Ten years after a teenage girl disappeared, Ethan (former detective turned ER doctor) is contacted by his old partner with a dying wish of sorts for Ethan to look at all the evidence again. Unfortunately the serial killer who murdered Ethan's father is also somehow involved. There was a lot going on here. There were parts of the ending that I did not love, but it was also not really obvious what would happen. It seemed to be left pretty wide open for a sequel too, and I would probably read it. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

*A breathtaking new thriller from one of the best at the top of his game.*

Charlie Donlea's books have quickly become must reads for me over the past years, and with one notable exception ("Those Empty Eyes"), I have enjoyed them all. "Guess Again" finds the author at the top of his game delivering another breathtaking thriller.

Ethan Hall - a renegade special agent with Wisconsins' Division of Criminal Investigation with a one hundred percent solve rate who left law enforcement ten years ago to become an ER doctor instead - gets a visit from an ailing former colleague hoping for help with a cold case. In the summer of 2015, seventeen-year-old Callie Jones, popular volleyball star and daughter of an ambitious politician, vanished without a trace from her quiet Wisconsin lake community.

As has become his trademark, the author alternates between different timelines and POVs, expertly weaving together the case's backstory, Callie's last weeks before her disappearance in 2015, with a present-day plot entailing a seemingly unrelated prisoner who was convicted for killing Ethan's father. The complex setup involving many side characters comes together seamlessly in a gripping, fast-paced thriller.

Ethan Hall is an absolute standout as a compassionate, skilled, but flawed protagonist. The final chapter makes it clear we will be seeing more of him in the future, and I for one cannot wait.

Overall, this made for a highly enjoyable, engrossing, layered read that kept me on the edge of my seat. One of the best thrillers I have read in a while!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing | Kensington for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Guess Again" is slated to be released on Jul 29, 2025.

Holy sh*t!!! Prepare yourselves for one of the greatest novels of our time. I'm not just saying this. This book is absolute GOLD.



A former detective turned ER physician is pulled back into his old life for a chance to provide insight into a cold case that has haunted his former partner and the truths he unearths will leave him shook to his core.


This book has everything you could want: a serial killer playing cat and mouse games behind bars with his former victim's son, secret romances, and white knuckle suspense that will have you tearing through the pages.

Thank you #NetGalley and #KensingtonPublishing for this chance to review #GuessAgain by Charlie Donlea coming to shelves near you July 29th!!!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Wow! WOW! What a book! Ethan is an ER doctor after burning out in his detective job. His dying friend from the force asks him to open the cold case of Callie, a 17 year old VB star. There is a deep mystery to her disappearance that. Is shocking. When visiting the jail of the man who murdered his father he receives information about the murder. How can this be? How could he know? What he is asking for the information is not good but Ethan needs to know. Will Ethan find the girl? A hair raising read to the finish!

I really enjoyed Charlie Donlea’s newest book! Guess Again fallows Ethan, a retired detective, and now ER doctor. His ailing, ex partner needs his help solving his biggest cold case. He hopes Ethan can help him solve his missing persons case and find the mayors long missing daughter. Ethan’s father was murdered by a serial killer and as he comes up for parole and Ethan visits him, the man gives info on his missing persons case and draws him into a tangled web.
This was written so well and I genuinely enjoyed the intertwining story lines. The ending was so good and I didn’t see his twist coming!

This one would get a bonus star from me.
Absolutely masterful.
Oozing suspense from page one! This plot was spot on for perfection. The characters were likeable and relateable and they made this story come to life.
Terrifying and twisty turny all the way through. I read this in one sitting. It was unbelievably amazing.
Unputdownable!
This needs to top your reading list!

Charlie Donlea has done it again! I loved the flashbacks, multiple povs and short chapters. Charlie is always an automatic read for me and he never disappoints. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for this advanced reads copy in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars.

Wow! Another amazing ARC for me! This book was super twisty and fun to read.

You know I love a good book with flashes between the past and present. Plus, I felt like there was so much more than what the author was telling us. This book had a ton of moving parts which came together in a satisfying ending.

I thought this book was super well-written and engaging. I felt a lot for the main character and I loved the plot and how it progressed. It was super twisty and there were some surprises that even I didn’t expect 👀

I mean. If it says anything, I’m writing this review at 3am as I just finished this book so 😅

With an entertaining plot, good characters, and fun twists: this was a great thriller book!

I will read anything Charlie Donlea puts out! This was another amazing read from him. And in true Charlie fashion each chapter just keeps you guessing and wanting more!

This book had me hooked and I could not put it down. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happened to Callie and wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were twists and turns in this book I did not see coming. The ending was unexpected for me. This is a must read if you enjoy thrillers. The characters in the book are well written. Ethan is a great doctor and detective, definitely a jack of all trades and I love his relationship with Maddie. Francis sure gave me the creeps the whole book which one would expect from someone convicted of murder. Definitely recommend reading this this book!

shut all the way up. there were so many twists and turns in this, its not even funny. the ending was CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT. like is it meant to be such a cliffhanger, will there be more for Ethan and Maddie and this investigation. like I am so totally blown away and will be thinking about this one for a hot second.

Gripping, wonderfully written, well thought out, shocking, and hard to put down, Charlie Donlea delivered a thrilling and chilling read with Guess Again! I was instantly drawn into the plot from the very first page and had a hard time putting this riveting and addictive book down! I loved the mystery and did my very best super sleuthing to figure out whodunit. I made a few very good guesses, but Donlea left me shocked and with my jaw hanging open with one startling revelation. Whew!

Ethan Hall, a former detective, and current doctor is approached by his partner, to help solve the cold case of 17-year-old Callie Jones (the governor's daughter) who disappeared ten years ago. This is only the beginning as Ethan must also come back into the orbit of Francis, an imprisoned serial killer, who seems to have a lot of knowledge about a case he was not involved with. Hmm........

Whew! This book kept me on my toes and then some. There are a lot of characters, and they all have a role to play in this addictive, shocking, gripping, and hard to put down mystery thriller. This book had me guessing again and again who could be behind the disappearance of Callie and the fate of another woman who has gone missing.

This book had tension, dread, and atmosphere dripping from the pages. I could feel the unease of many of the characters paired with the deviousness and menage of other characters. Guess Again proved to be a twist filled ride that kept the action coming and my pulse pounding. I loved how the past and the present collided in one scene that was a total shocker and left me and one character reeling! Plus, the ending has me crossing my finger and hoping that there will be another book featuring Ethan.

Gripping, shocking, fast paced, tense and wonderfully written.

Charlie Donlea does it again!! I have not read a book by him that I did not like this book had some twist that I did not expect! This book is one of my favorites by this author. Follow along as Ethan enters back into the detective world to try and solve a 10 year unsolved case! You will not regret reading this book it will have you hooked!

This is my favorite thriller read yet this year! Absolutely could not put it down! It has the type of twists and turns that all great thriller books require. It keeps you guessing all the way through. A thoroughly enjoyable read highly recommend to all.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Publishing📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

Charlie Donlea could not have titled this book more aptly because Guess Again WILL have you guessing again and again and... you get it. But the guessing is only half the fun because this thriller is so brilliantly crafted. Donlea is one of my instant-buy authors, and I was absolutely not disappointed with his newest work. If you love crime thrillers, you NEED this on your TBR. ((Honestly, just preorder it now because it is fully worth owning.))

With alternating timelines and perspectives, Guess Again immerses you immediately. This is a book you want to binge because as things seem to resolve, you find that there is more going on below the surface than you expected. The tension in this read is palpable and leaves you not only scrambling toward the resolution but eagerly waiting to hear more from Ethan Hall. ((There HAS TO be a sequel, right?! Maybe even a Rory Moore crossover?? PLEASE??))

Guess Again is a book that will appeal to thriller and crime fiction readers alike. If you're not familiar with Donlea's writing yet, I'd encourage you to dive in while you're waiting for this one to release- you're missing out!!

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Charlie Donlea for this complimentary copy.))

Twisty, compulsively readable, action-packed, and impossible to put down!

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is exactly what I was hoping for—a gripping mystery thriller full of secrets, suspense, action, and shocking twists that kept me hooked from start to finish. The title perfectly reflects the experience, as I found myself constantly guessing and second-guessing everything until the final pages.

Ethan’s character was a standout for me. His background as a former renegade detective, now a doctor, added depth to his investigation into the cold case of Callie Jones’ disappearance. His journey back into the world of crime-solving, especially with his connection to the case and his past, kept me captivated. I really hope we see more of him in future stories.

The cold case itself had me totally immersed, with layers of tension and mystery that just kept unraveling as Ethan dug deeper. Adding to the complexity is the chilling serial killer Francis, whose ties to the case complicate everything in ways that I didn’t see coming. The atmosphere of the small town, mixed with the unease surrounding Francis’ past, was expertly done and kept me on edge throughout.

The ending? Unexpected and shocking, but in the best possible way—totally caught me off guard, yet it fit perfectly with the thrilling ride the story took me on. Guess Again was a wild, satisfying ride from beginning to end, and I was thoroughly entertained every step of the way.

Expected Publication Date: July 29, 2025

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

GUESS AGAIN was your typical Charlie Donlea mystery. There are a lot of characters and dual timelines which makes it hard to follow at first, but once you get in a little ways in it does get easier. The ending has some suspense and it all comes together with a good twist!

Thank you Kensington and Netgalley for the arc!

As a huge Charlie Donlea fan I was thrilled to get a copy of this book, and it did not disappoint. Ten years after the disappearance of a high school girl her case is reopened. A body was never found and the case went cold, but her family and community never stopped looking. Ethan, who is a former detective and current doctor is asked to look at the case with fresh eyes because he had a 100% solve rate as a detective. This novel is fast paced and full of twists, definitely my favorite from this author so far.

If you're a Riley Sager fan, you'll love this book! I was fully immersed and could not put this book down!

**4.5 Stars **

Synopsis
Ten years ago, 17-year-old volleyball star Callie Jones disappeared from her small Wisconsin lake town, and despite extensive searches, her body was never found. The case went cold, leaving a void in the community and unanswered questions that still haunt her family and friends.
On the tenth anniversary of Callie's disappearance, Ethan Hall, a former detective turned doctor, is reluctantly drawn back into the investigation at the request of his dying former partner. As Ethan revisits the case, he uncovers unsettling truths that suggest Callie’s disappearance is linked to more than just a small-town mystery.
Lindsay Larkin, Callie’s best friend, has spent the last decade seeking answers, using her platform as a psychologist and founder of an online counseling service, The Anonymous Client, to investigate. When a new anonymous client confesses, "I killed Callie Jones, and I need your help to forgive myself,"
As Ethan digs deeper, he uncovers chilling connections to another missing woman and finds his investigation dangerously tied to his own troubled past. Ethan and Lindsay are forced to confront dark secrets that someone will go to any length to keep buried.

My thoughts
Guess Again is an aptly named book that perfectly captures my experience while reading it. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the story took unexpected twists and turns, revealing even more layers. I really enjoyed the character of Ethan and hope that we will be seeing more of him. This book delivered a thrilling classic detective mystery. The pacing of the plot was spot on, and the narrative flowed smoothly—neither too fast nor too slow. I found Ethan's journey as a detective and surgeon to be fascinating and agree with others that appreciated the ending not being neatly tied up which made it feel more authentic.
Thank you @Netgalley and @Kensington Publishing for allowing me to review this ARC.