Twenty Years Later

I requested a copy of this book because I had enjoyed Donlea's previous books Some Choose Darkness and The Suicide House, the first books in his Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series. I was eager for another twisty psychological thriller with a darker edge to it.

Twenty Years Later is partly set against the aftermath of 9/11 (hence the 20 years later title), but the main plot focuses on the gruesome murder of an author. The mystery was solid, and I liked how 9/11 was incorporated into the story and that would have been enough to keep me engaged. But (argh, there's a but!) Donlea convolutes the story with several subplots, tertiary characters and a story that lost its tension by awkwardly jumping between timelines and POVs. I also found it frustrating that the story doesn't get going until the halfway mark.

Walt and Avery are interesting main characters and there are decent twists, but the overly drawn out story and Donlea's odd penchant for overexplaining and repeating plot points gave the story a tedious, long-winded feel. But the pieces of the story eventually come together with the tension and energy ratcheting up substantially in the last bit of the book, resulting in a satisfying ending, despite the long journey to get there.

This book was solid in its twists and ending but it felt too muddled and long-winded. I have greatly enjoyed his previous work so while Twenty Years Later won't be pegged as my favourite book of his, I look forward to reading more from Donlea in the future.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Kensington Books for my advanced digital copy of this title given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Charlie Donlea

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Kensington Books

First Published: Dec 28, 2021

Opening Lines: July 15, 2001 Two months before 

9/11 - Death was in the air.

Book Description from GoodReads: Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience's attention. Her latest story--a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal--is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner's office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.

Emma Ford has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won't be complete until she can clear Victoria's name. Alone she's had no luck, but she's convinced that Avery's connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria's DNA.

But the twisted puzzle of Victoria's private life belies a much darker mystery. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery's own secret past--one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried.