So, so good. The prologue sucked me in and I finished in one sitting. I was a huge fan of Twenty Years Later and this one is even better. The author has mastered the art of weaving a complex web of characters and storylines together with superb pacing and intention. That's the word that kept coming to mind, every character, scene, breadcrumb is intentional. There's no fluff or filler in this one, just the perfect thriller.

This would make an excellent option for Netflix. Dig in you won't be disappointed.

I absolutely loved this thriller and finished in about 36 hours. This may be Charlie’s best book yet.

I love how all of the characters were intertwined with eachother and how everything wound up connecting in the end. I did guess that Ethan’s dad was involved in the killings before Ethan went into see what was in the warehouse at the end of the book.

The one thing that I was slightly disappointed in, was the ending. I wanted Ethan to catch Francis once and for all. I wish there was an epilogue at the end of the book.
4.5

An intricately woven plot makes this book a page turner. The main character is an emergency room doctor who was a detective in a previous life. He is drawn back to investigating a cold case when his former partner requests his help. The story is set in Wisconsin and the author does an excellent job of effectively describing the setting. The antagonist is an evil murderer oozing with creepiness. I did struggle a bit when the story began to wind down and a completely new character was introduced and their relationship with the antagonist wasn't completely explained. However, this is still a good read.

If you like books by Riley Sager, Anna Downes, Alex Finlay, Stacy Willingham and/or Karin Slaughter, then I highly recommend this one!!

I loved the book Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea, so I was excited to join the Donleas Detectives Reading Group to share the love of all things Donlea!!

If you want a fast-paced psychological thriller and a plot full of surprises, then add this one to your tbr!!

Once you think you have it figured out, Donlea throws another twist. It has the perfect title because that's what you'll be doing....guessing again!!

It's the kind of book that will keep you turning the pages way past your bed time!!

This book started with an opening sentence that can’t help but draw you and got better and better as the book progresses. It’s a nail biter with lots of twists and unexpected happenings. And it’s not easy to put down. The story is told in multiple timelines and by multiple characters but it’s not confusing, thanks in part to the chapter headings. Set in various parts of Wisconsin the author does a stellar job of describing the landscape and characters. If you like mysteries and thrillers you will like this book. I received a copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. As the title suggests you think you have the answers and you are WRONG. Well done and it is set up to continue on. Can’t wait for the next installment…if there is one!

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is a very highly recommended mystery/thriller that held my complete attention from start to finish.

Ethan Hall is an ER doctor who previously was a special agent with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. His former partner, Pete Kramer, is dying and comes to Ethan with a request. Ten years ago 17-year-old high Callie Jones disappeared and the case was never solved. Pete was the original investigator on the case and now he wants Ethan to take a look at the case and hopefully find some clue Pete missed to bring closure for the family. Ethan agrees to look at the case files but is pulled into investigating.

This well written thriller amps up the suspense and tension with each short, fast-paced chapter. The narrative jumps between the past and present and in the present between Ethan and a unknown woman. This structure works well to enhance the uneasiness and highlights the twists as the investigation continues.

The plot is complex and ties into Ethan's past in an unexpected way. It also requires some assistance with current technology to assist in the investigation. This is a novel that contains multiple mysteries along the way. Clear out some time as you will want to read it in one sitting.

Ethan is portrayed as a likable, fully realized character, with both strengths and weaknesses. You will know, as Ethan does, that he is being guided into an evil man's twisted scheme, but Ethan is intelligent and not easily deceived.

Guess Again is an excellent choice for those who enjoy fast-paced, twisty mysteries. Thanks to Kensington for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I don’t think it’s possible for Donlea to write a bad book! This was crazy good! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and the twists just kept on coming! I love his style of writing, so immersive and engaging. I will read anything this man writes!

Ethan Hall is a retired DCI agent now working as an ER doctor. When his old partner from the DCI enlists his help solving a cold case, unexpected things start to happen. Ethan discovers that his nemesis and father’s killer in prison knows more about how Callie Jones disappeared and a recent disappearance. He’s sent on a hunt by his father’s killer to uncover all the clues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Charlie Donlea is a genius. This book is like your favorite hospital/medical drama meets Criminal Minds. I really enjoyed this novel. Thank you NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. This is a complex story but the simplistic writing style was not engaging at all. The characters were surface level, the plot was convoluted, and I would not read a sequel to this book.

This was my first book by Charlie Donlea. I loved it! If you are a fan of Riley Sager, Frieda McFadden or Karin Slaughter...this book is for you.
It had good twists and plenty of suspense.
All I ask for is that there be a sequel please!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC

This was a ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing
I definitely enjoyed this book but did find it a bit slow to start. The twists and turns in the book I did not see coming at all. A few parts of the book were a bit predictable but again the twists in the book kept it interesting and I am really hoping there will be a sequel to this book.

Thriller writer Charlie Donlea's latest finds Ethan Hall working as an ER doctor after having left his previous job in law enforcement. But Ethan is dragged back in to investigate the cold case of the newly elected governor's daughter. Her case somehow has ties to the man who killed his father and is a suspected serial killer. But can Ethan go back to the life that tried to kill him to unravel the mysteries of Callie's disappearance, his father's killer's connection to the case, and a newly missing woman who is being used as the ticking time bomb to fit it all together?

Donlea's books are fast paced and action packed. This one is no different. It was very complicated but engaging. I didn't love the last quarter of the book, but nonetheless, it was a good popcorn thriller to fill the absence of any good action movies being out this summer. I think Donlea is the new John Grisham crossed with Michael Connelly, and I'll read whatever he writes (even if it goes off the rails a little like this one because it is one wild ride.)

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

I was in the middle of an awful reading slump and I couldn’t finish anything I started. Having read every one of Donlea’s books, I knew he would pull me out of it.

This one was twisty. What you think will happen, doesn’t. Who you think is playing chess, isn’t. I really like Ethan and Maddie. I like Ethan’s persistence and his ability to draw parallels where others might not see them. And I loved this addicting game of cat and mouse.

I cannot wait for more from Ethan in the future.

Another ridiculously riveting crime thriller from Charlie Donlea. This was so suspenseful!

It’s been 10 years since the tragic disappearance of teenage Callie Jones. After an initial extensive search for the girl, her body was never found, her case never closed, and her family and her community left without answers.

Retired detective/turned ER doctor, Ethan Hall has seen some things in his career. His split from law enforcement to medicine came after the horrors of the job caught up to him, but when his former partner, the man who ran lead on Callie’s case 10 years ago, asks Ethan to look into her case, he obliges.

In the small town of Cherryview Callie’s case is back in full swing, with the help of some strange bedfellows. The small Wisconsin town is dealing with the loss still after all these years, so when Ethan’s investigation starts gaining speed and new information is found, the shockwaves are felt through the community.

I thought this was really well planned out. I could see where it was going from a little early in the book, but it never took away from the intensity of the story. This was phenomenal!

Wow Charlie Donlea does it again. I have read every book Charlie Donlea has written and they have all surprised and entertained me. He has such good twists and turns that keep me quessing at all times. He has become an auto buy author for me.

Ethan was once a detective and now an ER doctor. He gets drawn back into the fray by his old partner who is dying. He has to solve what happened to a missing girl in the small town of Cherryview. He starts going down a dangerous path for answers. Some coming from a maximum security prison inmate. He discovers there is so much more to the case of the missing girl, Callie. The question is . . . Do you really want the answers you’re searching for?

I enjoyed every minute of this book. With all the twists and turns you will not want to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for this ARC copy.

Expected Publication date: July 29, 2025

Charlie Donlea has done it again with Guess Again! From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The pacing was pitch perfect for me, just fast enough to keep me on the edge of my seat, but never rushed so I got to know the cast of characters.

Ethan is an ex-detective who had a 100% success rate in solving crimes, but left the profession as things got to intense for him. Now he is called back to solve the cold case of a missing girl named Callie, as well as a currently missing girl before time runs out.

Are these cases related? Who is the Black Heart Killer? And what does Ethan’s dark past have to do with all of these things?

Every time I thought I had things figured out, Donlea threw in another jaw dropping twist. Then another. And another. It’s exactly what I’ve come to love and expect from his writing, that delicious feeling of not knowing who to trust or what’s coming next...and you just have to Guess Again.

(Couldn’t resist the play on words 🤓)

💕📚Happy Reading!

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC copy of this title!

It has been a while since I read a true crime thriller and this was my first Charlie Donlea novel. Let's just say I will be consuming more of both. This book follow Ethan who is a retired Investigator turned ER doctor. He finds himself back to his old job investigating a 10 year old missing person's case. The twists and turns in this one were insane. I did not see any of them coming. This was a quick enjoyable thriller.

Exactly what I’ve come to expect from Charlie Donlea — a multilayered, fully fleshed-out mystery that doesn’t rely on cheap cliffhangers to keep the story moving.

Guess Again weaves together multiple timelines and POVs to unravel the story of Ethan Hall as he reopens a ten-year-old cold case involving a missing girl.

A smart, gripping thriller that delivers without gimmicks.

This was a slow burn. One of my favorite authors and was curious if it was going to pick up but once it did it was a very good read.