“I’m going to offer you a choice.”
Controversial satellite radio talk show host, Jordan Briggs, has clawed her way to the top of the broadcast world. She doesn’t hold back, doesn’t spare feelings, and has no trouble sharing what’s on her mind. Her rigorous pursuit of success has come at a price, though. Her marriage is in ruins, she hasn’t spoken to her mother in years, and she’s distanced herself from all those close to her. If not for her young daughter, Charlotte, her personal life would be in complete shambles.
When a subdued man calls into the show and asks to play a game, she sees it as nothing more than a way to kick-start the morning, breathe life into the beginnings of drive-time for her 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—events long thought buried resurface and Jordan Briggs is forced to reconcile with one simple fact—All decisions have consequences.
Title: A caller's game
Author: J.D. Barker
Publisher: Hampton Creek Press
Publication date: February 22, 2021
REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
J.D. Barker has been an auto-read author for me since I read the 4MK trilogy. I won’t even check the synopsis first, I will just read anything he comes out with. This year “She has a broken thing where her heart should be” even made it into my top 10 list of 2020. Although “A caller’s game” is nothing like that one and more of a cross between the 4MK trilogy and his collaboration with James Patterson, I found it equally enjoyable, specially if you’re into action packed stories. And this one is a non-stop action, edge of your seat rollercoaster ride!
I’m not usually a fan of action movies or books but Mr. Barker always manages to break down my literary prejudices and makes me enjoy the kind of stories I wouldn’t usually do.
Yes, you might have to suspend your disbelief for the most part of this book, but with the current world situation actually that isn’t a bad thing right now. When I read I just want to evade myself and “A caller’s game” certainly made me evade. The action grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let me go till the very end. The fact that things are happening every single page helped a lot.
The characters were very well written. I mostly enjoyed all the back and forth between Jordan and Bernie. I found Charlotte’s voice a bit distracting as she didn’t sound at all as a 11 yo.
The action picked up the pace (even more) in the second half. I lost count of the number of explosions this book has! If, like me, you’re more into suspense than action, you might find this part a bit tiresome, but I love a good old explosion (or several) every once in a while.
The tension keeps on building through the chapters and if you’re familiar with the author’s previous work, you won’t be surprise by one of the final twists.
The only reason this was not a 5 ⭐️ for me was because the second half was a bit drawn out and repetitive in certain aspects and because some character’s motivations were a bit dubious.
The author says his books have been described as literary popcorn, and if this is it, “A caller’s game” is pretty tasty popcorn.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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