The Suicide House (Rory Moore/Lane Phillips #2)

Thanks to an Amazon reviewer that I follow and her fantastic review of this book, I took her advice and read Charlie Donleas book, Some Choose Darkness first and am glad I did. The main characters, Rory Moore and Phillip Lanes history, special talents, and character development in that story boosted my interest in things to come in the Suicide House. Like the first book, Donlea uses clever writing skills to keep you guessing in this whodunit. He develops characters alternating between the present and past giving character events, sometimes without giving the characters name until later in the story as the plot thickens. He is also very talented with his red herrings. Those misleading clues keep the reader second guessing themselves and intensify the flavor of the tale. There are several flawed characters in this novel, but I find Rory Moore the most interesting. She suffers from autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety; however, she has learned coping skills that put her ruminating to good use that keeps her calm. For example, her great aunt taught her at a young age the tedious skills of repairing expensive broken porcelain doll to their original pristine condition. Additionally, she takes as much as an hour to finish a bottle of a very rare high alcohol dark beer that sipping brings her comfort. Besides coping with her disabilities, Moore has a photographic memory and the ability to bond with victims while studying cold cases and finding clues that others have missed to piece together murders and solve the cases. There is only one character alive that understands her and that is her lover and partner Lane Phillips. Lane accepts Rory just as she is. They trust each other completely and make up a famous crime solving team. A world renowned Doctor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Chicago, Lane Moore is the founder of the Murder Accountability Project (MAP), is an Ex-FBI profiler, and spent a decade tracking, studying, and writing a dissertation and handbook about thought process and reasoning of serial killers and created an algorithm that helps identify those murders. This story takes place in the Northwest corner of Indiana on the banks of Lake Michigan in the small town, of Peppermill at the elite boarding school called Westmont Preparatory High School. Their reputation brags of one hundred percent of the students who enrolled at the school go on to graduate from a four year university. The student body includes the rich and snobby academically gifted, overachievers as well as, troubled and rebellious kids at a crossroads where the schools strict disciplines might straighten them out and keep them out of prison. Although the faculty denies its existence, a secret society of a selected few upper classmen play embarrassing pranks on a selected teacher each year and a play a spooky game at an old abandoned building late at night called the man in the mirror. At secret society meeting 2 students are brutally murdered and as time passes others students return to the site and commit suicide by jumping in front of a train. Enter Lane and Lori to determine who killed the students and why. Did other students commit suicide by train or were they murdered? There is a suspect, with motive and opportunity. Did he do it or one of the other flawed characters? If you love a well-written nail biter that will keep you glued to the story from beginning to satisfying end, THIS IS IT! Enjoy!

Just like the book that introduced me to Rory and Lane, there are clues throughout the book that help you at least narrow down the who, what, where and why of the mystery. Rory\’s mind is a fascinating one that has adapted and thrived with her coping mechanisms. I have to say I love her doll restoration \”hobby\”. Believable characters, and writing that keeps me reading well into the night. I hope to read more of their stories.

I love a good series that draws on the main characters. This is a follow up to Some Choose Darkness, drawing on Rory Moore and Lane Phillips. The plot is freestanding so it isnt necessary to read one before the other. I prefer that order for the character development.

Fairly rote formula stuff. Reads like a more graphic TV mystery show. Seems to be part of a series. One is fine but enough for me. I wouldn\’t come back for more: protagonists weren\’t interesting enough to interest me in whatever the author concocts for them next…or perhaps what he sees this weekend on Criminal Minds

What a ride. This is the second book I have read by Charlie Donlea and I loved it. First off though I love boarding school settings with secret societies so this was a must read for me. It didnt let me down. Plenty of twists and turns to keep the ride going. Fantastic book.

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