This story was just OK for me. I think maybe it was the style of the story, mostly described in a manuscript delivered to a journalist, with her fact checking the details of the story. I didn't really feel any connection to the characters. There were exciting parts and a few surprising twists but overall I was a bit disappointed after the synopsis had me so excited to read it.

A stunning debut! Splendidly entertaining.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fast paced and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

A young investigative journalist unexpectedly receives a mysterious manuscript that exposes a secret society and its key players. Determined to uncover the truth, Nyala sets off on an international expedition as she works her way through the pages of the manuscript.

The author opens with a preface imploring readers to seek out more information about the people and events referenced throughout the book. Written from multiple POVs, the novel bounces from present to past. Nyala’s investigative journalism skills (aka google search and wikipedia) are used as a mechanism to provide additional detail to the many historical references.

As a thriller about an underground syndicate complete with art thieves and operatives, I expected more suspense building however the novel felt academic in nature. A large focus was on educating the reader on what and who certain artifacts and people were. Other times action would occur off the page then the reader would be informed of said action. I felt detached from the narrative because I was being told rather than being shown the story. The synopsis of the novel reveals key information regarding the author of the manuscript and its recipient, which deflated my intrigue around why Nyala received the manuscript in the first place.

I also struggled with the lack of character development, primarily with Luba and Zhivago. Luba is Nyala’s best friend who is committed to joining her on an international trip. She is privileged, rich, and never had to face a consequence in her life. Luba demonstrates her loyalty to Nyala by remaining by her side throughout the entire international endeavor (and funding the majority of it). Even though they have a strong bond dating back to their years at university, there was no depth to Nyala’s and Luba’s relationship. Women who are that devoted to each other — who will drop everything and risk getting fired for flaking on their job — will have more meaningful conversations than “he’s hot” and “I’m going shopping” and “I want a drink.” In contrast, our villain, Zhivago, is supposedly pure evil. And yet… not so psychopathic that he has the ability to empathize with animals and love them so much that he want to save animals from being hunted. He goes out of his way to create movements around saving animals. It does not add up that a psychopathic, murdering rapist would have the capacity to love or feel love for animals.

I found myself researching people, places, artifacts throughout my read, and I enjoyed learning more about art history that I previously did not know. I recommend this book to someone who is interested in art history and who enjoys a brief pause for a google search throughout their read. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I'm a huge fan of thrillers. That's exactly what I was expecting when I started this book. However, I was disappointed. I found that I couldn't connect to any of the characters, and kept waiting for the storyline to peak my interest. For that reason, I did not finish this book. That being said I'm sure there are many people that this book will appeal to. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

An exteremely well written novel by Jim Shockey. Lots of twists and turns. A very interesting and intriguing story. It leaves you wondering about what happens next and what more can happen.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC. This is not a paid review.
Wow. That's pretty much sums it up. This is one of the most original thrillers I have ever read. It has everything that you could really want. An enigmatic storyline, fully fleshed characters, and writing that is just spectacular. The only thing that I can think of that I have read that made me feel this way was I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, which is a classic 10 years later.
Jim Shockey has really done something here. There are only a few thrillers writers that have a hook, and their stories never get old. Silva, Petrie, Hurwitz and Carr to name a few. Shockey has joined that pantheon with his freshman effort.
Call Me Hunter has one of the best Preface's I have ever read. Preface? Really? Yes, really1 In it he tells you to go ahead and pick names or situations and google it or them. You will find they really exist. If that doesn't catch your attention I don't know what will. But then the book starts and its just magic. From the first line. "Zhivago is dead." And it just continues from there. No spoilers here. Sorry. But if you want a book that has ancient mysteries, really bad guys, a shadowy world wide organization that is more powerful than governments, a beautiful, vulnerable protagonist, and a very mysterious hero who has a super power, but it's not what you think. It has it all.
Do yourself a favor and pick it up, better yet I would buy one because I feel that these first editions will increase in value. He and it is that good.
Looking forward to the next installment.

While not typically the type of thriller I reach for, when I learned Jim Shockey had written a novel, I knew I was reading it no matter what. And boy, am I glad I did! Thank you NetGalley for giving me an early copy, my very first ARC in fact. I will absolutely be adding a physical copy of this book to my shelf.

Jim is clearly a skilled story teller and the level of thought and research put into this novel is truly exceptional. In the foreword, Jim encourages readers to Google facts, people, names and even situations; and out of pure curiosity, I did. I was pleasantly surprised to learn just how much truth is woven into this incredibly well-written piece of fiction!

The story begins with Nyala, a journalist, when she receives a mysterious manuscript in her mailbox. Nyala hasn’t the slightest idea who its from but the author seems to know her well. He goes by many names throughout the manuscript but it’s clear he has lived a very unique life and possesses a very rare gift. Readers follow along with Nyala as she reads the manuscript in an attempt to discover how it’s all connected to her. The manuscript will tie in 250 years of people, art, places and events…all of them real. This book sucked me in from the very beginning, I HAD to figure it all out. You will not be able to put this book down, it will keep you guessing until the very end!

Well done Mr. Shockey, I truly hope to see more from you in the future!

I am a sucker for a story with in a story but this one just did not pull me in. I couldn’t relate to the characters and felt that I was reading more of a synopsis of a story rather than the story itself. Some may really like this but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

Call Me Hunter by Jim Shockey is an atmospheric thrilling debut.
The story pulled me in right from the start. Jim Shockey sure knows how to create an atmosphere. I thought the writing was great.
The storyline was intriguing and there were some great twists that I didn’t see coming.
This is a masterful suspense novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

I received an ARC from the author and publisher via NetGalley. I am excited to have taken a chance on a new author, Jim Shockey. (of course I did a little investigating on Jim Shockey and I encourage you to do so as well – it may help to make sense and understand his background and on his ability to write this novel) A manuscript is delivered to a journalist The writer of the manuscript (known by several names throughout the book) appears to personally know Nayla, but she has no idea who it is. (you will figure it out and it is quite shocking)
The manuscript will tie in 250 years of real people, real art, real historical events and places. This kind of reminded me of the idea of the 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon….. like how incredibly connected so many people, events, times and places are connected. It was drawn in right away and wanted to figure all of this out. I HAD to keep notes – a lot of notes - in order to stay focused. I sort of felt like a detective trying to keep everything together and maybe I would even find a clue that I wasn’t expecting.
This slow burn novel will keep you guessing until the end.

This compelling novel sucked me in, bit by bit, in the first few pages. Then, as it unfolded, I found that it was a highly entertaining and compulsive read. The twists and turns were unexpected and made for a captivating read. Highly recommended.

A manuscript is delivered to a mailbox, to a woman, and the manuscript somehow involves the woman, as well as 250 years of history. 250 years of the world's greatest art, and collectors, and murder, and The Gathering and operatives from around the world who are collected and trained from a young age.....

That's it. That's all I'm going to say. This book is......WOW. WOW.

Jim Shockey is a force to be reckoned with and this is clearly only the beginning. Call Me Hunter coming out right before Halloween is perfect timing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

'Zhivago is dead. I hunted him down and I killed him. He will never hurt you.'

Such begins the story in a manuscript which was hand delivered to a mailbox in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where a young journalist named Nyala lives with her Ukrainian roommate, Luba. The writer of the papers signs himself Tsau-z, the Man of Sores, and he addresses Nyala by name. He's telling her his story and it seems somehow to involve her in a personal way. But how is that possible?

The story tells about a secret organization called Our World which is over 250 years old whose mission is to seek out the world's greatest art treasures and bring them together to sell to private collectors at something called the Gathering. In order to do this, they search the world for 'idiot savants' who have the ability to recognize these art treasures and train them as operatives from a young age. Tsau-z was one of these children. Zhivago was another--as well as a psychopathic killer.

Nyala can't believe what she's reading but there are enough details included that she's able to do some fact checking to back it up. She decides to travel to the city where Tsau-z's story begins to dig deeper for more proof; she and Luba head off on a road trip.

This is a mind-boggling tale--what a debut! I smell a series developing here and can't wait to read what happens next. One caveat: I would recommend not reading the publisher's synopsis, which contains a spoiler, imho. It's one of the best twists of the novel so don't ruin it for yourself.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. I'm thrilled a took a chance on a new author--many thanks for the introduction. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
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The author has the “bones” of an excellent story, but the way he ‘fleshes it out’ doesn’t quite work. The story is all too often being told in a passive manner. I would much rather have been shown, not told what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Call Me Hunter.

The premise was intriguing and hooked me from the start so I was excited my request was approved.

I imagined this would be a globetrotting adventure, mixed with espionage-like tactics, sort of like a Mission Impossible but with art, but it wasn't.

The narrative is written in the form of a manuscript delivered to a journalist who has a shocking connection to the protagonist.

In it, he details his humble origins and reveals a secret organization called Our World who acquires the greatest works of art through any means necessary.

There's a dangerous adversary named Zhivago, the members of the cabal are, naturally, Russian and ruthless, and an ally or two.

There is a ton of name dropping; celebs, patrons of the arts, industry giants, socialites, yet the narrative is dry, dull, and lacking suspense.

The narrative is nothing more than a recap, a summary of events of how the Hunter became the Hunter; his childhood, his teen years, what happened when he was recruited into the international cabal of art hunters.

When death and chaos do strike, it happens off-screen, especially when Hunter and Zhivago finally face off.

Readers don't see that; we're told that it happened and that's it. The narrative is mostly info dumping, descriptions, passive telling.

The journalist spends all of her chapters just fact checking the names, dates, times, locations and works of art in the manuscript to verify the facts are truth and not fiction.

Her BFF Luba is a silly, narcissistic Eastern European princess who cares about nothing more than boys, shopping, drinking, and junk food. Lots of junk food.

The writing is okay, dry, wordy, almost purple-y, because Hunter is writing in a verbose, artsy kind of way because he can see beauty and art in a way no one else can.

The biggest issue is even though the manuscript is written by Hunter, we don't really know him. His thoughts, his passions, his motivations, his fears. Who is he? What has he become after his years of service in this nefarious organization?

We know more about the journalist but I didn't identity with her, either. I didn't dislike or like her, I was just indifferent to everyone as well as the story.

I really wanted to love this, even like it, but I just couldn't.

I love art and antiheroes but the way the story was written, the format, and the lack of character development didn't capture my interest.

This one is weird, in a good way. Great story, nice pace. The second half of the book is a bit predictable but still an enjoyable read. I’ll definitely read more from Jim Shockey!

I received ARC of this book from Net-galley in exchange for an honest review.. The premise sounded very interesting. I enjoyed the parts about Hunter and Nyala. The rest felt little bit short for me. Longer than it had to be, the structure of chapters jumping around the different years and different people made it hard to keep up and stay interested. 3 out 5 stars.

Call Me Hunter is a slow-burning intriguing novel that will have readers guessing right up until the end.

It’s not the typical thriller but it’s rather a story told through flashbacks with little happening in the present day. With most of the action conveyed in narration rather than situations, it’s a blend of historical fiction with cool tidbits thrown in to gather your interest and have you researching the surreal events to add to the experience of the book.

While I enjoyed how Shockley subtly peaks your interest into researching some specks of truth in the sea of fiction, the story could have been more interesting and the twists less predictable.