I didn’t like this one. I really didn’t like the narrator. It took me out of the story. I never dnf and I absolutely had to this one.

Unfortunately this audiobook didn't work for me. I generally like police procedurals but I couldn’t get into this. I Dnf.

Not sure if it had to do with the story, narrator or my mood.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the audio book

I’m sorry but I couldn’t get into this one! The narrator has the most annoying voice I just couldn’t finish it. Thank you netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A self-effacing and reluctant police officer finds himself thrust in the role of "hero" in order to save face for the police department where he works. As no one in the police force, including himself (as he remembers nothing about the incident) , views his actions as truly heroic, he ends up with a career left in tatters before it had barely begun.

Loved the main character's persistent sense of humor, which is rife throughout this novel!

An enjoyable read.

I loved this one! It’s about a cop that becomes a local hero after a mass shooter struck.
Now, he discovers a grisly body while off duty, out on a run. Then another body turns up. Soon, the townspeople begin to turn on their hero cop. 👀
Definitely recommend!

I enjoyed listening to this fast paced thriller.

It starts off with a 'Then' and 'Now' dual timeline narrative before permanently moving to the present when a fresh slate of grisly murders threatens to create serious problems for local hero detective Cal Farrell who was given a 'hero' and 'detective' status after he stopped an active shooter six months ago . The thing is he can't remember anything from that day which turned him into an overnight hero. Now, unless he manages to figure out who is behind these fresh murders and how it is connected to him, he might very well be prepared to take the fall for them and be dubbed a monster. Sure enough, a lot of people in the police department would love to see him fall from grace spectacularly.

I did not guess the plot twist that came towards the end of the book although when I think about it, it was right there all the time!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Dreamscape Media and the author for the audio Arc of the book.

If you have read any of my reviews in the past that have multiple timelines you will have found a pattern. The pattern is that I am not a huge fan of stories with multiple timelines as I don't usually find them done well and find that it can be difficult to keep everything straight.

This story follows a cop who was once considered a hero and then later turned into a "monster". The story follows the cops two timelines, the crime that made him a hero in the public eye and then the crime that made him a monster. It took me a while to get everything straight.

The characters from both timelines are fluid, especially when it comes to the law enforcement partners, and his love life.

I enjoyed this book in the sense that it was fast paced and really jumped into the action. It did blindside me at the end, which is something that I really enjoy when it comes to a mystery/thriller story. I want to be surprised. I don't want everything to be obvious, because what fun is that.

Rating: 3 out of 5 because even though I enjoyed the book, it just was not doing it for me. I found myself wanting for it to end.

A dark detective/thriller. I enjoy the lost time trope so that aspect of the story really worked for me. A very quick read that is easy to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an audiobook arc of this title.

I've been listening to a lot of mystery/thrillers narrated by feminine sounding narrators. When I first listened to The Guilty One? I was delighted to hear the narrators voice! A masculine voice, and so fitting to the speech mannerisms of the MC.

It was an interesting story. The plot twist really caught me off guard. But now when I think back, I feel silly for not seeing the signs.
A mystery with a witty and sarcastic MC, exactly what I needed.

OMG this book!!!! I had the audio version and I was crying and laughing out loud by the time I was 20% in. I loved this book and have been very careful with my 5 stars and this one is definitely getting 5 from me.
The story had me going every which way, wondering what was happening and worried that I would be disappointed in the end and I was not. This cop/mass shooter drama had all the makings of an exciting page turner that left me wanting more. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

This was an excellent thriller. I found it suspenseful and engaging. I would recommend it.

The narrator for the audiobook was okay. I didn't like when the narrator tried to do a female voice. I found it a little distracting. I prefer audiobooks with a separate male and female narrator.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

This book was thrilling! The twist & turns were so unexpected! The characters were well developed & I felt like I knew them by the end! The plot was well paced & it had great momentum with the flashbacks intertwined. I thoroughly enjoyed this book & I will certainly be reading more from Bill Schweigart!

Wow, lots of secrets and all kids of psychological thriller aspects to this book. A lot of action to keep you guessing where it would lead.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Guilty One.

Narrated by Matt Godfrey
Published: 03/21/23

Miss on so many levels.

I tend to forget mentioning narrators. I do try to give them credit posting their name. Godfrey did not work for me. I imagine him in 100s of other books. However, his voice sounded too young. It was bubbly and frankly, cheesy.

Synopsis: A man with memory loss works multiple murders with police.

Too soon for fictional active shooters in the United States. Really? Who thought that was a good storyline? Yes, it was in the synopsis. I opened my mind to a possible think tank in the mix.

Another awkward and embarrassing story, and profanity was not part of the memory loss.

This was the first audiobook I have ever listened to, and I found that I am just a physical reader. As an avid podcast listener, I thought I might enjoy this, but I have come to find that I need to pick up the book and actually read it. I am intrigued by the story here and will definitely get a physical copy to read and will follow up with a review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

Cal Farrell is a hero...right? This book had me from the start. It has the Then and Now in the first part of the book and you wonder how it will come together. Let me assure you it does, in a big way. I had a feeling I figured out the who, the why was a little tricky because you start wondering if the who is really the who you think it is! Trust me, this is a great book! It is different in the way it is done. I really enjoyed the pace and the ending, I was happy it was not your traditional ending, it was realistic and needed to be the way it was. I look forward to the next read by Bill Schweigart and the narrator did a good job with the characters, so you knew who was talking when the characters were interacting with each other.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. There was a strong build up with a plot that shared both the past and present. And a twist that I was not expecting. Well done serial killer mystery!

The Guilty One by Bill Shweigart is about Cal, local cop hero, and how he gets wrapped up in a serial killer investigation as a brand new detective. Except, he can’t remember the Hot Day that he became a hero. The book switches timelines from the “then” of the Hot Day when he stops an active shooter and the “now” of the aftereffects when Cal has been promoted to detective and lauded as a local hero.

This book was a great, thrilling ride. I liked it way more than I expected, and there were a lot of nuances in the two timelines that I really appreciated. If you like the thriller genre in general and, cop thrillers specifically, then you will love this book. It was really well done. The author’s writing was compelling from the first page and the way that he had dual timelines and would throw in snippets from the active shooters POV were brilliant. The story unfolded completely naturally and there was never a dull moment to be had.

The only reasons that you may not want to read this book are if any of the trigger warnings just do not work for you. Some triggers of note are: infidelity, active shooters, serial killing, death and gore. There are others and I would implore that you check a comprehensive list prior to reading the book.

I listened to the audio of this book and would highly recommend it. The narrator did an excellent job moving with the story. It was very atmospheric.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The author took a genre and subgenre that is very popular and, some would say, overused and made it new and fresh. It was captivating and thrilling. While this was my first book by Bill Shweigart, it will not be my last!

Bill Schweigart sends you on a wild ride. He starts you on the edge of your seat from page one. The puzzle builds, then drops- how does it end? I loved it!
Detective Cal, while recovering from face, head and full body injuries, is thrust into a situation to which his mind has blacked out. He decides to take the case on the side outside of his department on his own time. He has flashbacks from that incident and the side case he is working. He does not know who to trust, even in his own police department. His so called friends call him “Killer Cal”. Why? Is he going crazy? What is happening to him? What do all the familiar pieces mean? How do they fit together? Then it all makes sense. Will it be too late for all who are involved?
Narrator Matt Godfrey was phenomenal! He presented the story with great emotion, pace, varied tonality and fluctuations, and creative character voices. This created a scene I could see in my mind’s eye.
Overall, I loved the book. Falling through the flashbacks with Cal, trying to puzzle his way through his thoughts and emotions as he is faces a case that is difficult and intriguing.
I recommend this book to all thriller and mystery lovers as this one will baffle you in your efforts to puzzle your way through the clues, details and flashbacks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for sending me an audiobook copy to evaluate and review. All opinions are my own.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for granted me this early NetGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 21, 2023. A middle of the road novel for my liking. The back and forth between THEN and NOW was ok, although I felt cheated at times because the THEN chapters seemed to be so short and choppy. The narrator was easy to listen to.