Guess Again

Author: Charlie Donlea
Genre: Fiction/Thriller
352 pages
Publisher: Kensington

Synopsis
Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. Her body was never found, and the case went cold, but the echoes of Callie’s disappearance still linger. 

On the tenth anniversary, Ethan Hall—a former renegade detective turned doctor—is tapped to re-open the case. Ethan left law enforcement to escape his demons. But when his old partner makes a death-bed request to get the case off his conscience, Ethan reluctantly agrees to re-examine the evidence.

Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. No one is more invested than Lindsay Larkin, Callie’s high school best friend. Now a psychologist and the architect behind a wildly successful online counseling platform called The Anonymous Client, Lindsay has publicly and relentlessly pursued the truth about what happened to Callie.

Amid a sweltering heatwave, and just as Ethan’s investigation gains momentum, a new client signs in to Lindsay’s online portal and makes a devastating anonymous “I killed Callie Jones, and I need your help to forgive myself.”

Lindsay’s business and reputation depend upon keeping her clients’ privacy, so she funnels scant clues to Ethan hoping he’ll pick up the trail. But when Ethan’s investigation leads to another missing woman, he realizes there’s more to Callie’s disappearance than anyone imagined, including ties to his own dark past that some are willing to kill for . . .

My review
Guess Again by Charlie Donlea is a wild, twisty ride from start to finish! With a large cast of characters and plenty of misdirection, it delivers all the suspense and intrigue you’d expect from Donlea. While it’s not a traditional, true-to-life police procedural, it’s a well-crafted, highly entertaining read that’s packed with tension and surprises.

Main character Ethan Hall used to be a top detective in Wisconsin, specializing in child crimes with a flawless 100% solve rate. After years of dealing with darkness, he walked away from law enforcement to become an ER doctor, helping people heal instead of chasing criminals. Just when he thought that part of his life was behind him, his old partner, Pete, shows up with a request he can’t ignore. Pete has been diagnosed with ALS and is desperate to solve one last case before it’s too late – the decade-old disappearance of Callie Jones, the newly elected governor’s daughter. As Ethan reluctantly steps back into investigator mode, he realizes that Francis Bernard’s cryptic claims might actually hold the key to solving both mysteries. The deeper he digs, the more tangled the connections become, leading to a web of secrets, lies, and unexpected twists that had me second-guessing everything.

Donlea crafts a fantastic cast of dynamic, likable characters that feel real and engaging. Each one brings something unique to the story, whether it’s their wit, determination, or personal struggles. He has a knack for making even secondary characters stand out, adding depth to the narrative. Donlea’s writing style is clean and straightforward, making it effortless to get lost in the story. The short, punchy chapters keep the pacing tight and the tension high, and I was easily able to finish the novel in a couple of days.

Guess Again is a twisty, riveting, heart-pounding thriller and a big win on all counts! The ending is fantastic and nicely sets up the next installment.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Charlie Donlea for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

My recommendation: definitely worth the read!