Literary Leftover: Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

A fantastic book for those who like not just one twist, but several twists in a thriller novel. Former police detective turned doctor, Ethan Hall, is called upon to help solve a cold case. He has to find a way to balance his desire for discovering the truth about the murder of a 17 year old girl while trying not to lose his job at the hospital.

A psychological thriller that is twists multiple storylines together to make your jaw drop. A cold case involving a missing girl that must be solved before the original detective dies. Ethan must sort out which rabbit trails to follow and which lead down his own complicated past.

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

Literary Leftovers are book reviews and recommendations that do not contain recipes, but are books that I highly recommend.

Guess Again

by Charlie Donlea

Outline and Tone:

An American journalist and author, Haywood Broun’s quote is featured in this novel and I recommend that you let it sink in and guess what all the implications could be, “The tragedy of life is not that man loses, but that he almost wins.”

In true Dateline NBC fashion, a cold case murder investigation gets a new set of eyes and new crumbs to follow on several trails. Pete, the original lead detective, is dying and he asks for a tremendous favor from Ethan. Ethan Hall was a detective, but decided he could no longer handle seeing the worst that people could be and went to medical school. However, a successful transition from detective to doctor didn’t eliminate his burdens. Ethan still has Frances Bernard to deal with. Years ago, Frances killed Ethan’s father and now Ethan does what he can to keep Frances in jail. Wrapped up with Frances is a character who is diagnosed with hybristophilia, a psychological disorder where a person is sexually or romantically attracted to individuals who have committed severe crimes. The story introduces characters you can’t forget and motives you didn’t see coming.

While the novel does initially seem to have 2 storylines, author Charlie Donlea does a superb job weaving the stories together without cutting either story short. Both stories are wrapped up while leaving just a slice of light for a possible book two.

The Best Quote:

“Every time I close my eyes. The girl probably knows I’m dying because ever since they slapped me with my diagnosis, Callie Jones is there every night I go to sleep. It’s almost like she knows I’m the only one on this planet still looking for the truth.”

Point of View:

The book is told in third person with the majority of the time Ethan Hall’s perspective, but it does switch to a few other characters.

The author: Charlie Donlea

Charlie Donlea is a USA Today, IndieBound, and #1 International bestselling author. According to his website, his books have sold over 5 million copies worldwide and have been printed in 25 different languages. Considering the website Booksinorder.com lists his catalog of just 9 books, that is an impressive amount of books sold. His website lists his events, which appear to be primarily in the Midwest as he is a resident of Chicago. He also has a newsletter sign up that will pop up when entering his website. He is active on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. He even features some reviewers’ videos found on TikTok.

What is not to like?:

The author has clearly set this up to allow for a book #2 and I hope he writes it, however; main character Ethan Hall will either need more freedom from his day job as a doctor at a hospital, or being a doctor needs to be even more important to the plot.

The verdict:

This book captured my attention and did not let go until the end. It is the kind of book that makes you keep reading chapters until you lose track of time.

Book Statistics

Guess Again

by Charlie Donlea

Rating: 4.75/5 Stars
Genres: Psychological thriller, Mystery
Setting: Madison, WI
Pages: 352 pages
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Published by: Kensington (July 29, 2025)
Information Sources: Amazon, Goodreads, and Author’s website

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