YES! Such an amazing read by Charlie Donlea! Of course it is 5 stars because there is not a single book written by Charlie Donlea that has gotten less than! It is full of secrets, lies, and twist after twist... I loved the multiple POV. It kept you hanging on with every single chapter

WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! The twists and turns. Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea is one of my top favorite thrillers ... this one is very close. Really good! Try not to read the summary or reviews. I won't say much more other than PICK IT UP ON JULY 29!! Go into it blind and enjoy. You will not regret it.

Thank you THANK YOU to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Ten years after high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished without a trace from her quiet Wisconsin town, former detective-turned-ER doctor Ethan Hall is pulled back into the cold case by his dying ex-partner. Pete Kramer, the lead investigator from the original case, wants closure before he goes—and he needs Ethan’s help to finally solve the mystery of what happened to Callie. As the small town of Cherryview buzzes with renewed hope, Ethan’s investigation takes unexpected turns, especially when a surprising lead comes from inside a maximum-security prison. But reexamining the case means confronting not just the town’s secrets, but Ethan’s own dark past—where the truth might be more twisted than anyone imagined.

Oh WOW! What an amazing book. Guess Again is told through different parts and POVs. There are many characters but it is not confusing at all. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I was shocked so many times and felt desperate to see how it would all come together. The twists were wild, and even when I thought I had something figured out, it played out in a totally unexpected way. Charlie Donlea nailed the suspense and tension, and everything just clicked into place perfectly by the end—but only when the author wanted you to see it. This is hands-down my favorite book of his yet and absolutely one of my top reads of the year.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing, the author and netgalley for an arc of this book for a review!!

I’ve been a huge fan of Charlie Donlea’s books for years and I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Charlie Donlea’s upcoming 2025 release, and WOW! The story kicks off with a convicted killer making a chilling offer that cracks open a decade-old missing person case, and from there, the twists just keep coming. Told across dual timelines, the plot slowly unravels secrets you won’t see coming. It’s gripping, suspenseful, and full of surprises; classic Donlea. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a smart, twisty thriller!

I could not put this book down. Kensington PublishingCharlie Donlea does no disappoint with his thrillers! I predicted a lot of the twist, however, I did not predict all of the twist. I just am continuing to wonder how one of the characters plays into the plot line at all. I wish I had a little more backstory on blonde tattoo. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book!

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea.

I love all books by Charlie Donlea and this one was no different! It was fast-paced and a wonderfully written thriller that keeps you hooked from the beginning until the very end. The plot is engaging and the characters are well developed. You can think you have things figured out and the author will throw a curve ball at you. The ending is shocking and is truly twisty and suspenseful!

The narration is wonderful for the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the alc.

I didn't enjoy this :(

I got about half way through it and stopped reading. It just wasn't holding my attention! Maybe I'll give the audio a try!

Guess Again is an intricately plotted, layered thriller that kept me hooked from the very first page. I’ve read a lot of thrillers, and while I managed to predict one of the twists (purely on instinct, not because it was telegraphed), the other reveal completely caught me off guard and I loved that.

This story is full of moving parts, shifting timelines, and intersecting characters, yet it all comes together seamlessly. The pacing is brisk without feeling rushed, and the emotional tension running through the characters’ connections made the mystery even more compelling. It’s clear how much care Donlea took in crafting each thread of the plot, and the payoff was so satisfying.

This is easily a new favorite from Donlea. I devoured it (would’ve read it in one sitting if life hadn’t gotten in the way), and it’s one I’ll be recommending often to fans of cold case thrillers and psychological suspense.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC opportunity!

Charlie Donlea writes another amazing thriller that has you guessing until the end! A serial killer, an ex-special agent, a victim that got away... This book has everything you need to binge read until you finally find out what happened.

Excellent book!!

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is a fast-paced, cleverly written thriller that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. The plot is engaging, the characters are well-developed, and just when you think you have everything figured out—Donlea pulls the rug out from under you. The ending is truly shocking and makes the entire journey unforgettable. Highly recommended for fans of suspense and twisty thrillers! Thank you for allowing me to preview this book.

3.5 stars
I liked but didn’t love this book. I am totally an outlier in this regard as I have seen numerous glowing reviews from readers I trust.

While I did find it to be fast-paced with some surprising twists, I was distracted at times by overly detailed descriptions, stilted dialogue and elements that seemed a bit too convenient.

All in all, it was an entertaining read that I think most thriller readers will honestly love.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Guess Again is an accurate title for Charlie Donlea's latest thriller. It kept me guessing throughout the book just when I thought I had something figured out. His newest is fast paced with short chapters told in multiple POV's alternating from the summer of 2015 and the summer of 2025/26.

In 2015 Callie Jones, high school volleyball star vanishes. Her body is never found and now her father, Governor Mark Jones wants the cold case to be solved. He pulls in Ethan Hall former DCI with children's crimes to solve the case, Before he left his career and headed to medical school, Ethan had a 100% rate of solving crimes. Ethan's father was murdered by serial killer, Francis Bernard who he visits in prison to make sure his parole is denied. When Francis gives Ethan a tip on the Callie Jones case it leads to a wild ride!

I highly recommend this 5 star thriller! Charlie Donlea is on of the best and I devour his books. The last chapter left me wanting part two of the Ethan Hall storyline. Do not miss out on this one.

Review of Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

First, a huge thank you to the author as well to the group Donlea’s Detectives for the physical copy of this one. I have read most of his books and this one is hands-down my favorite. I pray there will be a sequel because I cannot wait. I absolutely loved the main character in this book. It was fast paced, held my interest the entire time, had amazing writing, and an absolutely mind blowing phenomenal twist at the end. This one is out July 29 and trust me when I say that you absolutely are going to want read it!!

Synopsis:

tion

Ten years after a teenage girl’s disappearance, a bizarre confession breaks open the cold case in dangerous ways…and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again in the masterfully twisty new psychological suspense novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

QOTD: who are some of your favorite thriller authors?

Charlie Donlea, one of my favorite authors, has not disappointed with this new Thriller! "Guess Again" is a storyline based off a missing 17 year old girl, Callie, whose case has run cold. A fresh perspective is brought on board by detective/physician Ethan Hall, and a promise to solve this case. The twists is this book with the connections to Ethan's past, are those that I did not see coming. While I have read several of this author's books, I would highly recommend starting with this one if you never have!

I personally enjoyed the characters of this book. They were relatable and realistic to the reader. While there are quite a few, they are not hard to keep up with. I found the character number to be the perfect amount to really connect the ending to the beginning of this book.

If action, twists, thrills, and rollercoasters of emotion are your thing, this is a MUST read book for you! A real page-turner and fast read for me!

Thank You to Kensington Publishing fand NetGalley for the eArc.

Title: Guess Again
Author: Charlie Donlea
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 27, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Pages: 352

This story is told from multiple POVs and is set both in the past (summer 2015) and the present (summer 2025). Most of plot takes place in 2025.

2015 Callie Jones a seventeen year-old high school volleyball star vanished from Cherryview a quiet lake community in Wisconsin. Her body was never found, and the case went cold.

2025 - On the tenth anniversary, Ethan Hall—a former detective turned ER doctor—(he left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the working in the children’s crime division).He gets a call from his former partner, Pete Kramer, who has ALS who makes a dying request. Pete is the veteran detective who originally investigated the case now wants Ethan to meet someone at a nearby hotel. Ethan still dress in scrubs comes face-to-face with Mark Jones the newly elected governor of Wisconsin and the father of Callie Jones.
He requests his assistance in reexamining Callie’s case and has made proper arrangements so that he can be excused from his ER responsibility while on the case.

Additionally Lindsay Larkin, Callie’s best friend and now a psychologist and hostess to the successful online counseling podcast “The Anonymous Client’ Lindsay has been relentlessly about finding what happened to Callie.

There is a side story going on. Ethan’s father, also a detective was murdered by a serial killer named Francis Bernard. Francis currently serving time in the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (WSPF) one of THE highest security prisons.- and has been there for the past 32 years. Ethan has been able to block every attempt at his parole.

As Ethan continues his investigation, Francis asks to see him in prison and give him clues that no one knows about. Francis enjoys leads Ethan on a wild chase – Francis seems to have an insight into the present case but how?

Donlea is an awesome story teller this is my eighth story.
I call myself a fan
This story was amazing- Just when you think – What’s next? What 's next happens!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for this WOW eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 27, 2025.

The title is completely accurate because once I thought I knew where it was going the story derailed (in the best way) and surprised me with plenty of shocking and satisfying twists. Fast paced, bingeable read with a full cast of characters and by the end everything comes together. There was never a slow moment in this story and I loved how each piece played an important role, he sets the stage perfectly.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an advance digital copy of this book.
Donlea has become my latest favorite author in this genre. The plot development is solid and fast paced. The plot was also complex and contained some good twists. The characters were interesting. The main character began a career as an investigator and then became an ER physician. Dr. Ethan Hall is called on to investigate a cold case by his former detective partner. The 17 yr. old girl who went missing 10 years ago was the daughter of the newly elected governor who wants her case reexamined. Ethan’s 100% solve rate as an investigator has the governor offering him a tempting deal.
I expect most readers will be as surprised as I was with the horror Ethan finally uncovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of Guess Again, the following review and thoughts are solely my own.

Guess Again is my first ever thriller from Charlie Donlea and I can absolutely say without a doubt I will be scrambling to read more of his prior books. As a huge fan of thrillers, I'm pretty critical of my reviews, and Guess Again is going on my top reads of 2025. I finished this book in two days, and honestly the ending was something I never saw coming.

Kuddos, Donlea, you just gained a new fan with this superb boo!! Do yourself a favor a pick up a copy as soon as it hits the shelves!

This started off with a bang and ended up being action packed. However, I am being somewhat generous giving it 4 stars, it was more 3.5 rounded up.

While there was a lot of action and thrilling moments. I felt there was almost too many characters and too much stuff going on. It didn’t feel like a well-paced, well connected thriller to me. It might be a ‘me problem’ which is why I have rounded up.

I really enjoyed the ending though when everything comes together. There were parts I definitely did not guess would ever be true when it first started. I think there will most likely be a sequel as there is definitely some unfinished business with this one.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 🌟 Charlie Donlea is one of my favorite thriller authors. His books always seem so original to me. Not your common trope every time. I was completely engaged with this book. It was hard for me to put I down. I always know I’m in for a great ride when I read him.