tcjulez 's review for:

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

4.25

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Charlie Donlea is back with another twisty, binge-worthy thriller, and this time it’s Guess Again. If you love small-town secrets, cold cases, and serial killers who know exactly how to worm their way under your skin, this one is going to grab you.

At the heart of the story is Callie Jones—the picture-perfect 17-year-old who vanished after a summer lake party, leaving her town shaken and desperate for answers. Ten years later, her case is still unsolved. Enter Ethan Hall, the former detective who botched the investigation the first time around and has been haunted by it ever since. He’s pulled back in on the anniversary of Callie’s disappearance, but reopening old wounds means confronting his own failures.

And then there’s Francis Bernard, a convicted serial killer who’s more Hannibal Lecter than hardened inmate—slick, manipulative, and playing the long game. Ethan thinks he can keep Francis at arm’s length, but Francis has an ace up his sleeve: Eugenia, a chillingly obsessed woman on the outside who’ll do anything to set him free.

Donlea weaves it all together into a story that’s dark, layered, and disturbingly addictive. It’s got that “just one more chapter” energy—perfect for fans of true crime podcasts or readers who love psychological cat-and-mouse games. You think you know where it’s headed, but the twists hit hard and fast.

Bottom line: Guess Again is smart, sinister, and impossible to put down.