My thanks to Hampton Creek Press, J.D. Barker and Netgalley.
I've been on the Barker train since the near beginning. I would actually rate Mr. Barker up there with my love for Stephen King. But, as I eventually disliked/hated, some of Sai King's work..so must I too feel the same for Barker!
I've read the comparisons of this book. "It's talk radio and Die Hard." So it is! Kinda, sorta!
talk radio? As we said back in the day "fuck me running." I've never liked talk radio. Ever. Die Hard? No. It's a cop in a high rise.
These comparisons alone should have earned me off. But, Barkers stories are almost always fantastic!
This, however the comparisons, reminded me more of Phonebooth. That movie with Colin Farrell. Everyone I knew said it was a lousy movie! Me? I'm like, "how bad can it be? It's Colin Farrell!" That's some eye candy for me! They were right.
I felt smothered by most of this story. The locked off studio, surrounded by glass on the forty somethingth floor? In a high rise, in Manhattan? No way, Jose! No. Nope! Fuck that shit!
I love the Die Hard movies. It's Bruce Willis! 🎶I get sprung!🎵
Except for the cop and the co-conspirator "no names." I really didn't give a shit for who lived or died!
Still, looking forward to Mr. Barkers next tale! He's good! He's also going to be around for a long time. I expect many great reads from him, but there will always be a turd. This is the turd in the swimming pool!

Well written, fast paced, interesting from start to finish.

This is my honest review, all opinions are my own.

A Caller’s Game is relentlessly fast paced and is an explosive way to start out the 2021 reading year. All of it taking place in the SiriusXM building in New York, we follow the questionable but instantly entertaining character Jordan Briggs as she confronts past traumas and some of her most vindictive listeners.

While the book has tons of explosions, gun fights, and betrayals, the most nerve wracking sequences are the calls between Jordan and Bernie. It was like watching a psychological chess game, where Bernie holds the threat of death upon her as she persists “to not play by his rules.” But when you’re putting possibly two of the most sarcastic and diabolical characters head to head, the dialogue never fell flat for a split second.

What I love about this book so much is it takes similar concepts from Saw and action movies but gives us a refreshing take of characters and setting. Narrowed down to about only ten key characters and two perspectives, all the drama is easy to follow and well written. The calls are suspenseful, but what makes the situation truthfully terrifying is what was just a simple threat slowly becomes more suffocating as the danger becomes increasingly more high-staked. It’s the feeling of having all your security being taken away and Jordan having to deal with the fact that she might actually be this terrible person everyone is making her out to be. But when one’s notability or career is not at stake, what does Jordan have to lose? What is described as the only “redeemable” thing Bernie describes about Jordan, being her daughter, she is forced to make tough decisions and try to maintain a composure that is quickly crumbling with every new call.

While I think many will complain that there’s almost too much tension they could barely take a breath, I think it’s just JD Barker’s masterful writing being so engrossing it makes you feel like you’re watching a car chase, when in actuality the first half of this novel is just Jordan having to come to terms with past mistakes with slow and suspense filled revelations.

I can easily see A Caller’s Game being a great audiobook as it never requires one hundred percent of your attention (but you’ll probably give all of yours before finishing it anyway). The author’s note at the end really bumped this up from four stars to a five stars read, and I’m a person who rarely bothers to read whatever the author includes at the end of their books. This one really caught my eye where we get the author talking about his personal experience with the virus as a nice touch to end the book.

JD Barker is must read for me. Great characters, so much action, love love love it! I have always considered 4MK to be the best thriller I have read, this beats it. Would highly recommend!

With the typical Barker ways this novel was long and well thought out. But it was drawn out. It felt almost unnecessary at points where my brains wanted to give up, but it was interesting enough I continued on.
A sassy female main character with a hidden past, with some majorly exciting parts but also some really lulling boring made me give 3 instead of 4 stars.

A Caller's Game is one hell of an adrenaline rush.
The story follows Jordan Briggs, a successful radio personality in the same conversation as Howard Stern. When she accepts a call-in from a man named "Bernie," a dangerous game unfolds before a national, live audience. As Bernie's motivations become clearer, and Jordan's troubled history slowly resurfaces, the book's intensity reaches its peak!
The beginning of the book is a little bit slow going. It took me around fifty pages to really dial in, but once that happened I was hooked until the very end.
That being said, there is no other slow-going sections in this book. It happens at a break-neck pace, which makes for a riveting action novel and constant twists and turns.
There are some genuinely tender moments, and because I am a softy at heart, I would have like to see a little more of that. Jordan is not a likable character--even by the end of the story, she still hadn't won me over. That's okay. I am not the kind of reader who has to fall in love with the main character. I did really enjoy Detective Hundley, and he was the standout in the story.
All in all, think of this book like DIE HARD and the SAW franchise tangling each other up. The writing is impeccable, the plot is riveting, and there is not really a better way to spend a couple hours with a free afternoon.
I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Make sure you check this one out in February!

What happens when you mix DIE HARD with the SAW movies? Well, you get A Caller's Game, that's what! This was such an action packed book. Right from the very first page I was hooked. Barker is such a phenomenal writer, at times I caught myself holding my breath because I was so sucked into the read. Jordan Briggs thought today was like any other day, until she spoke to Bernie. "Do you want to play a game?" Well frig Bernie, who's going to say no to that? JORDAN SHOULD HAVE SAID NO. Let's just say this is not a game anyone wants to play, well unless you like bombs. Everything is randomly blowing up, bodies are being randomly found, but is this all random or are we playing the game. I'm telling ya, next time someone asks if I want to play a game, I'm going to think twice before I say yes. Well, actually I'm 29, very few people ask me if I want to play a game, so I might be safe. Ok back to the review Morgan.. Grab some popcorn, make sure you have plenty of time to read, and enjoy this roller-coaster of a ride. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Sidenote about me, I get way too amped up when I read books like this 🤣 they completely consume me and I want everyone to read it!

Do you remember Die Hard - the movie, Bruce Willis...? That’s this book!

Jordan Briggs hosts a popular call-in, morning show for a New York radio station. The studio is on the 43rd floor of a skyscraper right in the city. One morning she makes it to work just a second before the show goes to air and she starts her usual spiel. Everything is normal until she picks up a call from Bernie. Bernie wants to play a game, he asks taxi or Uber? Jordan, having no idea what she is about to get into says “taxi” and, just like that, seven taxis get blown up by bombs! Bernie then asks “Penn Station or Central Station?” Jordan doesn’t want to play anymore but Bernie tells if she doesn’t choose he’ll simply blow up both.

This sets the tone for the book. Bernie is in total control. His bombs bring the city to a grinding halt. Traffic is gridlocked. Then the action moves into the building itself. The whole story takes place over one day. It is largely told from the POV of Jordan herself and police detective Cole Huntley (the John McClane wannabe). Jordan’s 11 year old daughter is in the studio for parental handover and ends up being used as bargaining chip as Bernie ratchets up the pressure on Jordan. Bernie seems to be all-seeing and all-hearing and is able to control the building’s wifi and phones lines. He is always at least one step ahead. It soon becomes clear that Bernie has help, including access to someone with serious IT skills.

The second half of the book is pretty much the baddies and the good guys chasing each other around this building. Bombs are going off. It is absolute bedlam. If you like a thick slice of adrenaline with your stories this one will be perfect for you. The action does not let up. A lot of the characters were pretty unlikeable, in fact you just want to slap Jordan at the start. She does mellow as things progress. The best character was our hero Cole, he is the stereotypical American cop hero, channelling John McClane in his best efforts to get everyone out alive (many of the other had been evacuated). J.D. Barker writes this action stuff really well, there is no doubt, I just found this story a little on the cliched side so I can’t give it five stars. But I really enjoyed the ride, the suspense as the bombs were going off, the delicious tension of not knowing who would make it out alive. BOOM!

I will be very keen to see what is next for Barker. Thanks to Netgalley, Hampton Creek Press and J.D. Barker for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own.

2.5 stars

The end of this book has a great note from the author that had me smiling, stating that he likes to write books that are - entertaining. Books that readers can use as a distraction saying, "I literally get paid to make sh*t up." He also says some people call it 'literary popcorn', signaling a clear target audience.

This is the first action book I've ever read and I think that description is bang on because I was picturing this as an action movie the entire time I was reading it.

I love the 'Die Hard' series and I can see why this book is being compared to it. The main difference for me were the characters, and why, at least in this instance, I don't really fit into the target audience.

I adore John McClane.. And I also adore Hans & Simon Gruber. I care about what happens to them.

Action and entertainment is fantastic but I'm a bit of a 'character reader' and I need someone to fall in love with and to care for.

I'd definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy fast paced action and are after a bit of fun.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love a book that hooks me from the first page and compelled me to keep going faster and faster until I have devoured every last page. This was a fast paced, exciting story and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

A Caller's Game was fun from start to finish, and I felt like the mystery element was very well done! I can absolutely see this book adapting to a TV show or movie in the future.

2-3 stars
Jordan Briggs abandons her car caught in New York gridlock in order to make it to her radio show, Officer Cole Hundley witnesses her actions and gives chase. To a cacophony of sound because after all holding your hand on a horn is bound to release the backed up traffic, she makes it to her show with a nanosecond to spare. She takes a call from Bernie who asks her a question and several explosive hours follow.

Ok. Brace yourself. Apart from Cole I had absolutely no investment in the survival of various characters. Jordan is an obnoxious motormouth, a pain in the read end who thinks she sooo clever. She’s vile. Her eleven year old daughter Charlotte (Char) is unlike any eleven year old that I have ever met and I’ve met plenty in my time as a secondary school teacher. She is a precocious doppelgänger of her mother. Realistic? Nope. In the first half of the radio chat show there are sections that bored me to tears as Jordan outsmarts the smart. Yawn. Some of the dialogue is wince inducing too. The sections with Officer Cole are much better and up to about half way these sections are fast paced and gritty and I really enjoy those. Then I’m sorry to say that boredom sets in as the pace becomes frenetic and frantic. In fact it’s mad. More bombs go off in Jordan’s building than fireworks on Bonfire Night and yet the building stays upright???? The whole thing just becomes ridiculous and I wanted it to be over and done with.

I like action thriller, I like action movies but this is is not for me as its so over the top. I fully appreciate that others really like this book but it just did not appeal to me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press.

<b>A Caller's Game</b> by JD Barker was an adrenalin fuelled, fast paced read, completely different from my normal books and I couldn't get enough of it.   In the author note, which I also loved, JD says his work is described as literary popcorn and his job is to entertain.  Yes and yes again.    So in terms of the popcorn analogy, I've just gobbled down my first ever monster size bucket and am in the queue for more.    On the entertainment front he completely nailed it.     I find myself not just wondering but needing to know What else has this guy written?    Why haven't I read him before?   

The blurb is perfectly written to entice without giving too much away but I sure hope it gets readers in because you wouldn't want to miss this one.    Funnily enough one of the lines reads "Die Hard meets Talk Radio in this heart-pounding relentlessly fast-paced thriller..."   I'd never heard of Talk Radio but Die Hard most definitely came to mind several times when I was reading.     One of only two notes I wrote was "given all the carnage it's shocking to me just how much I'm enjoying this book".  

From our first introduction to Jordan Briggs, the highly successful radio talk show host, we got a sense of who she was and I can't say she was someone I'd want to spend time with nor listen to on the radio.  Not particularly likeable,  her words and actions painted a picture of a  self-centred, obnoxious, deceitful and basically narcissistic character.     She treated her callers (and co-workers and pretty much everyone around her) without respect.  Said what she wanted and in terms of ratings this worked for her.  

When one of her callers challenges her to play a game and she agrees what at first seems quite innocuous soon turns deadly. The stakes continue to rise and as a reader I could not turn the pages fast enough in my gluttony to know what next? why? where will he draw the line? how will it all end?   Literally pages remained in the book and I was still gripping my seat, munching on that popcorn, and waiting for those answers.    The old saying "revenge is a dish best served cold" came to mind often.

If you have ever enjoyed a thriller then you should do yourself a favour and grab this book.   I'm certain it will not disappoint.    My thanks to JD Barker for his efforts in creating this wildly thrilling and highly entertaining novel.   Thanks too to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

I received a free digital copy from the publisher.

Just....wow. This was a non-stop roller coaster ride of a suspense novel that read like an action movie. From the very first page, the reader is treated to razor sharp wit in the form of main character Jordan Briggs, a shock-jock on a satellite radio morning show. A strange call into the show from a listener sends Jordan and the entirety of New York City into terrifying chaos, as bombs begin to explode across the city. From there, this novel peels back layer after layer to unfold a very gripping story.

I do feel like parts of the plot were a little bit of a stretch, realistically speaking, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a fun read, because it was for sure. I also liked the way Barker spiraled Jordan's character from the strong woman in the beginning into some much deeper and darker components as the story moved on. The big reveals in the novel made sense and gave a lot of depth to the overall plot. I think the book was a little on the long side, but overall, an extremely entertaining read!

*Trigger Warnings* I do feel the need to mention that due to the violent nature of the bombings in NYC the take place in the A Caller's Game, this books could potentially trigger some troubling emotions in anyone that was connected to the events of 9/11 in any way.

"Die Hard meets Talk Radio" That's a quote I read before reading this book and they are spot on.

I've only read one previous book by this author and it was 'Coast to Coast Murders' a book written in conjunction with James Patterson and it's brilliant. This, I quite enjoyed. A definitely solid Good Read as it never lets up and if you enjoy a good fast paced, thriller of an action read, this is absolutely for you. That's not really my cup of tea. However, it kept me entertained and engaged.

Jordan is a fast talking radio star who is obsessed with ratings and not much else. Then, one day, she finds herself the focus of an apparent terrorist attack. Why? What is the connection?
What follows is a tale of lots of action / bombings / killings / intrigue until we eventually find out why Jordan is the target.

Please don't see a 3* review as negative, it's definitely not. For me, this recognises a solid Good Read and one that's perfect for escapism in the current climate and who doesn't want that?

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hampton Creek Press IBPA and the author for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

Very interesting look into the effect the media's obsession with getting the best story has on the people involved. JD Barker never disappoints!

*4.5 stars *

There’s an often used phrase, favoured by many authors these days, “ She let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding “ Well yes, that really did happen to me, whilst reading ‘A Caller’s Game’.

Radio talk show host, Jordan Briggs, is a strong willed, opinionated woman, and generally not a nice person at all. She never stops to think before she makes the most outrageous remarks to callers, and quite honestly, if she upsets them along the way - so what! Well, she’s really upset one of her callers now - the person in question calls her show to ask if she wants to play a game. She agrees, but this is a very dangerous game, a game that no one would want to participate in willingly - many lives are at stake, not least Jordan’s.

This book held me spellbound. It is clever, superbly paced, has believable, credible, (though not always likeable characters),and you may have to suspend disbelief at times, but it’s a real page turner. J D Barker at his best.

A Caller's Game is one of the tensest books I've read in a long time!

Full to the brim with suspense, shocks and surprises, this is a well-paced thriller that sucks you in right from the very start. As the tension escalates and the stakes climb higher and higher, your heart will be in your mouth as you turn the pages.

The book has a unique premise that instantly hooks you in. Radio show host Jordan Briggs is confident yet controversial, and as she encounters Bernie - a caller who wants to play a game - it isn't long before Jordan is sucked into the most dangerous game of her life.

As Jordan is forced to confront her past, Bernie gives her seemingly impossible choices with devastating consequences. With everything she knows and holds dear on the line, Jordan gets sucked into her caller's deadly game.

Jordan is accompanied by her loyal producer, Billy, and NYPD cop Cole. These three make an unlikely trio, but they are forced together by Bernie and must work together if they want to survive. It's action-packed and intense, yet also features elements of the horror and psychological thriller genres.

Unsettling and suspenseful, A Caller's Game is a top-notch thriller and another success story from bestselling author J.D. Barker.

J.D. Barker has done it again!! He has written another masterpiece! Be prepared to go on a wild ride with A Caller’s Game. What starts as a typical day at work for Jordan and her morning radio show is everything but typical when she answers that call. Be prepared to read until late into the night and then not sleep from the adrenaline rush! Thank you to J.D. Barker, Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for ARC!!

Another fast-paced thriller from JD Barker. A good first purchase for collections where the author's previous titles are popular.