The Guilty One

By: Bill Schweigart

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey

Every town needs a hero, and Detective Cal Farrell fits the bill. He stopped an active shooter six months earlier, and now he’s become the darling of the Alexandria press. The problem is that Cal remembers nothing from that day. He’s working with a psychiatrist to recover his memories, but hasn’t had much luck.

Then, on one of his morning runs, he is once again the first on scene for a grisly discovery—a body hanging impossibly high on a tree. Soon there’s another victim, killed by a blade and dumped in a ravine. As the bodies begin to stack up, each staged more gruesomely than the last, Cal sees a baroque pattern to the crimes that no one else seems to understand—something out of legend.

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 hometown hero might just be next in line for destruction.

©2023 Bill Schweigart (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

"Narrator Matt Godfrey brings Schweigart’s wry humor to life through Cal’s narrative. He matches each character’s voice perfectly, making it easy for listeners to discern who is speaking by inflection alone [...] Schweigart’s first foray into mystery and suspense is recommended for readers of Michael Connelly, David Baldacci’s “Memory Man” series, and T. Jefferson Parker."—Library Journal

What a treat!

As a mom of 6-year and 2 year old boys, a book needs to be fast-paced, engaging, and entertaining for me to finish it. This fit the bill nicely. I can’t wait for the sequel.

I really enjoyed Matt Godfrey’s performance, too! His voice was easy on the ears.

I highly recommend this book!

Great story

This book kept my interest throughout! I loved the twists. The narrator did an excellent job. Will look for more from the author and the narrator.

Yes and No

There were long moments of boredom with too much talking when just a few words would have sufficed. It could become longwinded. Some very entertaining moments which kept me listening to the very end. The ending was not satisfactory. I won't listen to this book again - however, I did enjoy the narrator.

lots of violence

and suspense. makes one wonder just how much pain and suffering people can actually endure.

Nice, well crafted story

I got this on the daily sale and it turned out to be a treat. Compelling story, good narration, with enough plot twists to keep you interested. Recommend!

Great story!

Very suspenseful! Never listened to this author before, and will get whatever he writes.

Loved the narrator.

A bit far fetched, but we’ll written

I enjoyed the book and recommend it, but as a fair warning, I felt the protagonist and the motivation strained credulity. Regardless, the characters were great, the story flow was great, and I enjoyed the book overall. I would read more books by Bill Schweigart.

Great psychological Thriller

A great psychological thriller that hooks you in from beginning to end with twists and turns along the way! Highly recommend!

Good read

Interesting story with a good ending. Enough twists in the plot to keep you reading.

Police Thriller

Humm. I see by looking at other reviews that people loved this book. I found our protagonist annoyingly dense at times. I understand that he's dealing with PTSD. But he's acting like a first year academy cadet throughout most of the story. I found it frustrating. Almost quit a few times.