Author · updated September 2026
Charlie Donlea Books in Order
Every Charlie Donlea book in publication order — 9 in total, spanning 2016–2025.
If you love a thriller that pulls the rug out from under you in the last thirty pages, Charlie Donlea is your guy. He writes twisty, cold-case-flavored suspense — cases reopened, buried secrets, unreliable everything — with the kind of clockwork plotting that makes you flip back to check whether he really just did that. (He did.) Most of his novels stand completely on their own, so there's no homework required; you can grab whichever premise hooks you. The one small exception is a pair featuring forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore, which are best enjoyed together.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summit Lake | 2016 | Amazon US |
| 2 | The Girl Who Was Taken | 2017 | Amazon US |
| 3 | Don't Believe It | 2018 | Amazon US |
| 4 | Twenty Years Later | 2021 | Amazon US |
| 5 | Those Empty Eyes | 2022 | Amazon US |
| 6 | Long Time Gone | 2024 | Amazon US |
| 7 | Guess Again | 2025 | Amazon US |
Publication Order of Rory Moore & Lane Phillips Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Some Choose Darkness | 2019 | Amazon US |
| 2 | The Suicide House | 2020 | Amazon US |
Every title by year All 9, oldest to newest
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summit Lake | 2016 | Amazon US |
| 2 | The Girl Who Was Taken | 2017 | Amazon US |
| 3 | Don't Believe It | 2018 | Amazon US |
| 4 | Some Choose Darkness | 2019 | Amazon US |
| 5 | The Suicide House | 2020 | Amazon US |
| 6 | Twenty Years Later | 2021 | Amazon US |
| 7 | Those Empty Eyes | 2022 | Amazon US |
| 8 | Long Time Gone | 2024 | Amazon US |
| 9 | Guess Again | 2025 | Amazon US |
Frequently asked
What order should I read Charlie Donlea books in?
Most are standalones you can read in any order. The one connected pair is Some Choose Darkness (2019) and The Suicide House (2020), which both feature Rory Moore and Lane Phillips — read those two in that order. Everything else stands alone.
Do Charlie Donlea books need to be read in order?
No — apart from the two Rory Moore novels, each book is self-contained. A great starting point is The Girl Who Was Taken (2017) or his debut, Summit Lake (2016).
What is the newest Charlie Donlea book?
His recent titles include Those Empty Eyes (2022), Long Time Gone (2024), and Guess Again (2025), with more on the way — he's become reliably a book-a-year author.
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