This was my first read by Gillian and I was not disappointed! It was full of the twists and turns that you want in a thriller, along with some more heartfelt family moments. I will say that it did get a little slow at some parts and some of the twists were easy to guess or figure out, but the ending took me for a loop! I don’t want to spoil anything but let’s just say I had my suspicions about her, something was fishy I just couldn’t put my finger on it exactly.

“𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠, 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑.”

I luckily got the chance to ARC read this, but I will definitely be picking up more of her books! I would say if you’re looking for a thriller of the kidnap variety definitely check this one out!

Caller Unknown has a gripping premise—a mother pulled into a terrifying ransom game after her daughter vanishes. The opening hooked me right away, and I appreciated how McAllister blends the suspense with Simone’s emotional turmoil and the impossible choices she faces as a parent. It sets the stage for a story that feels both tense and intimate.

That said, the middle section dragged for me, with the tension dipping as Simone repeatedly followed instructions and the pace slowed. The ending does ramp back up with some solid twists and a satisfying conclusion, though a few threads felt a little rushed. Overall, it’s a solid thriller, just not quite the edge-of-your-seat ride I hoped for. Thank you to NetGalley and the William Morrow for the ARC of Caller Unknown!

Another good one from Gillian McAllister. A seemingly unsolvable kidnapping/murder and a mother daughter on the run. Didn't see the ending coming but well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for this ARC!

I didn’t love the story in the beginning. Simone grated my nerves, and the story seemed to veer towards far-fetched. However, once part 4 came, I was invested. The twists toward the end were legit jaw droppers. Soooo worth the read!!

An unexpected thriller that took turns I truly wasn’t expecting! Those turns might have been a little far fetched but hey, I enjoyed it anyways. I really did not expect the last few twists which is always a plus in a thriller. This book is very heavy on reflection of motherhood and an almost obsessive love a mother has for their child. So I can see people either connecting to that and loving it or finding it a bit overwhelming and off putting. The first half really drew me in and then it took me a bit to get through the last half until the last few chapters where things got really good! 3.5/4 rounded up!

This book was so good. I enjoyed the twists and turns. I especially felt for Simone and wondered if as a mother I could put myself in her shoes & do the same things. I love the ending and was worried it would not end like that. As a mom of a senior in high school, I loved the bond Simone and Lucy had & the advice about letting them go.

Caller Unknown has a really interesting premise, and the opening definitely pulled me in. I liked the sense of mystery around the phone calls and thought the idea was clever. There were moments that kept me turning the pages, and I enjoyed the suspense in parts.

That said, the pacing felt a bit uneven for me—some chapters flew by, while others dragged a little. I also struggled to fully connect with a couple of the characters, which made it harder to feel invested at times. I did see a few of the twists coming, but there were still enough surprises to keep me reading.

Overall, it was an okay read—entertaining in places, just not one that completely hooked me all the way through. Fans of psychological thrillers may still enjoy it!

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book. The opinion in this review is my own.

I have read a few books by this author and I’ve had mixed results so I lowered my expectations for this book and it met those expectations. This book was okay for me. Wrong Place, Wrong Time was the best book by this author that I’ve read and I think it’s gone a little downhill since then. This book had a great premise that sounded like a thrill ride, but the pacing was so slow that I was bored much of the time and it was hard to stay engaged. It wasn’t terrible, and I will try another book by this author, but I will think twice before reading another.

On the positive side of things, there was a twist or two that was unexpected, and the dialogue was good. The plot overall was a good one if there was more editing to help with the pacing. I would still recommend this book to people looking for a slow-burn suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this arc. I went into this with high hopes as this author has been on my TBR for quite some time and I've seen a lot of people loving her books. Unfortunately, this might not have been the one to start with.

The synopsis had me hooked. A woman's daughter is kidnapped and she must run against the clock to save her, while doing things that have her questioning her morals all in the name of her child.

While the synopsis had me hooked, the book was rather tough to get through. If the pacing was any slower, I'd be going backwards. Almost nothing of significance happened in the first 25% of the book. The entire first quarter could have been a solid three pages. There were no twists and turns that had me hooked. I couldn't relate to or feel for any of the characters and at times found them insufferable. The entire story just fell so flat for me and I'm so disappointed to have to say that.

However, I will say that this one book will not detract me from giving this author another chance via one of her other books. I just don't think this book was for me.

Eeek- I was so excited for a Gillian book but this was not it for me. Simone, who currently lives in the UK, came to Texas to see her daughter for a visit. Right from the start you knew something was not right- the place they were renting was secluded and downright creepy. The next morning, she wakes to find her daughter gone and a phone messaging her to meet them at night (no police) and to follow directions- and that her kid is ok.

It just went downhill from there, I did not enjoy the characters, and it was so farfetched and over the top for me. Bummed about this one.

I had higher hopes for this book but I found myself getting bored at about 70% of the way through which should've been the point where I couldn't put the book down.

The ending was a little far fetched and the mother-daughter relationship while at the beginning made sense there were sections in the middle that made little sense to me.

All in all I pretended this wasn't a Gillian McAllistar book because it made it more palatable for me.

I feel like it dragged on a bit but I still finished it.
Emotional, not really fast paced but towards the end it does pick up some. A good psychological thriller with a promising plot. I couldn’t connect to the characters much, but overall I did enjoy it.
3.4/5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this arc. These are all of my honest opinions and thoughts.

A mother’s love for her child is most certainly strong, so strong that she might do anything to save them. Would you sacrifice your life or your freedom to save your child? Give this book a read if you want to know what Simone our FMC does when she finds herself alone in a cabin and her daughter missing.


This book gave me so much anxiety! I hated putting it down to do other things because I needed to know what happened. As always Gillian McAllister keeps you on your toes and has you questioning everything you think you know. This was easily a 4 ⭐️ for me and I am so thankful to have been given this ARC.

Thank you to William Morrow for this suspenseful and heartwarming ARC!

A mother-daughter vacay becomes a search for a missing person, with only a message from an unknown caller to follow!

Simone has literally been counting down the days until she would next see her teenaged daughter, Lucy. They scheduled a girl’s camping trip, 2 weeks in the Texan desert to catch up after Lucy’s time away at theater camp.

Their reunion is short-lived, though, when Simone wakes up in their vacation rental to discover Lucy is missing. Her personal items are still in the bedroom, with a surprising addition: an old flip phone with a mysterious message.

It makes complete sense that Caller Unknown is publishing in May (just in time for Mother’s Day), because this such a mom book, in a good way!

Simone is trying to do her best by her daughter Lucy, and she was secretly excited that she decided to live at home for college. But on the inside, she wonders if everything is alright with Lucy, when her goal is to help her spread her wings.

Every character in this novel has a solid level of unreliability that makes for a sizzling level of suspicion, enhancing a plot that feels predictable on the surface. The ending is so good.

I would like to request that Gillian McAllister have a chef or foodie character in her future books, because the scenes where Simone prepares food are so sensory and everything sounds delicious!

Caller unknown is everything you would expect from a Gillian McAllister novel. This book explores the great lengths a mother would endure not just for their child's safety but also their future. This is a thrilling adventure of a mother meeting her daughter on a vacation and waking up to every mother's nightmare

A mother's love, strong and sometimes...scary. What would you do if your child was stolen in the night? How far would you go, how many laws would you be willing to break? I loved this thriller, it had so much emotion enmeshed in the action. I wanted Simone to be free, wanted justice for Lucy, wanted them to get away from 'the kidnapper'... so much so that I read the whole thing in one sitting. Gillian is a master storyteller!

At the heart of this thriller is the question how far would you go to save your child? I have been a fan of Gillian McAllister books but this was by far, my favorite. It was unbearably tense, I couldn't put it down!

Simone and her daughter met on vacation and on the first night they are together, Simone's daughter, Lucy, is kidnapped. Simone is given instructions to follow some tasks and destroy the evidence along the way. The instructions are clear about not telling any one or contacting the authorities. Her husband, a continent away, urges her to contact the police. Simone does not want to risk her daughters life and follows the instructions. She ends up being a fugitive on the run while trying to figure out the kidnapper's identity.

I was anxious watching Simone make decisions and though her dynamics with her daughter and husband were interesting.

I honestly loved this fast paced thriller!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC!

Simone is just beginning a vacation with her daughter when she wakes up to find Lucy gone. She quickly gets notified of a ransom demand that sends her on a chase across countries and avoiding authorities.

This book was definitely a fresh take on thrillers and felt like a new story- I truly couldn’t tell where jt was going to take me. That said, it is a little bit far fetched, but certainly a fun ride.

How far would you go to save your child? For Simone, there are no limits. When she wakes to find her daughter missing in unfamiliar terrain, she sets off on a desperate mission - one that quickly spirals into a twisty, fast-paced thriller of survival, secrets, and sacrifice.

What I loved most is that Caller Unknown doesn’t fall into the trap of being just another “missing woman” plot. The premise feels fresh, and Simone’s character is so well-drawn that her every choice - however flawed - feels both believable and compelling. Her motives are pure, but her willingness to push her relationships to the breaking point in pursuit of her goal adds real emotional weight to the story.

Gillian McAllister has a real talent for twists, and this book is no exception. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, she pulls the rug out from under you!

If you enjoyed Famous Last Words, then Caller Unknown deserves a spot on your TBR. A gripping, smart thriller that kept me turning the pages late into the night.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for early e-edition access in exchange for an honest review!

This is a suspenseful emotional thriller that follows a mother and daughter from the UK to Texas. The beginning starts pulling at your emotions when a mother, Simone, and her teenage daughter Lucy meet up before Lucy starts college. After struggling with a newly faulty door Simone wakes to find her daughter missing. No clues in sight except Lucy's cell phone. An unknown caller, the kidnapper, challenges Simone morally in exchange for the return of her daughter. No police, no help, in complete isolation this mother is challenged to get her daughter safely returned. This book pulls you in and keeps you wanting more. It's hard to predict what will happen next.