Charlie Donlea never fails to deliver a suspenseful, keep you on your toes mystery. The opening chapter immediately caught my attention, and it never ended. I loved the characters of Ethan and Maddie. All characters had great chemistry and fit in the story perfectly. The plot was intriguing and just when I thought I had it figured out, the author caught me by surprise with another alternative. The ending was a surprise, and I hope it means what I think (not saying as I don’t want to give any spoilers). Run to the nearest bookstore and grab this book, you won’t regret it.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

I have read and enjoyed every Charlie Donlea book. Excited at the prospect of a series from him! This was nice and twisty, full of secrets with one I didn’t see coming.

Well, I just finished this roller coaster of a book. It started out easy and then got exciting and blew up. So much happened that I could not have predicted. I’m still trying to think if I missed any clues.
Ethan is a former special agent who has rebranded himself as an ER doctor when the governor comes asking for his help solving the missing persons case of the governor’s daughter. It’s a ten year old cold case his former partner couldn’t solve. He takes a month off from the hospital to work the case with his old partner, and his girlfriend, Maddie, also a special agent.
While parts of the evolving story came out of left field for me, it was explained in a way that made sense. The title is perfect because if you think you know what’s happening, guess again.

3.5 Stars rounded up!
This is only the second book I have read by the author. I loved the first one that I read. While I liked this one, it was definitely a different style.

Ethan Hall is an ER doctor, who used to be on the police force investigating crimes against children. One night, his old partner shows up and asks him to look at a cold case that has been haunting him. Callie Jones was a 17 year who vanished 10 years ago, and has never been found. Ethan agrees to look at the files, but soon gets drawn into the investigation. However, this case will bring an emotional toll and danger to Ethan in ways that he could not even imagine.

This was a well written story. My struggle was there were a lot of characters, and it seemed to jump all over the place. It took me a while to find my rhythm in reading this! Once I did, it was a very intense, dark mystery that had me wanting to know what was going on. Eventually the reader comes to understand each characters part in the twisty mystery.

On another note, while I liked the character of Ethan, he was written as a type of superhero. He had 100% solve rate of his cases when he was in the force. When he decided to go into medicine, he was at the top of his class. He pilots his own plane that he owns, to his remote cabin, and has a nice boat! He is also very handsome! It was just a little too much- I need a few flaws in characters so that they are more believable!

Overall, once I got around that, and figured out all the characters, it was a good mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

"Eugenia Morgan suffered from hybristophilia, which was defined as the phenomenon of an individual being sexually aroused by and attracted to a criminal offender."

“You’re the only man for the job. And I need you to say yes to this.”

The above quote about Eugenia might lead to some conclusions as to where the WTF shocking, Guess Again, by twists within twists, wizard of words, author Charlie Donlea, might be heading as a psychological thriller.

HA! Guess again (see what I did there 😆). I read and listened to it and was wrong about all of it. I was even wrong when I thought it was ending, and then...BAM! The writer drops a jaw dropping, shook me to my core reveal that didn't even exist in my mind.

Ethan is an ER doctor. He left his job as a detective in the kids crime unit with a 100 percent solve rate. He wanted to save lives instead of seeing the awful way some end. But just as he's settled, a 10 year old cold case pulls him back in.

Callie, a 17 year old volleyball star, went missing in 2015. Now her father, the new governor, has received word there's new info about her. The problem is it's from a convicted prisoner. He's in jail for murdering Ethan's dad, a detective investigating the death of young girls in the area in 2010. Francis, the killer, will only talk to Ethan.

Bravo to voice actress Vivienne Leheny. I truly believed this was a full cast performance. The range of emotions from Eugenia's unhinged thoughts, to Ethan's break your heart speech to Francis' parole board was phenomenal.

What follows between Francis and Ethan, Eugenia's role in it, and the turns it takes is nothing short of a master class in writing a brilliantly skilled twisty psychological thriller.

With each chapter the writer plays with us, saying, oh you thought they did it? Guess Again!

I received free copies of this book/ audiobook from Kensington Books and RB Media (Recorded Books) via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved the fast pace of this book , It was definitely a page turner. I did not predict the twist at the ending. Love this author.
Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review..

I didn’t see that coming…wow. Sometimes I wait after finishing a book to write my reviews, but not with Charlie Donlea’’s Guess Again. Don’t walk. Run to get this book. Then don’t plan anything, because you’re going to want to binge it. This book is a roller coaster thrill ride that I did not want to get off, and I did not want to end. In fact, speaking of endings…I’m hoping there’s a sequel coming, because I need more Ethan Hall, and I need that huge loose end tied up.

Every time I read one of Mr. Donlea’s books, I think, I am going to go back and read them all. His books are so very good!

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicized search followed but her body was never found. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger.

Ethan is a very unique character. He left the investigation game and became an ER doctor. So, I was instantly drawn to his intelligence. And trust me, this investigation needs his smarts!!

The killer is definitely playing the long game and I am here for it! Now, because of the title, I was looking for the culprit. I had several guesses. But to be honest, I didn’t guess it until the author gave me a clue or two 🤦🏻‍♀️. Usually, I have it pegged from the start. I love when this happens!!

And y’all…the twist at the end!!! I did not see that coming!!

This story is narrated by Vivienne Leheny. There are quite a few male voices and she did an excellent job!

Need a tale which will keep you guessing…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Guess Again is the newest thriller by Charlie Donlea. I’ve read a few books by Donlea and have yet to be disappointed.

10 years after the disappearance of Callie Jones, her father becomes governor and commissions a task force to look into the disappearance. He tasks Ethan Hall, currently a doctor but formerly a DCI investigator with a 100% solve rate, to review the files.

As the investigation begins to intertwine with Ethan’s own demons from the death of his father, he must figure out the connections before it’s too late.

I received an ARC on exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley.

The title says it all, Guess Again! A real page turner with fantastic reveals throughout the book. Great detail and action. Charlie Donlea is a brilliant author.

My library used to send out a weekly newsletter with all the books they ordered. I saw the authors book on the list and thought that sounded interesting. And it was. Down the rabbit hole I went, reading all his books. I’ve never been disappointed. Today’s new realness is no exception.

It’s a complicated and layered story that was easy to read. I connected with Ethan from the start. I wanted to know more about what made him tick, his relationship his Dad, and how the interactions with his Dad’s killer would develop.

There was such an interesting cat and mouse game going on. As I kept trying to guess how this would conclude, I didn’t even end up close to the outcome. And that twist. Never saw it coming.

I was rapt from the start. So much so that I then listened when the book came out in audio. It didn’t hurt that Vivienne Leheny is the narrator. I always enjoy listening to her and she did a great job with this one. I loved it the second time around as much as the first.

Botha five star read and listen from me. And maybe the start of a new series? I could definitely revisit Ethan and his new normal.

Oh my! This was my first Donlea book, it will definitely not be my last. The prologue had me hooked. Ethan Hall, a former police detective, turned ER physician, is visited by his former partner near thd anniversary of a case that gas gone unsolved for ten years. Callie Jones vanished ten years ago and has haunted Ethan ever since. This was a fantastic psychological thriller in all the best ways possible. Thd twist at the end was jaw dropping.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC.  The narrator Vivienne Leheny, was terrific. Thank you to RB media for the ALC.

A compulsive read with so many twists! This is one of those mysteries that's hard to put down; I just kept reading and reading. First of all, I loved Ethan - he was the most likable character, and you can't help but root for him to take down the killer. He showed compassion, intelligence, and wit. I would love to see him in another book.

Guess Again starts off with Ethan's former partner asking him to look into a cold case, hoping to have it solved before he dies. Add to that is the serial killer that killed Ethan's father throwing out cryptic information. There was so much complexity to this thriller that you cannot guess all the twists. Charlie Donlea did an excellent job tying all the pieces together that makes sense. I enjoyed the different POV's, although Ethan was definitely my favorite. Overall - unpredictable and shocking!

This one was wild, I legitimately had no clue where it was going! Short chapters always keep me super invested, this one was such a good thriller.

Happy pub week to Charlie Donlea and his newest novel, Guess Again. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of this book. I have been a fan of Charlie Donlea for quite some time, and I always look forward to his new novels. This one was new exception. Donlea has solidified himself as an auto-read and auto-buy author, and I am so glad that I have yet to be disappointed by one of his books. Guess Again is full of tension and suspense and twists. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong, which only fueled my desire to keep reading. If you haven't read Charlie Donlea yet, you are definitely missing out!

Guess Again had me hooked from the very first page! The twists were so well done. I thought I had everything figured out, but I was wrong every single time. The pacing was perfect, the characters were believable, and the ending? Totally unexpected. If you love thrillers that keep you guessing (and second-guessing), this one’s a must-read!

This book was great! It was packed with action, twists, turns, mystery and suspense. The author did a great job of hooking me from the start. The ending was not at all what I expected and was a great ending. This book took me on quite the ride!

Think you don’t need to read Charlie Donlea’s newly released twisted thriller? Well, GUESS AGAIN! If you love thrillers that are layered with tension, twists and hold your breath moments, this one’s for you.

ER Dr. Ethan Hall is selected by the Wisconsin governor, Mark Jones, to lead the re-opened investigation of a cold case involving the decades old murder of his teenage daughter Callie. Why? Because prior to becoming a physician, Ethan was a detective with a 100% solve rate. With a personal stake in the case, Ethan agrees and quickly finds himself in the throes of hunting down the killer. But just when you think you know where the story is headed, well GUESS AGAIN, because it’s very likely you don’t. With lots of characters and a shifting timeline, Mr. Donlea builds a plot, an emotional arc and an ending filled with lots of psychological insight.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this twisted, creepy (in a good way) thriller in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ethan was a special agent in the crimes against children’s unit until he burned out now he’s a physician. His story happens in Wisconsin. I love it when the book title actually relates to the story and this surely does. It kept me guessing and revising my theories until the end. The twists and turns of the plot weren’t predictable. I liked Ethan and found his story relatable. There was a serial killer in Ethan’s past and his crimes left a lingering effect on families and a surviving victim. It was a cat and mouse game til the end with plenty of drama and suspense throughout. There were many characters I enjoyed and would happily read more about. Thanks to the author and to Kensington Publishing (via NetGalley) for providing an Advance Reader Copy of “Guess Again” by Charlie Donlea. Publication date 07/29/2025. The thoughts and opinions are mine given honestly without compensation.

I would give this a 3.5-3.75

It was good and there was a lot of twist and turns that I did not see coming. Especially at the end, a jaw dropping secret comes out.

But in also felt it was a little busy, too many characters thrown in and I had questions as to where one of the characters came from, how she fit into the story. It ended like there will be another one, maybe it will come out then.

Overall it was a fast paced book and it kept me interested.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the gifted eARC to read and review.