Kindle Unlimited: Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea

Publisher: Kensington Books

Published: 3/28/2023

Pages: 370

Genre: Crime/Thriller/Mystery

Review: Kindle Unlimited

Amazon

Alex Armstrong has changed everything about herself—her name, her appearance, her backstory. She’s no longer the terrified teenager a rapt audience saw on television, emerging in handcuffs from the quiet suburban home the night her family was massacred. That girl, Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, was accused of the killings, fought to clear her name, and later took the stand during her highly publicized defamation lawsuit that captured the attention of the nation.

It’s been ten years since, and Alex hasn’t stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who’s under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister.

Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university’s faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children.

Most shocking of all—as Alex digs into Laura’s disappearance, she realizes there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be . .

This book popped up in my search for books to read, and I was glad it did. We are introduced to Alex, who sadly was a victim of her parents and brother's death. She was accused, but later, it was proved she did not do it. Everything should be good now, right? Well, everything is not like it seems. Alex is determined to find her family's killer, and I was not expecting what she uncovers. 

Now, there were some things I had to stop and rethink, and sure enough, it reminded me of the Epstein case. Which was crazy. 

Alex has moved on with her life and, 10 years later, works for the law firm that helped her when her parents died. Her job is to find what the law firm clients hide; sometimes, it isn't always good. She doesn't get out and mingle even though she probably should. Her time is spent trying to find the killer who killed her family. She hasn't let that go, and I don't blame her. She wants answers. However, what she uncovers is something more than she ever expected! Sometimes, those close to you are hiding something. 

Things from the past play a part in the now, and I am here for it. I liked how we went back and forth between then and now; if it is done correctly, it makes you want to read more. I so did not expect the twist that showed up towards the end. 

Charlie Donlea is the USA TODAY and #1 Internationally bestselling author of SUMMIT LAKE, THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN, DON'T BELIEVE IT, SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS, THE SUICIDE HOUSE, TWENTY YEARS LATER, and THOSE EMPTY EYES. His eighth thriller, LONG TIME GONE, explores the science of forensic genealogy and will be released in June 2024.

His books have been translated into twenty languages across nearly forty countries. He resides in Chicago with his wife and two children.

He spends a part of each year fishing with his father in the far reaches of Canada, where the roads end and lakes are accessible only by floatplane. These majestic trips to “God’s Country” inspired the setting for his first novel, Summit Lake.