The Many Faces Of Don't Believe It

Updated: Mar 21, 2019

Spring News. "The Vacation Read of the Season"

Passport ✓ Boarding pass ✓ Beach Read ✓ Coming March 26, 2019 Mass Market Paperback

Dear Readers,

Spring has arrived! And, just in time for spring break, so has the paperback release of Don’t Believe It.

Set on the tropical island of St. Lucia, it’s a perfect vacation read. The paperback version has gone through many changes over the last several weeks—multiple covers were designed in an attempt to perfectly capture the theme and mood of the novel.

I thought I’d give you a behind the scenes look at each of them...

THE MANY FACES OF DON’T BELIEVE IT

The first cover was striking and mysterious, and I instantly loved it.

The woman’s eye is alluring, and I imagined readers thinking of the image while reading the story

and trying to figure out which character it best represented.

But when presented to the sales force and booksellers, it was quickly rejected as “not special enough.”

The art department went back to work and came up with a second cover.

The shattered window cover is popular in the thriller genre, with many books donning some version of such on their covers. I liked it. Many lives are shattered in Don’t Believe It, so I reasoned that the cover had a direct link to the story. But if I were honest about it, I wasn’t in love with the design. Neither were the powers that be. As my editor said, the sales force and booksellers were “very lukewarm” on the image.

So, the art department went back to the drawing board and came back with a cover that totally blew me away. The fabulous final version perfectly captures the heart and theme of the story, and I’m thrilled that Kensington Publishing put so much work and thought into it.

Third and Final Cover

It should be easy to spot on bookstore shelves, or at the airport on your way out of town...and if you’re headed to the beach, I hope it catches your eye and draws you in.

DON'T BELIEVE IT

Mass-Market Paperback

Coming March 26, 2019

A tropical island. A grisly murder.

And a documentary filmmaker looking for answers…

From acclaimed author, Charlie Donlea comes a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel of suspense in which a filmmaker helps clear a woman convicted of murder--only to find she may be a puppet in a sinister game.

"...the ending of this novel makes your jaw drop." —The New York Times

Pub Date: March 26, 2019

Available for Pre-order Now

ISBN-10: 0786042214

ISBN-13: 978-0786042210

Publisher: Pinnacle 304 pages

View the Inspiration Behind the Book and personal photos.

Some Briefs

My second thriller, The Girl Who Was Taken, will be included in the 9th Annual Irish Arts Center Book Day this St. Patrick's Day weekend. The event celebrates authors of Irish heritage, books that highlight Ireland and its history, and basically any author whose last name starts with an "O"— I'm honored to be included in a list of such talented authors. Free copies will be given away throughout all five boroughs of New York on March 15.

The New Year brought some exciting news—I was very excited to resign with my publisher for another four thrillers, one each year through 2023. My editor agreed to deal with my neurosis for another few books. I hope he makes it.

My fourth thriller, Some Choose Darkness (US) hits shelves May 28, 2019. More details to come.

I’m hard at work on Book #5 with a September 15, 2019 deadline, which is when the manuscript is due to my editor. As of this writing, I’m about one-third of the way there. Fingers crossed that I make it.

Finally, I’m off to the Caribbean with my family for spring break and a little R&R. Although, I will be writing each morning and doing a little tropical recon for Book #6—which is nothing but a tiny seed planted in my mind about a husband and wife struggling through the ramifications of a plane crash in the South Pacific and the secrets that float to the surface of their lives in the aftermath, much like the debris field of the downed plane.

Whether you’re heading somewhere warm this spring, or simply enjoying the change of seasons at home, I hope you find a great book to pass the time. Pick up Don’t Believe It if you haven’t read it yet.

Happy Spring!