A CALLER'S GAME

 5 stars out of 5

It's hard to believe that much of what happens in this totally engrossing book could ever be possible, although given the recent pre-Inauguration Day events that rocked our nation, the concept may not be all that far-fetched. In the end, it matters not; my only question is, can I give this one 6 stars?

While I admit I do not like to be interrupted once I reach about the 75% mark, starting dinner and heading off to bed almost always take precedence over finishing whatever book I'm reading. This one, though, is the first for which I threw tradition to the wind and told my husband that if he couldn't wait to eat till I'd finished, he'd just have to head for the kitchen and fend for himself. For the record, that's because the action starts to build right from the first page and picks up steam all the way to the end, when I literally said, "Whew!"

Jordan Briggs is the host of a popular radio talk show, broadcast from the SiriusXM Building in the heart of New York City. She's brash, runs a tight ship together with her in-the-booth sidekick Billy and cherishes her 11-year old (equally brash) daughter Charlotte. On this day, a caller named Bernie insists that she play a game; she must choose which way she'd prefer to get around the city - by taxi or Uber.

Down on the street near Jordan's building, homicide detective Cole Hundley has been temporarily demoted to traffic duty because of a transgression involving the daughter of one of his superiors. Suddenly, all hell breaks loose as explosions start to happen all around. As Cole stands near a taxi, the driver takes a call asking to speak to Cole; it's a man named Bernie, who says he's sent a bomb to Jordan's floor and gives Cole a choice: Stay and try to help the cab driver, who's been wired to a bomb, or leave and try to intercept the bomb in the building before it detonates.

Cole ends up taking off toward the building, managing to get inside amid smoke from the blasts and police attempting to cordon off the surrounding streets. From her broadcast booth, caller Bernie continues his "game," demanding that Jordan make impossible choices that suggest Bernie may be trying to even the score from a disastrous event that Jordan engineered years ago. Whatever his reason, it's clear he's a technological wizard who's way ahead of anyone who tries to stop him - including Cole, who quickly is forced into channeling Bruce Willis in "Die Hard" as he races against time to get to a finish line that keeps moving (with my own heart pounding every step of the way).

In short, this is one book that truly lives up to the "thriller" description - if you are comfortable on the edge of your seat, this one's for you. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. And oh, yeah, if a movie based on this book isn't already in the works, it should be. Whew!

A Caller's Game by J.D. Barker (Hampton Creek Press, February 2021); 445 pp.