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3.5 

Caller Unknown

By Gillian McAllister
Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

"An unputdownable adventure that was both heartwarming and thrilling! Everything I've come to expect from Gillian McAllister!" —Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author 

“Only a Gillian McAllister thriller can make your heart race and then your heart melt from one page to the next! I’m a devoted fan!” —Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author

How far would you go to rescue your child? A mother races against the clock—and finds herself on the wrong side of the law—in a desperate fight to save her teenage daughter in this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time.

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…

Though Simone’s husband urges her to bring in the authorities for help, she knows she can’t take any chances. The kidnappers might kill Lucy if she tells anyone. No mother would take that risk. Instead, that night, she drives to the isolated meet-up.

What she finds there changes everything. The mysterious kidnapper doesn’t want money. They want Simone to do something. The unthinkable.

A catastrophic chain of events is set in motion, with chilling consequences that extend beyond Simone and her family. What follows is a heart-pounding journey through the small towns and punishing deserts of remote Texas, in which Simone’s courage—and morality—is pushed to the brink as she discovers what it truly means to be a mother.

Unbearably tense, compassionately told, and full of well-crafted moral dilemmas, Caller Unknown proves once again why Gillian McAllister’s thrillers are “the best of the best” (Lisa Jewell). 

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Caller Unknown Reviews

3.5
“5 ⭐️ read for me. Tense and gripping with a spotlight shone on the powerful bond between a mother and daughter. Well written and you feel as though you’re right there in the story with them. I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this and read it in just two sittings. I’ve always been a big Gillian fan and this absolutely lived up to my expectations.”
“This author is always an automatic read for me. I was hoping to really enjoy this book, but I just couldn’t get into it. It is hard for me to figure out exactly why. I think it was small components of different things that ultimately combined to leave me apathetic about the plot. What was supposed to be a holiday for Simone and her daughter, Lucy, quickly turns into a nightmare. Simone is out of her element, because they are in Texas where Lucy has been attending a camp- and they are originally from England. Unfamiliar with how the law works, they end up on the run as fugitives knowing that if they are caught, the death penalty is very much on the table. First, I would read a couple of chapters each night trying to push myself forward. I struggled to stay connected to the story and at time was downright bored. Also, Simone spends a great deal of the book considering her relationship with her daughter and her inability to let her go/grow up. It was such a central theme and I started to feel it was repetitive. I understand as I have two daughters of my own, but it got to the point where I was tired of seeing no it come up every other page. Anyway, I finished the book as I wanted to see the resolution of their situation. But by the time I finally got there, I was ready to be done with it. It just wasn’t my jam unfortunately. Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC of #callerunknown”
“This was such a good read! It has twists and turns. It kept me guessing. I've read a couple of Gillian McAllister books, but this was my favorite. It kept me entertained and reading. I suspected everyone and never saw the ending coming. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.”
“Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy of Unknown Caller! The premise totally hooked me, I love a twisty, morally gray story, but this one didn’t fully click for me. The pacing dragged in parts, and I never felt as connected to the characters as I wanted to. I did however love how vividly Gillian McAllister captured the panic and love of a mother forced into the unthinkable. The tension does build beautifully through out the book. The final act tied things up nicely, I can see why so many readers love her twisty, high-stakes style. A solid read, just not my favorite.”
“British mother daughter duo Simone and Lucy are taken on a whirlwind adventure after Lucy gets abducted during a camping trip in the US. This book felt very one-note to me the majority of the read. I found the prose to be excessively fluffy and at times, confusing. Every part of what should have been a climactic event felt very drawn out. I honestly caught myself speed reading through parts because I wanted to get to the next exciting thing. Though I do understand the undertone of this novel being a mother’s love defies all logic — there’s nothing a mother won’t do for her child, it felt forced and a little toxic, to be quite frank. Overall, this wasn’t my favorite book. The twist at the end felt redemptive and I did enjoy and appreciate that. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.”

About Gillian McAllister

Gillian McAllister is the New York Times bestselling author of Reese's Book Club Pick Wrong Place Wrong Time, Famous Last Words, Just Another Missing Person, Everything but the Truth, The Choice, The Good Sister, The Evidence Against You, How to Disappear, and the Richard & Judy Book Club pick That Night. She graduated with an English degree before working as a lawyer. She lives in Birmingham, England, where she now writes full-time. She is also the creator and co-host of the popular Honest Authors podcast. 

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