2024 the best thriller books 2024 review

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Charlie Donlea, one of the most original new voices in suspense, returns with a haunting novel, laden with twists and high tension, about two abducted girls—one who returns, one who doesn’t—and the forensics expert searching for answers.

Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.

A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It’s a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicole’s older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole’s body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister’s fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole’s disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia’s morgue—that of a young man connected to Nicole’s past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected.

But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you’ve been looking for.

PRAISE FOR CHARLIE DONLEA AND SUMMIT LAKE

“A gem of a mystery, fast‑paced and suspenseful.” —Catherine Coulter, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Fans of contemporary suspense will enjoy this brisk read.” —Booklist

“An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last. There’s a bright future ahead for this newcomer to the thriller genre—definitely a talent to watch.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“Donlea keeps readers guessing throughout. The whodunit plot is clever and compelling . . . for fans of nonstop mysteries with a twist.” —Library Journal

“A swift, outstanding debut. Summit Lake engrossed me then knocked me cold. Charlie Donlea is a superb storyteller sure to damage the bestseller lists.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

“With a soaring pace and teasing plot twists, Charlie Donlea’s debut mystery is like a cool drink of water with a twist of lemon. It’s refreshing to find a book that has such a well-developed plot and excellent writing to back it up.” —BookPage

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (April 25, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496701003
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496701008
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.12 x 9.33 inches
Reviewer: Scott Munderloh
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book!
Review: I really loved this story. It is very suspenseful and well written. I will be reading more from this author.

Reviewer: Katie
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: excellent but…
Review: The story was fantastic and gripping. I thought I had it pegged the whole time but was so wrong! This would’ve gotten 5 stars except there were way too many grammatical and spelling errors.

Reviewer: Carole T
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great novel, but not for the squeamish!
Review: Of course if you enjoy murder mysteries, you’re no doubt used to graphic descriptions of unpleasant crimes. This story’s main character performs autopsies on a variety of people who have died under different circumstances. The details are fascinating and I learned a lot about human anatomy and the condition of people who have been deceased for a while before being discovered. If you think this might be much more information than you’d like to learn, this may not be a story you’d be comfortable reading. However, it was extremely well written and I’ll be reading more novels from this author.

Reviewer: Headinherbooks_27
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Detailed and intriguing
Review: I was sure I knew who the perpetrator was but holy mackerel I was shocked out of my mind when it was revealed. That was truly a jaw-dropping plot twist. I did not see that coming. Great story. I loved the forensics and the details of the investigation. It kept me intrigued and piqued throughout the story. Difficult to put down. I highly recommend !

Reviewer: Adrian
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: GREAT BOOK
Review: This was an awesome read. I devoured this book. The author keeps you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend getting this and Ill be reading more from this author.

Reviewer: Elizabeth
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 3.5/4 Stars
Review: This one took a while to warm up. A long while. While a lot of the key points are important revelations and details for later in the story, I personally felt that there was too much focus on the beginning. The last 100 pages were definitely a page turner, however, the ending frustrated me. I love the relationship that formed between Livia and Megan, but I would’ve loved to have a more definite conclusion at the end. Also, Terry is open-ended with no resolve at the end of the story and that is another “ugh” for me.

Reviewer: Linda Brooks
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Riveting From Beginning to End!
Review: This book relates a scenario you don't see happen too often - a girl is abducted but is able to escape and return. That is what happens to Megan McDonald - she is abducted from an end-of-high-school/pre-college party, but returns to not only tell her story, but write a book about it. Her book generates great public interest and turns her into a TV talk show heroine who has now "processed her ordeal and healed". Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Megan has not healed, and is attempting, with the aid of her psychiatrist and hypnosis, to recover the memories of her two week ordeal. Then there is the matter of Nicole Cutty, Megan's classmate and fellow party-goer. Nicole also vanished that night, presumably at the hands of Megan's abductor, and has not been seen since. Nicole's older sister, Dr. Livia Cutter, is a forensic pathologist fellow on her way to becoming a medical examiner. A year after her sister's disappearance, Livia feels a great burden of guilt. Consumed by the over-taxing schedule of her fellowship, she knows she turned away from her troubled younger sister's reaching out for her help. Worst of all, she ignored a phone call from her sister on the night of her disappearance. As part of her studies, Livia performs numerous autopsies on bodies brought in to the medical examiner and she is prepared for the day that Nicole is brought in and she can bring some closure to herself and her family. She reads Megan's book and can't help but resent her for coming out alive and apparently well, and profiting from her experience. After meeting Megan, she realizes this is not the case - Megan has never forgotten Nicole and feels guilt for surviving when Nicole has never been found. Together, they begin to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abductions and learn of other similar cases. Along the way, they meet some interesting and disturbing people with information on the case. The story moves back and forth from months prior to the abduction to over a year after Megan's return. There are also a few chapters spoken from the abductor's point of view, with his twisted emotions and skewed rationalization of his actions. At first, I thought this might be confusing, but it is a very effective device that gradually fills in all the history and details until the full picture emerges. There are a few red herrings - I was pretty sure I knew who the abductor was fairly early in the book, but nope - wrong! Then another possible lead emerged - another dead end. The book built to an exciting conclusion and the ending was truly shocking. The characters are extremely well-defined, fleshed-out and detailed - they are described so well, through their thoughts and actions, that I was actually picturing actors and actresses who I felt should portray them in the film that definitely should be made from this book. As a final note, this book was extremely well-edited, with none of the distracting typos or wrong word usage seen in so many e-books. I never rate books down for this type of thing because to me, the story is what is important, but it is nice not to have to deal with it. I highly recommend this book and definitely intend to read more of Mr. Donlea's work.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Gripping until the last page
Review: Carefully constructed and suspenseful novel. Couldn't put it down once started. Full of contrast and sympathy, generously given. Well recommended.

Reviewer: Bryan Reid
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: So good! I finished in under 48 hours because it was too good to put down. Can’t wait to read more by this author!

Reviewer: Nico Rossini
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Do mesmo autor, Charlie Donlea, do conclamado Summit Lake, achei este segundo livro bem melhor do primeiro. Um verdadeiro thriller. Os muitos flah-backs ajudam a compreensão e a relação invertida entre e a morte e a vida, isto é, como a morte pode ser a luz para encontrar a vida é o aspecto mais profundo do livro que deixa o leitor com a respiração suspensa até a ultima pagina.

Reviewer: Larissa Landim
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: that kind of book that is impossible to stop reading

Reviewer: Gail B
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I enjoyed this book, although it was like a TV cold case . A good read.

Reviewer: KB
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This was a good read. It kept me interested & had a great ending. I liked that the story came from different characters. I did find it a bit long.