The Guilty One

by Kiersten Modglin

Your husband was involved in a fatal accident.

One horrific sentence, delivered in an impersonal phone call, changes Celine Thompson’s life in a second. But when she’s asked to identify his body, what she discovers sends everything she thought she knew about her life crashing down.

This man is not my husband.

But who was the man who died driving Tate’s car? How did he have Tate’s possessions and, more importantly, why do they sport identical tattoos?

We’re going to find him.

When Tate doesn’t answer his phone or arrive home after the accident, Celine fears the worst. Still holding on to hope her husband may be alive, Celine is desperate to track Tate down and figure out what’s going on before it’s too late. The only problem? There are dark truths waiting to come out that are so atrocious she won’t ever be able to look away from them.

As she begins to put together the pieces of the mysterious day her husband went missing, it paints a picture of a man she never really knew. Is it possible Tate is still alive, or is she wasting her time searching for someone who will never be found? And if he is alive, how will they ever survive all that she’s unearthed?

With time running out, Celine must push the limits of the law and her safety to shed light on the secrets that have been hiding in the dark corners of their life together. In doing so, she may just uncover the final missing piece to the puzzle surrounding her husband’s fate.

Someone is lying.

Someone is missing.

Someone is guilty.

In this menacing, dark, and completely twisted domestic thriller, million-copy bestselling author Kiersten Modglin deep dives into a marriage riddled with lies, a couple with wicked secrets, and a woman who will stop at nothing to discover the truth about her husband’s disappearance.

Forget everything you think you know…

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2024

About the author

KIERSTEN MODGLIN is a #1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over two million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix's Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine's Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten's readers across the world lovingly refer to her as "KMod." A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.

CONNECT WITH KIERSTEN:

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Kiersten Modglin may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future:

➜ kierstenmodglinauthor.com/events

Reviews

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, Kierstin definitely knows how to create fantastic and addictive stories. I loved the layout of this book, flicking between past and present, a missing husband and a group of his college friends disappearing and or dying. Grab the popcorn, because I finished this in one sitting! A nice pow-wow twist to end it off.

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the suspense and was invested in the outcome. Unfortunately the outcome was very OTT and I would have liked it more without that final twist.

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

How well do you know your partner?

Once informed by police that her husband Tate was killed in a car accident, Celine’s world instantly changes. And before the shock of it all had fully consumed her, she would be stunned by yet another horror.

When the police have her identity the body Celine realizes that the dead man is not Tate! The next question is obvious. So, where exactly is her husband?

Now secrets hidden for years are about to unravel and nothing will ever be the same!

This was my third attempt at reading (listening) to a book by this author. In fact, I had given up thinking she just wasn’t a good fit for me. But when I saw this latest…with a premise that grabbed me right away, and cover art that was gorgeous I knew I had to try one more time!

So glad I did! The storyline held my interest throughout. With absolutely wild twists that I had to re-listen to in order to make sure I heard them correctly!

Was it OOT? Yes! But if you enjoy a good popcorn thriller then make sure this book is on your list!

🎧: the audio has multiple narrators which I enjoyed but truly I could only decipher two voices when in fact there were four narrators.🙃

Will I now pick up another audio by this author in the future, you bet! Kiersten, I think we are finally starting to click!

Thank you to libro.fm

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating and full of surprises!

I couldn't put this book down and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries with thrilling twists.

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

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiersten Modglin has mastered writing a book that you won’t want to put down and this one was no exception. Her style of writing makes the story fly by and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I will admit with this one I definitely saw the twists coming, but I thought they were well written and fun. Celine gets the call everyone fears getting - there had been a car accident and her husband was dead. But when she went to identify the body she was shocked to find that while there were some similarities, some suspiciously so, it was not her husband. But the question remained where was her husband and as she looked for him she discovered she also needed to find what secrets he had been hiding from her. The audiobook was excellent and the narrators did an excellent job bringing the story to life.

[ReneeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! And also, what the heck?! I have read several of Kiersten's books and I saw a blurb where she said this was her darkest novel yet and I just had to read it. I absolutely loved this one, so I guess I am a fan of dark, mystery/thrillers. This one is pretty short and you will fly through it just to see what is going on. Suspenseful, thrilling, twisty and a bit sadistic. That epilogue was terrific. Definitely recommend.

The audiobook narrators did a wonderful job! Kudos to Mia Hutchinson-Shaw; Chad Ackerman; Evan Sibley; Melissa Kay Benson

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

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this one so fast I forgot to even log it in as CR😅

3.75 stars rounded up for the great audio!

Kiersten Modglin, for me, is the queen of romantic suspense/thrillers. She undoubtedly knows how to keep tensions high and to write such addictive books where you really can't help but keep reading!

This one was no exception. It was thrilling and much much darker than what I've read by her so far. I loved the dual narration and the dual timelines and that twist?? Never saw it coming.

If you ever feel a slump coming, pick up a K Mod book!

[Melany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this was really intriguing and kept me interested. The other parts, really lulled and made it hard to continue. The ending was done well, though. Overall 3 to 3.5 stars! The twists kept me pushing through and the ending made this worthwhile.

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m developing a new policy where if a person X or a person Y is written to be a sociopath automatic 1 star.

I’m tempted to also remove stars for covers and titles that do not make sense but I’ll hold off on that.

I can’t elaborate more without being a spoiler but will detail below 👇

SUMMARY: wife and mother of 2 is visited by the police to say her husband died in an auto accident. She goes to identify the body and it’s not her husband but the deceased has the same tattoo as her husband on his shoulder 🦁

While relieved her husband is alive she wonders who this guy is and why was he driving her husbands car and have the same matching tattoo? There is also the question of where is her husband?

Over the next few days she tries to find out where her husband is and who this guy is. This leads her to learn about her husband’s past she did not know. I didn’t find it surprising or original but others might.

I also struggled to find some of the past events believable. Perhaps that’s me being sexists against males.

Stop reading to avoid any spoilers…

SPOILERS INCOMING….

TW: there are multiple sexual assault and rape scenes which are graphic

Now for my 1-star policy. I am so very tired of women who struggle with infertility and adopted kids being written as psychopaths.

We are not crazy and have already had enough traumas without being a cheap literary boogie man.

Even without this, 2-stars at best.

[Heathers_readss · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The guilty one” is a fast paced, dark themed thriller.

The book immediately starts off with a bang when Celine receives a phone call informing her that her husband has been in a car incident he did not survive.

When she is asked to identify his body she is flooded with relief as she realizes the man isn’t her husband. But who is he, why was he driving her husbands car and why did he have her husbands phone and wallet on him?

This book is very twisty and i definitely had no idea where it was going at any point. The twists definitely shocked me and made for an Interesting read.

There are some dark graphic scenes (SA, blackmail and violent death) so please check for your triggers. I am slowly catching up on books by this author and this is definitely the most disturbing scene/s ive found in her books so far.

The epilogue added a nice touch and brought things full. Circle for me. I love it when a character makes zero apologies for their choices 😂

The audiobook is narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Chad Ackerman, Evan Sibley & Melissa Kay Benson. They each did a great job of bringing the characters, personalities and plot to life.

3.5⭐️ rounded up

Thank you to Kiersten Modglin and Dreamscape media for the ALC!

Publish date: September 3rd 2024

[Susannah Thornton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because it had such good reviews on here, but I am very glad to add a negative review because I hated this book. The narrators were good and I’m glad it was only 6 1/2 hours long, made a lot shorter by listening to the letter half of the book in 1.5 speed. The short length of the book is possibly the only pro.
The fact this book did not come with a content warning is inexcusable. There were two rape scenes on the page which I will not mark as a spoiler because anybody who is a survivor that reads this book or wants to deserves to know that they should spend their time reading something, anything else. Another story with “psychopath guy“ because he’s damaged and then, in the end, a psychotic woman as well.
A messy unrealistic story that was tied up in the last three chapters and not in a way that made any kind of sense. This was my first read from this author and I will not be wasting any more of my time on her lascivious , poorly written books.
I think the “guilty one “is the editor who allowed this to get published as is. Do better.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the multi-cast narration on this book! It perfectly brought the story and characters to life and really held my attention throughout! The story was just mind blowing, in my opinion. So many crazy twists and turns and I honestly had no idea where it was going to end up! Fair warning, there’s a fair amount of trigger warnings if you’re sensitive to domestic violence and sexual abuse, but it didn’t bother me since it fit for the story being told. This was definitely a 5 star read for me and I would highly recommend to anyone that likes psychological thrillers and mysteries!

[Tiffany Case · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was way too over the top and silly. I'm able to suspend belief, but I can't take that belief to another galaxy, ok?

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. I love when a novel jumps from page one and does not quit. I did not see the twist coming and it was amazing! One scene was quite disturbing so I would warn people of TRIGGERS such as rape, violence towards women and murder that were presented in this book. Overall would recommend to anyone who love a good thriller mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review!

[Zizi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright, but it could have been better

[WHL (Bill) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing Read.

At one time, Kierstin Modglin was an auto-buy for me. After her last few works, not so much anymore.

"The Guilty One" had a promising start but lost its momentum midway through. Modglin was once celebrated as the Queen of Twists, yet the plot twists in this novel were didn't catch me off guard at all.

Please note: The book contains graphic content. Trigger warnings include detailed accounts of sexual assault and references to child abuse.

On a positive note, the narration was excellent, and the book was a quick read.

[SueCanaan · Rating 1 out of 5]

At 77% on audio and I stopped listening. That’s my review.
I don’t care who did it. Why they did it. If they’d do it again.
And this, my friends, is my last Modglin book.

[Dani Boise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any time I see new Kiersten Modglin I get excited to see what her twisted brain can come up with next LMAO. This one is one of her darkest and I was here for it (not sure what that says about me but what can ya do).

I'm giving this 3.5 stars as it was tense and had great ending twists.

This sucked me in right from the start with a super strong opening, as Celine finds out her husband has been in a fatal car crash. Or has he? There were some questionable moments in this for me (for instance, she literally thinks to herself "am I going to get in trouble for impeding a police investigation" like girl what). But, overall, this was super tense as she tries to unwind the mystery of her husband's disappearance. A quick read that kept me wanting to know what would happen next.

I thought the narrators did such a great job. When we get to Tatum 12 years ago.... PHEW that character is hard to read from his POV! But very well-written.

Big thanks to my besties at Dreamscape for the approval (like, y'all JUST approved me THIS morning, does this show how much I love and speed read through KMod!? haha)

[Taina Garcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I typically like Modglin’s books but this was traumatizing. The graphic violence against women was gross. I will spend a bit of time reading reviews before another of her books. TW - rape

[Jen Brodehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars – Celine’s husband goes missing, and what follows is a fast-paced unraveling of his secret past. Great page turner and I loved the ending! So excited to read a lot more of Kiersten Modglin’s books!

[myreadingescapism · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with Ms. Modglin.

And I f#cking hated this.

[Christina O’Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was SURE I had this one figured out early and I was a little disappointed in Kiersten for making this one so obvious…. but alas I was completely wrong 🤪

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually really enjoy Modglin’s books, but the graphic rape scenes in this were just too much. Super disappointed in this one.

[Celeste Velocci (bookrecs_by_celeste) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author is pretty hit or miss for me. I have had some favorites over the years and some that left me scratching my head wondering what I just read. This was one of those. It was twisty and interesting but just a bit too far fetched for me. I guessed every twist so was pretty underwhelmed in the end and the realness factor just was not there for me. Of course I will continue to read this author’s books because there have been some favorites amongst the ones I’ve read - just not this one unfortunately.

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick page turner! The plot twist definitely shocked me! This was my first book by Kiersten Modglin but definitely won't be my last!🩵

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been shaken by the twists!

K.Mod's latest audio offering is a banger. The audio is usually released a month or two after the Kindle book so it's taken me a while to get a chance to review one. I really loved the narrators of this book.

Celine has a good marriage and two happy kids so when Tate vanishes into thin air, she can't imagine why. That's better than the first alternative though.. initially they found Tate's crashed car and a body they thought belonged to him in it. Upon identification, Celine is relieved and also baffled to find out that the body in the car isn't Tate's. Who could it be?

The answers will take us all the way back to Tate's youth and his tight friend group in college. Something happened back then to make them all go on different paths and it seems like whatever that event was has caught up to all of them but the breadcrumbs to this mystery are scarce.

Is there time to save Tate or is he a victim of a past that's come back for blood?

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Paperback

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.25/5)

⚠️Trigger Warnings: rape, sexual assault, manipulation, child abuse, murder, etc⚠️

𝑯𝑶𝑳𝒀 𝑴𝑶𝑳𝒀!

I think this is the most violent K Mod book I have read so far. It worked well to really drive home the point of this story though and was really well done.

I felt totally connected to all of the characters. The twist I read like 3x because I was like “what the what!?!”

Also one character in particular was such a horrible human…like kudos to K Mod for developing one of the most vile humans I’ve ever read! What a villain.

There is a quote on page 256 of this paperback, it’s the 3rd paragraph down and it is 𝙂𝙊𝙇𝘿 and I’m so mad that I can’t share it with you because…SPOILERS…but it starts like this…”I am not a monster. I am a ________, but when our…” *chef’s kiss* it’s so good. IYKYK.

I was totally invested in this one and highly recommend it, but again…check out the trigger warnings.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I listen/read a Kiersten Modglin thriller and I think I know what’s going on, Kiersten throws one of her famous curveballs. I always appreciate when Kiersten utilizes dual point of views like she did with this psychological thriller through the past and present perspectives. It fabricated an entertaining and engaging story from beginning to end. The pacing and narration flowed well, and The Guilty One, like her other novels, led to a shocking revelation. This was an unquestionably fast-paced binge read that addressed challenging topics-sexual assault, abuse, manipulation, and blackmail. (Audio)

[Kimmy Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️.
Another quick read with lots of twists! I enjoyed the plot and the fast pacing of this book. As always with Modglin’s thrillers, she always has the best endings full with surprises.

[Aggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the reason I listen to her novels. A Kiersten Modglin signature formula. Would have been 5 stars if a content warning was placed.