Wow! This book doesn't let up from the first page to the last. It opens with a woman rushing to get to work & ends with dead bodies & a blown up building. In between, there are more dead bodies, a detective trying to stop the carnage, a senator and a number of co-workers who may or may not be trustworthy. What do you do when the choice is between one innocent life and the lives of hundreds of others....?

A Caller's Game by J.D. Barker 

I came into A Caller's Game knowing that there would be explosions (an understatement, if there ever was one). The book has been compared to Die Hard and I'll never read or watch a Die Hard book or movie but I loved Barker's She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be and the characters that he creates. He does know how to create both characters that I really like and characters have me ranting at the book. 

In the category of characters that I despised we have Jordan Briggs, a wealthy, controversial talk radio host, willing to skewer and slay any and everybody, regardless of consequences. In fact, in her past are dead and living victims of one of her talk radio pranks that went very, very wrong and now one such person is on the line, giving Jordan deadly choices, choices that always result in death. Think "eye for an eye" with massive collateral damage. 

In the category of characters that I like, we have Detective Cole, recently knocked down to traffic police for an offence that we will discover later. Cole, along with a few other characters, is the reason I enjoyed the book. I can only take so much death and devastation but it helps when I have someone that we get to "know", that I'm rooting for, along with all the nameless potential victims of the destruction to come. 

In Barker's collaboration with James Patterson, The Coast-to-Coast Murders, I lamented the extremely short chapters. With this book, we have long, meaty chapters and that's something I appreciate. Characters are my favorite thing about books and I'm glad we had some "good" characters, amongst all the explosions. 

Thank you to J.D. Barker, Hampton Creek Press, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I chose to read this book after receiving an ARC from the author and Netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I am a big fan of J.D. Barker’s partly because I never know what to expect. A Caller’s Game didn’t disappoint. It is nonstop suspense followed by nonstop action. Die Hard meets Talk Radio is the perfect description of it. This would make a great movie which Die Hard fans would love. A lot of it is unbelievable but what action movie is nowadays?

Jordan Briggs is a talk show host who is brash and doesn’t care about much except advancing her career. The more listeners she has, the better, no matter the cost. She doesn’t appreciate anyone or care about their feelings. She does love her daughter, but unknowingly puts her career first. I didn’t like her at all.

Cole, on the other hand, is a good guy. He’s a cop who is having a really bad day. He’s caught in the middle of the chaos and will do anything including risking his own life to save others.

When Bernie calls into Jordan’s show and wants to play a game, the craziness begins. Bernie has had plenty of time to plan this game and although what he has in place is not realistic, it adds to the suspense big time. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, so I had to keep reading. In other words, don’t start this book unless you have time to finish it!

This isn’t my favorite J.D. Barker book, but The Fourth Monkey was one of my favorite books, and it’ll be hard to beat. A Caller’s Game is definitely a great read, though, especially if you like suspense and action!

4.5 stars

What a roller coaster ride of a book! Certainly brought to mind the movie Diehard. Which is not a bad thing considering it is one of my favorite movies. The plot was very unique and filled with nonstop action. There were some unbelievable things that happen but I didn't care because it's fiction! I have read several books by this author and have loved each of them. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action movies and interesting plot twists.

A Callers Game is a fast paced story, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, although there are some parts which are quite sad. It is a rollercoaster of a ride with bombs going off left right and centre and a radio talk show host seemingly the only person who can possibly stop the carnage! Give it a go.

This was an excellent thriller and probably one of the best I have read in the last 12 months. This is edge of your seat stuff, I loved this book from the first page and read it in a day. It moves a long at an incredibly fast pace and the next thing I knew hours had flown by. I can't say that all the characters grew on me but their actions had my attention for the entire book. This is a very well developed story and I congratulate JD Barker on this work. It amazes me how authors brains work, they take a concept they envisage and then turn it into something that us the reader cannot put down. A 5 star read for me..

Outstanding!! J. D. Barker at his very best! This is a runaway train of a read. It captures you on the very first page and does not remove the foot from the accelerator until the very last page. Wonderfully developed characters that you will love or otherwise love to hate make this a riveting read. An adrenaline junkie’s wet dream!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

You say <i>popcorn fiction</i> as if it is a bad thing...

It is no secret that [author:J D Barker|21008504] has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I know I can count on a good story filled with twists and bends, along with excellent characters.

In a Caller's Game, we meet Jordan Briggs. A Howard Stern-is type of radio host. Abrasive, arrogant, assholish, if you wish. She's a total peach. Her day (and the story) begins as she starts her show roasting a poor soul who got on her way to work. Little does she know her day is about to get worse.

We also meet Cole, an NYPD detective who has been placed on traffic duties as some kind of punishment from his lieutenant. He's quick, smart, and ready to take action when needed. As his life intertwines by chance (or was it?) with Jordan Briggs, everything will take a radical turn.

In the fashion of the 4MK series, the story is told by Jordan and Cole in alternative chapters, and a fast-paced setting made it hard for me to put down. Be prepared to go on a wild ride full of action and thrills to the very end.

I say J.D. Barker delivered another winner. Grab the popcorn!



Big thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview A Caller's Game by JD Barker.
Action packed and fast moving parts. This explosive novel will keep your heart racing till the end.
Very good.

First I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to receive a prereleased copy of "A Caller's Game" ... J.D. Barker is one of my fave authors and so far have loved all I have read...and this is no exception... The story starts with Radio Personality Jordan Briggs, a loud obnoxious controversial DJ for SiriusXM stuck in traffic...leaves her car in the jam and runs to work...followed by a policemen (Detective Cole) who was behind her when she left her vehicle...Jordan makes it work with seconds to spare and is almost instantly pulled into a horrible game of "make a choice" in an act of revenge from years past...Detective Cole... because of just being in the wrong place wrong time (or right place right time) is pulled in along with Jordan in a classic game of cat and mouse involving Jordan's ex-husband, her daughter, her staff and pretty much anyone who she is close to. Bernie (who is directing the game) has Jordan under his thumb as he gives her choices ...which will lead to deaths but if she doesn't choose... both choices die.

The book is fast paced...blends together seamlessly and while there is no ability to make any real guesses as most detective stories do... so it does take away your detective hat until later...it really doesn't detract as it the book move fast and the details are given out quick enough that you aren't sitting wondering...ok...now what ...remember as Hannible Lector says..."all good things come to those who wait Clarisse". You live along with Detective Cole ...discovering the details as the story progresses.

J.D. Barker books ...to me...build all of the characters to a point that you know them and really feel like and dislike...maybe even hate and love...which is one reason I feel Mr. Barker is one of the best authors out there now...This is a great book to start reading J.D. but any of his novels are just plain good..

One open question to J.D. ....Do you just not like SiriusXM? Cause you do seem to leave them in shambles...lol

I could NOT put this book down.
When Bernie first calls in to Jordan's XMRadio talk show she thinks he's just another man wanting his 5 minutes of fame. However, once he asks her to play a game and make a choice, she soon realizes she and New York City are in for a nightmare of a day.
As the "game" unfolds between Jordan's point of view and Cole's (a current NYPD officer assigned to traffic duty for an error in judgment) everyone in the world listens on pins and needles as the events unfold. When we learn who Bernie is and what he wants, the world wonders live on the air how the day will end.

What a crazy ride this book was! A controversial talk show hostess is drawn into a cat and mouse game by a deranged and mysterious listener. Highly recommended!

Well that showed me! I should have read the synopsis.

The description is perfectly accurate. Talk Radio show meets Die Hard.

As a Die Hard fan (watched it again this past Christmas) seeing Bruce Willis, sorry meant detective Cole Hundley having a very bad day was entertaining.

It all starts with a radio show persona, Jordan Briggs. Over the years, Jordan has accumulated quite a few steady amount of followers. She has about 5 million listeners but she’s always happy to increase her show's ratings by asking the tough questions.

The morning the book begins, Jordan is running late for work. She's late because of traffic and because she decided to drive her car in NYC (who does that?). Anyway, as soon as she gets to her building her show has started. She's in the zone, when a caller by the name of Bernie asks her to play a game with him. What happens next is a bomb. Literally not figuratively.

Officer, Cole Hundley is not having a great morning either. He has been punished by his superior and has been placed on traffic duty. When he sees Jordan committing an illegal stop, he decides to pursue her. He has no clue what this action is going to cost him.

I guess I could divide this book into two halves. The first half is more about intrigue. The second half is ALL action with explosion after explosion.

A Caller's Game could be a very successful movie. I'd watch it. It would be even funnier if Bruce Willis played one of the characters. Just saying.

I’m a big fan of J. D. Barker's 4MK thriller series. I thought the plot was excellent. In this one, I thought some parts were too unbelievable but I guess Die Hard was too 🤣.

I decided to forget how hard it will be for Vernie to plan and implement everything he did. I just went with it and I had fun.

I think most action lovers will love it.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Hampton Creek Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Caller's Game is J.D. Barker's latest thriller. It features Jordan Briggs, a satellite radio host whose schtick is insulting her guests on air. She is accustomed to calling the shots, so when a caller named Bernie phones in and turns the tables on her, it begins a day neither she nor the city of New York will ever forget.

This is a fast paced book that pulled me in from the first page with its numerous characters and subplots seamlessly woven together to create a story that is compulsively readable. J.D. Barker has a special talent for creating characters that are fully and completely engaging, whether they are likable or not. The enjoyment to be found from his books can be attributed as much from the depth of his characters as the inventiveness of his plots, and this latest book is no exception.

Thank you to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I think I need a lie down now.
That was action packed and tense. I flew through it in one sitting,as no way was I taking a break and being left to wonder what next.
It left a trail of bodies in its wake,and a worry as to who/what was next.

If you've read Barker before,you know you're in for a treat.
If you've not,then you're about to get quite the ride!

Barker has done it again ya'll!
With his newest thriller novel.
Guy's this book was everything and then some.
Eye For An Eye... which I absolutely love books like these and can never get enough of.

Here we have a controversial satellite radio talk show host, Jordan Briggs who has her own talk show on SiriusXM.
Jordan is fierce and doesn't hold anything back. Tells it like it is kinda girl.
Her divorce is still raw and she keeps everyone around her at arms length. If it wasn't for her 11 year old daughter Charlotte her life would be in shambles.

But who knew a single call would change Jordan's life forever!

When a man (Bernie) calls into her show and asks to play a game, she sees it as nothing more than a fun harmless way to jump start the morning, breathe some life into her amazing listeners.
Against her producer’s advice, she agrees, and unwittingly opens a door to the past.

Live on the air with an audience of millions, what starts out as a game quickly turns deadly..... and events long thought buried resurface and Jordan Briggs is forced to reconcile with one simple fact.....
All decisions have consequences.

This is a cat and mouse game between the serial killer and the law enforcement.
The story drew me and didn't let go. I was hooked from the beginning.
The last 30% of the book was fast faced. And there towards the end.... holy crap! I didn't see that one coming!

I couldn't help but feel for these characters. Felt their pain. The hurt. The anger.
Bernie had a very well thought out plan and made sure that plan was followed to a T.
He is out for blood and anyone who gets in the way....??? Well let's just say Boom!
4.5 stars

This book comes out February 22nd 2021 and it's one you don't want to miss.

PS. Mr. Barker I loved your Author's Note and I read this on Jan 15th 2021! ;-)
Thank you for writing such amazing thrillers that make me forget about what is going on in this crazy messed up world... even if it's only for a short time... I enjoy reading them and getting lost in your words and story!

My thanks to Hampton Creek Press, J.D. Barker and Netgalley.
I've been on the Barker train since the near beginning. I would actually rate Mr. Barker up there with my love for Stephen King. But, as I eventually disliked/hated, some of Sai King's work..so must I too feel the same for Barker!
I've read the comparisons of this book. "It's talk radio and Die Hard." So it is! Kinda, sorta!
talk radio? As we said back in the day "fuck me running." I've never liked talk radio. Ever. Die Hard? No. It's a cop in a high rise.
These comparisons alone should have earned me off. But, Barkers stories are almost always fantastic!
This, however the comparisons, reminded me more of Phonebooth. That movie with Colin Farrell. Everyone I knew said it was a lousy movie! Me? I'm like, "how bad can it be? It's Colin Farrell!" That's some eye candy for me! They were right.
I felt smothered by most of this story. The locked off studio, surrounded by glass on the forty somethingth floor? In a high rise, in Manhattan? No way, Jose! No. Nope! Fuck that shit!
I love the Die Hard movies. It's Bruce Willis! 🎶I get sprung!🎵
Except for the cop and the co-conspirator "no names." I really didn't give a shit for who lived or died!
Still, looking forward to Mr. Barkers next tale! He's good! He's also going to be around for a long time. I expect many great reads from him, but there will always be a turd. This is the turd in the swimming pool!

A Caller’s Game is relentlessly fast paced and is an explosive way to start out the 2021 reading year. All of it taking place in the SiriusXM building in New York, we follow the questionable but instantly entertaining character Jordan Briggs as she confronts past traumas and some of her most vindictive listeners.

While the book has tons of explosions, gun fights, and betrayals, the most nerve wracking sequences are the calls between Jordan and Bernie. It was like watching a psychological chess game, where Bernie holds the threat of death upon her as she persists “to not play by his rules.” But when you’re putting possibly two of the most sarcastic and diabolical characters head to head, the dialogue never fell flat for a split second.

What I love about this book so much is it takes similar concepts from Saw and action movies but gives us a refreshing take of characters and setting. Narrowed down to about only ten key characters and two perspectives, all the drama is easy to follow and well written. The calls are suspenseful, but what makes the situation truthfully terrifying is what was just a simple threat slowly becomes more suffocating as the danger becomes increasingly more high-staked. It’s the feeling of having all your security being taken away and Jordan having to deal with the fact that she might actually be this terrible person everyone is making her out to be. But when one’s notability or career is not at stake, what does Jordan have to lose? What is described as the only “redeemable” thing Bernie describes about Jordan, being her daughter, she is forced to make tough decisions and try to maintain a composure that is quickly crumbling with every new call.

While I think many will complain that there’s almost too much tension they could barely take a breath, I think it’s just JD Barker’s masterful writing being so engrossing it makes you feel like you’re watching a car chase, when in actuality the first half of this novel is just Jordan having to come to terms with past mistakes with slow and suspense filled revelations.

I can easily see A Caller’s Game being a great audiobook as it never requires one hundred percent of your attention (but you’ll probably give all of yours before finishing it anyway). The author’s note at the end really bumped this up from four stars to a five stars read, and I’m a person who rarely bothers to read whatever the author includes at the end of their books. This one really caught my eye where we get the author talking about his personal experience with the virus as a nice touch to end the book.

JD Barker is must read for me. Great characters, so much action, love love love it! I have always considered 4MK to be the best thriller I have read, this beats it. Would highly recommend!

With the typical Barker ways this novel was long and well thought out. But it was drawn out. It felt almost unnecessary at points where my brains wanted to give up, but it was interesting enough I continued on.
A sassy female main character with a hidden past, with some majorly exciting parts but also some really lulling boring made me give 3 instead of 4 stars.