I really enjoyed this thriller! Guess Again pulled me in right from the start and kept me guessing the whole way through. The mystery surrounding Callie Jones’ disappearance was so compelling, and just when I thought I had it figured out, Charlie Donlea delivered a twist that totally threw me. The ending baffled me—in the best, most jaw-dropping way!

I loved the use of multiple points of view and the dual timeline—it added so much depth and tension, and kept me fully engaged from beginning to end. Each perspective revealed just enough to keep me hooked while building toward the bigger picture.

Ethan Hall was such an interesting lead—haunted, reluctant, and deeply human. His connection to the case added another layer of suspense, and I thought the small-town atmosphere and the oppressive heatwave really amped up the intensity.

If you’re into cold cases, psychological suspense, and endings that will leave you stunned, Guess Again is a must-read.

I do believe that if there were multiple narrators it would have made the audio version a more enjoyable experience.

Charlie donlea is an auto buy author for me. Obsessed with every SINGLE book he has come out with. Summit lake has been my all time favorite but I think guess again has just topped that one. 10000% read this book!

I’ve read and enjoyed all of Charlie Donlea’s previous novels and I love Vivienne Lehney as a narrator so I was super excited for this release and it did not disappoint! I love the way Donlea weaves different parts of the story to bring everything together at the end. This is a super easy read, while still being clever, twisty and engaging.

This was action packed!

Ethan Hall is an ER doctor able to handle the stressful environment because he used to work in law enforcement solving heartbreaking missing children’s cases. His former partner, Pete Kramer, comes to see him and ask for a huge favor. He is dying and his last wish is to make another attempt at an old cold case that is haunting him. Callie Jones, a 17 year old high school student with a very bright future, mysteriously disappeared without a trace ten years ago. But now another young woman is missing and the clock is ticking. The only man who can help save this girl and solve the cold case is in a maximum security prison and he has a sinister connection to Ethan’s past.

There was a lot packed into this psychological thriller and I loved every second of it! This is my first read with this author but it won’t be my last!

The audio narration was fantastic performed by Vivienne Leheny.

Thank you Netgalley, RBmedia, and the author for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on July 29, 2025

A very aptly named book! I was guessing and guessing again and again and totally wrapped up in the story that kept growing twists like tentacles every other chapter until it all came together at the end with an extremely tense climax with a storm and a killer out for revenge and to finish their plans. It was fun to follow Ethan Hall along as he searched for the long vanished Callie Jones, faced off with a serial killer (who also killed his father) in a strict correctional prison and did his best to find a kidnapped woman before the clock ran down on her. There were players of a wicked plan playing the long game and so many switcheroos (which was part of why I had to keep revising my guess about who and why) that it was hard to take breaks from listening to this thrilling ride of a novel, especially when it all unraveled and the bodies started piling up! It was great to get the viewpoints of not just the people racing to find out the truth, but also the villains which really upped the tension. It also jumps back and forth from Callie's last days and the present so we can find out what actually happened to her (very heartbreaking!) The last secret was a real doozy as well and left a shocking sting but still hope for the good guys like Ethan and his partner Maddie to track down the killers together! And maybe a sequel soon to finish out the story?

The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did a great job of bring yet another Charlie Donlea thriller murder to life and this was a great twisty world to get lost in as the truth of a missing girl and how the killer Francis was able to twist everything until it was upside down and backwards (thank goodness for Ethan and some handy friends!). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this unstoppable audiobook that I will be listening to again and again!

Firstly thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

I love Charlie Donlea's writing an this was another great one. It's twisty and fast paced. I listened to the entire audiobook in one go. The multiple POVs are a little hard to follow in the begging but once I got to know everyone is was fine.

Overall this is a really good thriller and I would definitely recommend it.

Twenty years later was one of my FAV thrillers of 2024 and once again Donlea has pulled off one of the twistiest, compelling, unputdownable reads of the year!! The HYPE for this newest (by a now auto-buy author) is very much deserved!! I started this thinking it would be just another cold case murder mystery of a missing girl but boy was I extremely WRONG!!

On holidays at his lake house, an ER doctor and former investigator gets pulled into a cold case involving the Governor's daughter and soon he's racing the clock to save another missing woman while also playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with his father's killer. Told from multiple POVs, this one is almost impossible to guess what will happen or who is responsible and that ending has me hopeful we'll have a sequel next year!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher for an early audio copy and to all my bookish friends for influencing me that this was a MUST read book because it definitely was. If you like thrillers and fast-paced, layered, crime procedurals you need to add this to your to-read list!!

CW: side characters with ALS and Bell's palsy

I really enjoyed this book. The story was great, very suspenseful, and kept me wanting to listen to more. The narration was also well done. There wasn’t anything that stood out as different or new in the mystery genre but it was a nice read. I thought the characters were very likable and the plot was easy to follow.

HOLY MOLY this was so GOOD! I think I have a new top thriller author because Charlie Donlea gave me all the horrified emotions in this one similar to what I've felt when reading Karin Slaughter books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced listening copy! I loved the narrator Vivienne Leheny. There was the perfect amount of emotion and drama in her voice without being over dramatic which is a pet peeve of mine on audiobooks.

The story here is tragic and messy and thrilling! I was thrown for several loops and blew my mind at least twice. The twists kept coming and didn't stop! Several times I had to re-wind because I was like "wait...what??!!"

So needless to say, if you want a great cold case thriller that has many crazy crazy ties around it, this is a winner. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book was a tough one for me to rate... Sometimes, I have to put into context the type of book that the author is writing and sit back and enjoy the ride even when my curious and doubtful mind keeps slamming me up against so much disbelief. Charlie Donlea has written some of my favorite suspense novels and he's also a writer who can explore some far fetched scenarios and cause a nauseating eye roll. This one falls into the latter category at times but if you don't care about all the puzzle pieces making perfect sense.... just enjoy the ride of this thriller. I made some notes about what didn't make sense and many chapters later I threw them all away because I guess you really shouldn't get hung up on the details. With that said, I have read books that he has written that I felt were pieced together better. You could drive a truck through some of the plot holes. I say all this because I know Charlie can write really well. I just wish this one had been one of them. I listened to the audiobook and I have always found it curious when the narrator is the opposite sex of the main character. Vivienne Leheny does a decent job but I'm just puzzled why this was the narrator choice. Also, I really disliked how they handled "phone calls" within the story. I believe the narrator covered her mouth or microphone to mimic a muffled voice but it doesn't play well when listening. It just sounds muffled. Do better here, people! There are so many audiobooks out now that play phone calls within the script that don't change it up to appear that they are on the phone. It's not necessary.

So back to the story, at the very beginning we are introduced to Ethan who is a former detective turned doctor. The storyline starts by discussing the parole hearing of a man who killed Ethan's father and was also responsible for the abduction and near killing of Ethan's "now" girlfriend Maddie (who is a cop). Problem was, the writing makes it seem like we already know their story and so it had me wondering if this is a continuation of another story. It is not. I think this was poorly written. There are several disturbing scenes throughout the book so be prepared for a lot of violence. I would say that the story is decent but I've read better and especially better from this writer.

Wow Woww!!! I absolutely loved it!!! I was grateful to be approved for this amazing ALC.

You have the main character Ethan former special agent turned ER doctor who gets contacted by his old partner. He is asked to reopen a cold case of 10 years ago of a missing girl. Ethan then accepts to help but little did he know that he would need the help of his father's unaliver. The way Charlie Donlea gave you the clues in this super fast paced thriller was amazing. Just when I thought I got it solved I was totally wrong!! That plot twist I really didn't see coming at all!!! Definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. I could not stop listening.

The audiobook was engaging and well done.

This was SOO good! I loved how twisty this novel was and the layers and layers of surprises just kept coming…but somehow it didn’t feel like it was too much. The serial killer angle, mixed with the case of a missing girl (but seemingly unrelated to the serial killer), was so captivating and I definitely didn’t guess the full ending! While this story fully wraps up, Donlea definitely left this story open for a Part 2 and I can’t wait to read more!! And the narration was so well done!

Charlie Donlea does it again with Guess Again! Just when I thought I had it all figured out.. bam! Another jaw-dropping twist. This book had me second-guessing every character and listening to this late into the night. If you love dark secrets, unreliable narrators, and endings that make your jaw drop, this one’s for you. 🕵️‍♀️📚

I have been itching to read Charlie Donlea for awhile now and finally took the plunge with his newest endeavor (to be released on 7/29). Guess Again follows ER doctor, Ethan Hall, as he is dragged back into his former life as a detective to help solve a missing person case from ten years ago.

I don't want to say too much here as I feel the synopsis already goes into more detail than it should, so suffice to say that this one was a wild ride. The plot was solid, character development was excellent and the twists were perfectly twisty enough to keep the reader wanting more.

And, that final twist near the end?? HOLY SHIT!!

I'm sure that I will be in the minority when I say that even though the ending was a nice set up for a second book, Donlea should not go that route - this story was perfect as is. Nothing at all wrong with leaving the reader wondering what might happen next ...

I recommend Guess Again a million times over and now, want to read nothing BUT Charlie Donlea.

So yet again I got the auto ALC after ai read the book and decided to give it another read. Admittedly with this one I was intrigued with the choice of narrator and wanted to see how things faired. While the book is told in the 3rd person the primary Main character is a male (but overall there are a few characters focused on from both genders)so it was curious to me to have a female read the story.

Well curiosity was squelched as she did a great job! She does have a bit more bass to her voice which doesn’t make her at all sound male, it lends itself to a more neutral experience.
Vivienne Leheny did an exceptional job building the suspense and tension in the prose. It was something I didn’t experience as strongly when I read the physical copy. Thankfully she also did a good job not crossing that imaginary line where some narrators can go overboard. In the end it made me enjoy the book even more.

So thank you RB media for the complimentary copy so I could experience it before publication. Either experience is great but the audio definitely enhanced things for me.

Original review:
I went in to this with the highest of expectations and was worried that I would be let down but thankfully that was not the case. I had recently experienced the author for the first time with one of his recent releases on audiobook but this thriller was very different in how it was presented.

I’m sure it’ll be hit or miss with some folks because of the very short chapters but for me it worked well. Being able to follow along with the date helped build som wood the suspense knowing that for certain things the clock was ticking.

Now personally I figured out the twists ahead of time except 1 of them but it didn’t impact my enjoyment. I liked the medical angle of things as well as ai haven’t been enjoying police/detective procedural thrillers but the atypical situation presented with our “detective” made be able to enjoy the investigation. The book as a whole actually dipped into several different genres so think it can be enjoyed by a wide audience.

It comes out July 29th from Kensington Books.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary physical ARC from Kensington Publishing to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as so don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again.

Well this book could not have been titled any better. This book will literally have you guessing the entire time.

It's the anniversary of a missing girl and the detectives are asked to reinvestigate the cold case. No one could have known that this investigation was going to set off a chain of events that will blow your mind, a thriller version of mouse trap if you will.

This is a very twisty and detailed plot. There are multiple timelines with many players. I was hooked from the get-go and couldn't stop listening to this story. While not overly graphic in the descriptions of violence and sexual content in the book, understand that this story is about a violent serial killer and the hunt for answers and there is disturbing material discussed.

This was my first book by the author, and I have already purchased additional books.

This was a perfect combination of suspense, twists, and descriptive scenes. I think this book will satisfy the readers that enjoy dark/thriller suspense as well as readers that prefer a more suspenseful mystery/investigative nature. I am the latter and loved it.

Wow! You think that you know what is going to happen and you get thrown a curve ball. Really good book and hope that there is a next book!

This was my first by this author and one of the most boring “thrillers” I have ever read…..

On the 10th anniversary of a teenage girl’s disappearance, her cold case breaks open in dangerous ways…and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again

This book is written in parts and the first one had me so invested and entertained; but unfortunately we hit the brakes fast. From there we keep getting multiple povs and none of them flowed together very well. I think this was an instance where a single pov would have sufficed. The only reasons I didn’t Dnf were
1) the narrator was fantastic and had the most soothing and easy to listen to voice
2) the crazy high good reads rating.
The ending was good and i definitely didn’t figure out but i still don’t think i would say it was worth the rest of the book…
Glad I read it but not for me.

I switched between the audio and Kindle version for this one, and it worked perfectly for how I wanted to experience the story. The pacing really suited me — steady but not slow, with just enough tension to keep me interested the whole way through.
The mystery had this layered feel I liked a lot. Every time I thought I knew where it was heading, it shifted slightly. If I’m honest, maybe one or two fewer twists would’ve let the emotional parts breathe more, but that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed it.

Everything else just clicked — the atmosphere, the characters, the way things unfolded without rushing. It kept my attention without feeling like it had to shout for it.

Wow, this book was DARK. I was a little put off by the content of the opening scene, but I’m glad I continued with this story, and ultimately found it to be an engaging listen. There were occasional predictable bits, but I definitely did not see the twist coming at the end. (Though, after finishing, I can definitely see now why the author chose to repeat a specific phrase over and over in several scenes, something that originally struck me as lazy writing!)

The narration was great, and I’d certainly listen to this narrator again. Would also like to read the next book, assuming there will be one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and provide honest feedback!