Charlie Donlea | DON'T BELIEVE IT

Plot (via Goodreads):

The Girl of Sugar Beach is the most watched documentary in television history—a riveting, true-life mystery that unfolds over twelve weeks and centers on a fascinating question: Did Grace Sebold murder her boyfriend, Julian, while on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of circumstance and poor police work? Grace has spent the last ten years in a St. Lucian prison, and reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan in a last, desperate attempt to prove her innocence.

As Sidney begins researching, she uncovers startling evidence, additional suspects, and timeline issues that were all overlooked during the original investigation. Before the series even finishes filming, public outcry leads officials to reopen the case. But as the show surges towards its final episodes, Sidney receives a letter saying that she got it badly, terribly wrong.

Sidney has just convinced the world that Grace is innocent. Now she wonders if she has helped to free a ruthless killer. Delving into Grace’s past, she peels away layer after layer of deception. But as Sidney edges closer to the real heart of the story, she must decide if finding the truth is worth risking her newfound fame, her career . . . even her life. 

Review:

Charlie Donlea has done it again and then some. Last year, I was completely beguiled with THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN and this novel is no exception. With this one, Donlea's writing style is still mesmerizing and enchanting but he really kicked it up a notch with this novel. 

The plot to this one is not only sinister and dark, but features a deeper look into the medias fascination with cold case documentaries...I am 100% sold on this idea. I couldn't wait to see how Donlea featured the documentary wrapped up in this case that is a decade old and see how it helped tell us the truth about The Girl of Sugar Beach. I myself love documentaries about true crime and felt this really added something special to Donlea's brilliant way of being able to tell a story, one puzzle piece at a time. It really gave us a great look into some of the behind the scenes action of a documentary and was a clever way to let us know the character of Sidney Ryan. Not only was this character beloved the minute I met her, but in a way, she went through the same motions as the reader as she dived deeper into this case and built the story in a glorious way. Great job, Charlie Donlea. Great job indeed.

Each character in this novel had some sort of personal connection with the documentary and the case at hand that it really brought everything complete full circle. There are definitely some "huh?!" moments in this one that just forces you to keep reading and completely ignore everything in your life outside of this novel. The Girl of Sugar Beach is your life. Sidney Ryan is your life. Grace Sebold is your life. Finding out the truth is your life. Talk about immersive; I couldn't pry myself away from this one to complete even the most simple tasks without thinking about it endlessly. It's in your face, ominous, and riveting to say the least. I especially loved the small and very important connection to THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN and I'm fully invested in continuing to read the next continuation in the Donlea world. This one is dark, character-driven, and a great summer read. As usual, Donlea does not hold back with a twisted and brutal ending that left me re-reading about ten pages over and over in complete awe. Definitely one read that I will not forget anytime soon and I pray for the day I can read this one again. 

Rating: 5/5