⭐⭐⭐
A missing daughter and a chilling ransom demand should make for a pulse-pounding read. Unfortunately, Caller Unknown had me rolling my eyes more often than holding my breath.
Simone and her daughter, Lucy, head to Texas for a vacation before Lucy leaves for university. When Lucy disappears from their rental cabin, Simone must follow the kidnappers’ instructions or risk her daughter’s life. Those demands lead her into increasingly dangerous—and increasingly unbelievable—territory.
McAllister’s thoughtful exploration of motherhood is the strongest part of the novel. She captures the difficulty of letting a child become independent and the damage that can come from holding on too tightly.
The thriller elements are less convincing. The convoluted plot kept me guessing, but some developments felt downright absurd. The middle drags, repetitive word choices become distracting, and the promised tension never quite materializes. In places, I was simply bored.
The final twist surprised me, which helped. Still, my overall reaction was “meh.” An okay read with some emotional substance, but nothing I’d recommend to friends.
** Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a comp. Opinions are my own.