INCREDIBLE! Charlie Donlea doesn't miss and this one is no exception. So many twists! Slow burn to build the backstory and lay roots and then POW POW POW so many twists and turns and connections for an incredible read!!!

Whew, what did I just read?! Like Donlea's previous novels, this mystery kept me turning the pages and gave me more twists and turns than I knew what to do with. I found the main character Ethan to be likable, smart, and interesting, and am hopeful that this is the first in a series. The combination of a cold case with the current interactions with a criminal mastermind/serial killer in prison really kept me on my toes. The plot had Silence of the Lambs vibes with the imprisoned serial killer giving clues to Ethan, sending him on a cat-and-mouse chase to solve the cold case mystery. This book had everything I want in a mystery/thriller - twists that make sense, but still keep my guessing. There were even some audible gasps as I binged this one!

I loved this one! Set across Wisconsin — from a quiet cabin up north to the heart of Madison and Milwaukee — it created the perfect backdrop for a chilling cold case mystery. I’ve been on a cold case binge all summer, and this one delivered everything I was hoping for.

The story follows Ethan Hall, a compelling main character with a tangled past — the killer shot his father and traumatized his now-girlfriend, the only known survivor of the Lake Michigan Black Heart Killer. 👀 The layers of secrets that unravel kept me guessing the entire time. So many twists, and the reveal? 🤯 Epic.

Also: the chapters are super short (some just a few pages!), which made it impossible to stop. Just one more chapter turned into five…then ten. You know the drill..

Final Verdict: 👍 A suspenseful, unpredictable, and cleverly layered cat-and-mouse game. Totally bingeable and one of my favorites of the summer!

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is a twisty, atmospheric thriller that starts with a bang. It is well-written with rich subplots and a conniving, clever, odious villain.

On the tenth anniversary of Callie Jones’ disappearance, and with her father’s political clout, the cold case is reopened. Ethan Hall, former, highly successful detective, now turned ER doctor is drawn back into the case. He left that life behind for a reason, but his 100% solve rate is needed and he soon discovers that he has a tenuous, but personal connection to the crime.

There are a lot of characters with their own stories, overlapping subplots with intriguing connections, and a complex, layered crime with surprising reveals along the way. It’s fascinating to see how the investigator methodically unravels the clues, one-by-one, sometimes revisiting them, and the trails he follows to solve the crime. Told from two perspectives, past and present, to fill in gaps, we piece together the whole story bit-by-bit. Despite the very short chapters, the pacing slowed in the middle, but the latter third of the story picked back up with more action, forward progress, and the discovery of various leads. Admittedly, there was a sense that I had picked up in the middle of a series and missed some background details alluded to as a nod to previous stories, but I can find no evidence of it being related to other books.

Guess Again is melancholic in tone, and tragic in more ways than one, but it is definitely interesting. The story concludes on a cliff-hanger, with a clear potential to be the beginning of a new series, and I’m disappointed to learn that it is marketed as a standalone. I would love to follow these characters and the ensuing mystery begging to be solved and see where things lead. Guess Again is a chilling thriller that has many facets, is cleverly plotted and full of shocking discoveries.

Charlie Donlea is an auto-buy author for me and this book was no different. This might be my new favorite! 5 stars! Highly recommend.

Charlie Donlea does it again! I was left speechless! This story had me intrigued from start to finish. This is perfect for anyone looking for a twisty, fast- paced thriller! 5⭐️!

Thank you Kensington Publishers for the arc!

I really do enjoy the way Charlie Donlea writes. She keeps just enough information back so that the reader - - namely me thinks I know the answer but I'm not quite positive. Then as the story progresses, I all but drop my book as the twists and turns begin to reveal themselves. It's all just so clever and I love it!

This book has a lot going on. We meet Ethan, a former detective who became an ER doctor when burnout in his previous job began to look inevitable. He's living his life and has a very established routine when a face from his past shows up in his ER. Ethan's former partner, Pete comes to ask that he help them to investigate a cold case - - that of the governor's daughter who disappeared ten years ago. Ethan doesn't want to be pulled back into that world but can't tell his old buddy no. But when he finds out how twisted that whole case is and how tied up it is with another murder from years ago, Ethan definitely can't turn away.

Before beginning this book, be sure you have ample time to spend on it because you will be sucked in. You won't want to stop for anything because you'll want to see what happens next. It really is just that good.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was fortunate enough to receive early copies of both the ebook and audiobook so I went back and forth between the two of them. I loved each medium but have to say the audio may have been my favorite. It really lent itself to the drama of the story. The narration really was quite good and kept me engaged.

Charlie Donlea’s latest psychological thriller is a dark and dangerous cat and mouse game played out by an ex-detective and a prison inmate. With short action packed chapters that unfold at a relentless pace, it’s a wild roller coaster of a ride that will keep the reader guessing right up to the explosive ending.

After ten years working as a special agent in Wisconsin’s Division of Criminal Investigation successfully solving crimes against kids, Ethan Hall felt burned out and decided to retrain as an ER doctor and do some good saving lives. Pete Kramer, his old partner is still haunted by the unsolved case of missing teenage girl, Callie Jones. He has never stopped looking for her and now dying of a terminal disease, asks Ethan to reinvestigate the cold case to give her family closure.

Seventeen when she disappeared ten years ago, Callie was a high school volleyball star and a good student with a bright future. Her father is now the State Governor with the power to appoint Ethan as a consultant on the case. Reluctantly, as a favour to Pete Ethan agrees to go over the case files in his time away from the ER.

Francis Bernard has served 32 years of his 60 year sentence in maximum security for the murder of Ethan’s father and is also suspected of killing several young women. When he starts giving Ethan cryptic clues about Callie’s disappearance, Ethan realises he must somehow have someone on the outside helping him. Despite being suspicious of Francis’ motives, Ethan can’t help being drawn into a complex and twisted psychological game with him, if it means finally solving Callie’s case.

This is a hard-hitting thriller with multiple plot lines and dual time lines, full of shocking twists and plenty of misdirection. Donlea has more tricks and surprises up his sleeve than a magician, expertly juggling many strings and multiple characters. Francis is one of the creepiest of serial killers, a master manipulator, always plotting one step ahead, while Ethan is an excellent investigator, capable of pulling all the diverse pieces together until they coalesce into the bigger picture. The ending is shocking and unexpected with a final chilling cliff-hanger suggesting Ethan will return in a sequel.

Thank you @kensingtonbooks @tandomcollectiveglobal @charliedonlea for my complimentary copy and for including me on this read-along. All opinions expressed are my own.

MY THOUGHTS: This will undoubtedly go down as one of my 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 of the year! The story unfolds in an attention-grabbing style, with alternating timelines, locations, and character perspectives. Despite the numerous transitions, I found it easy to stay engaged with the unfolding action. The characters are multi-dimensional, especially Ethan Hall, whose internal conflict as a former detective grappling with the loss of his father and his personal trauma adds depth to his character. His struggle to reconcile his past with his current life as an ER doctor makes his journey even more compelling.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽! It was totally unexpected, and it definitely sets the stage for a potential sequel. This was my first experience with this author, and I’m eager to explore his backlist!

Thank you Kensington for the review copy! This is 100% a bookstagram friends made me do it read and I am grateful. Donlea here offers solid, well structured, and suspenseful storytelling with confidence, the story is engaging and intense and the reveals, how it all comes together, are great. I am now a fan, just as I was promised I would be, and can't wait to read the next book!

🤩𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡🤩
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤!! ★★★★★

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...a cold case breaks open in dangerous ways….

☀️𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢...Charlie Donlea has officially cemented himself as my favorite thriller author! 🏆🥇Yep..he was always WAY up there, but damn! The consistency to his thrillers being so friggin good is truly amazeballs!! 🤩👏🙌

📘Guess Again was absolutely gripping from the first page to the last. Donlea has such a gift for crafting twisty🌀, layered plots that keep you second-guessing every character and motive. The title literally is perfection for this one. Read this book & if you want to know how I rank his others just holla at ya girl🙋‍♀️😄

Charlie Donlea does it again. This book is fantastic. I enjoyed the pace, the characters and the plot. I really hope this becomes a series.

I’ve been a Charlie Donlea fan from the start, reading his first five thrillers as soon as they were published. Well, life took over and I got behind, but I decided to revive my tradition with Guess Again, which Donlea reports is his ninth book. This one follows some of the current writing trends, with multiple narrators and timelines alternating through the chapters, tiny little reveals sprinkled in that change the story just when you thought you had it all figured out… and a twist that lands out of the blue like a gut punch. There were a few cases when I had to suspend disbelief, and a few questions left unanswered; but it was a good trip, a solid 4.5 star rating that I rounded to 5.

Guess Again is the newest thriller novel by Charlie Donlea, another addictive, propulsive mystery where we follow Ethan Hall, an ex-detective turned ER doctor, who is content with his life after leaving his stressful and depressing job years ago. But when the governor and his old partner seek his help in the cold case of Callie Jones, who disappeared 10 years ago, Ethan is tempted to get involved, and becomes fully invested when his nemesis, Francis Bernard, comes into play.

The novel weaves together two intertwined mysteries and a thrilling game of cat and mouse between an evil serial killer and a tortured ex-detective still haunted by the death of his father when he was a teenager. There are several loose threads that I wasn’t sure would connect, but once the pieces start falling into place, there are plenty of surprises along the way, and the last 30% keeps you guessing and completely hooked.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I have had continuing familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

This action-packed thriller is just that - full of action, twists and turns and cliffhangers. Only problem is, it's a bit too much of everything, and very much strained my limits in terms of credulity. The short chapters kept the narrative driving forward, but there were too many things where I had to suspend disbelief - not to mention the unsatisfying ending - to make this an enjoyable read.

I loved this book! It is quite the page-turner between the short chapters and all the twists and turns along the way! I loved Ethan and all the knowledge he had from being a former detective to now being an ER doctor. I found his character to be quite interesting. The ending of this book was so good and has me hoping that we will be seeing Ethan again in another book!

Brilliant mystery novel that's as much about trauma and guilt as it is about solving a crime. If you love twisty psychological thrillers that keep you second-guessing everyone, this one's for you.

Guess Again
Charlie Donlea

This contained so many elements that I simply adore reading. A bona fide good mystery, a cast of suspects, hidden agendas, dark secrets and a race against the clock.

On the 10th anniversary of a teenage girl’s disappearance her cold case breaks open in dangerous way… and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again. When Callie Jones vanishes a highly publicised search followed but no body was ever found.

Ethan Hall, a former renegade detective turned ER doctor is dragged back into his old line of work. Ethan’s investigation gains momentum and he begrudgingly has a source, an inmate in a maximum security prison. Soon Ethan’s methods draw him deeper into a twisted psychological game.

This was compelling reading and kept up a fast pace. There were twists and was action packed, with dark secrets to uncover. I really loved reading this. The ending especially was exceptional and hopefully is leading us into a sequel.

Charlie Donlea did it again! An entertaining thriller that keeps you guessing. It is a fast paced and gripping read full of suspense. If you’ve enjoyed his other books, this is a must read.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Donlea, and Kensington Publishing for the eARC. A gripping, fast-paced police procedural packed with trauma, jaw-dropping twists, and a cast of wildly unpredictable characters!