Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
This was an excellent thriller. I found it suspenseful and engaging. I would recommend it.
The narrator for the audiobook was okay. I didn't like when the narrator tried to do a female voice. I found it a little distracting. I prefer audiobooks with a separate male and female narrator.
I received this galley from NetGalley.
The narrator for the audiobook was okay. I didn't like when the narrator tried to do a female voice. I found it a little distracting. I prefer audiobooks with a separate male and female narrator.
I received this galley from NetGalley.
I did not see any of that coming. Oh my gosh. The trust and turns this book takes. I thought I knew who it was the entire time and was totally shocked when it was revealed. Very entertaining book and kept my attention the entire time.
I liked this, but the jump to the Jack cases seemed like a big leap. I think I understand why it happened that way, narratively, but it seemed like a pretty big escalation.
I liked that the main character was a good Unreliable Narrator.
Most of the characters are likeable, and the motivations of the characters makes sense.
I liked it, but I'm not rushing to immediately read the next book by the same author. I'll probably read more by him, but it's not a situation where I was so blown away I have to read everything by the author ASAP.
Really solid mystery. Well paced for the most part. Interesting twists and red herrings that are mostly believable.
I liked that the main character was a good Unreliable Narrator.
Most of the characters are likeable, and the motivations of the characters makes sense.
I liked it, but I'm not rushing to immediately read the next book by the same author. I'll probably read more by him, but it's not a situation where I was so blown away I have to read everything by the author ASAP.
Really solid mystery. Well paced for the most part. Interesting twists and red herrings that are mostly believable.
What a wild ride!!
“The Guilty One” begins by jumping back & forth between the present and 6 months earlier, when main character Detective Cal Farrell becomes the town hero after stopping an active shooter. The problem is, present day Cal doesn’t remember what happened. His brain has blocked out the afternoon of, what he refers to as, that “very hot day”. Working hard in therapy, Cal has decided to make some positive changes to improve his sleep and overall quality of life.
While out on a run, hero Cal discovers a body hanging from one of the highest trees in the woods. And that’s only the beginning.
The body count begins to climb and Cal is working his hardest to find the killer, but unfortunately his fellow officers and the town itself start to point the finger at him.
————
This story was fantastic! And Matthew Godfrey’s narration was perfect. Schweigart has a knack for comedic relief and Godfrey nails the timing.
My only minor complaint was that the middle did drag a bit, but I still remained eager to find out how it ended. The ending was definitely a shock and Schweigart couldn’t have orchestrated the entire story better as I was blindsided by the outcome.
Cal Farrell is a character you can’t help but root for, and Godfrey really helps bring him to life.
If you love psychological thrillers mixed with a little police procedural and a whole lot of suspense, this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!
“The Guilty One” begins by jumping back & forth between the present and 6 months earlier, when main character Detective Cal Farrell becomes the town hero after stopping an active shooter. The problem is, present day Cal doesn’t remember what happened. His brain has blocked out the afternoon of, what he refers to as, that “very hot day”. Working hard in therapy, Cal has decided to make some positive changes to improve his sleep and overall quality of life.
While out on a run, hero Cal discovers a body hanging from one of the highest trees in the woods. And that’s only the beginning.
The body count begins to climb and Cal is working his hardest to find the killer, but unfortunately his fellow officers and the town itself start to point the finger at him.
————
This story was fantastic! And Matthew Godfrey’s narration was perfect. Schweigart has a knack for comedic relief and Godfrey nails the timing.
My only minor complaint was that the middle did drag a bit, but I still remained eager to find out how it ended. The ending was definitely a shock and Schweigart couldn’t have orchestrated the entire story better as I was blindsided by the outcome.
Cal Farrell is a character you can’t help but root for, and Godfrey really helps bring him to life.
If you love psychological thrillers mixed with a little police procedural and a whole lot of suspense, this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!
Six months earlier, Cal was one of the first officers to be on the scene of a mass shooting. Many people called him a hero for going head-to-head with the shooter. He was even promoted to detective. He didn't feel like a hero. He didn't even remember what happened. It was such a traumatic experience that his memories of what happened were suppressed.
Now, six months later, people he knew started to turn up dead. When bodies started to pile up, people started to point fingers. Could the city's hero become a murderer? Or was someone trying to set him up?
This novel started well. There was action and suspense! Not to mention humor and comic relief to break up the tension. I was intrigued and excited to see where the story would go. I wanted to know what happened to Cal. What traumatic experience caused him to suppress his memory? Unfortunately, somewhere around the 35%-40% mark, I kind of lost interest. The story lost its momentum and started to drag. Also, the characters started to feel one-dimensional.
Overall, a decent read, but I wanted more from the characters and story.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Bill Schweigart, Matt Godfrey, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Now, six months later, people he knew started to turn up dead. When bodies started to pile up, people started to point fingers. Could the city's hero become a murderer? Or was someone trying to set him up?
This novel started well. There was action and suspense! Not to mention humor and comic relief to break up the tension. I was intrigued and excited to see where the story would go. I wanted to know what happened to Cal. What traumatic experience caused him to suppress his memory? Unfortunately, somewhere around the 35%-40% mark, I kind of lost interest. The story lost its momentum and started to drag. Also, the characters started to feel one-dimensional.
Overall, a decent read, but I wanted more from the characters and story.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Bill Schweigart, Matt Godfrey, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Patrol officer Cal Farrell dreamed of being a detective one day, but he never dreamed he would make detective so suddenly and solely because the dept decided the city of Alexandria, VA needed a hero after a horrific mass shooting in which Cal’s partner was killed and Cal was the last person to see the killer alive – before the killer shot himself. Cal couldn’t remember anything that happened once he made it into the conference room with all of the bloody bodies and the killer. But he and the rest of the dept know the killer actually took his own life. Cal knows he wasn’t a hero and his fellow cops know so he has no confidence at all in himself. And, then people around him start dying. This book veered off in directions I never saw coming. What started out as an interesting psychological look at what happens when a young, inexperienced policeman witnesses things no one should have to see turns into an intense thriller that you won’t be able to put down.
⚠️As a note check trigger warnings prior to reading this book⚠️
I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow burn, but I’m glad I stuck around. The story centers around Cal a young detective. He is considered a hero for stopping a mass shooting in the city of Alexandria. Cal doesn’t feel like a hero he is relentlessly bullied by the other detectives and is suffering from severe PTSD. After finding a body in a tree Cal starts to insert himself into the investigation. It starts out as intrigue and morphed into an attempt to be the hero he is labeled. The crimes were relentless and incredibly dark. Throughout the story the murders were so gruesome they were compared to Jack the Ripper. There were so many unexpected twists in this story.
I really enjoyed the characters including the side characters. They were so likable and others not so much. I would compare this to Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series. So if you like those and are attempting to patiently wait for the next book, this book will make the wait more enjoyable
I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow burn, but I’m glad I stuck around. The story centers around Cal a young detective. He is considered a hero for stopping a mass shooting in the city of Alexandria. Cal doesn’t feel like a hero he is relentlessly bullied by the other detectives and is suffering from severe PTSD. After finding a body in a tree Cal starts to insert himself into the investigation. It starts out as intrigue and morphed into an attempt to be the hero he is labeled. The crimes were relentless and incredibly dark. Throughout the story the murders were so gruesome they were compared to Jack the Ripper. There were so many unexpected twists in this story.
I really enjoyed the characters including the side characters. They were so likable and others not so much. I would compare this to Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series. So if you like those and are attempting to patiently wait for the next book, this book will make the wait more enjoyable
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Detective Cal Farrell is a hero. Six months ago he single handedly stopped an active shooter who brutally murdered a group of people in an office building. The only problem is Cal can’t actually remember what took place in that very hot day. Now he is trying to recover from the trauma of that day while balancing the expectations of the town and it’s press who view him as a hero and keeping his temper in check at work with his colleagues who don’t trust him as know one but Cal knows what really happened in that office building, and his mind is blocked it out.
When Cal stumbled upon a murder victim on his morning run and then not long after another body is found it doesn’t take long for the gaze of his colleagues to settle on him. The rumours are swirling and Cal is intent on tracking down a potential serial killer before it’s too late for everyone involved, himself included.
Told in the present, with flash backs of the past, the story is a fast paced suspense thriller with the urgency of the characters situation flowing through the story.
This was an enjoyable read, with interesting characters and, my favourite, an unreliable narrator. I didn’t pick the killer until right before the reveal, which I always enjoy as I spend so much time trying to work it out as I read along. Well written, engaging and an overall exciting read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.
Detective Cal Farrell is a hero. Six months ago he single handedly stopped an active shooter who brutally murdered a group of people in an office building. The only problem is Cal can’t actually remember what took place in that very hot day. Now he is trying to recover from the trauma of that day while balancing the expectations of the town and it’s press who view him as a hero and keeping his temper in check at work with his colleagues who don’t trust him as know one but Cal knows what really happened in that office building, and his mind is blocked it out.
When Cal stumbled upon a murder victim on his morning run and then not long after another body is found it doesn’t take long for the gaze of his colleagues to settle on him. The rumours are swirling and Cal is intent on tracking down a potential serial killer before it’s too late for everyone involved, himself included.
Told in the present, with flash backs of the past, the story is a fast paced suspense thriller with the urgency of the characters situation flowing through the story.
This was an enjoyable read, with interesting characters and, my favourite, an unreliable narrator. I didn’t pick the killer until right before the reveal, which I always enjoy as I spend so much time trying to work it out as I read along. Well written, engaging and an overall exciting read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.