When I first picked up this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a slow burn for me and I found myself bored with all the family dynamics. I just thought it was ok. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. To be published April 17, 2024.

I have read and enjoyed several books by Kerry Wilkinson and this is no exception. He has such a style of writing that grips me from the start and I can’t read quick enough. There is time in this book that makes me wonder how all the loose ends are going to come together but they always do in a neat little bow, I wasn’t expecting the ending either which came as a surprise. I highly recommend this book and author. I particularly enjoy his Jessica Daniel series so I recommend that series also.

I enjoyed this book and loved the little twist right at the end, I thought it was someone else that did it. It tells the story of a family who book a rent a lake cabin for a holiday. Melody had enjoyed a holiday in the same area as a child at a summer camp and wanted her son to also enjoy it. Her dad, sister and her husband are also on holiday with them.
Evan her partner is supposed to join them shortly after but when he rings to her say that he has stopped the car as their is a young child in the road and then she never hears from him again she she tries to find him herself. Things that happened on her last holiday there with her parents and sister hold the answer.
This book ticked all the boxes as an avid reader of detective books. Yet another great book from this author.

SLOW-BURN thriller set in a beautiful, scenic, Canadian island town. LOVED the wildlife/wilderness elements of the setting!

Lots of twists! It does take a bit to put them all together. Then, BAM! Full resolution in only a couple of pages. This was my first book by this author, so in all fairness, I did not have a grasp of the author's writing style going in. Good premise, well-written, give it a shot!

Special thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the amazing digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

#thecall #slowburn #goodbooks @netgalley @kerry.wilkinson @bookshell_f

Suspenseful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you follow the search for Melody’s husband. This book makes you feel all sorts of emotions from irritated to sad to happy. Everything a good book should make you feel.

I felt the background story with each character fit nicely into the story. I also quite liked Melody in the end. While I did guess the twist but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Kerry Wilkinson is one of those writers who can somehow wrap up loose ends, diverse elements, and even somewhat improbable story lines into such a neat package that she effortlessly carries you along with her on a journey of suspense and discovery.

From the books I have read of hers so far, she also seems to specialise in peculiar disappearances. The explanations are always quite ingenious and unexpected. This book is no exception.

Melody is on a family holiday with her son, sister and brother-in-law, and father, to a place where they once spent what was for her holiday of a lifetime, in a distant part of Canada. Her fiance Evan is supposed to join them the following day, but disappears on his way there after landing at the airport.

But where could he possibly have gone? It's the last thing she expects, but as Melody discovers in the following days, Evan has been keeping secrets from her...

If you like thrillers then this book is definitely worth your time!

Book Title: The Call
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 17, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 336
Melody is waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. She and several family members -her son- Sam, dad, sister and brother-in-law have flow to Canada from England.
Evan takes a later flight, he calls Melody as he is driving to their holiday home to let her know he arrived safely and is on his way. As he is talking to her, he sees a child who is covered in mud – perhaps it is blood– he tells Melody about the girl and while still on the phone, he addresses the girl and then the call cuts out.
Evan does not show up at the holiday home and seemed to have disappeared.
Melody reports this situation to the authorities. They have nothing regarding a missing child –
Where is Evan?
I read a lot of thrillers and I was way off on guessing why Evan went missing.

I am a big psychological thriller fan and this is my fourth Kerry Wilkinson novel – "Party at No. 12" was my first – which was great!
One of my comments in my reviews after I read it was ~
I have a new fav author and am now looking forward to another of his stories!
The last one I read was "The One Who Was Taken" which was #1 in Whitecliff Bay Mystery and I have been looking forward reading that series.

Kerry Wilkinson doesn’t disappoint. I did like this story.
My favorite is still “Party at No. 12”!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 17, 2024.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC. Unfortunately, it's not a book i easily got into if im honest.. i persevered but was a bit disappointed in the ending, i found it a bit flat.
Whem Melody,Evan and their family book an air bnb for a break, Melody remembers the great times she had at the camp when she was 9., but did her sister Nina enjoy it as much? What Meoldy remembers is it true? I wont spoil it, you need to read it, it does have alot of twists, and ( I didn't see that coming moments). I would recommend to read it

Melody and her son are staying at a rented lake cabin and waiting for her fiance Ethan to arrive. While on his way, Ethan calls to tell her that he has found a little girl in the road and he is stopping to help. Then the call drops and Ethan is gone. When he never shows up to the cabin, Melody seeks information from some locals and finds that there are no reports of a missing girl. Gripping, full of secrets, pulls you in and keeps you guessing.

I want to thank NetGalley and Kerry Wilkinson for an ARC copy of The Call. This is my honest, unbiased review.

I was originally intrigued by this novel because it is set at a lake house in Canada. As a Canadian, I love a good thriller that taps into my country's roots. The story grabbed my attention from the beginning, with a mystery that unfurls as Melody's fiancé, Evan, goes missing. He ends a phone call abruptly after mentioning a girl on the road. This leads Melody and her brother-in-law to search for Evan, only to find his rental car abandoned, his luggage missing.

However, I found the book to be overly long. It seemed to drag in places, and I caught myself skimming through parts, eager to get to the main points. Melody's character was particularly frustrating. I couldn't understand why she was reluctant to call the police or inform her son that his father was missing. The reasons she provided felt insufficient, and her overall reaction to the situation was off-putting.

Despite these criticisms, the twist caught me off guard, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending. The author did an excellent job of inserting red herrings, leading the reader down one path only to reveal another. I rate this book 3.5 out of 5, rounded up to a 4-star review.

The fabulous cover art of The Call compelled this reviewer to read the story description and then download the book. Kudos to the artist who created a visual strong enough to stand out in a marketplace where thousands of books are available to review at any given time.

The Call is set in a country lakeside community in Canada. When Melody's fiancé disappears on his way from the airport to meet her, their son, and their family at the vacation rental, Melody leads the effort to find him. During her time in the community, she discovers that nothing is what it seems, and her childhood memories of the place are also distorted. There are many twists and turns and a few red herrings along the way. This reviewer found it both odd and disturbing that Melody's father, sister, and brother-in-law continued with their vacation plans despite the obvious crisis and made little to no effort to join Melody in her search. At least some involvement would have increased the story tension, especially during the final reveal.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an advance copy of this book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

I really enjoyed this book. It’s been a while since I read a Kerry Wilkinson book. I used to follow the Jessica Daniel series. What really made this a great read for me was the setting. I’ve stayed several times on Vancouver Island and it really made the story come alive as I could picture the setting and names were so familiar. The story was good as I really had no idea of what had happened to Evan. It also made me think that it’s not always a good idea to re-visit happy childhood memories because they’re not always quite what we remember. I think Melody learned the hard way.

If you love a stories that gives you goosebumps from the very start to the very last page ,then thus might be up your alley, because once you start reading it ,you won't want to put it down. Twist and turns that will have you setting at the edge of your set, and will make you wander about what's coming up next and do you willy want to know .

The Call is about a woman and her family who go on a vacation together, but on the very first day something goes horribly wrong. There were so many twists and turns in this story I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I had to know what happened. This was a page turner for me and a very fast paced read. I did not guess what the ending was going to be. I had a few ideas, but I was wrong on all of them! Loved this book. I will recommend to everyone!


Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an early release of this book to review.

"The Call" by Kerry Wilkinson is a gripping psychological thriller that hooks readers from the very first page. With its atmospheric setting and complex characters, Wilkinson crafts a suspenseful narrative that keeps you guessing until the shocking conclusion. The tension builds steadily throughout the story, making it difficult to put down. If you're a fan of twisty, unpredictable thrillers, "The Call" is a must-read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

This was really good! The pace was nice, and I love a decent holiday mystery.

Right from the start the author didn’t waste any time getting into the plot, which was great and almost all of the characters were likeable (Nina and Thomas, I felt were a bit useless or could have done more, although I do get what the author was trying to do)

The twist that comes at the end was unexpected. Not too far fetched or convoluted, but believable and will really take you by surprise. I truly enjoyed this.

I wanted to like this book so much! This book would make an AMAZING movie! I was immediately captured and intrigued with the first chapter, but then it felt like homework as I continued reading. I can’t tell if it felt long because all the different storylines, or because so much time was spent in Melody’s head and describing her actions. Towards the end, I started skipping paragraphs and I didn’t feel like I missed any content. Overall, it’s a movie I would watch, but felt too wordy as a book.

Thank you NetGalley, Kerry Wilkinson, and the publisher for this advanced copy.

I must begin by saying I really like this author. This book, however, was a flop for me. The writing was excellent as was the character development. The story was fast paced and interesting. I just didn't take to it.

Melody books a lake home in Canada because she and her sister went there when they were young and had a great time. She invited her sister, brother in law, and father, and her son also comes along. Her fiance needs to arrive a day late because of work matters. Melody receives a phone call from her fiance, Evan, and he tells her he is 10 minutes away. While talking, he says hang on, there's a girl in the road. He says he's getting out of the car to see if she needs help, but then the phone goes dead. So Melody gets her brother in law to drive her to the road that enters the lake, where they find her fiances, Evan, rental car but it's empty. They do find his cell phone and keys and notice his luggage is gone. So where did Evan go. This is a deserted road, only a few scarce homes and the rest is the lake and forest.

So, this is where I kind of lose the plot. Melody is not the brightest bulb it seems. She waits to call the police. There is one person manning the entire station. They don't take the car or his cell phone or anything. The next day, she's waiting around because she thinks it's too early to call the police to check if there's any news. Her sister and brother in law run off to do touristy things. Her father plays on his Ipad and goes for walks. Like WTH. She decides not to tell her son his father is missing so it doesn't ruin his vacation. The son is due to go to camp, just like Melody did back when she was there as a kid. And, ps, do not call Evan her husband. She will remind you that is her fiance. Over and over and over.

I was able to breeze through this thank goodness. I could not relate to any of the characters. I didn't even like them. Who goes and does touristy things when someone is missing. Anyway, I will continue reading her books. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do recommend this book as others loved it. It just wasn't my thing.
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Kerry has done it again, WOW!

This excellent page-turner captivated me from the beginning to the end. The book is a soft-core thriller; no single moment is dull, and the twist comes only in the end. The central mystery that Melody’s fiancé vanishes so suddenly is lost in the fascinating subplots resolved into a neat ending. However, the plot is consistent and engaging among all these intrigues. This book is a must-read for any thriller lover.

Thank you to Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Wow! This was crazy and I didn’t see that ending. I always enjoy Kerry Wilkinson books and this was good. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was shocked several times. I suspected everyone at one point and couldn’t work it out. Where was he?? What happened to him?? Well you have to read it for yourself to find out.
Thanks Bookouture via NetGalley.