My review of Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister discusses that I have been a fan of her work since Wrong Place Wrong Time, which was a Reese’s Book Club pick. Caller Unknown has not-great Goodreads ratings, so let’s discuss that!
Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
Table of Contents:
- Jen’s Quick Take on Caller Unknown
- My Review of Caller Unknown
Jen’s Quick Take on Caller Unknown
- Caller Unknown is a domestic thriller set in remote Texas, featuring Simone, a British woman and her daughter Lucy
- When Lucy vanishes from of an Airbnb in the middle of the night, Simone is perplexed. When Simone gets a call saying that Lucy has been kidnapped for ransom, she is is terrified.
- I’ll be honest: most of this book is COMPLETELY farfetched. Which, as someone who is wary of kidnapping stories, actually made it easier for me to read.
- I think this book could work for readers looking for a quick brain candy read (and who don’t mind kidnapping)
- If you haven’t tried a book by Gillian McAllister, please try Wrong Place, Wrong Time (my review link) or Just Another Missing Person, or my favorite, Famous Last Words (more review links).
- Publication date: May 5, 2026 by William Morrow. Thanks to them for the review copy!
Jen’s Review of Caller Unknown
I’m a BIG fan of Gillian McAllister, but must confess this is my least favorite of her books (I have linked my reviews of three of her prior books above).
I thought Caller Unknown had interesting elements and aspects that I think not every reader will enjoy.
I tend to avoid kidnapping stories (creepy) especially those involving kids (just …. no.) But because I enjoyed Famous Last Words so much, and it also had some creepy elements, I decided to try it.
What I enjoyed: the story had an interesting mother-daughter dynamic, and I thought it was definitely a page.
The “hmmmm” parts: if you like books to be credible, this book might not be for you. The credibility level is about 5% and a lot of things don’t make sense at all. It’s all a bit hand-wavey and felt kind of rushed and half-baked but if Harlan Coben can do that, why can’t Gillian McAllister?