszinieren zukunftsnahe, dystopische Szenarien? Wie wäre es dann mit dem Techno-Thriller "Sodom", in dem durch Prothesen optimierte Killer die Straßen Berlins in einen tödlichen Dschungel verwandeln?

Nach all den Schockern darf es auch etwas humorvoller sein? Begleiten Sie die Staatsanwalts-Sekretärin Daisy Dollinger, die mit ihrem Dackel Wastl zur Undercover-Agentin wird und plötzlich einen Mord vor dem Münchner Hofbräuhaus aufklären muss, in Isolde Peters "Der halbe Russ".

Diese und weitere Geschichten von AutorInnen wie John Katzenbach, Val McDermid, Lisa Jackson oder dem Erfolgsduo Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child finden Sie in den Vorab-Leseproben zu den Spannungs-Titeln von Droemer Knaur, die im Herbst und Winter 2020 erscheinen. Nervenkitzel und beste Unterhaltung garantiert!

Das kostenlose eBook enthält Leseproben zu:

- Rydahl/Kazinski, "Die tote Meerjungfrau"

- Isolde Peter, "Der halbe Russ"

- Val McDermid, "Das Grab im Moor"

- S. K. Tremayne, "Die Stimme"

- John Katzenbach, "Der Bruder"

- Gilly Macmillan, "Sieben Wahrheiten"

- Veit Etzold, "Final Control"

- Lisa Jackson, "Paranoid"

- Eva Siegmund, "Sodom"

La chica que se llevaron (versión española): Ella no recuerda nada. Mejor así (Motus nº 1) (Spanish Edition) Mar 1, 2021

by Charlie Donlea, Constanza Fantin Bellocq

( 15 )

$8.99

Ella no recuerda nada. Mejor así. Su verdad era solo la mitad de la historia.
Megan McDonald está terminando el bachillerato, es popular, carismática, y tiene un futuro increíble por delante. En una de sus últimas noches en Emerson Bay, la secuestran.
Megan está dos semanas en cautiverio hasta que escapa, y pasa a ser conocida como "la chica que se llevaron". Pero esa noche también desapareció Nicole Cutty y de ella nadie sabe nada.
Megan escribe su libro, que se convierte en un bestseller, pero ella no está bien. Recuerda muy poco de lo que ocurrió y necesita saberlo. Livia, médica forense, es la hermana mayor de Nicole. Todavía se siente culpable por no haber contestado el teléfono cuando Nicole la llamó la noche en que desapareció.
Megan y Livia deciden investigar qué pasó con Nicole. Cuanto más profundizan se dan cuenta de que el verdadero terror reside en encontrar exactamente lo que estabas buscando.
Llega al español Charlie Donlea, autor de thrillers, best seller internacional #1, traducido a 12 idiomas en 20 países.
"Donlea mantiene a sus lectores adivinando todo el tiempo. Las vueltas de la historia son inteligentes y atrapantes, para fans que disfrutan de las historias de misterios con giros inesperados". Library Journal.
"Un excelente libro con todos los ingredientes necesarios, cautivante desde la primera a la última página. Charlie Donlea tiene un talento para no perder de vista dentro del género de thrillers". Steve Berry, bestseller de The New York Times

Getrieben: Psychothriller (German Edition) Sep 1, 2021

by Charlie Donlea, Sonja Rebernik-Heidegger

$11.99

Zwei Frauen, getrennt durch 40 Jahre – ein Serienkiller, der beide verbindet:
"Getrieben" ist ein rasanter, raffiniert geplotteter Psychothriller aus den USA.

Chicago 1979: Ein Serienkiller verschleppt und tötet fünf Frauen, ohne die geringste Spur zu hinterlassen. Die Stadt ist in Aufruhr, die Polizei tappt im Dunklen – bis Angela Mitchell sich bei den Cops meldet, die den Fall akribisch aus Zeitungsberichten rekonstruiert hat und den entscheidenden Hinweis liefert. Kurz darauf ist Angela spurlos verschwunden.
40 Jahre später stößt Rory Moore, Forensikerin für Cold Cases bei der Polizei von Chicago, mehr oder weniger zufällig auf die alte Geschichte: Ihr verstorbener Vater hat den Serienkiller als Anwalt vertreten – und offenbar alles daran gesetzt, dass sein Klient inhaftiert bleibt. Doch nun wird der Mann auf Bewährung entlassen. Rory kann nicht anders, als sich in den Fall zu verbeißen: Weshalb hat ihr Vater gegen seinen Eid als Anwalt verstoßen? Und was hat es mit dem spurlosen Verschwinden von Angela Mitchell auf sich?
Die Forensikerin ahnt nicht, dass ihr dieser Fall weitaus mehr abverlangen wird als ihren unbestechlichen Blick für die Wahrheit …

Geschickt verknüpft der amerikanische Bestseller-Autor Charlie Donlea die Handlungsstränge von zwei Zeitebenen zu einem atemlosen Psychothriller, der am Ende mit mehr als einer schockierenden Wahrheit aufwartet.

Other Formats: Paperback

Pigen der blev bortført (Danish Edition) Apr 21, 2021

by Charlie Donlea, August H. Thomsen

$12.99

To kidnappede piger.
En kommer tilbage. En gør ikke.

High school-pigerne Nicole Cutty og Megan McDonald forsvinder en nat under en strandfest i den lille by Emerson Bay. Politiet iværksætter forgæves en omfattende eftersøgning, og alt håb synes ude – indtil Megan pludselig undslipper fra en bunker dybt inde i skoven ... Et år senere er Megans historie blevet en bestseller, der har gjort hende berømt. Det er en succeshistorie, bortset fra én ubelejlig detalje: Nicole er stadig savnet.
Nicoles storesøster Livia, som er ved at færdiguddanne sig til retsmediciner, regner med, at Nicoles lig en dag vil blive fundet, og at hendes søsters skæbne er fastslået. I stedet kommer hendes første ledetråd i form af et andet lig – en ung mand med forbindelse til Nicoles fortid. Livia tager kontakt til Megan for at få mere at vide om den skæbnesvangre nat. Andre piger er også forsvundet, og Livia bliver mere og mere overbevist om, at der er en forbindelse imellem de forskellige sager.
Megan ved mere, end hun har afsløret i sin bog. Glimtvis begynder hun i sin hukommelse at se noget langt uhyrligere, end hvad hun hidtil har beskrevet. Og jo dybere hun og Livia graver i sagen, desto mere forstår de, at den sande rædsel nogle gange ligger i at finde netop det, man har ledt efter ...

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook

Similar authors to follow

About Charlie Donlea

Customers Also Bought Items By

Are you an author?

Author Updates

More Information