Title: Caller Unknown
Author: Gillian McAllister
Publication date: May 5, 2026
Caller Unknown Official Synopsis:
How far would you go to rescue your child? A mother races against the clock—and finds herself on the wrong side of the law—in a desperate fight to save her teenage daughter in this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time.
There is nothing that Simone won’t do for her daughter, Lucy. The two have always been close, and with Lucy about to leave home for university, they depart the UK for a vacation to Texas to spend some quality time together. But when Simone awakens on their first morning in the desert, Lucy is gone, missing from their rental cabin. In her place is a cell phone, and a voice on the other line issues a shocking ransom demand. Don’t tell the police. Come to this location. And be prepared to do a deal…
Though Simone’s husband urges her to bring in the authorities for help, she knows she can’t take any chances. The kidnappers might kill Lucy if she tells anyone. No mother would take that risk. Instead, that night, she drives to the isolated meet-up.
What she finds there changes everything. The mysterious kidnapper doesn’t want money. They want Simone to do something. The unthinkable.
A catastrophic chain of events is set in motion, with chilling consequences that extend beyond Simone and her family. What follows is a heart-pounding journey through the small towns and punishing deserts of remote Texas, in which Simone’s courage—and morality—is pushed to the brink as she discovers what it truly means to be a mother.
Caller Unknown Review:
Gillian McAllister’s Caller Unknown is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers guessing from start to finish. The novel centers on a mysterious phone call that sets off a chain of events, leading Simone down a path of death and destruction. But what mother wouldn’t stop at anything to get her child back?
McAllister did a fine job of building tension with every chapter and conveying feelings of suspicion, distrust, and paranoia. The plot twists are clever and often unpredictable, keeping the reader engaged throughout. Simone’s every decision kept the book’s outcome unpredictable. I did not see the final plot twist coming and was surprised by it.
I must add, while this book was a thriller, it did have some unexpected life lessons in it for those “helicopter parents” who seem to have a challenging time letting their children grow up. Simone experiences significant inner turmoil about her daughter growing up and becoming more independent, as well as her own difficulties in letting Lucy go. At least in this book, it takes a kidnapping to get some perspective on life.
My final thoughts are that this was a medium-paced book with an unpredictable twist and a mother who would do anything for her child. I enjoyed the ride.
Rating: ★★★★
Thank you, Gillian McAllister and William Morrow, for the gift of an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The post Caller Unknown Review: Gillian McAllister’s Texas Desert Thriller appeared first on ShowbizJunkies.
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