Caller Unknown

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister starts with Simone's teenage daughter being kidnapped. Instead of demanding money, the kidnappers give Simone a frightening task: she must follow their instructions exactly or she may never see her daughter again.

What I loved is how McAllister takes the usual "kidnap for ransom" plot and flips it. The kidnappers aren't after cash-they're after something darker, and Simone is forced into a moral maze of lies, secrets, and difficult decisions. It's a fast read, but also one that makes you wonder what you'd do if you were in her shoes. Definitely one to pass along if you like thrillers with a twist. Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

From the publisher

Harper Collins/ William Morrow | May 5, 2026 | 336 pages | ISBN: 9780063338470 | Psychological Thriller

1. Simone has to make a tough choice - should she call the police or follow the kidnapper's risky demands and possibly lose her daughter? How do her decisions show her character?

2. Simone repeatedly debates whether to involve the police. Do you think the kidnappers were right in assuming fear for her daughter would keep her silent?

3. If you were in Simone's position, what would be the first thing you would do, and would it differ from her initial reaction? Would you take the same risk or make a different decision?

4. Damien is often perceived as the more cautious and logical parent. How does he react differently to Lucy's kidnapping compared to Simone's? How do their different ways of handling the situation affect their relationship and the search for Lucy?

5. The kidnappers wanted Simone not for money, but to use her in their criminal plan. How does this change your view of them compared to typical "money-driven" kidnappers?

6. The story is mainly from Simone's perspective. How might it change if it were told from Lucy's view? What does not knowing much about Lucy's experience add to the overall story?

7. Simone is British and ends up in a remote part of Texas. How do the cultural differences between the UK and the US, especially around law enforcement, gun culture, and the isolated landscape, increase the tension and affect her ability to handle the situation?

8. The book looks at a mother's strong protective instincts. How does it reflect or challenge today's views on motherhood? How does Simone's journey make her face what it really means to be a mother as she deals with the morality of her choices?

9. The story highlights the role of burner phones and unknown callers in a world where surveillance is everywhere. It raises questions about our privacy and how easily technology can facilitate crime. Does it suggest that we're losing control in our highly connected society?

10. McAllister often writes about moral dilemmas and the impossible choices that arise from them. What do you think Caller Unknown says about motherhood, sacrifice, and how far someone will go to protect their child?

11. The ending ties together Simone's actions, the kidnappers' actual plan, and the fallout. Did the resolution feel satisfying to you? Why or why not?

12. Which character did you relate to the most and why?

Book Club Talking Points:
Book clubs will really enjoy Caller Unknown. It's the kind of story that makes you stop and ask, "What would I do if that were me?" The kidnappers' demands are unusual, Simone's choices aren't easy, and everyone will have their own opinion. It's fast-paced, but there's plenty to talk about once you've finished.

Unbearably tense, compassionately told, and full of well-crafted moral dilemmas, Caller Unknown proves once again why Gillian McAllister's thrillers are "the best of the best" (Lisa Jewell

"Only a Gillian McAllister thriller can make your heart race and then your heart melt from one page to the next! I'm a devoted fan!" -Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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.

"An utterly original kidnap story that throbs with tension-hard to put down." - Shari Lapena, #1 Internationally Bestselling Author of She Didn't See It Coming

"Gillian McAllister has done it again! This is such a clever, tense and twisty book, I inhaled it in under a day. The pacing is perfection and the twist, when it comes, is deeply satisfying, but it is the characters that elevate Gillian's books into the best of the best, and the family dynamics that are so richly described that it's hard to believe they don't continue long after the book ends." - Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"As moving as it is gripping, this superior thriller is, more than anything, a testament to the power of a mother's love." - Sophie Hannah, internationally bestselling author

Caller Unknown sets a new standard for modern thrillers - you'll gasp, you'll cry, you'll never forget this story." - Holly Seddon, internationally bestselling author of 59 Minutes

Praise for Famous Last Words

"Only a Gillian McAllister thriller can make your heart race and then your heart melt from one page to the next! I'm a devoted fan!" - Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Famous Last Words

"As a fiction writer myself it's really, really hard to fool me-I always guess the ending of books-but this novel blindsided me with twists and surprises that had me gasping...and with a poignancy about relationships and love that one rarely finds in the genre. A brilliant, brilliant book." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Famous Last Words

"A totally fresh read that kept me guessing until the very end!" - Ashley Flowers, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Good People Here, on Famous Last Words

"Completely addictive. I was as desperate to find out the truth as any of the characters in the book - if not more so!" - Sophie Hannah, internationally bestselling author, on Famous Last Words

"An incredibly page-turning mystery wrapped up in a thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of a most unusual kind of grief. Absolutely outstanding, one of my books of the year." - Andrea Mara, author of Someone in the Attic, on Famous Last Words

"A perfectly calibrated mix of the thoughtful characterization that book clubbers will adore and the twist-filled plotting that armchair suspense junkies crave... A first-rate, fiendishly clever suspense novel." - Library Journal (starred review), on Famous Last Words

"McAllister hits another one out of the park...all the puzzle pieces click together for a satisfying ending." - Booklist (starred review), on Famous Last Words

Praise for Wrong Place Wrong Time

"A high-concept mash-up of different genres that transcends its wackadoodle premise with an affecting portrayal of a family careening toward crisis." - New York Times on Wrong Place Wrong Time

"A brilliantly genre-bending, mind-twisting answer to the question How far would you go to save your child?" - Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Wrong Place Wrong Time

"Daring, inventive, exhilarating, twisted. This is virtuoso storytelling. Please dive in. It's the right place and the right time." - A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Wrong Place Wrong Time

Praise for Just Another Missing Person

"Gillian McAllister [is] one of my favorite authors working in the genre. McAllister is the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations." - Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Just Another Missing Person