Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Guess Again.

I've enjoyed books written by Charlie Donlea in the past and I enjoyed reading this one. This book, like his others- is filled with secrets, suspense, action, and shocking twists that kept me hooked from start to finish. This left me second guessing everything I thought I knew when reading the book.

The case is one that has gone cold but is being brought back to the forefront after Ethan's former partner Pete Kramer, makes a desperate request. The problem with that? Ethan has turned away from police work and is now an ER physician. Pete asks Ethan to return to look at the case more so because of his 100% solve rate. If anyone would be able to solve this cold case it would be Ethan.

The different point of views in this story, along with the different time frames really helped build up the story and left me second guessing who the killer was. This book was a wild ride, especially towards the ending totally catching me off guard but I loved it.

I love all of Charlie Donlea's books and this one is another hit. Devoured this book in a few days. Highly recommend.

Charlie Donlea returns with another razor-sharp thriller, and 'Guess Again' may be his most addictive yet. With a structure that jumps across timelines and a protagonist caught between past trauma and present danger, this novel grips from the first page and doesn't let go until its final, breathless twist.

Ten years after the mysterious disappearance of high school golden girl Callie Jones, former detective turned ER doctor Ethan Hall is reluctantly drawn back into the case. When his old partner begs him to revisit the investigation, Ethan - now a man running from his own past - is forced to confront long-buried secrets in a small lakeside town where no one is entirely innocent.

Donlea excels at keeping the reader off balance. The short chapters, shifting perspectives, and precisely timed reveals create a constant sense of forward momentum. Ethan is a compelling lead - flawed but capable, haunted yet sharp - and the dual lens of medicine and law enforcement gives the narrative a unique texture.

What really makes 'Guess Again' stand out, though, is its atmosphere. The suffocating summer heat, the eerie stillness of a town that's moved on too quickly, and the palpable tension between characters all heighten the sense that something just beneath the surface is terribly wrong.

There are moments where the plot edges into the implausible, and readers who prefer tightly grounded realism may need to suspend disbelief. But the payoff - an expertly executed twist that recontextualizes everything - is well worth the ride.

Recommended for readers of Lisa Gardner, Riley Sager

Charlie Donlea has become an auto read author for me. He does such a great job of weaving a complicated mystery that thoroughly invests the reader and allows for multiple directions for the final pages to finish off. He always delivers a lot of twists the keep the reader engaged and attached.

In GUESS AGAIN, Ethan Hall is tasked with at request from the governor to revert from his current career as an ER doctor back to an investigator to hopefully solve a cold missing case of Callie Jones. Ethan gets in deep with some clues handed to him that start to make things messy and dangerous.

Things go a little wild and crazy at the end, but it seems like the last few books this has been Donlea's MO. It's fun to have a fast paced race to the end as all of the clues start to be revealed. I did feel like there needed to be a couple more bread crumbs for the finale to make sense on this one (or there's a chance that I missed something-message me if you've read this!).

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the gifted e-ARC.

Charlie Donlea delivers another gripping and emotionally charged thriller in Guess Again, a masterclass in suspense and layered storytelling. Former DCI investigator Ethan now leads a quieter life as an emergency doctor, having left behind the violence and shadows of his past. But when his old partner Pete, now terminally ill with ALS, begs him to take on one final cold case—the decade-old disappearance of Callie Jones, daughter of a powerful governor—Ethan is pulled back into a world he thought he’d left behind. The investigation becomes personal as Ethan is forced to confront Francis Bernard, the man who murdered his own father. Bernard holds key information about the case, but every interaction with him chips away at Ethan’s emotional resolve. Meanwhile, the promise of clearing his crushing student debt dangles as an offer from the governor, further complicating Ethan’s moral compass. Donlea expertly weaves together past and present, crafting a taut, atmospheric mystery with high emotional stakes. The twisty turns and moral quandaries keep readers guessing until the final pages. Guess Again is not just a thrilling mystery—it's a deeply human story about sacrifice, justice, and the ghosts we carry. Donlea fans and newcomers alike will find it impossible to put down.

Ethan Hall, a former detective turned doctor, is drawn back into a chilling case when his old partner approaches him for help. Together, they attempt to solve the decade-old cold case of 17-year-old Callie Jones, the governor’s missing daughter.

Guess Again is a gripping, fast-paced psychological suspense and crime thriller that keeps you turning pages nonstop. The title couldn’t be more fitting as this book is full of twists and red herrings that keep you second-guessing the entire time. Donlea’s storytelling shines with major reveals saved for the final chapters, leading to a satisfying ending and the potential for a new series.

Thank you to Charlie Donlea, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75/5- I docked .25 because it was a little slow at the start. not bad but, 75% of the book was fast paced and all action. The twists and turns were beyond guessing, and I loved it. It feels like this could be the start of a series, but it could be a stand alone as well.

Spoiler: At some point I was thinking, Am I going to meet anyone who isn't a criminal?

Very intense, and pretty f'd up.

Guess Again is another good read by Charlie Donlea. It felt like it was based on a true story, it was so realistic! I loved that it was fast paced and I couldn’t put it down! I thought I had things figured out, but then I was wrong! There were so many twists in it and the ending was jaw dropping! I loved this book! I hope there’s a sequel to this!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I've been a fan of Charlie Donlea's since he released Summit Lake and with each new release, his work gets better and better. Donlea is known for short chapters with multiple POVs that instantly hook the reader and this drew me in right away. I was eagerly flipping the pages to find out what happened to Callie and with each page, my guess changed over and over again. I hope this is not the last we will see of some of these characters!

This is my second time reading a Charlie Donlea book, I remember really enjoying The Suicide House and was hoping for a similar experience with Guess Again. Safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed.
Guess Again comes out later this month, it centers around the case of 17-year-old Callie, who vanished from her Wisconsin hometown a decade ago. Her body was never found and the case has gone cold. That is until someone close to Ethan Hall - a former detective turned ER doctor - asks him to take another look.

It’s a bit of a career jump for Ethan, but it actually works. As he starts digging into the old case things start to unravel in all the best ways. There are layers of mystery, secrets from the past colliding with the present and a whole cast of characters to keep track of - some trustworthy, some not so much.

I flew through this one in just a few days. The pacing is tight, especially in the second half, which I basically devoured in a single sitting. Short chapters, lots of twists, and enough tension that kept me stumped. There’s also an emotional thread with Ethan still dealing with the trauma of losing his father to a serial killer, which added much to the story.

The ending felt right, satisfying well leaving the door open for more.

After finishing this, I know I need to dig into Donlea’s backlist whenever I’m in the mood for a fast, twisty mystery.

My thanks to Kensington Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book from the author. This book is suitable for non-native reader. The writing is easy to read. There isn’t a lot of vocabulary to search upon. It is a book with multiple POVs, the book just kept you engaged on and on. The plot twist is one plot twist followed by the next plot twist and the ending was totally unexpected. This is one of the best thriller I have read in the year and I will definitely recommend this book!

Why have I never read a book by Donlea before? This was awesome. The amount of research he put down must've been huge. Everything feels realistic. I loved the plot, the twists and the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the ARC. This was my first book by this author and won’t be my last. I couldn’t put it down. Not only because I’m from Wisconsin but I loved the medical and detective aspects. It was twisty and had parts I didn’t see coming. I loved the super short chapters as well.

The novel follows Ethan Hall, a former detective now working as an ER doctor, who’s reluctantly pulled back into a cold case to find out what happened to
Callie.

Guess Again is a must-read for fans of Charlie Donlea. This gripping story will keep you guessing until the very end. An ex-cop turned doctor visits his father’s killer in prison after his denial of parole. When his old partner asks him to investigate an old cold case that has been haunting him for years, he feels compelled to help.

The killer, who shot his father in the face years before, becomes entangled in a web of deception and lies. The doctor must race against time to unravel this tangled mess before another life is lost.

A standalone crime mystery tale, Guess Again (2025) by Charlie Donlea is a riveting, slow burn cold case. In 2015, teenager Callie Jones disappeared one night, and the case has never been solved. A decade later, Emergency Doctor, Ethan Hall, a former investigator with Wisconsin Criminal Investigation Unit is asked by the new Governor to review the file. Initially reluctant, Ethan’s own personal family connection to jailed killer Francis Bernard whose offer to help cannot be overlooked. An enthralling multi-layered crime story unfolds as a ten-year-old cold case has gripping present day consequences and impact for various characters. Each chapter is clearly timed, dated and place marked at the beginning, enabling a clear switch back and forth between events in 2015 and 2025. A riveting five star read rating ensues, with possibly more adventures to come. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Kensington Publishing and the author for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
4.5 stars (rounded up)

Charlie Donlea is one of my all time favorite, auto-buy authors. I have loved everything I’ve ever read by him. I randomly read a standalone of his and then went all the way back and started with his Rory Moore and Lane Phillips series. I was excited when I saw that he has a new novel releasing this year.

Ethan Hall is a former detective for Wisconsin’s Division of Criminal Investigations and crimes against children. Despite a 100% solve rate Ethan walks away from his career in a bid to save his mental health. Ten years later he is an Emergency Room doctor trying to help people by saving lives rather than helping families after lives were already lost.

His old investigative partner, Pete Kramer finds him and requests his assistance with reviewing a ten year old cold case, one that Pete was never able to solve. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Pete is desperate to close this one last case. Ethan doesn’t want to return to and be reminded of his previous life but agrees to review the case files…

There is a lot of time and location jumping, from past to current, place to place but the story is plot heavy with short chapters and plenty of momentum to make this an easy, quick read. There are so many twists and turns that make the Guess Again title entirely appropriate. Ethan is a well-developed character and I enjoyed most of the support characters. The very end was predictable and left open ended. It could end there as a standalone OR could this be the beginning of a series featuring Ethan Hall?

Overall, a fantastic read. I’ve yet to be disappointed by a Charlie Donlea novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington publishers for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Guess Again” is the perfect title for this twisty-turny thriller and one to add to your TBR if you enjoy storylines that include intelligent criminals taunting law enforcement. Ethan Hall left his job as detective with a 100% success rate to become an ER physician. Wisconsin Governor asks him to use his detective skills to come back to work on one final case: his daughter that went missing 10 years earlier. Lucky for Ethan, he has a source providing new clues to the cold case. Unlucky for Ethan, that source just so happens to be a prisoner who murdered Ethan’s father and (assumed) attempted murderer of Ethan’s now girlfriend. Ethan must play along to have any hope of closing the cold case and saving a recent kidnapped victim.

This felt like it was part of a series. The beginning didn’t grab me initially. It felt like a recap of previous books instead of a new introduction of characters. At first I just couldn’t get over how over-the-top Ethan’s character was. He has a 100% detective rate, flies a plane, and on a whim, decided to go back to school and become a physician, which he also does flawlessly (besides the fact that he give a patient a ride home at the end of his shift…). There’s almost nothing he can’t do.

The beginning also includes many characters, dual timelines and several settings. As soon as I was getting into the story, it felt like a whole new story was introduced. But with time I came to enjoy this smartly written novel that brings all the chaos together. The ending seemed like a setup for another book.

I found some aspects of the writing style distracting, but overall appreciated the heart pounding thriller that had me turning pages at max speed towards the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jul 29 2025

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you!

This book was a wild ride. Just when I would think that I figured everything out, another twist would come and surprise me. The ending was crazy, and I'm hoping there will be a sequel.

I devoured this book.
My jaw- still on the floor!
Charlie Donlea delivers another masterclass in suspense.
Guess Again is gripping, unpredictable, and packed with twists that had me questioning everything-and everyone.
The dual timelines, the emotional depth, and the cold-case mystery were all executed flawlessly.
One of my favorite parts? The short, snappy chapters.
They kept the story moving at lightning speed and made it impossible to stop reading. ("Just one more chapter" turned into the whole book!)
It's smart, twisty, and full of that signature Donlea intensity-perfect for fans of true crime podcasts, cold cases, and jaw-dropping reveals.
Drop your schedule, youre gonna love this!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This is a standout thriller of the year for me, no question.
I don't want to share the blurp cause I feel it gives away too much, just go into it blind like I did haha!!!!

Guess Again was such a ride! Charlie Donlea knows how to keep you guessing until the very last page. The twists were smart, the pacing was perfect, and I couldn’t put it down. Every time I thought I had it figured out, something new hit me. If you love thrillers that mess with your mind in the best way, this one’s a must-read!