Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
WOW! what a wild ride! Charlie Donlea is a master at crafting the most twisty, jaw-dropping thrillers and this was no exception! Just when you think you've figured it out, something happens to completely flip your theory upside down! This was SO GOOD and I can't wait for more!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Ethan Hall is a special agent turned ER doctor that’s brought back to investigate a 10 year old disappearance of the governor’s daughter, Callie Jones. A cold case connected by the very man that killed his father. Serial killer Francis Bernard has been in a maximum security prison for 32 years, yet somehow obtaining relevant information to the ten year old cold case and a recent missing woman. Ethan can’t deny new leads in Callie’s case and must act before another woman is hurt, uncovering dark secrets along the way.
I was originally intrigued by the glowing reviews and true crime angle of this book and I’m so glad it delivered an infuriatingly compelling story.
Multiple character POVs build a thrilling mystery, leaving the reader to connect the dots like an investigator. The short, punchy chapters made this insanely bingeable. It’s dark and gritty, sometimes shocking and definitely twisty.
I liked how the author chose to tell this story, and how the characters were intertwined, the pacing was ideal. While some descriptions of past and current crimes are detailed, it felt very true to the genre and I wouldn’t expect anything else from a serial killer themed plot!
I very much enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Vivienne Leheny. Her delivery and vocal range worked very well to distinguish all the different characters.
Thanks to RB Media for the audiobook copy to review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A thriller should have some sort of satisfying ending. Some resolution.
I really enjoyed the first half, mostly enjoyed the latter half even though it started becoming more unrealistic, disliked the ending.
A detective turned ER Doctor helps to solve a cold case of a missing girl when new information comes to light.
If you ignore the impossibility of this Doctor suddenly being granted all this authority and favours, this was a compelling read. Addicting.
Then, the story starts to spiral and brings in a lot of other perspectives and a larger storyline. Plot twists meant to shock and turn the story on its head.
There were too many things I had to suspend belief over and then the ending felt very unsatisfying. This is a book one that you need to continue on with.
Arc gifted by publisher.
I really enjoyed the first half, mostly enjoyed the latter half even though it started becoming more unrealistic, disliked the ending.
A detective turned ER Doctor helps to solve a cold case of a missing girl when new information comes to light.
If you ignore the impossibility of this Doctor suddenly being granted all this authority and favours, this was a compelling read. Addicting.
Then, the story starts to spiral and brings in a lot of other perspectives and a larger storyline. Plot twists meant to shock and turn the story on its head.
There were too many things I had to suspend belief over and then the ending felt very unsatisfying. This is a book one that you need to continue on with.
Arc gifted by publisher.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
He did it again! This one was SO GOOD! Might be my top thriller of the year because of how fast paced and twisty it was. This is such a fun and exciting puzzle to put together. There is one part of the book when a twist was revealed that I had to stop and think about the entire story because it smacked me in the face. If you love psychological thrillers and police procedurals this is the perfect cat and mouse cold case thriller for you!
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Guess Again AUDIO by Charlie Donlea is a police procedural/thriller and quite good, until the end. I feel like the author was too intent upon creating a sequel and destroyed his character to do it: one opinion. Ethan was a police detective with a 100% solve rate who had decided the darkness was too much for him and at thirty-five went to medical school and now is functioning as an emergency room physician. One night, his former partner appears, now in the throes of ALS and requests that he attend a meeting at a hotel. At the hotel Ethan is surprised to be introduced to the governor who wants his help in reopening the case of his missing daughter, an investigation Ethan had not been a part of. Ethan was not convinced he wanted to re-enter this world. He liked his life as it was. But, this seventeen year old girl had just disappeared, no clues left behind. At about the same time Ethan attended the parole hearing for the man who killed his father, who had also been a policeman.
Ethan is a terrific character; the book is well-written. His nemesis, Francis, is a psychopath, but a brilliant one, as he leads Ethan to clues on this closed case, which he had decided to pursue, the incentives being too great to refuse. As it turns out, Francis had nothing to do with Callie’s disappearance but is being used by the one who had. Two evil geniuses in one book. It is an intriguing investigation, surprises galore, which would lead to so many repercussions for Ethan. Hard to go much further without spoilers. Please listen to or read this book. It is worth it. There is so much more.
Vivienne Leheny who did a fabulous job. She calm and cool during all parts of this book, from investigating to the inevitable violence, and “downfall” of a good man.
I was invited to listen to Guess Again by RBmedia. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RBMEdia #CharlieDonlea #GuessAgain
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received an ARC of this audiobook from RBMedia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Guess Again by Charlie Donlea had me hooked from page one (or what I assume is page one since this is an audiobook). I was intrigued by the premise of a detective turned ER doctor being pulled back into a decade's old cold case to investigate a missing teen. As his investigation progressed it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next and whodunnit. I really enjoyed this thriller from start to finish. The pacing was fast enough to keep me entertained but not so fast that I got lost in the shuffle of characters, locations, and dates (I really enjoyed how this book has chapters that start with a date and location).
On the topic of chapters, I absolutely love how short the chapters are! When I read a book I hate to stop in the middle of a chapter whether it is for 20 mins or overnight so having short chapters makes it so much easier to pop back into real life and quickly return to the book. I love being able to squeeze in a quick chapter here and there whenever I can.
The narrator in this book was great! I did feel like she was a bit stiff in the first couple of chapters but then she seemed to get into it and she hit her stride! I also enjoyed the voice effects such as the filter used when two characters were having a phone conversation that gave this audiobook a bit more oomph. I truly enjoyed this book and I am definitely adding Charlie Donlea to my list of must buy authors and I will certainly keep an eye out for audiobooks narrated by Vivienne Leheny and add her to my list of enjoyable narrators.
Thank you so much for this ARC of Charlie Donlea's Guess Again. I loved this book and I can't wait for the physical book to be released to add to my collection!
A cold case that had me in its hooks! This was an addictive listen and I binged it in a day! Unputdownable read. It has a bad guy that you will love to detest. A good mystery and I honestly didn't see that twist coming. The story is a dual timeline from past to present, but I found it very easy to follow. I dived in blind and I would recommend doing that. Check for TW. The narrator, Vivienne Leheny does a wonderful job portraying Ethan, Maddie, Callie, and many other characters in the book. It was very easy for me to distinguish the characters, and that's always a huge plus for me. If you're looking for a twisted summer thriller to read, be sure to check this one out.
A very special thanks to Recorded Books and Netgalley for the ALC.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Audiobook
This twisty psychological suspense novel features Ethan Hall, a former detective turned ER doctor, as he is drawn back into helping investigate an unsolved cold case. Little does he know the case is much closer to him than he can imagine!
Wow! I have seen Charlie Donlea's name mentioned on many lists, but this is my first book by him. Wow! An absolute page-turner or fast listen! I read A LOT of thrillers, so it’s not easy to really keep me guessing, but Charlie did! Twist after twist, expertly crafted. Fans will be thrilled with this new book, and newcomers like me will be hooked and start exploring all his other books!
Advanced reading copy provided by Kensington Books Publishing and RBMedia. All opinions are my own.
This twisty psychological suspense novel features Ethan Hall, a former detective turned ER doctor, as he is drawn back into helping investigate an unsolved cold case. Little does he know the case is much closer to him than he can imagine!
Wow! I have seen Charlie Donlea's name mentioned on many lists, but this is my first book by him. Wow! An absolute page-turner or fast listen! I read A LOT of thrillers, so it’s not easy to really keep me guessing, but Charlie did! Twist after twist, expertly crafted. Fans will be thrilled with this new book, and newcomers like me will be hooked and start exploring all his other books!
Advanced reading copy provided by Kensington Books Publishing and RBMedia. All opinions are my own.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Recently I listened to @charliedonlea’s newest novel, Guess Again. It was just what I wanted to listen to while on vacation. Donlea does a fantastic job of writing twisty thrillers.
Things I loved about this audiobook:
💙 the narrator: Vivienne Leheny
💙 missing teenager cold case
💙 the setting: small town Wisconsin
💙 former detective, now ER doctor investigating
💙 a twisty plot full of secrets, suspense, & multiple POVs.
Things I loved about this audiobook:
💙 the narrator: Vivienne Leheny
💙 missing teenager cold case
💙 the setting: small town Wisconsin
💙 former detective, now ER doctor investigating
💙 a twisty plot full of secrets, suspense, & multiple POVs.