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.

I was lucky enough to have both physical copy and audio arcs. I found the audio amazing and was an immersive experience. The narration was clear and concise without any silly put on voices for characters that detract from the story. Vivienne Lehenry who narrates did a remarkable job, and maintained the tension and suspense the whole book.

This is only my second book by Charlie Donlea, but I want to read his whole back log! Both books kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat to figure out what was going to happen next!! Charlie Donlea knows how to write a good twisty thriller.

Ethan Hall is a former detective who has now become an ER doctor. But soon his old partner asks for his help solving the 10 year case of a missing girl, Callie Jones. Ethan has a lot of hesitancy with inserting himself back into life as a detective, but he eventually gives in to search for answers.

This is action packed and super fast paced. I didn't feel like there was really a dull moment, especially after Ethan agrees to join the case. Ethan finds secrets connected to his own dark past, but are they truly the answers he wants?

Vivienne Leheny is a fantastic narrator. She is easy to understand and really gives a sense of darkness to the story. Loved listening to her. She definitely kept my attention. highly recommend listening to this one!

Thank you to RBMedia and Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5) rounded up.

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicized search followed, but her body was never found. The case went cold, though its echoes still linger.

Ethan, one of the central figures, is a compelling and distinctive character—once an investigator, now an ER doctor. His intelligence and methodical approach bring depth to the investigation, and his involvement adds a layer of intrigue to the narrative.

While I appreciated Charlie Donlea’s premise and found the second half far more engaging, the execution was occasionally challenging. The story moves rapidly between past and present, different locations, and multiple characters, often with very short chapters. Although the dates were essential, the constant location changes felt unnecessary and slowed the pace, at times making the narrative feel overcrowded and difficult to track—especially in audio format.

The audiobook, narrated by Vivienne Leheny, was well performed, with nuanced delivery and occasional muffled voices to heighten atmosphere. While there were no added sound effects, the narration was solid and professional. That said, due to the large cast and frequent time jumps, I would recommend reading this one in print or as an immersive read to follow the intricate timeline more easily.

Despite moments of disorientation in the first half, the pacing improved later on, the twists were satisfying—one in particular was especially surprising—and I enjoyed discovering the role each character played in the mystery. While I liked this book, I didn’t love it, but it was still an entertaining and twist-filled read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Charlie Donlea is a gifted author who writes books full of suspense and creates multidimensional characters. "Guess Again" takes place in a small Wisconsin town ten years after a young woman disappeared. A former detective, Ethan, who is now a doctor, takes a leave from the ER to investigate the crime as a favor to a former partner. Little by little, Ethan puts together the puzzle pieces. This book is fast-paced and a quick, enjoyable read.

3.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the audiobook!
Narrated by Vivienne Letheny, amazing job.
This book was very entertaining and very unexpected.
I give it 3.5 stars because, in my opinion, there were TOO MANY povs. I feel like I knew more information than needed and the story would’ve been more impactful if less information was shared.

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that delivers suspense, clever twists, and unforgettable characters. From the very first chapter, the story pulled me in and didn’t let go, keeping me guessing until the very end.

Donlea’s pacing is masterful—every chapter ends with just enough intrigue to make it impossible to stop reading. The plot is tightly woven, the tension never lets up, and the final reveal is both surprising and satisfying.

If you love thrillers that are smart, fast-paced, and packed with jaw-dropping turns, Guess Again is a must-read. Charlie Donlea proves once again why he’s a master of the genre.

I was gladly surprised with this book, I requested and advanced copy for review just because I've seen so many Donlea's books lately and was curious about them.

A thriller that had me engaged all throughout from the beginning, the characters were interesting and believable, and many twists that made reading a fun journey till the end.

This is my first book from the author but will not be my last.

the setup…
It’s been ten years since Ethan Hall left the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation to pursue a medical career. He’s now an ER doctor, at more peace now that he doesn’t have to face the horrors of crimes against children. But then Pete Kramer, his former partner, shows up, asking him to take a temporary absence and return to his former role to help him with the case that’s still haunting him. It’s the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Callie Jones and Pete wants to solve it before he dies of his terminal condition. Callie’s father is now Governor and can facilitate Ethan’s return. There’s more at stake as he also has to come face to face with his own nemesis.

the heart of the story…
Ethan’s investigation leads back to the prison where serial killer Francis Bernard, his father’s murderer, is incarcerated. The man plays a psychological cat and mouse game with him, one they're both determined to win, and he’s somehow linked to Callie’s case and delivers Ethan essential clues. I really liked Ethan who was up to the challenge and has serious skills. His girlfriend Maddie is a detective and is part of his team with a special connection to the case that has haunted the town of Cherryview for ten years.

the narration…
Vivienne Leheny is such a pro and she handled a host of characters with ease and skill. I loved her voices for Ethan and Francis in particular. Her storytelling kept me on the edge of my seat.

the bottom line…
Be prepared for a twisty ride that will keep you on your toes. Francis is diabolical but Ethan is a steady force who had a 100% solve rate before leaving his law enforcement career behind. Both kept me on my toes and I didn’t even try to second guess, just concentrated on keeping up. That exciting ending? Better be a sequel to this one because I need more!

So Charlie Donlea is becoming an auto read author! This was a fantastic thriller, short chapters with cliffhangers that make you want to keep reading. I kept thinking I knew who it was, but I was always wrong. The surprises kept coming. I listened to the audio book and love this narrator, does a very good job at keeping you anticipating what is going to happen.

Talk about unputdownable! I actually listened to this and found myself finding extra chores to do so I could keep listening.

I refuse to spoil anything for anyone, so I'm keeping this short and sweet. The twisted web written into this book actually gave me chills! Charlie has a way of pulling all of these threads together in the most chilling way.

Okay, I LIKED but didn’t LOVE this one Charlie Donlea, and I think that is because of the style the book is written in and that I was listening to it. The story jumps arounds way too much that I would hold off on the audio or immersive read this so everything would make sense. The chapters are short and move from past to present as well as the change in location. While the dates are important, I feel like the locations bogged down the pace and were not a necessary detail. it just made it too busy and It would make me feel lost. By the second half, I got into the swing of things, and the pace picked up. It was interesting to discover the role that each of the characters would play, and I enjoyed all of the shocking twists however I was taken aback by one.

The Audiobook was narrated by Vivienne Leheny and she did a great job. She would muffle voices at point to enhance the listening experience. Such a well-done audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Really really good! Could not stop listening. Super twisty and just when you think you’ve got it figured out another piece drops. I would highly recommend. First thriller in a while I have actually enjoyed. I am definitely looking at other books by this author.

This book was great! Had me at the edge of my seat the whole time and did not see the ending coming!!

Aside from a plot hole or six, I really enjoyed this. Guess Again was a fast read, it was dark and had some twists I didn't see coming. There were some things that to me seemed implausible and I had QUESTIONS...alas...I don't want to give anything away. Plot holes be damned...I'm hoping for a series because perhaps the killer is still out there???

As with everything Charlie Donlea writes, this was another unputdownable book. I barely pick up thrillers anymore, but I haven't found a book by this author to disappoint me yet. He's bold, takes risks, and writes super twisty books...and I love them. I loudly gasped once, which is something that always deserves my applause because that's very hard to do. As far as the audio itself, I've listened to this narrator previously read Donlea's books, and she does such a great job.

Many thanks to Charlie Donlea, the publisher, and Netgalley for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

QUICK GLANCE-
My format: ALC🎧Audio (9 hours and 12 minutes)
Other formats: 📖Physical (352 pages)
Spice: 🌶️ Some mild explicit content in the beginning
Language: 🤐mild
📅 Publication: July 29, 2025

MY THOUGHTS-
GUESS AGAIN was excellent! It starts off rather quickly and contains a lot of mystery and suspense. When I had read through most of the book, I thought I had it all figured out. However, in the end, I was wrong, and the twist was completely unexpected. I love it when that happens! This is the reason thrillers are still some of my favorite books. The last 25% gave me whiplash in the best way, and I think that ending leaves the door cracked open for a sequel? 👀

🎧Narration Review- The narration was excellent and really brought the story to life!🎧
Thank you, @Netgalley and @kensingtonbooks, for allowing me to review this book.

READ IF YOU LIKE-
🏘️ Small Town
🕵️‍♀️ Detective Stories / ❄️ Cold Case
🐱🐭 Cat and Mouse
🧠💪 Smart and Strong Main Characters
👧❓ Missing Girl Trope

thank you to the publisher for allowing me to be an early listener! the audiobook narrator did the story a lot of justice!

this was my first by donlea but won’t be my last! i had a good time being “in” this story:
- great mystery/thriller vibes with a dark, tense atmosphere
- short chapters that kept me easily turning pages
- super fast-paced plot you can fly through in a couple sittings
- twisty reveals that keep you guessing
- engaging writing style that made it easy to sink into the story

overall, the only hiccup i experienced was the final twist — i just didn’t like it or buy into it, but i still had a great time reading it!

⭐️ 3.5 stars!!

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is a gripping, twist-filled thriller about a decade-old disappearance that still haunts a small Wisconsin town. When former detective Ethan Hall is pulled back into the cold case of Callie Jones, his search for the truth uncovers buried secrets, dangerous connections, and a chilling link to his own past. Fast-paced, atmospheric, and packed with surprises, this is Donlea at his best.

This was a good easy book. It was easy to get into and hold my interest. The ending was a bit of a shock so I liked the surprise

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for this ARC of Guess Again by Charlie Donlea. I have had several of this author's books in my TBR for a while now, but never got around to reading them, so I was ecstatic when I got my approval email from Netgalley for this book.

Ethan Hall, a retired detective who is currently a doctor working two weeks on and two weeks off, receives a call from his former partner on the tenth anniversary of Callie Jones' disappearance. They want Ethan to solve the cold case once and for all due to pressure from Callie's father, who is a state senator. Ethan reluctantly agrees to take on the case during his time off from work as a doctor.

Without a lot of evidence to go on, Ethan begins his research on the case. Soon, evidence begins to unravel. The source of the evidence? The man who killed Ethan's father. Will he be able to catch the serial killer in time? Time is ticking.

I absolutely loved this book; it was fast-paced with short chapters and tons of twists and turns. This book ended in a cliffhanger, which opens things up for a potential sequel, which I would definitely read. I would highly recommend this book and this author.