A Riveting Psychological Thriller

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4.5 stars rounded up. I had wanted to read The Suicide House for a long time and was so glad when my library re-opened and had a copy of it on audio CD. The audio CD was read by Vivienne Leheny. It lived up to all the hype it has gotten since I started reading reviews about it. This was the first book I have read by Charlie Donlea but I will definitely read the first book in this series some time soon. Suspense was in the air from the very beginning. There were many twists and turns as well that kept me guessing and revising my suspicions until the very end of the book. From the first chapter to the very last I was totally engaged and eager to hear more.

This was a story about some students who attended the Westmont Preparatory High School that was located in a small and quiet town in Indiana. There was a long time ritual that took place at Westmont. By following a sequenced number of coordinates students found themselves at an old abandoned boarding house that used to be occupied by the faculty of the school. Students used it as a late-night hangout until one summer it became the scene of two murders and one attempted suicide. Every year a very select group of juniors were chosen to go to the house to participate in the ritual game of "Man in the Mirror". The participants that were chosen that fateful summer would come to regret that they were ever chosen.

A year after the suicides occurred and a teacher from Westmont Preparatory was charged with the execution of the murders, the case had gotten new interest. A podcast had been created and was revisiting the events of that summer. The podcast was named The Suicide House and it had become an instant success and hit. Lane Phillips, a psychologist, was asked to join the podcast and give his expertise about the psychological profile of the murderer. Lane convinced his partner Rory Moore to join him on this case. Rory was known for reconstructing cold cases. She and Lane traveled to Indiana and found themselves delving into new evidence, leads, and contacts that slipped through the fingers of the local police. Their determination and intuition helped them solve the murder of those two students and discover the murderer that had laid stagnant for a year with no new leads or information.

Although this was my first book that I read by Charlie Donlea I felt it read fine as a stand alone book. However, I will definitely read the prior book now. I loved the character of Rory and I can't wait to read more about her in the prior book. All the characters were so well developed and the atmosphere was perfect to create this exceptional story. I highly recommend this book.
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