Those Empty Eyes

By: Charlie Donlea

Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny

Fans of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay have a new must-listen in this deviously clever, skillfully plotted suspense novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Girl Who was Taken, The Suicide House, and Twenty Years Later.

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 . . .

©2023 Charlie Donlea (P)2023 Recorded Books

Story was great, but narrator made it difficult to enjoy

Story of this novel was great. Fast paced, exciting, and a page Turner. That said, the narrator made it difficult to enjoy. Her voice frequently sounds like that of Siri, and her miss pronunciations of the various words in the book were annoying, e.g., Appalachian, Chi. Nevertheless, the book itself was wonderful.

Outstanding!

I'm a fan of author Charlie Donlea. Those Empty Eyes is his best novel yet. The publisher's summary sets up the plot well and the top rated review is superb. So I have nothing to add except if you like suspense thrillers this novel is a must listen. And Vivienne Leheny does a great job narrating.

Fast read

Probably now my favorite Donlea book. Kinda guessed but then was wrong on the bigger picture.

Great story line

**Spoiler alert- Loved all the little twists and turns. The only thing I thought was a little far fetched was the part with the succinylcholine in the end. As an ICU nurse we use this drug with intubation and it completely paralyzes all skeletal muscles including your diaphragm, so you would be unable to breathe while completely awake, which I thought was a super creative plot twist. The past I thought could have used a little more research was she would not have loved once injected because she would have been unable to breathe and it doesn’t work on the heart on the same way so wouldn’t have stopped the heart. And we never inject into the heart like that so thought it was a little over the top. But otherwise it was a great read!

Could have been shorter?

The repetitive information is exasperating. The story had enough twists and turns that I don’t feel repeating facts or information was relevant nor did it add any value to the story,