Guess Again: Sneak Peek

by Charlie Donlea

Be one of the first to read this sneak preview sample edition!

On the 10th anniversary of a teenage girl’s disappearance, her cold case breaks open in dangerous ways…and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again in the masterfully twisty new psychological suspense novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

For fans of Riley Sager, Anna Downes, Alex Finlay, Stacy Willingham, and Karin Slaughter.

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicized search followed but her body was never found. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger.

Ethan Hall, a former renegade detective turned ER doctor, left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the kid crime division. But on the tenth anniversary of Callie’s disappearance, his former partner, Pete Kramer, makes a desperate request. Pete is the veteran detective who originally investigated the case. Now he’s dying, and to ease his conscience and get closure for the Jones family, he needs Ethan to return to the haunting work he left behind—and solve what happened to Callie, once and for all.

Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. Amid a sweltering heatwave, Ethan’s investigation gains momentum, but reexamining old evidence won’t be enough. He needs a new way into the case, no matter how dangerous or unconventional. And it comes from the least likely of sources—an inmate in a maximum-security prison.

Soon Ethan’s methods draw him deeper into a twisted psychological game. Because there is much more to the nightmare of Callie’s disappearance than he imagined, including a connection with his own dark past . . . and secrets that are still worth killing for.

59 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

Charlie Donlea is the USA TODAY, IndieBound, and #1 Internationally bestselling author of critically acclaimed, propulsive thrillers including THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN, DON'T BELIEVE IT, TWENTY YEARS LATER, and THOSE EMPTY EYES. His ninth thriller, GUESS AGAIN, is out now.

Published in 40 countries and translated into twenty-five languages, his books have sold nearly 3 million copies in the U.S. alone.

He spends a part of each year fishing with his father in the far reaches of Canada, where the roads end and lakes are accessible only by floatplane. These majestic trips to “God’s Country” inspired the settings for his novels Summit Lake and GUESS AGAIN, coming in August 2025.

He resides in Chicago with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dare anyone to read this Sneak Peek of GUESS AGAIN and not desperately want to read the full book.

59 Pages is all that is contained within this early look at the upcoming GUESS AGAIN novel. It only took me a single page to find myself wanting, nay, needing, to read more, to know more, and to want to delve into the full story immediately.

5 Stars ☆☆☆☆☆

[Wanda Hynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I never saw that coming! I really enjoyed this Audible listen.

[Jennifer Denney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of twists

Ok so i listened to this book instead of read hence the sneak peak. Somethings are kind of predictable, others not so much. Ethan WAS a cop and now a Doctor. He gets called back in by Pete an old friend to help solve the Callie Jones mystery. In return he gets his student loans paid off.
We get the prisoner whom killed his father, who is playing the long game. His girlfriend whom was the prisoners last victim. Former friends and the coach of Callie Jones whom are hiding things and with secrets to hide. The book is a roller-coaster and some are guessable but not all. An enjoyable read.

[Lynda Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just a sneak peek at Donlea’s upcoming novel. It involved the first several chapters, which introduced several characters and was a bit confusing. There are a missing girl, an investigator, a convict in prison, the weird woman who thinks she is in love with this guy, and a female hostage introduced in these chapters. I have no idea where the book is going. I’m not sure I’ll buy the book when it comes out.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like thomis book Charlie Donlea is one of my favorite authors. That is why I gave it 2 stars. This story was too unbelievable The first half was good but as it went on it continued to get more and more unreadable. Hope we get some new books by him that are is good as his older titles. This one missed the mark.

[Sharon Leff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gets Readers Hooked…

Talk about a baited trap of a read! Hook, line, and sinker, story reels in readers with strong characters, tense conflicts, sinister acts, unsolved crimes, foreboding malice, and taut suspense. Whew! Sign me up for book release date.

[Emily Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hard to put down. It hooked me from the first chapter! The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is the ending. I felt like parts of it dragged on while other parts weren't given the amount of telling I felt like they needed.

[Karen Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

great start

What a way to start a new book , but then to be halted 59 pages in. Can not wait for the release in June

[ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me from page one. Can't wait until it comes out.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

very intriguing

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait for the entire book!

This might be the best Charlie Donlea thriller yet! In this short beginning, I'm already entirely swept up in this exciting mystery! Hurry up July!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick sneak peek that leaves you wanting more! can't wait for the full version to come out!

[Esther Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far so good

Excited to read the rest. As always my mind is spinning trying to piece it all together before the end of the book.

[Cathy Elmose · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading this author. I will be reading more of him. Kept me on the edge of my seat!!

[Dana Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent story. Slight weird twist overall engaging but not unputtadownable😜

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author. Can't wait to read the complete book.

[Tsumm · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many twists and turns you can't put the book down!!

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Lynn Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but parts of it could’ve been better. I didn’t care for the fight in the cabin or the struggle in the water.