The Guilty One follows detective Cal Farrell, who has become Alexandria's hero. He stopped an active shooter but doesn't remember a thing. Six months later he discovers a body hanging in a tree. As more bodies turn up the once hero, is now being painted as the villain.

I really enjoyed most of this book. The first half of the book was great. It had dual timelines letting you learn more about Cal. You learn about all the hate he gets from other cops and what he deals with every day.

There was a small portion of the book that just seemed to drag too long. I started to lose interest in the back half of the story. I don’t know what caused it but once we started speeding to the conclusion I was back to being invested.

There were a lot of twists and turns that were very well done. If it wasn’t for that drag heading toward the end this would be a perfect book.

If you like thrillers definitely check out The Guilty One.

The Guilty One was a great psychological thriller! The story starts a little slow but I really enjoyed going between the different timelines as we learned about the main character. This book was full of lies, secrets, and twists I never saw coming. Between the investigation and the endearing romance this book had a little something for everyone. The suspense had me nearly biting my nails as I binged this. The ending blew my mind, and left me feeling a little sad but satisfied. I highly recommend to thriller lovers!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Alternating the now and the then, the story is told around the event which happened on "the very hot day". This traumatic day was such an event it can only be remembered as such.

THE GUILTY ONE kept me riveted. I was constantly surprised by the events happening in the life of this police officer. The situations he finds himself involved in, including "the very hot day" are shocking and unbelievable. The ending is even more so. This is one of the best suspense books I have listened to in a while and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy this genre, and/ or police action books.

Book Title: The Guilty One
Author: Bill Schweigart
Narrator: Matt Godfrey
Publisher: Dreamscape Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
My Rating: 3 Stars

Story is told in two timelines ~ Then and Now.

Six months ago our protagonist Detective Cal Farrell was deemed a hero by the Alexandria press when he stopped a brutal murder from happening. However, there is now a big problem as Cal cannot remember anything that happened that day. He is dealing with sudden blackouts, missing time, and unclear memories.
He is working with a psychiatrist to recover his memories, but isn’t successful.

He is trying his best to put the puzzling pieces together and find the connection between an old murder scene and a new crime. He das to figure out who the real killer is before it's too late!?
As Alexandria dubs the serial killer “Old Town Jack,” Cal learns that the only thing a city loves more than creating a hero is tearing one down. And if he can’t get to the truth, this

He continues to be on hunt as he fears the serial killer is after him.
As Alexandria dubs the serial killer “Old Town Jack,” Cal learns that the only thing a city loves more than creating a hero is tearing one down. And if he can’t get to the truth, this

Having been to ‘Old Town’ Alexandria Virginia, I was looking forward to this story.
Again more colorful language that I like but t seems a lot of readers like trash talk.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 21, 2023

Detective Cal Farrell is a hero. Six months ago he single handedly stopped an active shooter who brutally murdered a group of people in an office building. The only problem is Cal can’t actually remember what took place in that very hot day. Now he is trying to recover from the trauma of that day while balancing the expectations of the town and it’s press who view him as a hero and keeping his temper in check at work with his colleagues who don’t trust him as know one but Cal knows what really happened in that office building, and his mind is blocked it out.

When Cal stumbled upon a murder victim on his morning run and then not long after another body is found it doesn’t take long for the gaze of his colleagues to settle on him. The rumours are swirling and Cal is intent on tracking down a potential serial killer before it’s too late for everyone involved, himself included.

Told in the present, with flash backs of the past, the story is a fast paced suspense thriller with the urgency of the characters situation flowing through the story.

This was an enjoyable read, with interesting characters and, my favourite, an unreliable narrator. I didn’t pick the killer until right before the reveal, which I always enjoy as I spend so much time trying to work it out as I read along. Well written, engaging and an interesting read.

After entering an active shooter situation at a local business, Alexandria policeman has no memories — but he’s told he’s a hero.

In the following months, he strives to regain his memory of the event while trying to solve a new string of homicides where he just happens to be not only the investigator, but a suspect.

A fast-paced police procedural with some unexpected (but a bit heavy-handed) plot twists. I would have liked a bit more character development (“flawed but lovable cop,” “antagonistic police brass,” “beautiful damsel in distress,” etc.). But it was still a solid read, and I would read more from this author.

Six months earlier, Cal was one of the first officers to be on the scene of a mass shooting. Many people called him a hero for going head-to-head with the shooter. He was even promoted to detective. He doesn't feel like a hero. He doesn't even remember what happened. It was such a traumatic experience that his memories of what happened were suppressed.
Now, six months later, people he knew started to turn up dead. When bodies started to pile up, people started to point fingers. Could the city's hero become a murderer? Or was someone trying to set him up?

This novel started well. There was action and suspense! Not to mention humor and comic relief to break up the tension. I was intrigued and excited to see where the story would go. I wanted to know what happened to Cal. What traumatic experience caused him to suppress his memory? Unfortunately, somewhere around the 35%-40% mark, I kind of lost interest. The story lost its momentum and started to drag. Also, the characters started to feel one-dimensional.

Overall, a decent read but I wanted more from the characters and story.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Bill Schweigart, Matt Godfrey, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Cal Farrell, the main character in this murder mystery, suffered from memory loss pertaining to “the very hot day”. Despite being unable to recall that day, he was hailed as a hero and promoted at work. This new position as detective is not well received by many of his fellow officers, as they felt he didn’t deserve it. The turmoil and self-doubt that Cal suffers was clearly depicted, and made me root even harder for him. I found myself rooting even harder for him. Schweigart has created a cast of characters and relationships that seem authentic and relatable. I cheered for the underdog, and got angry at the naysayer’s. The brutal murders, and the impressive misdirections, create a mystery that appears to have many suspects. Or is there only really one? Or wait, what about him? I loved that I was positive I knew who it was, only to realize that it had to be someone else. To me, that holds my attention, and makes me want to return to this author again and again. While I usually really enjoy dual timelines this one was a bit challenging for me. I liked the “flashback” memories, and how Cal found himself caught off guard by them at times. I like how the two timelines seem to play on each other as well. I occasionally felt however, that just as I was being truly gripped by one mystery I was torn away and dragged back to the other. I think that is what the author wanted, as flashbacks would work like that, but I sometimes became confused by which storyline I was in. I do believe part of that was also due to the fact that I often stopped listening at timeline changes - through no fault of the story itself.

The Guilty One was a wonderful story with a main character that you have to root for. The narrator was great.

When I read the synopsis, this sounded like the perfect thriller. But sadly I was a bit disappointed… The first few chapters really had me hooked, switching back and forth between past and present. But then the middle bit kind of disappointed and felt very lengthy and some things where just too perfectly aligned which made the story a bit bland, if that makes sense? I feel like there was great potential for this story but it just wasn’t perfectly implemented…

A big thanks for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC!

I did not see any of that coming. Oh my gosh. The trust and turns this book takes. I thought I knew who it was the entire time and was totally shocked when it was revealed. Very entertaining book and kept my attention the entire time.

From hero to goat in one year, life comes at Detective Cal Farrell fast.

Then, an active shooter and a city that’s grateful for a hero cop. Now, an unreliable memory, police politics and dead bodies of people Cal knows.

This was a great road trip book that both my husband and I enjoyed listening to. The chapters were short which built intensity and also made sure that the gruesome parts didn’t last too long.

Bonus points for making me want to research topics brought up in the book. Examples mentioned by Bill Schweigart that I Googled were Sand eaters and the Stockdale Paradox.

Matt Godfrey’s narration was fantastic. He does a great job on the different voices and conveying emotions vocally.

Quick Summary: A dark and gruesome psychological thriller

My Review: The Guilty One by Bill Schweigart was an intense ride. This book had me entirely enthralled!

About the Book: Shifting between past events and present moments, this story follows Detective Cal Farrell, as he works to identify a deranged serial killer who seems to be coming for him.

About the Character: While healing from injuries and working to stay sane, Cal has to deal with sudden blackouts, missing time, and unclear memories. He also has to come to terms with heady emotions, family drama, personal insecurities, and hostility from his colleagues. Despite all of that, he desperately tries his best to put the puzzling pieces from his mind back together in order to uncover the connection between an old murder scene and a new lynching that has everyone baffled. Can he figure out who the real killer is before it's too late?

My Final Say: Readers who enjoy stories with killers in plain sight will get a thrill from this book. I strongly recommend it.

Other: I believe this book would be a fantastic book club read.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: R
Triggers: Violence, MDK

Appreciation is extended to the author, to Dreamscape Media, and to NetGalley, who provided access to an audio ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions I have shared are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the free e-ARC audio book in exchange for an honest review! This book is read by Matt Godfrey who does a superb job! Nothing better than one voice who can accurately intonate the emotion, mystery and drama of the story through multiple characters!

Detective Cal Farrell was the responding officer to a mass office shooting, took down the bad guy and became a town hero and a newly promoted detective. The problem is, Cal has no memory of his confronting the shooter. The story switches from the events of the past "really hot day" and present day, where Cal is trying to remember what happened on that really hot day. Cal is presently seeing a counselor and trying to work through his issues including his sense of identity as a newly appointed detective, and being a town hero. As the story switches timelines, we see Cal questioning events and red flags starting to appear, but at the same time we see bodies starting to show up in Alexandria. Cal is convinced its a serial killer and now he only has to convince everyone else.

This is my first book by Bill Schweigart and it will not be my last! This is a fast paced, twisty, thriller that is full of suspense and psychological drama. The dual timelines were very well done. The plots were well threaded and developed as well as the characters. I consumed this in a day as I had to know how it ended. It also had a few twists that I did not expect but were nicely tied into the various plot lines that ran through out the novel.

Excellent and highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Detective Cal Farrell was the first police officer on the scene to a gruesome mass shooting at an office building. While he doesn't remember what happened when he came upon the gunman, he gets promoted to Detective. He finds a body hanging on his morning run with more bodies coming. Is Cal having a psychotic break or is there another killer on the loose?

I enjoyed the narration by Matt Godfrey.

It took me a little bit to get into this one, maybe because of it being an audiobook. The narrator caught my attention about a third of the way in. I was really rooting for his memory to return and was not disappointed when things started adding up! Would have preferred reading over listening but this is one I would recommend to others! A truly engaging cop thriller that kept me guessing who and how, and even why.

3.25 stars
Detective Cal Farrell may be suffering from imposter syndrome, a mental breakdown, a murder, or all three. Many people have been treating Cal as a hero but there are those who are in doubt about his actions six months ago. Lately people that Cal knows have been murdered and displayed in grizzly fashions from trees’ to ditches. Heather, a surviving victim from six months ago, and Cal have developed a friendship but that friendship and Heathers life are in jeopardy when evidence starts point to Cal as the culprit of the series of murders of his acquaintances. Is Cal really a murderer or is he being set up?

I enjoyed the ride of Cal’s story and wasn’t sure what the ending would be and at times kind of didn’t care. I didn’t feel connected to Cal’s character and didn’t like him at times. He felt like a one-dimensional character. The story wasn’t awful and I will later remember Heather more than Cal. A story from Heathers viewpoint would have been nice to read or a duel viewpoint of Cal and Heather or quick impressions of the murderers viewpoint interwoven into the story. Overall, it is a quick read and many folks will enjoy it.

I started listening at normal speed and then sped up to 2.0. The narrator had a nice voice that was easy to follow and conveyed the emotions from the story. The voice was well suited for this book

This was an easy book to breeze through. You never fall in love with the characters and you never even really get to know them very well. The moral character of the main character (or hero) is extremely questionable and it makes it difficult to like the guy. Plus his love interest is a floozy. Overall, it's a very forgettable story and pretty far-fetched to be taking place in the real world as we know it. A decent read if you're looking for a quick read between books, but this will not be added to anyone's favorites shelf.

Holy crap I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I never knew what to expect next and I loved it!