Charlie Donlea Books in Order (Updated February 24, 2026)

Charlie Donlea writes twist-forward, plot-driven suspense that mostly lives in standalone novels, plus one clear two-book detective pairing featuring forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore and psychologist Lane Phillips. Most of the time, you can read Donlea in any order.

The only place order truly helps is where returning investigators bring personal context forward.

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Continuity board

Read in order (same lead investigators):

• Rory Moore / Lane Phillips: 2 novels

Read anywhere (separate casts, separate cases):

• All other Donlea thrillers listed below (standalones)

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The fastest way to choose your first Donlea

• Want a continuing duo and a more “procedural” spine? Start with Some Choose Darkness.
• Want a clean, classic missing-person hook? Start with The Girl Who Was Taken.
• Want media/true-crime energy and reputations on the line? Start with Don’t Believe It.
• Want the newest release first? Start with Guess Again.

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Rory Moore / Lane Phillips novels (read in this order)

1. Some Choose Darkness (2019): A missing young woman and a headline-ready predator story drag Rory and Lane into a case where the “obvious” narrative is the first trap.
2. The Suicide House (2020): A prestigious prep school becomes a pressure chamber, and the investigation forces Rory and Lane to test what’s real versus what the institution can afford to hide.

Continuity note: These are the only Donlea novels that function like a true sequence, with returning leads and an evolving partnership.

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Standalone novels in publication order

1. Summit Lake (2016): A law student is found murdered in a postcard-perfect town, and the investigation threads between past and present until the final picture changes shape.
2. The Girl Who Was Taken (2017): Two girls vanish after a beach party, and the long aftermath turns survival into evidence and memory into a battleground.
3. Don’t Believe It (2018): A boyfriend’s death becomes a media event, and a documentary-style frame keeps shifting the question from “what happened” to “who benefits from the story.”
4. Twenty Years Later (2021): A notorious murder resurfaces when new information threatens to rewrite the official truth, and chasing the answer starts to endanger the people closest to it.
5. Those Empty Eyes (2023): A young woman’s life is built on a protected identity, until new danger forces her to reopen the past she was told never to touch.
6. Long Time Gone (2024): A DNA revelation detonates a family’s history, and a search for origins turns into a search for who had reason to erase them.
7. Guess Again (2025): A killer holds leverage from behind bars, and outside prison an obsession tightens into a plan that turns “devotion” into motive.

Reading note: These are designed to stand alone. You won’t spoil another book by picking the premise you like best.

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A practical “best experience” reading order

If you want a path that mixes his strengths without locking you into strict chronology:

1. The Girl Who Was Taken (2017): The cleanest entry point for pace and emotional stakes.
2. Don’t Believe It (2018): The format twist (media framing) shows what Donlea does beyond a straight investigation.
3. Some Choose Darkness (2019): Introduces the recurring investigators for readers who want continuity.
4. The Suicide House (2020): Pays off that duo in a tighter, higher-pressure setting.
5. Twenty Years Later (2021): A broader, reputation-heavy thriller that feels like “bigger canvas” Donlea.
6. Those Empty Eyes (2023): A high-concept identity suspense that accelerates fast once it starts moving.
7. Long Time Gone (2024): Family-history suspense with modern DNA stakes.
8. Guess Again (2025): The newest release, best when you already trust Donlea’s willingness to pivot hard.

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Short stories, novellas, and collections

I did not find a stable, publisher-confirmed list of Donlea novellas/short fiction that’s consistently cataloged across markets. For a reference-grade order page, the safest boundary is: the novels above are the core reading list.

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Latest release status

• Most recent novel currently published: Guess Again (July 29, 2025)
• Next announced title: I did not find a consistently confirmed next novel title and date across primary listings as of today, so I’m not naming one here.

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FAQs

Do the Rory Moore books connect to the standalones?
Not in a way that requires a shared reading order. Treat Rory Moore/Lane Phillips as their own two-book lane.

Why do some sites show different years for the same book?
Format and territory changes can shift the visible date (hardcover vs paperback vs new imprint reissue). When in doubt, use the earliest widely listed release date for “publication order.”

Can I start with Guess Again because it’s the newest?
Yes. It’s a standalone and won’t depend on earlier books.

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Bottom line

If you want continuity, read Some Choose Darkness → The Suicide House. If you want maximum freedom, pick any standalone by premise, Donlea writes them to land cleanly without homework.