Guess Again
Psychological Suspense Thriller
Setting – Wisconsin
Publisher : Kensington
Publication date : July 29, 2025
Print length : 352 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-10 : 1496753968
ISBN-13 : 978-1496753960
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-1496753984
ASIN : B0DLR44W2B
Silence of the Lambs meets Cruel Summer in GUESS AGAIN, as #1 internationally bestselling author Charlie Donlea dives into the long shadow of trauma on a small town, hybristophilia and the allure of evil, and the toll the truth can take on those who hunt for it…
A missing girl: 17-year-old Callie Jones was the all-American sweetheart of her small Wisconsin community. No one could have guessed that one summer night at her friends’ lake party would be the last time anyone would see her. A highly publicized search followed, but her body was never found. Callie’s case went cold.
A former renegade cop: 10 years ago, Ethan Hall was the detective assigned to Callie’s case. When all leads slipped through his fingers and the trail went cold, Ethan’s guilt led him to leave law enforcement and the trauma of the child crime unit. But now, when Ethan’s former partner requests his help on the 10th anniversary of Callie’s disappearance, Ethan reluctantly agrees to be brought back into the fold.
A twisted killer: Serial killer Francis Bernard was sentenced to life behind bars—but he has no plans to stay locked up in his tiny cell. When cop Ethan Hall turns to him for information on Callie’s case, Francis sees his chance. Twisting him into his psychological web, Ethan thinks he’s safe with Francis locked up, but little does Ethan know, Francis has hands on the outside. And she’s willing to die for him.
A woman with a dangerous obsession: Eugenia Morgan is lucky, she knows some people spend a lifetime trying to find their soulmate, but she’s already got hers. She just has to break him out of prison first…
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Ten years ago, 17-year-old Callie Jones went missing, shocking the small town of Cherryview, Wisconsin, to its core. Ethan Hall and Pete Kramer were the DCI investigators assigned to the case. The state senator’s daughter was last seen at a party on the lake, and even with an intensive search, she was never found, and the case went cold. The case was so heartbreaking and challenging for Ethan that he left law enforcement and returned to school to become an ER doctor, where he felt he could save more lives.
Now, the state senator is the Governor of Wisconsin, there’s a new crew of law enforcement officials, and Pete has been haunted by the case that eluded them; his health is also failing, and now he has requested they take one more look at Callie’s case, and he wants Ethan’s help.
Serial killer Francis Bernard is serving a life sentence at a high-security prison. He claims to have information about Cassie’s disappearance, with hopes to parlay it into better terms for his incarceration. Ethan has a history with the man, but doesn’t know the powder keg he is about to open to get that information.
Mr. Donlea packs punch after punch into the pages of Guess Again and makes this book impossible to put down.
Living in “Prison City,” Wisconsin, I was excited to see places I know within the story. Some of the landmarks and lakes appear to be fictionalized, but feel true to the area. The author knows how to set a scene and make the reader feel like they are right in the room.
Told from several points of view in short, titled chapters, the story unfolds quickly, changing back and forth in time, traveling around the state, without much time to take a breath. With twist after twist, Guess Again is the perfect title. While the entire book is intense, Part VII, Loose Ends, is particularly terrifying and thrilling. Ethan, thinking he is making the right move, turns out to be totally wrong. Edge-of-my-seat chaos had me holding my breath.
Ethan is a true good guy, so it is easy to root for him. His girlfriend, Detective Maddie Jacobson, is twisted up in the case from the start, truly even before it begins, frighteningly and heartbreakingly. Their relationship was tested; it had to be strong to survive, and many would have caved under the turmoil and the pressure. The evidence revealed at the end was mind-blowing for Ethan, and he needed some time, but the final chapters are complete with a cliffhanger, leaving the option wide open to visiting these characters again.
I have Mr. Donlea to thank for my latest book hangover, because I stayed up way too late to finish this gripping suspense thriller. Then I couldn’t get to sleep replaying the story in my head and my imagination working overtime. It’s very easy to say this is one of the best books I have read this year. Guess Again will have everyone second- and third-guessing again and again and hanging on tight to see what happens next.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
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About the Author
Charlie Donlea is the USA Today, IndieBound, and #1 internationally bestselling author of critically acclaimed, propulsive thrillers, including The Girl Who Was Taken, Twenty Years Later, Some Choose Darkness, and Those Empty Eyes. Published in nearly 40 countries and translated into more than a dozen languages, his books have sold nearly 2.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Donlea has been praised for his “soaring pace, teasing plot twists” (BookPage) and talent for writing an ending that “makes your jaw drop” (The New York Times Book Review). He was born and raised in Chicago, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. Visit him online at CharlieDonlea.com.
Also by Charlie Donlea
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.
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