Review: 'The Suicide House' by Charlie Donlea
Pub. Date: 7/28/2020
Publisher: Kensington Books
Inside the walls of Indiana’s elite Westmont Preparatory High School, expectations run high and rules are strictly enforced. But in the woods beyond the manicured campus and playing fields sits an abandoned boarding house that is infamous among Westmont’s students as a late-night hangout. Here, only one rule applies: don’t let your candle go out—unless you want the Man in the Mirror to find you. . . .
One year ago, two students were killed there in a grisly slaughter. The case has since become the focus of a hit podcast, The Suicide House. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, mysteries and questions remain. The most urgent among them is why so many students who survived that horrific night have returned to the boarding house—to kill themselves.
Rory, an expert in reconstructing cold cases, is working on The Suicide House podcast with Lane, recreating the night of the killings in order to find answers that have eluded the school, the town, and the police. But the more they learn about the troubled students, the chillingly stoic culprit, and a dangerous game gone tragically wrong, the more convinced they become that something sinister is still happening. Inside Westmont Prep, the game hasn’t ended. It thrives on secrecy and silence. And for its players, there may be no way to win—or to survive. . . .
True Crime podcasts have exploded over the past few years. For me, the number one has always been My Favourite Murder. I'm slowly but surely branching out a bit as Georgia and Karen expand their network, but as with everything, a podcast has to hit the spot. Using the set-up of a podcast as a way of engaging with a crime is something I've seen pop up more frequently recently in thriller novels. A recent example, that didn't execute it quite as smoothly as The Suicide House, is Do Her No Harm by Naomi Joy. It allows for questioning, second guessing, production values and outside speculation in a way other approaches don't always do. as a producer or podcaster will think about a crime very differently than a cop, innocent bystander or suspect.
It is a little bit difficult to narrow down what exactly The Suicide House is about. At its heart it is a story about murders committed at an elite boarding school for which it seems that the wrong person was arrested. As this is part of a series, the book also functions as the second outing of Rory Lane, a reconstructionist, and her partner Lane Phillips, a psychologist. He is brought in to analyse the potential perp of the crime and convinces Rory to join him, as her skills allow for unparalleled insights. On top of that, we have a connection to a different old case, we have the flashbacks to the nights of the murders, we also have the story of two surviving students, the story of a rejected student now grown up, and journal entries and memories of our unknown perp. It's a lot. All of it is fascinating, but it is also hard to keep it all in mind continuously. Although I greatly enjoyed the mystery at the heart of The Suicide House, I agree with other reviewers that there is a serious risk of confusion while reading due to the many storylines and characters involved. It can be hard, especially at the beginning of the story, to keep track of everything, which will be a turn off for some readers. A big part of this is that the book jumps around to different time periods and it's not always clear, on purpose, who is narrating. Although this adds to the mystery of it all, it can also be frustrating if you're the kind of reader who likes to puzzle everything out themselves.
Although this is my first book by Charlie Donlea, I understood pretty quickly what the fuss is all about. The Suicide House is very ambitious plot-wise but is written very confidently. The Suicide House feels like it progresses calmly, but really there is a lot happening almost all the time. It is a credit to Donlea that as a reader you're able to stay relatively on top of everything despite all the various timelines, storylines and characters. One of my favourite things as well was how well-done the setting was, especially the creepy and chilly atmosphere of a foreboding school with a closed off forest, complete with crumbling cottage. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep readers on their toes as well, and quite a few of them land very successfully. The character of Rory is a clear standout. From her mannerisms you can tell she is somewhere on the autism spectrum, but she has found herself in a position where she is able to use her skills to help others, while finding coping mechanisms and a partner that help her alleviate some of the stress and burden of the horror. It is a very encouraging portrayal and I wish she had been more immediately involved with the plot.
I give this novel...
4 Universes!
I found myself sucked into The Suicide House almost immediately due to its atmosphere. Although occasionally it feels like there is a little too much going on, Donlea confidently guides the reader to a satisfying and dramatic finale. I'd recommend this to any thriller fan, but especially to those who, like me, have a liking for a True Crime Podcast.
The Suicide House is the second installment of Donlea's Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series, but it doesn't require having read the first book. Both Rory and Lane are reintroduced in a way that doesn't feel like information dumping but rather is worked elegantly into the story itself. I especially liked Rory's character, so I am keeping an eye out for the series' first book, Some Choose Darkness.
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