Oh my Goodness what a ride of emotional proportions....
This novel by Bill Schweigart has many gruesome murders throughout so beware of the triggers.
If that does not bother you, then the serial murder mystery is intense and will keep you guessing til the end.
Mass shootings are very sore points particularly in the US and I am in these times very happy to live in an country where weapons are not available to the public as a constitutional right. It's a mess and sadly the news remind us of this all too often. Last mass shooting had me thinking of the law enforce,ment department who also need support and whose lives are also affected.... :( Our hero Cal Farrell end up being the shooting with no recollection of the events. Very interesting storyline by Bill Schweigart and unfortunately very realistic....
I enjoyed the book and most certainly the narration by Matt Godfrey who performed with much empathy.
However, because the author wanted to keep this real and realistic, the end leaves you with little optimism. I like optimism and I would have liked to be left feeling in the end with positivity (hence the 4 stars and not 5).

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Matt Godfrey ⭐⭐ really didn't like this narrators voice. It was like nails down a chalkboard

Story by Bill Schweigart ⭐⭐

This is the first time I've tried a book by Bill Schweigart. This book didn't grab my attention from the beginning, and by about the 40% mark I stopped for good. I think alot of it had to do with the narrator.

If this book is on KU then I would probably give it another try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book is exactly what I wanted from a psychological thriller, and utterly unpredictable! The story was intense from the very beginning, and I ended up binging the audio because I couldn’t put it down without knowing what happened!

Detective Cal Farrell is a town hero; he stopped an active shooter six months ago on a very grisly day. The only problem is that he can’t remember anything of importance from that day. He is working with the police psychiatrist to try and recover his memories, but in the meantime, he’s working through his depression and anxiety that was left after that day.

On one of his early morning runs, he happens to be the one that finds a body hanging impossibly high on a tree. Suddenly, there is another victim, and the town could be looking at a serial killer. There are patterns to the killings that only Cal seems to notice. Who could be committing these awful crimes, and is Cal himself in trouble?

This book has twists and turns to the very end, keeping the reader hooked. I did not love all the characters, and sometimes they got a bit annoying, which is the only reason this is not a five-star read for me. I never saw the biggest reveal coming, which is incredibly rare for me, and therefore something I treasure! The audio narrator was also very enjoyable, and I would recommend the audio book if you are someone who likes to read that way. Bill Schweigart did such a good job keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout the story; and if you are a fan of thrillers then I think you’ll really enjoy this book!

This was not my cup of tea. Objectively, the writing was fine but it did not hold my attention. I will not be posting a review elsewhere.

This was quite fast paced it took me a while to get used to the author but when I did it really worked.

This was definitely right up my wheel house. The author went into the main protagonist thought patterns and doubts and it really worked and wont lie was a bit sad at the end but it made sense.

Definitely a fast paced and good listen.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

⚠️As a note check trigger warnings prior to reading this book⚠️

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow burn, but I’m glad I stuck around. The story centers around Cal a young detective. He is considered a hero for stopping a mass shooting in the city of Alexandria. Cal doesn’t feel like a hero he is relentlessly bullied by the other detectives and is suffering from severe PTSD. After finding a body in a tree Cal starts to insert himself into the investigation. It starts out as intrigue and morphed into an attempt to be the hero he is labeled. The crimes were relentless and incredibly dark. Throughout the story the murders were so gruesome they were compared to Jack the Ripper. There were so many unexpected twists in this story.

I really enjoyed the characters including the side characters. They were so likable and others not so much. I would compare this to Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series. So if you like those and are attempting to patiently wait for the next book, this book will make the wait more enjoyable

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this audio book.

Cal Farrell is a detective seeing a psychiatrist about a mass shooting event he was a part of in the past. Present time line sees bodies turning up in Alexandra. A serial killer is lose and Cal is called upon. The past and the present will connect. Story told in.2 time lines.

A good listen. Wonderful narrator. Excellent crime procedural.

Loved this one!! So much action and excitement, I couldn’t wait to get back to it when I stopped reading. Loved the twist and can’t wait to read more by this author. I listened to the audio book and the narrator was perfect for this one.

This story follows two timelines in the beginning. One on a day where an active shooter takes an office building, and one where the man who killed the shooter is a detective during an active serial killer spree a year later. Cal Farrell has dealt with many things during his time as an Alexandrea police officer and now detective. I enjoyed listening to this one and understanding the impacts the events of the active shooter had on Cal, and how it all tied together in the end. I am a lover of true crime and every event of this book felt like it could potentially happen. The active shooter, the methodical serial killer, the way everything was pinned on Cal. It was so interesting to hear the story unfold, I absolutely did not see the ending coming. I was hooked about half way through and couldn’t stop listening! It released today so I suggest you give this a listen if you’re a fan of true crime or mystery reads!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Guilty One was a great listen. This one perfectly fits within my niche. My blog is called Kelsi Reads in the DMV (DC Maryland Virginia area). This mystery thriller is set smack dab in the middle in Old Town Alexandria. Which I should also mention is my favorite place on the United States East Coast, second only to St. Augustine, Florida.

The first half of the book switches between the past and present of the main character, Cal. Cal is a newly minted detective at the Alexandria City Police Department that found himself running in to neutralize a mass shooting situation, or what he calls, The Very Hot Day (abbreviated as TVHD). During the present, Cal's memory of what happened in the boardroom with the shooter has been repressed. He has just stumbled upon a dead body while running and becomes involved in the investigation. We slowly re-live what happened on TVHD while Cal simultaneously tries to keep ahold of his PTSD and figure out how these murders in sleepy Old Town are seemingly connected to him and TVHD.

I read a lot of crime/mystery-thriller novels. I like to punctuate my super long fantasy books with thrillers for a breath of fresh air (haha, yes I'm one of those murder podcast girls). I had no idea who the killer was until the grand reveal. In fact it, was so clever that I need to go back and re-listen to see what kind of carrots the author laid down. In my opinion, the best kinds of thrillers are the ones you finish and need to immediately re-read to see how you could possibly miss what was going on.

The Guilty One was ridiculously binge-able. The narrators voice was very nice to listen to, and it wasn't all weird when playback speed was increased to 1.5, like they can sometimes be. The plot was fast-paced and kept you on your toes. I really appreciated the ending. The ending was solid, with no gaping holes. I can't stand the endings similar to The Silent Patient, Gone Girl, etc. where there's an open ending and you need to make your own conclusions. They drive me batty, because my brain goes crazy with all of the possibilities and I just NEED TO KNOW :). I highly recommend The Guilty One, if you feel similarly about ambiguous endings!

Patrol officer Cal Farrell dreamed of being a detective one day, but he never dreamed he would make detective so suddenly and solely because the dept decided the city of Alexandria, VA needed a hero after a horrific mass shooting in which Cal’s partner was killed and Cal was the last person to see the killer alive – before the killer shot himself. Cal couldn’t remember anything that happened once he made it into the conference room with all of the bloody bodies and the killer. But he and the rest of the dept know the killer actually took his own life. Cal knows he wasn’t a hero and his fellow cops know so he has no confidence at all in himself. And, then people around him start dying. This book veered off in directions I never saw coming. What started out as an interesting psychological look at what happens when a young, inexperienced policeman witnesses things no one should have to see turns into an intense thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

The Guilty One is an edge-of-your-seat thriller. You think you know what is going on but then the story goes in a completely different direction. The back-and-forth between the present and the past was a bit confusing at the beginning but once you get into the story you realize how important it is. Cal is a stellar protagonist that you want to root for and supporting characters like Heather, Julia, and Massey are also fleshed-out characters that you either love or hate. Overall it is a great first installment of what I hope is a series.

This book was surprisingly good, having never heard of the author, I went in completely blind and did not see the twist coming at all!

A quick, action packed suspenseful thriller that has you hooked from the first page. I loved the dual timelines with two crimes and showing how Cal's past is now affecting his future, and seeing the secrets unfold throughout the revealing of the past. I found this a really unique way to "investigate" a murder mystery as Cal has to uncover his lost memories in order to find the killer in the present. I did struggle at times to keep up with the investigation, however I think it was because I was listening as an audiobook and I don't think I would have the same trouble if I was reading it. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I'm hoping there will be a sequel especially after the ending.

This is a great psychological thriller that starts with action and suspense from the very beginning. The story switches back and forth between Cal’s, main character, present and his past, showing us what has lead up to his current investigation. The story keeps us in suspense throughout the book trying to untangle what happened during a traumatic police call from his past, which created memory loss for him, to help catch a killer in his present. The story held my interest until the end. Overall a great read

When Cal Ferrell stops a shooter in his tracks, he is quickly dubbed the town hero, but he can’t remember what happened in that conference room. Six months later when out on a run, he discovers a body, one that also has ties to that fateful day. When more bodies start to pile up, each having a connection to Cal soon the hometown hero is high on the suspect list. Slowly Cal pieces things together, but is he remembering things correctly or could he in fact be connected to the crimes? Written in dual timelines, this sometimes breaks up the suspense, and in the audio book made it hard to follow at the beginning, but this did not take away from the overall book, which was a fast paced thriller! Thank you to Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape and Sill Schweigart for this mystery/thriller. about a man in law who is faced with a situation where he loses his memory of the actual facts that took place. The town decides it's not important, let's just cover it up, put a bow on it and move on. He is promoted but still maintains his memory is not there for the evening of this terrible murder. But then every step he takes and meets people, they too end up dead. When the town turns on him to call him the murderer he finds himself fighting for his life. I enjoyed the story and the narrators.

The Guilty One by Bill Schweigart
Narrated by Matt Godfrey

Six months earlier, young police officer Cal Farrell longed for the day he could make detective. He'd have to put in his time, prove himself over the long haul, and earn his stripes the hard way. But then there was an active shooter incident, people died, including another officer, and soon Cal was Detective Cal Farrell, a hero who stopped a mass shooter. But Cal doesn't remember what really happened that day, he's in therapy to help him recover his memories, and he feels like an imposter who had accolades thrust on him that he doesn't deserve.

To top it off, he has co-workers making fun of him and some go so far as to hate him. No one he works with is happy about Cal suddenly earning a promotion to detective. He even has a nickname that he despises, Killer Cal. All he can do it try to prove himself, prove he can do the job, prove that he is worthy of the promotion.

Running helps Cal, helps to fend off the eye twitches and helps him to stay grounded. Today's run is when he finds a body. Then there is another body and Cal can't stay out of an investigation that isn't his to investigate. But he can't say away, he wants to really be a detective, to solve crimes, to earn his title. And these murders are starting to seem personal.

I really like Cal, he seems like a nice guy, although he also seems naïve and idealistic. His new partner and mentor tells him to let it go, he can't solve every crime, he's going to be sorry if he sticks his nose where he's not wanted and where he has no business sticking his nose. Cal can't help himself and he digs himself into a deeper and deeper hole until I could see no way for him to climb out. Matt Godfrey's narration fits Cal so well, the story seen through Cal's eyes, has a folksy feel that Godfrey portrays very well. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Cal in the future.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

The beginning of the book had me hooked as it went between present day and 6 months earlier. You find out a lot about the main character in the first few chapters. The middle kind of dragged but the ending was not at all what I was expecting. The narrator was one of the better ones I've listened to and really got into the characters.

What a wild ride!!

“The Guilty One” begins by jumping back & forth between the present and 6 months earlier, when main character Detective Cal Farrell becomes the town hero after stopping an active shooter. The problem is, present day Cal doesn’t remember what happened. His brain has blocked out the afternoon of, what he refers to as, that “very hot day”. Working hard in therapy, Cal has decided to make some positive changes to improve his sleep and overall quality of life.

While out on a run, hero Cal discovers a body hanging from one of the highest trees in the woods. And that’s only the beginning,

The body count begins to climb and Cal is working his hardest to find the killer, but unfortunately his fellow officers and the town itself start to point the finger at him.

This story was fantastic! And Matthew Godfrey’s narration was perfect. Schweigart has a knack for comedic relief and Godfrey nails the timing.

My only minor complaint was that the middle did drag a bit, but I still remained eager to find out how it ended. The ending was definitely a shock and Schweigart couldn’t have orchestrated the entire story better as I was blindsided by the outcome.

Cal Farrell is a character you can’t help but root for, and Godfrey really helps bring him to life.

If you love psychological thrillers mixed with a little police procedural and a whole lot of suspense, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!