Those Empty Eyes: A Chilling Novel of Suspense with a Shocking Twist

by Charlie Donlea

"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

• ISBN10: 1496727177
• ISBN13: 9781496727176
• Publish Date: 28 March 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781496727176

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

This was a book that captured me within moments of beginning to read. The plot was complex (in a good way) and very layered as it moves between the present and various points/incidents within the past. Those moments seemed, at least on the surface, to be rather disconnected from one another, but there was always an overlying sense that the threads between them were just out of sight, leaving the reader to wonder. And scattered throughout were so many red herrings, keeping one guessing. It was a very dark and twisty read with pacing that was on point, full of action with lots of suspense and mystery.

Alex was a fantastic main character, tragic yet supremely strong in a way that was admirable. I felt so much compassion for her as she struggled to find her way after the worst of tragedies. Truly, rather in the forefront or not, the characterizations were great. Complex and varied, they ran the gamut.

If I had a complaint, it would be found in Alex’s reaction to a major relevation in her life. After a lifetime of searching for answers, her response felt a little underwhelming. It just felt like it was a moment for more questions, for something. But this complaint is nothing significant, less in the face of the shocking twist at the end.