Charlie Donlea

Ethan Hall on jättänyt poliisin työt taakseen ja ryhtynyt ensiapulääkäriksi, koska on väsynyt kohtaamaan pelkkää pahuutta. Menneisyys palaa kuitenkin miehen ovelle, kun hänen entinen etsiväparinsa pyytää apua. Ethanin uran ensimmäisiä tapauksia oli 17-vuotiaan teinitytön katoaminen kymmenen vuotta aiemmin. Juttu ei koskaan ratkennut, ja nyt pormestariksi noussut tytön isä vaatii, että tapausta aletaan tutkia uudelleen. Vastahakoisesti mukaan suostunut Ethan saa tutkimuksissaan apua yllättävältä taholta: eristyssellissä istuvalta sarjamurhaajalta, jonka pidätyksen yhteydessä hänen poliisi-isänsä sai surmansa. Pian Ethan on keskellä sairasta psykologista peliä, jossa totuus pakenee ja muuttaa muotoaan. Onko Ethan valmis katsomaan, kuinka kalliiksi tapauksen ratkaiseminen lopulta käy? Hittikirjailija Charlie Donlean uutuus sukeltaa keskelle pahuuden vetovoimaa ja pikkukaupungin kätkettyjä salaisuuksia.

Putsattu referaatti Kaksoistornien tuhoutumisesta kohtalokkaassa iskussa 11.9.2001 on kulunut 20 vuotta. Uudella DNA-teknologialla yritetään tunnistaa iskussa kuolleiden henkilöllisyyksiä. Ensimmäinen tunnistettu uhri on Victoria Ford, jota syytettiin naimisissa olevan rakastajansa murhasta, mutta joka ei koskaan päätynyt oikeuden eteen, kun tornien romahdus hautasi koko jutun alleen. Toimittaja Avery Mason on kovassa nousukiidossa urallaan. Hän lähtee tekemään reportaasia tunnistuksesta mutta törmää monimutkaiseen tapaukseen täynnä seksiä, valheita ja vääriä henkilöllisyyksiä. Avukseen Avery saa tutkimusta aikoinaan johtaneen rikostutkijan, joka on rakkaudessa pettyneenä erakoitunut Jamaikalle. Tutkimusten täyteiset päivät New Yorkissa muuttavat molempien elämän, sillä kumpikin kantaa myös oman menneisyytensä salaisuuksia. Löytyykö totuus ja voiko mennyttä sovittaa? ”Tarinan ainesosat - aviorikos, väärät henkilöllisyydet, salatut motiivit, väärennökset, väkivaltainen seksi ja yllättävät lukujen lopetukset - koukuttavat, ja Donlean kerronta kuljettaa tarinaa vastaansanomattomasti eteenpäin.” - The New York Times

It was an unsolvable case. Now, the truth is coming out... and it will break apart everything they hold dear. Ten years ago, seventeen-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicised search followed but her body was never found. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger. Ethan Hall, a former renegade detective turned ER doctor, left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the kid crime division. But on the tenth anniversary of Callie's disappearance, his former partner, Pete Kramer, makes a desperate request. Pete is the veteran detective who originally investigated the case. Now he's dying, and to ease his conscience and get closure for the Jones family, he needs Ethan to find out what happened to Callie, once and for all. Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. Amid a sweltering heatwave, Ethan's investigation gains momentum, and soon he is drawn into a twisted psychological game. There is much more to the nightmare of Callie's disappearance than he imagined, including a connection with his own dark past... and secrets that are still worth killing for. An edge-of-your-seat thriller perfect for fans of Riley Sager, Stacy Willingham, and Karin Slaughter.

A USA Today Bestselling Author Ten years ago, high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger. Ethan Hall, a former detective, left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the kid crime division. But on the tenth anniversary of Callie's disappearance, his former partner makes a desperate request. To ease his conscience and get closure for the Jones family, he needs Ethan to solve what happened. Ethan's investigation draws him deeper into a twisted psychological game. Because there is much more to the nightmare of Callie's disappearance than he imagined, including a connection with his own past ... and secrets that are still worth killing for.

The book is in Russian 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...

On the 10th anniversary of a teenage girl's disappearance, her cold case breaks open in dangerous ways...and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again in the masterfully twisty new psychological suspense novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later. For fans of Riley Sager, Anna Downes, Alex Finlay, Stacy Willingham, and Karin Slaughter. Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicized search followed but her body was never found. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger. Ethan Hall, a former renegade detective turned ER doctor, left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the kid crime division. But on the tenth anniversary of Callie's disappearance, his former partner, Pete Kramer, makes a desperate request. Pete is the veteran detective who originally investigated the case. Now he's dying, and to ease his conscience and get closure for the Jones family, he needs Ethan to return to the haunting work he left behind--and solve what happened to Callie, once and for all. Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. Amid a sweltering heatwave, Ethan's investigation gains momentum, but reexamining old evidence won't be enough. He needs a new way into the case, no matter how dangerous or unconventional. Soon Ethan's methods draw him deeper into a twisted psychological game. Because there is much more to the nightmare of Callie's disappearance than he imagined, including a connection with his own dark past . . . and secrets that are still worth killing for.

"Preston i Annabel Margolis vmeste so svoej dvukhmesjachnoj docherju - prelestnym mladentsem, kotorogo strana uznala, kak malyshku Sharlottu, - ischezli iz Sidar-Krik, shtat Nevada, 4 ijulja 1995 goda. Preston byl synom izvestnogo advokataRida Margolisa i mnogoobeschajuschim juristom .... Nesmotrja na masshtabnoe rassledovanie i mesjatsy shirokogo osveschenija v SMI, podozrevaemykh v ischeznovenii semi tak i ne nashlos, i delo desjatiletijami ostavalos zakrytym."Mechta trudoljubivoj i tseleustremlennoj Sloan Khastings -stat sudebno-meditsinskim ekspertom. Chtoby luchshe razobratsja v tonkostjakh nauki, Sloan otpravljaet svoju DNK na analiz.Poluchennye rezultaty shokirujut zhenschinu.Ee nastojaschee imja - Sharlotta Margolis, i ona ta samaja "malyshka Sharlotta", chja istorija vzbudorazhila vsju stranu tridtsat let nazad.Chtoby razobratsja v sobytijakh dalekogo proshlogo i ponjat, chto na samom dele proizoshlo s ee biologicheskimi roditeljami, Sloan otpravljaetsja v Sidar-Krik. Okazyvaetsja, chto vlasti vlijanie semi Margolis v etom gorode ochen silny. Rodnye Sloan privetlivy i mily s nej. No ne vse rady vozvrascheniju "malyshki Sharlotty" i voprosam, kotorye ona zadaet. A kto-to gotov pojti na vse, chtoby kladbische semejnykh tajn Margolisov ostavalos netronutym...

Ett spädbarn försvinner spårlöst. Trettio år senare är hon fortfarande i fara. Under sin första dag på doktorandutbildningen i rättsmedicinsk patologi, får Sloan Hastings ett forskningsuppdrag inom genealogi. Hon beslutar sig för att skicka in sitt eget DNA till en släktforskningssida för att få en bättre förståelse för hur DNA-identifiering fungerar. Sloan vet att hon är adopterad och är tacksam för det kärleksfulla hem hon vuxit upp i. Hon har aldrig varit intresserad av att spåra sina biologiska föräldrar. Men när hon får tillbaka testresultaten är de chockerande. Enligt DNA-testet är hon Charlotte Margolis, även känd som "baby Charlotte", som i juli 1995, då hon var två månader, försvann med sina föräldrar. Fallet fångade nationens uppmärksamhet, men trots omfattande sökningar sågs familjen aldrig till igen och inga misstänkta identifierades. Sloans efterforskningar för henne till Cedar Creek i Nevada, där försvinnandet inträffade. Där möter hon sheriff Eric Stamos, som hoppas att Sloan kan hjälpa till att lösa mysteriet, samt ta reda på vad som hände hans egen far, som dog under mystiska omständigheter när han undersökte Charlottes försvinnande. Under en tryckande sommar börjar Sloan lära känna sina biologiska släktingar. Familjen Margolis välkomnar till en början Sloan med öppna armar, men det är något som inte stämmer. Familjen döljer mörka hemligheter – hemligheter som vissa är beredda att skydda till varje pris, till och med döda för … --- ”Donlea pendlar skoningslöst mellan dåtid och nutid och håller spänningen uppe ... en överlägsen thriller.” - Kirkus ”Charlie Donlea är en suverän författare av psykologiska spänningsromaner” - Seattle Book Review ”'Okänd härkomst' är en perfekt blandning av mysterium, polisrutiner, inhemskt drama och thriller ... Fångad från första stund ... Se till att du INTE har någonting som sliter dig ifrån läsningen när du kommer in i de sista tjugo procenten av boken. Du kommer inte att vilja lägga den ifrån dig! Charlie Donlea är en fantastisk historieberättare och jag har sagt det förut, jag kommer att läsa allt han skriver.” - Bibliopeeks ”Jag älskar den! Öppningsscenen i den här romanen är gripande, och det slutar inte där ... Det här var min första Charlie Donlea-thriller och jag förstår verkligen varför han är så populär. Otroligt rolig läsning!” – The Fiction Physician ”Charlie Donlea har en lättläst stil och tillför skickligt djup och intriger” - Mystery Scene

Två bortförda flickor. En kommer tillbaka, en gör det inte. Kvällen då de försvinner deltar de nyblivna studentskorna Nicole Cutty och Megan McDonald i en fest på stranden i småstaden där de växt upp, Emerson Bay i North Carolina. Polisen drar igång en massiv sökinsats, men dagarna går och allt hopp verkar vara ute tills Megan lyckas fly ur en bunker djupt inne i skogen. Ett år senare har bestsellern om hennes svåra prövning gjort Megan till en celebritet. Boken berättar en historia om mod, beslutsamhet och triumf. Bortsett från en oläglig liten detalj: Nicole är fortfarande försvunnen. Nicoles äldre syster Livia är läkare och mitt inne i sin praktikanttjänst i forensisk patologi. Hon väntar sig att Nicoles döda kropp när som helst kommer att hittas så att systerns öde ska gå att fastställa. Men i stället finner hon en första ledtråd när hon obducerar någon helt annan en ung man med kopplingar till Nicoles förflutna. För att få veta mer om den ödesdigra kvällen tar Livia kontakt med Megan. Det visar sig att andra flickor också har försvunnit, och Livia blir allt mer säker på att det finns ett samband mellan de olika fallen. Megan vet mer än hon har avslöjat i sin bok. Glimtar av minnen hon gradvis lyckas frammana tyder på något långt mer monstruöst än det hon öppet berättat om. Och ju djupare hon och Livia gräver, desto starkare inser de att den yttersta fasan ibland består av att finna precis det man har letat efter ...

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later, a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight . . . Some choose darkness.Others are chosen by it. 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 . . .

Thirty years ago, Baby Charlotte vanished. Today, she's still in danger.When Dr Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site as part of a research assignment for a fellowship in forensic pathology, her life is thrown into turmoil.Sloan's DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka 'Baby Charlotte', whose case captured the nation when she mysteriously disappeared along with her parents in 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again and no suspects were named in the case.Sloan's discovery leads her to the site of her disappearance and to the Margolis family. Though initially welcoming, the family is also mysterious and tight-lipped. Not everyone seems happy about Sloan’s return, or the questions she’s asking. The answers she seeks are buried in a graveyard of Margolis family secrets that some will do anything to keep hidden…A tense and unputdownable crime thriller. Perfect for fans of Stacy Willingham, Mary Kubica and Karin Slaughter.Praise for Charlie Donlea'Draws readers in from the first heart-stopping pages and doesn't let go until the end' Mary Kubica‘Thrilling, complex story that will leave your jaw on the floor!’ ????? Reader review‘Truly, a perfect book. I will never stop recommending books by Charlie Donlea.’ ????? Reader review‘So twisty. I think I just found a new author to binge.’ ????? Reader review‘Well-written and fast-paced… with so many strong female characters. An outstanding, suspenseful thriller.’ ????? Reader review‘Those Empty Eyes had me turning pages late into the night, then getting up early to get back to the story. I found myself racing to finish only to be sad that it was over.’ ????? Reader review‘I was hooked from the start until the very end. Loved the characters, story and writing style.’ ????? Reader review‘Speechless! This has to be my favorite read of the year so far. Charlie Donlea is my new favorite author. I really got into this book and lost all track of time.’ ????? Reader review‘This book was phenomenal! If you are looking for an extremely intense, adrenaline rush of a story that will have you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages at lightning speed, then you NEED to read this!’ ????? Reader review‘WOW! I didn’t see the ending coming. This was by far the best book I’ve read in quite awhile. Really caught me off guard.’ ????? Reader review‘The book that helped me get my reading mojo back. Read it cover to cover in a day and loved every page.’ ????? Reader review

When DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to the mysterious disappearance of a famous baby nearly three decades ago, a forensic scientist's increasingly perilous search for answers draws her to an unsettling small Nevada town in this engrossing, propulsive new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later. For fans of Alice Feeney, Karin Slaughter, Riley Sager, and Megan Goldin. Thirty years ago, Baby Charlotte vanished. Today, she's still in danger. When Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research assignment, her goal is to better understand the treasure-trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites. Brilliant and driven, Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, training under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty. Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in the experiment: she's adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she's never considered tracking down her biological parents. The results of her search are shocking. Sloan's DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka "Baby Charlotte", who captured the nation's attention when she mysteriously disappeared, along with her parents, in July 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again, and no suspects were named in the case. Sloan's discovery leads her to the small town of Cedar Creek, Nevada, the site of her disappearance. It also leads her to Sheriff Eric Stamos. The Margolis family's influence and power permeate every corner of Harrison County, and Eric is convinced that in learning the truth about her past, Sloan can also help discover what happened to Eric's father, who died under suspicious circumstances soon after he started investigating the case of her disappearance. Slowly, over the course of a stifling summer, Sloan begins getting to know her relatives. Though initially welcoming, the Margolis family is also mysterious and tight-lipped. Not everyone seems happy about Sloan's return, or the questions she's asking. And the more she and Eric learn, the more apparent it becomes that the answers they both seek are buried in a graveyard of Margolis family secrets that some will do anything to keep hidden--no matter who else has to die...

"Draws readers in from the first heart-stopping pages and doesn't let go until the end." - Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing The bestselling author of Twenty Years Later and master of modern suspense is back with a brilliantly twisting, skillfully plotted thriller perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Colleen Hoover's Verity. 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 . . . "Engrossing...not to be missed." -Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

On the secluded campus of the prestigious Westmont Prep school, students are playing a dark, deadly game. And for its players, there's no way to win--or survive... 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 . . .

When you're living a lie, can you trust anything?Ten years ago, Alexandra Quinlan was the prime suspect in the massacre of her entire family. Her face was on every television show and front page, and she was given a nickname by the media: Empty Eyes.Now, Alex Armstrong has reinvented herself and devotes herself to securing justice for others. But when Laura McAllister, a young student journalist, disappears just as she's about to break a major story about sexual assault and cover-ups on her college campus, Alex is drawn into a new case that will threaten the life she's built.As Alex digs into Laura's disappearance, she realises that there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. As different as the crimes may appear, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be…An explosive and unputdownable crime thriller you won't be able to put down. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben, Mary Kubica and Karin Slaughter.Praise for Those Empty Eyes 'Draws readers in from the first heart-stopping pages and doesn't let go until the end' Mary Kubica‘Thrilling, complex story that will leave your jaw on the floor!’ ????? Reader review‘Truly, a perfect book. I will never stop recommending books by Charlie Donlea.’ ????? Reader review‘So twisty. I think I just found a new author to binge.’ ????? Reader review‘Well-written and fast-paced… with so many strong female characters. An outstanding, suspenseful thriller.’ ????? Reader review‘Those Empty Eyes had me turning pages late into the night, then getting up early to get back to the story. I found myself racing to finish only to be sad that it was over.’ ????? Reader review‘I was hooked from the start until the very end. Loved the characters, story and writing style.’ ????? Reader review‘Speechless! This has to be my favorite read of the year so far. Charlie Donlea is my new favorite author. I really got into this book and lost all track of time.’ ????? Reader review‘This book was phenomenal! If you are looking for an extremely intense, adrenaline rush of a story that will have you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages at lightning speed, then you NEED to read this!’ ????? Reader review‘WOW! I didn’t see the ending coming. This was by far the best book I’ve read in quite awhile. Really caught me off guard.’ ????? Reader review‘The book that helped me get my reading mojo back. Read it cover to cover in a day and loved every page.’ ????? Reader review