Read with Fern

There is nothing that Simone won’t do for her daughter, Lucy. The two have always been close, and with Lucy about to leave home for university, they depart the UK for a vacation to Texas to spend some quality time together. But when Simone awakens on their first morning in the desert, Lucy is gone, missing from their rental cabin. In her place is a cell phone, and a voice on the other line issues a shocking ransom demand. Don’t tell the police. Come to this location. And be prepared to do a deal…

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I have been a fan of Gillian McAllister since Wrong Place, Wrong Time, and have read advanced copies of her two most recent books before Caller Unknown. I expect two things from a McAllister thriller: phenomenal writing that keeps me fully invested and an extremely unique plot with a twist I’d never see coming. And while Caller Unknown did deliver on both counts, I found the twists disappointing rather than invigorating.

The book follows Simone, a frazzled restaurant owner, wife and mother. Simone is always frazzled, but having her 18-year-old daughter Lucy spend the summer across the pond at a summer camp in Texas has added an extra level of stress. But now, finally, Lucy is done with camp, and Simone is flying to Texas to spend a week camping with Lucy before they return to England together. But on their first night together in the Texas wilderness, Lucy is kidnapped, and Simone receives a ransom request. From there, everything spirals out of Simone’s control.

While the plot itself grabbed my full attention from the first page, each twist felt like an uncomfortable nail in the coffin. Without going into spoilers (psst, click here if you want them!), I felt like the twists leaned into some existing stereotypes or were so out of left field that it was impossible to believe, even in the heat of the moment. McAllister’s writing is always top-tier and has led me through some next-to-insane plot points before, but this was the first time I felt like her writing couldn’t deliver a satisfying ending with the twists she’d produced.

Overall, this was a wild ride of a read. If the highly-specific plot caught your attention, I’d still recommend reading it. However, if you have issues suspending belief for thrillers, I would recommend her other books instead!

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!