I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. Loved it a very explosive (literally) thriller great characters. Would love to see this as a movie.

This was a great read! It was the best of an action movie, with the depth of a well-written novel. This book was fast-paced, thrilling and full of twists and turns that I couldn't figure out. I definitely recommend giving it a read!

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media Recorded Books for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This was my first novel by J.D. Barker and now I have to go back and read more of his works.

A Callers Game was a very fun book to listen to. The second half was very similar to Die Hard and I kept waiting to hear “Yippee ki yay mother-f*%$er!” I can definitely see this become a movie.

Jordon Briggs is a superstar satellite radio star with millions of loyal fans. She a tough woman and a quick thinker. A listener, Bernie, calls into the show and asks if Jordon wants to play a game. Jordon’s answers have major consequences and NYC is held hostage while the game plays out with deadly force. Detective Cole is drawn in early to the situation and he races around trying to save Jordon, her 11 year old daughter and others in the building.

The narration was excellent. When Bernie spoke, it reminded me of someone that I can’t place and that is bugging me.

I really enjoyed the authors note at the end from March 2020. It’s worth listening to.

Ignore some plot holes and enjoy the ride. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review. Content warnings are listed at the end of this review.

If you're looking for something really unique and realistic, this may not be what you're looking for - but I really enjoyed it when listening from a perspective of an entertaining action and thriller story. Cole is definitely your action movie hero cop who has all the skills and happens to be in the right place at the right time, while Jordan is a love to hate kind of character who might change your mind about her by the end. There are lots of twists and turns within the plot, some I easily guessed while others were more surprising, which I appreciated.

I listened to this on audiobook and think both narrators did a nice job telling this story.

I'm looking forward to reading other works by this author now for when I'm looking for a fast-paced, entertaining read - I'd suggest this book to anyone who loves a good thriller that may not be the most realistic, but holds your attention and keeps you on your toes.

Content warnings: terrorism (specifically in NYC), bombings, graphic violence, hostage situations including children, suicide

Great thriller!!! Love when I dont figure out an ending. Like the author noted that this book coming out in the time of covid we will do anything for our family. I was already thinking this as I was listening. Great narration too.

I didn't expect this one to make me cry, but the ending got me.

A Caller's Game immediately drew me in and did not let up through the whole story. The pacing is pretty fast ,and I flew through it. I literally read it in one sitting. Definitely a page-turner. One thing I really appreciated was that the detective is not the divorced, alcoholic cliche character.

The story itself is good, the plot great. Some of the language is possibly questionable, and I would suggest the publisher have sensitivity readers review before publishing.

Thanks to the publisher, JD Barker, and NetGalley for ARCs of the audiobook and ebook. Really enjoyed this one.

I just finished this book and let me tell you, from about chapter 3 my mouth was gaping open with shock and anxiety! This was a wildly good read!

This book follows Jordan Briggs, a famous radio talk show host. A man named Bernie calls in one day and says he wanted to play a game. After she asks what kind of game he has in mind, her entire world changed.

A fast-paced, high octane, and thrilling read!!

J. D. Barker knows how to do high octane thrillers and he doesn’t disappoint here. When Jordan Briggs takes a call on her radio show, she’s just looking to stir things up. So, when the caller asks if she wants to play a game, she has no idea what is about to come. Detective Cole has been knocked down to traffic duty for some unknown offense. Little does he know how his day is going to play out when he tracks Jordan down for a traffic offense. The story alternates between the two. The secondary characters are also well defined. The only one that didn’t work for me was Charlotte. At times, she seemed older than her 11 years and at others, much younger.
This is one of those books that the less you know going in, the better.
There is very little down time. It’s been compared to Die Hard. And like DH, it’s thrills a minute but not at all believable. There are gaps in the logic. But that doesn’t detract from the entertainment factor. There are plenty of twists, which put different characters in unflattering lights as the story goes on. This is not a book for the faint of heart. It gets gruesome at times. I thought the ending was a disappointment, as it just didn’t ring true to the character.
The narrators, Brian Hutchison and Mia Barron, did a fabulous job conveying the tension.

I’ve read over 150 books this year so far.

This is easily a Top Ten Thriller this year!!

Loved this suspenseful action-packed edge of your seat THRILLER!

Jordan is an obnoxious radio talk show host. A man calls in & asks her if she wants to play a game & the book takes off from there.

She’s forced to make one choice after another. Turns out that choosing the best of the worst really isn’t a good choice at all. Pick who dies or they both do. Yikes!

Jordan’s character is nicely developed! I could see her & Cole becoming friends and making this the beginning book in a trilogy of stories involving a talk show host & detective.

Underneath is a dark mystery & as the layers are slowly removed from horror to horror they expose a secret nearly everyone wishes would remain buried.

The book is GO GO GO from beginning to end.

This was fun! A wonderful distraction! Adrenaline driven! The book I didn’t know I needed!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but he’s on my TBR now!

There’s an author’s note at the end from March 2020 that I found interesting as it talks about the beginning of the pandemic! Seems like so long ago!!

Two narrators, female/male take alternating chapters sharing their two points of view ... Jordan the talk show host & Cole the lovable helpful cop. Great performance.

Thank you NetGalley. Thank you RB MEDIA! Loved it! (Twainy on Litsy)

This is my first read by author, J.D. Barker. This book engaged me right from the beginning. Within the first few minutes of listening to the audio version of this book I can say the narration is superb and dead on. While this fast moving story is fraught with danger, it is also amazingly fun, irreverent, clever, addictive, and wicked smart!

3.5 ⭐

This book was way more action packed than what I expected. It was thrilling and full of excitement, but a little break here and there wouldn’t hurt.

The writing was really good. The characters believable and easy to understand, if not to like. And there’s something about the time ticking down that can keep you on the edge of your seat.

But there was nothing new about the plot and no character I could really connect with. Because of that, I don’t think I will remember this story in a few months.

Still, a great way to kill a slow weekend. Plus, I bet real action lovers would truly enjoy it…

❤️️ ❤️️ ❤️️

In the afterword, the author says how he’s considered a writer of popcorn fiction and he’s OK with it. His books strive to entertain and he accomplishes it in spades with A Caller’s Game. Jordan is a radio host who says what she thinks and cares little about the consequences. One day, someone named Bernie calls to play a game. It starts off innocently enough and then escalates to explosive ends. Cole, a disgraced homicide detective who’s been demoted to traffic duty for setting his eye on the captain’s daughter, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes the John McClane of the story. Cole is smart and strong and is willing to do whatever it takes to save lives. Many other characters get involved in the game, whether wittingly or not. I loved Billy, Jordan’s producer and long-time friend. Other characters end up doing surprising feats that redeem them. Some are not as good as they seemed at first. The plot is seriously addictive and I found myself saying “oh no” out loud to myself while listening (as Charlotte, Jordan’s daughter would say, only weirdos do this). The story works really well as an audiobook, since most of the action happens over a radio talk show. Narrators Mia Barron and Brian Hutchison do a great job. It’s remarkable how they get the same voice for common characters - whether Jordan or Cole are narrating the story, Bernie sounds like Bernie. This is entertainment for the sake of it and exactly what I look for in a book. Five stars!
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/RB Media!

Loved the print book so much. I couldn't resist listening to the audiobook. It was thrilling snd I loved it, even though I knew the ending from my previous read, I enjoyed this audiobook.