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The Call
Your fiancé calls. ‘A little girl needs help.’ Then they both disappear…
Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world.
‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud.
Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan?
The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in…
A totally gripping thriller that will have you racing through the pages until the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan and Rachel Abbott.
Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world.
‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud.
Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan?
The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in…
A totally gripping thriller that will have you racing through the pages until the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan and Rachel Abbott.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2024
1022 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Wilkinson
70 books1,069 followersRecent and upcoming UK releases:
24 October 2023: The Night Of The Sleepover
15 December 2023: After The Sleepover
2024: The Girl On The Side Of The Road
2024: The Missing Body
Kerry Wilkinson has sold more than two million books - and had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written a trilogy featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, the Whitecliff series, the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
Find out more at: http://kerrywilkinson.com or http://facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks
Find out more at: his website or Facebook
24 October 2023: The Night Of The Sleepover
15 December 2023: After The Sleepover
2024: The Girl On The Side Of The Road
2024: The Missing Body
Kerry Wilkinson has sold more than two million books - and had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written a trilogy featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, the Whitecliff series, the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
Find out more at: http://kerrywilkinson.com or http://facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks
Find out more at: his website or Facebook
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
April 20, 2024
EXCERPT: 'Hang on,' Evan said, sounding frazzled. There was a fuzz of activity from the other end of the line and then: 'There's someone in the road.'
It took Melody a moment to realise what he meant. 'Someone walking?'
She'd noticed the day before that there was little in the way of pavements around the lake. Most people seemed to drive everywhere, though there had been the odd person walking on the verge.
There was no reply at first, but Evan's voice sounded confused when he next spoke. 'I think it's a little girl. Hold on.'
Melody realised she'd sat up a little straighter as her sister turned to take her in, suddenly interested. From the other end of the phone there were muffled scratchings of what sounded like tyres on gravel - and then the unmistakable thunk of an opening car door.
'Are you okay?' Evan said, although his voice wasn't as clear as it had been seconds before.
'Are you talking to me?' Melody asked.
'There's a girl here,' Evan replied, and the phone was seemingly back to his mouth. 'I don't think there's anyone else around. She's covered in mud, or . . .' he tailed off, before adding a whispered: 'blood . . .?'
ABOUT 'THE CALL': Your fiancé calls. ‘A little girl needs help.’ Then they both disappear…
Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world.
‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud.
Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan?
The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in……………………
MY THOUGHTS: My feelings about The Call are mixed . . . the characters are not at all relatable, especially Melody. I can understand her wanting to protect Sam from the news that his father is missing, but really, just how long did she think she was going to be able to keep it from him?
If I had to describe The Call in one word, it would be 'emotionless'. I wanted someone to root for, to empathise with. No one seems to care that Evan is missing. Melody does dumb things, and I don't mean her trying to protect Sam, but had I been the investigating officer, I would have been looking very closely at her as a suspect! Melody's family just continue with their normal lives, going out and sightseeing in her sister's case, and her father walking and doing crosswords. Even Sam, once he learned his father was missing, was remarkedly unconcerned.
There are a lot of dead ends - I can't even call them red herrings because they just weren't that interesting or weren't developed at all. Sometimes I felt quite bored because the plot wasn't moving anywhere. And the ending? 🤷♀️Again, it was emotionless. I didn't guess who was behind Evan's disappearance, and I did come up with a lot of theories, so that is a point in favor of The Call.
Definitely not the best book I have read by this author. I did enjoy the setting of Vancouver Island.
⭐⭐.5
#TheCall #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Call by Kerry Wilkinson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
It took Melody a moment to realise what he meant. 'Someone walking?'
She'd noticed the day before that there was little in the way of pavements around the lake. Most people seemed to drive everywhere, though there had been the odd person walking on the verge.
There was no reply at first, but Evan's voice sounded confused when he next spoke. 'I think it's a little girl. Hold on.'
Melody realised she'd sat up a little straighter as her sister turned to take her in, suddenly interested. From the other end of the phone there were muffled scratchings of what sounded like tyres on gravel - and then the unmistakable thunk of an opening car door.
'Are you okay?' Evan said, although his voice wasn't as clear as it had been seconds before.
'Are you talking to me?' Melody asked.
'There's a girl here,' Evan replied, and the phone was seemingly back to his mouth. 'I don't think there's anyone else around. She's covered in mud, or . . .' he tailed off, before adding a whispered: 'blood . . .?'
ABOUT 'THE CALL': Your fiancé calls. ‘A little girl needs help.’ Then they both disappear…
Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world.
‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud.
Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan?
The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in……………………
MY THOUGHTS: My feelings about The Call are mixed . . . the characters are not at all relatable, especially Melody. I can understand her wanting to protect Sam from the news that his father is missing, but really, just how long did she think she was going to be able to keep it from him?
If I had to describe The Call in one word, it would be 'emotionless'. I wanted someone to root for, to empathise with. No one seems to care that Evan is missing. Melody does dumb things, and I don't mean her trying to protect Sam, but had I been the investigating officer, I would have been looking very closely at her as a suspect! Melody's family just continue with their normal lives, going out and sightseeing in her sister's case, and her father walking and doing crosswords. Even Sam, once he learned his father was missing, was remarkedly unconcerned.
There are a lot of dead ends - I can't even call them red herrings because they just weren't that interesting or weren't developed at all. Sometimes I felt quite bored because the plot wasn't moving anywhere. And the ending? 🤷♀️Again, it was emotionless. I didn't guess who was behind Evan's disappearance, and I did come up with a lot of theories, so that is a point in favor of The Call.
Definitely not the best book I have read by this author. I did enjoy the setting of Vancouver Island.
⭐⭐.5
#TheCall #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Call by Kerry Wilkinson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
July 10, 2025
Kerry is one of my autos buy authors after discovering his books last year. This one didn't disappoint.
What I really enjoyed about this book was the ending and the nostalgia aspect. The book does move at a slow pace but really ramps up just over halfway. I didn't guess the ending and that's why I loved the ending so much.
I loved the characters, I thought they were relatable. Also, being a destination thriller, I was attracted to it straight away .This one is all about the "why" and " where".
Highly recommend this author.
What I really enjoyed about this book was the ending and the nostalgia aspect. The book does move at a slow pace but really ramps up just over halfway. I didn't guess the ending and that's why I loved the ending so much.
I loved the characters, I thought they were relatable. Also, being a destination thriller, I was attracted to it straight away .This one is all about the "why" and " where".
Highly recommend this author.
April 2, 2024
Melody and Evan book a family holiday on Vancouver Island. However, Melody’s fiancé never makes it to their Air BnB. How can he have just vanished? Melody’s childhood nostalgia takes a dark turn as she unearths secrets from her last trip here…
This was ok. I didn’t find myself gripped, and it took me a while to finish it. It was too slow paced for me, though it does have some good little twists along the way.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.
This was ok. I didn’t find myself gripped, and it took me a while to finish it. It was too slow paced for me, though it does have some good little twists along the way.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.
March 21, 2024
Wow! This was crazy and I didn’t see that ending. I always enjoy Kerry Wilkinson books and this was good. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was shocked several times. I suspected everyone at one point and couldn’t work it out. Where was he?? What happened to him?? Well you have to read it for yourself to find out.
Thanks Bookouture via NetGalley.
Thanks Bookouture via NetGalley.
April 13, 2024
Melody, her fiancée Evan, and their son Sam have left their home in the UK for a lake vacation in Canada. Joining them are Melody’s father, sister, and brother-in-law. When Melody was nine, her parents took her to this area for summer camp and she remembers the time so fondly, she decides that Sam needs to get the same experience.
Evan had to work and was arriving a day late. As Melody is waiting for him, she gets a call from him - he’s almost to the Air B&B they’ve rented, but he saw a little girl walking down the road alone. Melody can hear him get out of the car and ask the child if she was okay, then the call disconnected. Evan never showed up, so Melody goes to find him. She finds his car right where he said he saw the child, but he is nowhere to be seen. The police are called, and the search begins.
This book started very slowly, with things ramping up about a third of the way through. Unfortunately, the book then got slow again, and stayed that way until the ending, which I thought was completely unbelievable and contrived. I hate giving bad reviews, but I rarely have to because I’m usually good at picking out books I know I’ll enjoy. Let’s just say I was wrong with this one; I really didn’t like the plot, the characters or the ending. From looking at other reviews, I’m glad to see it wasn’t just me! 2.5 stars.
(Thank you to Bookouture, Kerry Wilkinson and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on April 16, 2024.)
Evan had to work and was arriving a day late. As Melody is waiting for him, she gets a call from him - he’s almost to the Air B&B they’ve rented, but he saw a little girl walking down the road alone. Melody can hear him get out of the car and ask the child if she was okay, then the call disconnected. Evan never showed up, so Melody goes to find him. She finds his car right where he said he saw the child, but he is nowhere to be seen. The police are called, and the search begins.
This book started very slowly, with things ramping up about a third of the way through. Unfortunately, the book then got slow again, and stayed that way until the ending, which I thought was completely unbelievable and contrived. I hate giving bad reviews, but I rarely have to because I’m usually good at picking out books I know I’ll enjoy. Let’s just say I was wrong with this one; I really didn’t like the plot, the characters or the ending. From looking at other reviews, I’m glad to see it wasn’t just me! 2.5 stars.
(Thank you to Bookouture, Kerry Wilkinson and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on April 16, 2024.)
April 16, 2024
This is a great thriller.
When Melody receives a phone call from her fiancé Evan, she’s excited to find out when he’s due to arrive at the cabin. However, the call is interrupted when he says he can see a little girl at the side of the road so goes to help. He keeps the line open while he goes to check but soon Melody can no longer hear him.
When Evan doesn’t arrive at the cabin Melody calls the Police and explains about the phone call. When they all go out to search for him, they find the car, but there’s no sign of Evan.
As the story develops we learn that Melody is familiar with the area from spending time here as a child and her and her sister talk about their time here.
With more time passing Melody becomes more and more worried about Evan and starts her own search for him, but she’s not prepared for what she finds.
This is a gripping thriller that I enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
When Melody receives a phone call from her fiancé Evan, she’s excited to find out when he’s due to arrive at the cabin. However, the call is interrupted when he says he can see a little girl at the side of the road so goes to help. He keeps the line open while he goes to check but soon Melody can no longer hear him.
When Evan doesn’t arrive at the cabin Melody calls the Police and explains about the phone call. When they all go out to search for him, they find the car, but there’s no sign of Evan.
As the story develops we learn that Melody is familiar with the area from spending time here as a child and her and her sister talk about their time here.
With more time passing Melody becomes more and more worried about Evan and starts her own search for him, but she’s not prepared for what she finds.
This is a gripping thriller that I enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
April 7, 2024
Mixed feelings on this one. “The Call” by Kerry Wilkinson was written well and easy to read and follow. I would not call it a “totally gripping thriller that will have you racing through the pages until the final shocking twist”. It was not. I was a tad bored with it. The entire book is from Melody’s POV and I didn’t find that to be a great place to be. The premise of the book is that her fiancé is missing and she just seems very “oh well” about it. There’s no urgency, no real feelings about it at all. There’s a few parts where she may seem slightly worried about him but the entire book focuses on everyone just going on with their lives on vacation with a “Welp, hopefully he shows up one day” attitude. It was bizarre. The sister and husband’s behaviors are bizarre too.. There are things that happen with a friend of Melody’s that basically went no where. The ending of the book is the most “exciting” part but there is something that happens that left me like “oh damn” but again, Melody’s attitude toward it was “Oh well.” It just felt really unrealistic to me. 2.5 stars rounded up. Thank you very much to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for an advanced reader’s copy. 💕
March 23, 2024
I wanted to like this book so much! This book would make an AMAZING movie! I was immediately captured and intrigued with the first chapter, but then it felt like homework as I continued reading. I can’t tell if it felt long because all the different storylines, or because so much time was spent in Melody’s head and describing her actions. Towards the end, I started skipping paragraphs and I didn’t feel like I missed any content. Overall, it’s a movie I would watch, but felt too wordy as a book.
Thank you NetGalley, Kerry Wilkinson, and the publisher for this advanced copy.
Thank you NetGalley, Kerry Wilkinson, and the publisher for this advanced copy.
March 14, 2024
Absolutely amazing and a must read is basically all I can say!
This pulls you in from the start and doesn't let go until the very end. The writing style is just so natural and the story flows perfectly. Before I knew it, I'd lost 2 hrs completely engrossed. The characters are so well written and realistic. They have depth and personality. They're not perfect but also not written as complete idiots. The storyline has so much to suspense and tension built throughout and there are some amazing twists thrown in aling the way. I can't speak highly enough of this book
This pulls you in from the start and doesn't let go until the very end. The writing style is just so natural and the story flows perfectly. Before I knew it, I'd lost 2 hrs completely engrossed. The characters are so well written and realistic. They have depth and personality. They're not perfect but also not written as complete idiots. The storyline has so much to suspense and tension built throughout and there are some amazing twists thrown in aling the way. I can't speak highly enough of this book
March 19, 2024
Unfortunately, this was a complete flop for me. I am struggling to find the words to describe the issues I had with this book without full on spoilers and I’ll do my best…
Essentially, the story is that Melody Bryant has booked a vacation rental house in Canada for herself, her FIANCÉ, her son, her sister and brother-in-law and her father. Her family had a vacation in the same area when she was a child and based on her memories of the trip, she wants her son to experience the same thing she did, which includes a summer camp. Her FIANCÉ has obligations at home that force him to be on a later flight, rent a separate car and drive to meet them at the rental house. I don’t remember if there are any reasons given in the book as to why this makes more sense than any of the rest of them just picking him up at the airport, but let’s just continue to go with this. Melody is drinking with her sister at the rental house when her FIANCÉ, Evan calls to tell her he’s a short drive away. Then he sees a girl in the road and stops to ask if she needs help. Melody hears a noise and then the line goes dead. Her sober brother-in-law somewhat reluctantly drives her to the road that leads to the house and they find the abandoned rental car and call the police to tell them the curious story about her FIANCÉ. From this point on, the police and pretty much everyone else Melody encounters mistakenly refers to Evan as her husband, which she seems annoyed to have to correct each time. Sometimes she lets the mistake pass without saying anything, but she still corrects the person in her thoughts, which became annoying to me. Then, at one point in the story, the author actually refers to Melody telling someone about her missing husband, which kind of infuriated me. But I digress.
Anyway, she ponders whether to ruin her son’s vacation by telling him his father has gone missing and ultimately decides to not ruin his vacation and tell him his dad’s arrival is delayed and still send him to camp. Meanwhile, Melody’s father takes daily walks and plays on his iPad, spending much of his time on his own away from the rest of them and her sister and brother-in-law carry on doing touristy things, leaving her alone to worry about her missing FIANCÉ/one time “husband” all by herself. She meets another woman (a parent of another child at her son’s camp) who coincidentally had her husband go missing years earlier and she forms a fast friendship with this woman based on their shared experience. I won’t say anything more about the story with this woman, because it would be a spoiler, but it didn’t work for me
Another issue I had is that when Evan’s rental car is found, his luggage is missing, but his cell phone is in it. Melody takes the cell phone, but she trusts Evan and doesn’t know his passcode and it doesn’t even occur to her to try to figure it out to search his phone for any minor clues whatsoever until at least a full day or two into his disappearance. There’s another silly/borderline ridiculous storyline with Melody’s dad that I won’t spoil and some silly distractions from the main story (maybe meant to be red herrings), but no concrete clues as to what’s going on until the very end, at which point we are treated to a conclusion that also just didn’t work for me. Again, I can’t say why I didn’t like it without spoilers, but even in a world where I believe the reasoning behind everything, there are other options that would have made much more sense than the one chosen. It felt like the author chose the initial storyline without knowing how it would be explained in the end and then worked towards the most roundabout connection possible. Is there a connection? Yes. But is it the one that makes the most sense for Evan being the victim of this whole thing? Not at all. It just doesn’t seem viable. Then the story comes to a very abrupt ending followed by an epilogue that had me questioning how everything was so (okay?) ?
This story just did not work for me. I’m giving it a three simply because I was able to breeze through it and that makes a big difference in rating to me. Despite much of the story feeling unrealistic, it did flow along quickly and the mystery surrounding what happened to Evan kept me turning pages, if nothing else, just to get to the conclusion. While the story didn’t work for me, the writing itself was good and based on reviews of other books by this author, I would definitely be willing to try another.
With thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Publishing and Kerry Wilkinson for the copy of this book to read and review.
Essentially, the story is that Melody Bryant has booked a vacation rental house in Canada for herself, her FIANCÉ, her son, her sister and brother-in-law and her father. Her family had a vacation in the same area when she was a child and based on her memories of the trip, she wants her son to experience the same thing she did, which includes a summer camp. Her FIANCÉ has obligations at home that force him to be on a later flight, rent a separate car and drive to meet them at the rental house. I don’t remember if there are any reasons given in the book as to why this makes more sense than any of the rest of them just picking him up at the airport, but let’s just continue to go with this. Melody is drinking with her sister at the rental house when her FIANCÉ, Evan calls to tell her he’s a short drive away. Then he sees a girl in the road and stops to ask if she needs help. Melody hears a noise and then the line goes dead. Her sober brother-in-law somewhat reluctantly drives her to the road that leads to the house and they find the abandoned rental car and call the police to tell them the curious story about her FIANCÉ. From this point on, the police and pretty much everyone else Melody encounters mistakenly refers to Evan as her husband, which she seems annoyed to have to correct each time. Sometimes she lets the mistake pass without saying anything, but she still corrects the person in her thoughts, which became annoying to me. Then, at one point in the story, the author actually refers to Melody telling someone about her missing husband, which kind of infuriated me. But I digress.
Anyway, she ponders whether to ruin her son’s vacation by telling him his father has gone missing and ultimately decides to not ruin his vacation and tell him his dad’s arrival is delayed and still send him to camp. Meanwhile, Melody’s father takes daily walks and plays on his iPad, spending much of his time on his own away from the rest of them and her sister and brother-in-law carry on doing touristy things, leaving her alone to worry about her missing FIANCÉ/one time “husband” all by herself. She meets another woman (a parent of another child at her son’s camp) who coincidentally had her husband go missing years earlier and she forms a fast friendship with this woman based on their shared experience. I won’t say anything more about the story with this woman, because it would be a spoiler, but it didn’t work for me
Another issue I had is that when Evan’s rental car is found, his luggage is missing, but his cell phone is in it. Melody takes the cell phone, but she trusts Evan and doesn’t know his passcode and it doesn’t even occur to her to try to figure it out to search his phone for any minor clues whatsoever until at least a full day or two into his disappearance. There’s another silly/borderline ridiculous storyline with Melody’s dad that I won’t spoil and some silly distractions from the main story (maybe meant to be red herrings), but no concrete clues as to what’s going on until the very end, at which point we are treated to a conclusion that also just didn’t work for me. Again, I can’t say why I didn’t like it without spoilers, but even in a world where I believe the reasoning behind everything, there are other options that would have made much more sense than the one chosen. It felt like the author chose the initial storyline without knowing how it would be explained in the end and then worked towards the most roundabout connection possible. Is there a connection? Yes. But is it the one that makes the most sense for Evan being the victim of this whole thing? Not at all. It just doesn’t seem viable. Then the story comes to a very abrupt ending followed by an epilogue that had me questioning how everything was so (okay?) ?
This story just did not work for me. I’m giving it a three simply because I was able to breeze through it and that makes a big difference in rating to me. Despite much of the story feeling unrealistic, it did flow along quickly and the mystery surrounding what happened to Evan kept me turning pages, if nothing else, just to get to the conclusion. While the story didn’t work for me, the writing itself was good and based on reviews of other books by this author, I would definitely be willing to try another.
With thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Publishing and Kerry Wilkinson for the copy of this book to read and review.
March 28, 2024
Book Title: The Call
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 17, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 336
Melody is waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. She and several family members -her son- Sam, dad, sister and brother-in-law have flow to Canada from England.
Evan takes a later flight, he calls Melody as he is driving to their holiday home to let her know he arrived safely and is on his way. As he is talking to her, he sees a child who is covered in mud – perhaps it is blood– he tells Melody about the girl and while still on the phone, he addresses the girl and then the call cuts out.
Evan does not show up at the holiday home and seemed to have disappeared.
Melody reports this situation to the authorities. They have nothing regarding a missing child –
Where is Evan?
I read a lot of thrillers and I was way off on guessing why Evan went missing.
I am a big psychological thriller fan and this is my fourth Kerry Wilkinson novel – Party at No. 12 was my first – which was great. One of my comments in my reviews after I read it was ~ I have a new fav author and am now looking forward to another of his stories! The last one I read was The One Who Was Taken which was #1 in Whitecliff Bay Mystery and I have been looking forward reading the next in that series.
Kerry Wilkinson doesn’t disappoint. I like this. My favorite is still “Party at No. 12”!!
Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 17, 2024.
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 17, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 336
Melody is waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. She and several family members -her son- Sam, dad, sister and brother-in-law have flow to Canada from England.
Evan takes a later flight, he calls Melody as he is driving to their holiday home to let her know he arrived safely and is on his way. As he is talking to her, he sees a child who is covered in mud – perhaps it is blood– he tells Melody about the girl and while still on the phone, he addresses the girl and then the call cuts out.
Evan does not show up at the holiday home and seemed to have disappeared.
Melody reports this situation to the authorities. They have nothing regarding a missing child –
Where is Evan?
I read a lot of thrillers and I was way off on guessing why Evan went missing.
I am a big psychological thriller fan and this is my fourth Kerry Wilkinson novel – Party at No. 12 was my first – which was great. One of my comments in my reviews after I read it was ~ I have a new fav author and am now looking forward to another of his stories! The last one I read was The One Who Was Taken which was #1 in Whitecliff Bay Mystery and I have been looking forward reading the next in that series.
Kerry Wilkinson doesn’t disappoint. I like this. My favorite is still “Party at No. 12”!!
Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 17, 2024.
April 7, 2024
The Call by Kerry Wilkinson definitely caught my attention when I started reading it, I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens. The further I got into it, the less I wanted to read. It seemed like there was quite a bit of “filler” pieces that happened that didn’t really bring a purpose to the story. The last bit of the book was really captivating and drew me back in. It just seemed to drag on in the middle & I feel like it would have been more enjoyable if it was a lil bit shorter. Overall the way the story is written does make it an easy read and it does have some good twists!
Thank you so much NetGalley & Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much NetGalley & Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2024
I was excited to read this as I enjoyed the authors “night of the sleepover” books. We get thrown straight in at the deep end in chapter one, no slow burn here! We’ve got a family on holiday at a lake house in Canada and the husband Evan of one of the women has disappeared on his way to join the rest of the family. The book picks up momentum and I sped through the first half of the book.
There is a lot of unnecessary repetition about mundane things like picking up rubbish, doing the laundry etc which began to grate on me and slowed my pace and made me just eager to finish as the third quarter of the book felt quite stagnant. However it soon picked back up again and I’m glad I persevered to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the e copy of an arc.
April 12, 2024
Your fiancé calls....‘A little girl needs help’...Then they both disappear...
Something different from Kerry Wilkinson in the wilds of Canada rather than the cold climes of Britain. But honestly, it was not my cup of tea.
We meet Melody who has, along with her sister and brother-in-law and father as well as her son and fiance Evan, booked an AirBnb on a lake in Canada for a vacation for them all. Having spent a summer there as a child, Melody has only good memories of her time there. But as many are quick to point out to her, not everyone's memories were as happy as hers.
After arriving and installing themselves in the lake house, Evan was catching a later flight, renting a car and meeting them there. He calls her from the road. He has just exited the highway and is about fifteen minutes from them...when suddenly he stops. He tells Melody there is a little girl in the road and stops to ask if she's okay. There is a little background noise and then suddenly the line goes dead. Having consumed wine that evening, Melody enlists the help of her sober brother-in-law Thomas to drive her along the road that Evan had taken to see if they could find him. Instead what they find is the abandoned rental car and Evan's phone discarded on the road. The car's boot is empty. Evan's suitcase has gone...and so has Evan.
The police arrive some hours later and with it being dark and surrounded by trees and forests, there is little they can do till morning. But as the days pass Melody feels that the police aren't doing enough to find Evan. In the meantime, she tells their son Sam that his dad has been held up and trying to catch another flight. Sam accepts her explanation and goes on to enjoy camp.
While her sister Nina and hubby Thomas go about their vacation as per normal, of course Melody cannot do so. Her whole world has imploded with Evan's disappearance. Naturally she does some googling for information that she has come garnered by way of other parents or locals in the area which thus leads her to randomly following anyone she thinks may know something about Evan's disappearance.
The story is a fairly quick read even if it is somewhat unrealistic. The mystery behind what happened to Evan is what kept me turning the pages and then when it is revealed I'm left scratching my head. What just happened here? The motive behind the disappearance just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
I've been a fan of Kerry's thrillers for years. I love his dry wit and humour although this one lacked any of that trademark humour which I missed. And yet while the story as a whole didn't work for me, Kerry's writing is still enough to keep you engaged throughout...even if none of the characters were particularly likeable.
I do have mixed feelings of this one as I know what pageturning thrillers Kerry can deliver. And while I found it easy enough to read, it wasn't the riveting thriller that I have come to know that is of his calibre. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy it as much as his others. But having said that, I do look forward to whatever he brings us next!
I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheCall in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
Something different from Kerry Wilkinson in the wilds of Canada rather than the cold climes of Britain. But honestly, it was not my cup of tea.
We meet Melody who has, along with her sister and brother-in-law and father as well as her son and fiance Evan, booked an AirBnb on a lake in Canada for a vacation for them all. Having spent a summer there as a child, Melody has only good memories of her time there. But as many are quick to point out to her, not everyone's memories were as happy as hers.
After arriving and installing themselves in the lake house, Evan was catching a later flight, renting a car and meeting them there. He calls her from the road. He has just exited the highway and is about fifteen minutes from them...when suddenly he stops. He tells Melody there is a little girl in the road and stops to ask if she's okay. There is a little background noise and then suddenly the line goes dead. Having consumed wine that evening, Melody enlists the help of her sober brother-in-law Thomas to drive her along the road that Evan had taken to see if they could find him. Instead what they find is the abandoned rental car and Evan's phone discarded on the road. The car's boot is empty. Evan's suitcase has gone...and so has Evan.
The police arrive some hours later and with it being dark and surrounded by trees and forests, there is little they can do till morning. But as the days pass Melody feels that the police aren't doing enough to find Evan. In the meantime, she tells their son Sam that his dad has been held up and trying to catch another flight. Sam accepts her explanation and goes on to enjoy camp.
While her sister Nina and hubby Thomas go about their vacation as per normal, of course Melody cannot do so. Her whole world has imploded with Evan's disappearance. Naturally she does some googling for information that she has come garnered by way of other parents or locals in the area which thus leads her to randomly following anyone she thinks may know something about Evan's disappearance.
The story is a fairly quick read even if it is somewhat unrealistic. The mystery behind what happened to Evan is what kept me turning the pages and then when it is revealed I'm left scratching my head. What just happened here? The motive behind the disappearance just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
I've been a fan of Kerry's thrillers for years. I love his dry wit and humour although this one lacked any of that trademark humour which I missed. And yet while the story as a whole didn't work for me, Kerry's writing is still enough to keep you engaged throughout...even if none of the characters were particularly likeable.
I do have mixed feelings of this one as I know what pageturning thrillers Kerry can deliver. And while I found it easy enough to read, it wasn't the riveting thriller that I have come to know that is of his calibre. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy it as much as his others. But having said that, I do look forward to whatever he brings us next!
I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheCall in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
May 5, 2025
3.5 stars
The Call by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller about a woman who returns to Vancouver Island to re-create a wonderful childhood experience for her own child.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was a good book. As a Canadian, I loved the comparisons between Britain and Canada. The author definitely did his research.
The plot and twists were really good, and somewhat of a surprise, which is always pleasant. I had anticipated Evan's secret from the start, but there were other things that definitely shocked.
However, I was really annoyed with Nina, who was the worst sister ever, and her husband even worse. Even Melody's father was an idiot. I think the family relationships was the weak point in the story. If it was such a bad experience last time, why did they not tell Melody, and why did they want to come? Actually, Melody was a bit of an idiot too. How long did she think she could keep Evan's disappearance from her son, and how did she think that following cars into the woods was a good idea?
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book, and Kerry Wilkinson continues to be one of my favorites.
Anyway, until next time...
For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, my own synopsis of the book, and its author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
May 22, 2024
A thrilling book where you can’t wait to find the conclusion! A missing fiancé on a trip abroad. What could be worse?! The tale weaves itself around false hopes and hidden eggs! The protagonist is desperate to find out if her fiancé is still alive or laying dead in the woods or lake! I enjoyed the ride as well as the twist!
April 11, 2024
In Kerry Wilkerson‘s book The Call melody is finally back on Vancouver Island after dreaming of returning since she was nine years old when she visited with her sister Nina andher parents. She even enrolled her son Sam and to the same summer camp her and her sister Nina went to her partner and Sam’s dad Evan was on his way to the B&B and called Melody to tell her he was 10 minutes out but their call got interrupted and she doesn’t know where he is. After calling the police Officer Hutchins doesn’t leave her with much confidence anything will be done in this land of strangers Melody couldn’t feel more alone despite her fiancé being missing it seems her sister and brother-in-law will not let that stand in the way a their good time. Melody feels lost she doesn’t know whether or win to tell Sam his dad is missing and if her missing fiancé were her only issue that would’ve been enough but oh no she has many mini more dragons to slay on this dream holiday that has absolutely turned into a nightmare! I never like putting more than either what I knew about the book or read in the summary and so didn’t know what to put in this review of this awesome book! They say you can never go home again well Melody learned you can never go back to your dream vacation again either. She has nothing but great memories of Vancouver Island but it will be what she forgot that holds the most danger. Although I did find some of the clues that led melody from point a to point B were a tad bit flimsy the drama is still intense and although they had a few eye rolling moments with this book it was the best eye rolling and most entertaining I’ve ever done. This is a great book and one I definitely recommend to thriller fans. The first book I ever read by this author I did not like it but really like her writing style and I am glad I stuck with her because I have read many great books she has written, like this one. I want to thank Bookouchur for my free Ark via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
March 20, 2024
While this book had a lot of potential, it didn't end up hitting the mark for me. The premise was compelling and kept me reading to the end, however I had enough issues with it that it only gets a 3/5 stars.
First, what I liked:
- Like I said, the premise was super interesting. My favorite parts of the book were the ones explaining the disappearance, and focused on investigating it.
- There were a number of scenes/plot points that grabbed my interest, and I found myself constantly thinking "oh, maybe this will finally explain something!"
What I didn't like?
- The main characters reaction to her fiancé going missing seemed extremely unrealistic to me. Maybe I'm just too emotional, but if my husband were missing I'd likely be inconsolable for a long time. I wouldn't be able to do anything else but cry, talk about it, and try to find answers. This character was like "oh, I'm so upset and having a hard time sleeping" for like two days. Then she just sort of went flat and was able to do other things with her family (who also seemed particularly unfazed).
- There was a side plot with another woman with a missing husband that honestly just left me scratching my head. I don't understand why she was in the story at all. It felt like there was a second book the author wanted to write but didn't have enough substance for a whole novel so she sort of shoehorned it in this one.
- The pacing was too slow. There was so much extraneous stuff that really had nothing to do with the main mystery. I was like half way through the book and it felt like nothing had happened yet.
- The answer to the central mystery of the missing fiancé felt contrived. I also identified the main players early on and knew what his disappearance was related to ages before the end. Everything in between felt like a distraction.
- The actual end of the main book (before the epilogue) was just so upsetting. It didn't need to end that way and it wasn't how I wanted to feel at the end of this story.
- The epilogue was so confusing. Was the author implying that the little girl in the airport was the little girl she was thinking about at that moment? Or did I just read too much into what happens? I don't know. I don't know if I'm even supposed to know. I finished the last page and just sort of went "huh?"
Overall, the three stars are primarily for the clever premise and the ability to write interesting red herrings. But the book as a whole just wasn't it for me.
First, what I liked:
- Like I said, the premise was super interesting. My favorite parts of the book were the ones explaining the disappearance, and focused on investigating it.
- There were a number of scenes/plot points that grabbed my interest, and I found myself constantly thinking "oh, maybe this will finally explain something!"
What I didn't like?
- The main characters reaction to her fiancé going missing seemed extremely unrealistic to me. Maybe I'm just too emotional, but if my husband were missing I'd likely be inconsolable for a long time. I wouldn't be able to do anything else but cry, talk about it, and try to find answers. This character was like "oh, I'm so upset and having a hard time sleeping" for like two days. Then she just sort of went flat and was able to do other things with her family (who also seemed particularly unfazed).
- There was a side plot with another woman with a missing husband that honestly just left me scratching my head. I don't understand why she was in the story at all. It felt like there was a second book the author wanted to write but didn't have enough substance for a whole novel so she sort of shoehorned it in this one.
- The pacing was too slow. There was so much extraneous stuff that really had nothing to do with the main mystery. I was like half way through the book and it felt like nothing had happened yet.
- The answer to the central mystery of the missing fiancé felt contrived. I also identified the main players early on and knew what his disappearance was related to ages before the end. Everything in between felt like a distraction.
- The actual end of the main book (before the epilogue) was just so upsetting. It didn't need to end that way and it wasn't how I wanted to feel at the end of this story.
- The epilogue was so confusing. Was the author implying that the little girl in the airport was the little girl she was thinking about at that moment? Or did I just read too much into what happens? I don't know. I don't know if I'm even supposed to know. I finished the last page and just sort of went "huh?"
Overall, the three stars are primarily for the clever premise and the ability to write interesting red herrings. But the book as a whole just wasn't it for me.
April 21, 2024
Book Review:
The Call by Kerry Wilkinson
Bookouture, 17th April 2024
Kerry Wilkinson churns out psychological thrillers with such regularity that each time a new one is released, it's read with bated breath, daring the standard to drop. But fear not, The Call is not guilty.
Melody Bryant is holidaying in the small Canadian lakeside town she visited as a child, but this time, the whole family has come along; her father, her son, Sam, and her sister and brother-in-law. Her fiancé Evan is to join them the following day as he had work commitments. But Evan disappears in mysterious circumstances and never reaches their Airbnb cabin.
With each character's side story tendrils, little twists, hints dropped that make you question what you thought you knew, and vividly engrossing writing, this book hooks you in with the peculiar opening conundrum of missing Evan. From that point, you're on a page-turning ride until the final reveal, which totally floored me! This is a great standalone and an easy read that can be demolished over a weekend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for the ARC provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.
#TheCall #KerryWilkinson #Bookouture #NetGalley #ARCReview #BookReview
The Call by Kerry Wilkinson
Bookouture, 17th April 2024
Kerry Wilkinson churns out psychological thrillers with such regularity that each time a new one is released, it's read with bated breath, daring the standard to drop. But fear not, The Call is not guilty.
Melody Bryant is holidaying in the small Canadian lakeside town she visited as a child, but this time, the whole family has come along; her father, her son, Sam, and her sister and brother-in-law. Her fiancé Evan is to join them the following day as he had work commitments. But Evan disappears in mysterious circumstances and never reaches their Airbnb cabin.
With each character's side story tendrils, little twists, hints dropped that make you question what you thought you knew, and vividly engrossing writing, this book hooks you in with the peculiar opening conundrum of missing Evan. From that point, you're on a page-turning ride until the final reveal, which totally floored me! This is a great standalone and an easy read that can be demolished over a weekend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for the ARC provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.
#TheCall #KerryWilkinson #Bookouture #NetGalley #ARCReview #BookReview
March 16, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Melody, her son, dad and sister and brother in law all fly out to Canada. Melody is hoping to recreate the holiday of a lifetime she experienced as a child. Melody’s partner Evan takes a later flight, as he drives towards their holiday home, he is on the phone to Melody. When the call cuts out Evan has disappeared without a trace.
This was a good quick and easy read. I enjoyed the suspense. Melodys frustration was very clear and well written and I felt for her. No support form her sister and little from her father. I’d have liked to have seen those relationships explored further. There were a few red herrings leading up to the finale. Some I figured out but others were deliberately misleading to build up the element of surprise. I enjoy this authors books and writing style. Recommend this one too.
Melody, her son, dad and sister and brother in law all fly out to Canada. Melody is hoping to recreate the holiday of a lifetime she experienced as a child. Melody’s partner Evan takes a later flight, as he drives towards their holiday home, he is on the phone to Melody. When the call cuts out Evan has disappeared without a trace.
This was a good quick and easy read. I enjoyed the suspense. Melodys frustration was very clear and well written and I felt for her. No support form her sister and little from her father. I’d have liked to have seen those relationships explored further. There were a few red herrings leading up to the finale. Some I figured out but others were deliberately misleading to build up the element of surprise. I enjoy this authors books and writing style. Recommend this one too.
March 24, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.
This was really good! The pace was nice, and I love a decent holiday mystery.
Right from the start the author didn’t waste any time getting into the plot, which was great and almost all of the characters were likeable (Nina and Thomas, I felt were a bit useless or could have done more, although I do get what the author was trying to do)
The twist that comes at the end was unexpected. Not too far fetched or convoluted, but believable and will really take you by surprise. I truly enjoyed this.
This was really good! The pace was nice, and I love a decent holiday mystery.
Right from the start the author didn’t waste any time getting into the plot, which was great and almost all of the characters were likeable (Nina and Thomas, I felt were a bit useless or could have done more, although I do get what the author was trying to do)
The twist that comes at the end was unexpected. Not too far fetched or convoluted, but believable and will really take you by surprise. I truly enjoyed this.
March 25, 2024
#TheCall #NetGalley
Melody books a lake home in Canada because she and her sister went there when they were young and had a great time. She invited her sister, brother in law, and father, and her son also comes along. Her fiance needs to arrive a day late because of work matters. Melody receives a phone call from her fiance, Evan, and he tells her he is 10 minutes away. While talking, he says hang on, there's a girl in the road. He says he's getting out of the car to see if she needs help, but then the phone goes dead. So Melody gets her brother in law to drive her to the road that enters the lake, where they find her fiances, Evan, rental car but it's empty. They do find his cell phone and keys and notice his luggage is gone. So where did Evan go. This is a deserted road, only a few scarce homes and the rest is the lake and forest. I lost my interest.
Leave the ending and a little bit of middle but otherwise you'll love this book.
It was so so.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.
Melody books a lake home in Canada because she and her sister went there when they were young and had a great time. She invited her sister, brother in law, and father, and her son also comes along. Her fiance needs to arrive a day late because of work matters. Melody receives a phone call from her fiance, Evan, and he tells her he is 10 minutes away. While talking, he says hang on, there's a girl in the road. He says he's getting out of the car to see if she needs help, but then the phone goes dead. So Melody gets her brother in law to drive her to the road that enters the lake, where they find her fiances, Evan, rental car but it's empty. They do find his cell phone and keys and notice his luggage is gone. So where did Evan go. This is a deserted road, only a few scarce homes and the rest is the lake and forest. I lost my interest.
Leave the ending and a little bit of middle but otherwise you'll love this book.
It was so so.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.
July 24, 2024
Kerry Wilkinson scored again with another stellar thriller! I was entertained throughout to know where Evan disappeared to. I had theories about crazy things going on in the town!
This is a psychological thriller that will grab you from the start & water to keep turning the pages until the end!
Thank you, Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture, & netgalley for my early copy! All opinions are my own.
This is a psychological thriller that will grab you from the start & water to keep turning the pages until the end!
Thank you, Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture, & netgalley for my early copy! All opinions are my own.
March 20, 2024
This was an interesting read that is definitely a thriller! I read this in one sitting and was immediately invested in the characters and the outcome!
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for access to this e-ARC.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for access to this e-ARC.
March 22, 2024
Kerry has done it again, WOW!
This excellent page-turner captivated me from the beginning to the end. The book is a soft-core thriller; no single moment is dull, and the twist comes only in the end. The central mystery that Melody’s fiancé vanishes so suddenly is lost in the fascinating subplots resolved into a neat ending. However, the plot is consistent and engaging among all these intrigues. This book is a must-read for any thriller lover.
Thank you to Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
This excellent page-turner captivated me from the beginning to the end. The book is a soft-core thriller; no single moment is dull, and the twist comes only in the end. The central mystery that Melody’s fiancé vanishes so suddenly is lost in the fascinating subplots resolved into a neat ending. However, the plot is consistent and engaging among all these intrigues. This book is a must-read for any thriller lover.
Thank you to Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
June 22, 2024
slow
The story was okay but it was slow going until the end where it felt like it could have had more
The story was okay but it was slow going until the end where it felt like it could have had more
July 21, 2024
Don't understand the high ratings listed here. This wasn't as bad as other books I have read recently but a lot of things didn't make sense, most of all the ending. In chapter 16, Melody gets tired of correcting people that Evan's her fiance instead of her husband and by then, I was also tired of reading about the correction issue. It serves no purpose in advancing the plot, and then in chapter 18, Melody herself refers to Evan as her husband.
The characters don't behave in ways you would expect normal people to when dealing with a missing person. There's no sense of urgency with any family members about Evan being missing. Melody does stress about it for a little while, but then starts going about her life again. Even if Sam doesn't interact with Evan a ton in daily life, he's old enough where he should be continually asking about his father and stressing about it. He cares about where his father is more before he knows Evan is missing than after he finds out.
The side plot with Lori did not resolve well, or in any believable fashion. The reason leading to the "light bulb moment" was tenuous and neither Lori nor Melody behaved as a normal person would have in their situation.
The side plot with the parents, both their behavior during the first vacation, and the father coming on vacation this time given his money issue and what happened during the first vacation is unbelievable. It would make more sense for the father to bow out and find every reason to not show up. Not sure why the state of the cabin they first stayed in was essential to the plot, especially since it's never explained why that happened.
The ending made no sense to me. The way that the perpetrator is discovered is unbelievable. The clue leading to the discovery is not connected to the actual day of Evan's disappearance so it seems far fetched that anything actually results from it. Not to mention that one paragraph specifically emphasizes that Melody stopped listening to the mums and also notes that Melody paid attention to the mums, which seems to be poor editing. Why draw specific attention to Melody not listening when she needs to listen in order for the the plot to advance?
The reason for Evan being taken is unbelievable. Based on the reason, the wrong victim was taken.
The actions at the end of the person who took Evan were unbelievable. If the person was angry enough to do what they did, it didn't make sense that they behaved normally while interacting with the family up to that point (plus, based on the reason given, they took the wrong person).
Didn't understand the point of the epilogue.
The characters don't behave in ways you would expect normal people to when dealing with a missing person. There's no sense of urgency with any family members about Evan being missing. Melody does stress about it for a little while, but then starts going about her life again. Even if Sam doesn't interact with Evan a ton in daily life, he's old enough where he should be continually asking about his father and stressing about it. He cares about where his father is more before he knows Evan is missing than after he finds out.
The side plot with Lori did not resolve well, or in any believable fashion. The reason leading to the "light bulb moment" was tenuous and neither Lori nor Melody behaved as a normal person would have in their situation.
The side plot with the parents, both their behavior during the first vacation, and the father coming on vacation this time given his money issue and what happened during the first vacation is unbelievable. It would make more sense for the father to bow out and find every reason to not show up. Not sure why the state of the cabin they first stayed in was essential to the plot, especially since it's never explained why that happened.
The ending made no sense to me. The way that the perpetrator is discovered is unbelievable. The clue leading to the discovery is not connected to the actual day of Evan's disappearance so it seems far fetched that anything actually results from it. Not to mention that one paragraph specifically emphasizes that Melody stopped listening to the mums and also notes that Melody paid attention to the mums, which seems to be poor editing. Why draw specific attention to Melody not listening when she needs to listen in order for the the plot to advance?
The reason for Evan being taken is unbelievable. Based on the reason, the wrong victim was taken.
The actions at the end of the person who took Evan were unbelievable. If the person was angry enough to do what they did, it didn't make sense that they behaved normally while interacting with the family up to that point (plus, based on the reason given, they took the wrong person).
Didn't understand the point of the epilogue.
March 16, 2024
Kerry Wilkinson, The Call, Bookouture, April 2024.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
I have been an avid follower of Kerry Wilkinson’s work, the stand-alone novels and the absorbing Whitcliffe Bay series. The Call, however, has been a great disappointment. Admittedly, I was intrigued by the premise and the first part of the novel. It begins with a scene between two sisters in a beautiful location. Their father’s walking off his back pain from the flight is his familiar reaction to any health issue. Familiar holiday activities on the lake break the silence. Even as the loneliness and difficulty in getting to the holiday house by the lake on Vancouver Island establishes the gradual fear that will grow as the narrative proceeds, a comfortable atmosphere has been established. With a child fast asleep after the flight from England, one husband in bed using his laptop and two sisters reminiscing and drinking happily together, what can go wrong?
A phone call from Melody’s husband who is driving towards them initially continues the somnambulant atmosphere with discussion about his rental car, a missing Garmin (and the sense of home and familiarity around his exercise records), renting bikes and the possibility of having to buy food supplies - until he sees a child in the road, Melody hears the sounds of scraping on the road, a car door slamming, a little of Evan’s conversation, and, then, silence.
Evan cannot be located, and Melody and her family have to contend with a police presence based on the loneliness of the location, a different social environment, the possibility that Evan’s absence is not being taken seriously and the need to maintain a sense of normalcy for Sam, his and Melody’s child. The determination to remain normal, includes Melody’s sister and brother-in-law continuing the holiday activities they had planned and Sam going to summer camp. Sam’s attendance at the camp is based on Melody’s wish to relive her own childhood memories on Vancouver Island. Continuing the background sense of unease, Melody’s positive memories of their previous holiday are not shared by her father and sister,
Despite some of these intriguing features, some twists, and an explanation of Evan’s disappearance that is satisfactory, for me The Call did not meet the standards established by Kerry Wilkinson’s previous work. I look forward to the next Kerry Wilkinson to renew my appreciation.
.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
I have been an avid follower of Kerry Wilkinson’s work, the stand-alone novels and the absorbing Whitcliffe Bay series. The Call, however, has been a great disappointment. Admittedly, I was intrigued by the premise and the first part of the novel. It begins with a scene between two sisters in a beautiful location. Their father’s walking off his back pain from the flight is his familiar reaction to any health issue. Familiar holiday activities on the lake break the silence. Even as the loneliness and difficulty in getting to the holiday house by the lake on Vancouver Island establishes the gradual fear that will grow as the narrative proceeds, a comfortable atmosphere has been established. With a child fast asleep after the flight from England, one husband in bed using his laptop and two sisters reminiscing and drinking happily together, what can go wrong?
A phone call from Melody’s husband who is driving towards them initially continues the somnambulant atmosphere with discussion about his rental car, a missing Garmin (and the sense of home and familiarity around his exercise records), renting bikes and the possibility of having to buy food supplies - until he sees a child in the road, Melody hears the sounds of scraping on the road, a car door slamming, a little of Evan’s conversation, and, then, silence.
Evan cannot be located, and Melody and her family have to contend with a police presence based on the loneliness of the location, a different social environment, the possibility that Evan’s absence is not being taken seriously and the need to maintain a sense of normalcy for Sam, his and Melody’s child. The determination to remain normal, includes Melody’s sister and brother-in-law continuing the holiday activities they had planned and Sam going to summer camp. Sam’s attendance at the camp is based on Melody’s wish to relive her own childhood memories on Vancouver Island. Continuing the background sense of unease, Melody’s positive memories of their previous holiday are not shared by her father and sister,
Despite some of these intriguing features, some twists, and an explanation of Evan’s disappearance that is satisfactory, for me The Call did not meet the standards established by Kerry Wilkinson’s previous work. I look forward to the next Kerry Wilkinson to renew my appreciation.
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March 22, 2024
I must begin by saying I really like this author. This book, however, was a flop for me. The writing was excellent as was the character development. The story was fast paced and interesting. I just didn't take to it.
Melody books a lake home in Canada because she and her sister went there when they were young and had a great time. She invited her sister, brother in law, and father, and her son also comes along. Her fiance needs to arrive a day late because of work matters. Melody receives a phone call from her fiance, Evan, and he tells her he is 10 minutes away. While talking, he says hang on, there's a girl in the road. He says he's getting out of the car to see if she needs help, but then the phone goes dead. So Melody gets her brother in law to drive her to the road that enters the lake, where they find her fiances, Evan, rental car but it's empty. They do find his cell phone and keys and notice his luggage is gone. So where did Evan go. This is a deserted road, only a few scarce homes and the rest is the lake and forest.
So, this is where I kind of lose the plot. Melody is not the brightest bulb it seems. She waits to call the police. There is one person manning the entire station. They don't take the car or his cell phone or anything. The next day, she's waiting around because she thinks it's too early to call the police to check if there's any news. Her sister and brother in law run off to do touristy things. Her father plays on his Ipad and goes for walks. Like WTH. She decides not to tell her son his father is missing so it doesn't ruin his vacation. The son is due to go to camp, just like Melody did back when she was there as a kid. And, ps, do not call Evan her husband. She will remind you that is her fiance. Over and over and over.
I was able to breeze through this thank goodness. I could not relate to any of the characters. I didn't even like them. Who goes and does touristy things when someone is missing. Anyway, I will continue reading her books. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do recommend this book as others loved it. It just wasn't my thing.
Melody books a lake home in Canada because she and her sister went there when they were young and had a great time. She invited her sister, brother in law, and father, and her son also comes along. Her fiance needs to arrive a day late because of work matters. Melody receives a phone call from her fiance, Evan, and he tells her he is 10 minutes away. While talking, he says hang on, there's a girl in the road. He says he's getting out of the car to see if she needs help, but then the phone goes dead. So Melody gets her brother in law to drive her to the road that enters the lake, where they find her fiances, Evan, rental car but it's empty. They do find his cell phone and keys and notice his luggage is gone. So where did Evan go. This is a deserted road, only a few scarce homes and the rest is the lake and forest.
So, this is where I kind of lose the plot. Melody is not the brightest bulb it seems. She waits to call the police. There is one person manning the entire station. They don't take the car or his cell phone or anything. The next day, she's waiting around because she thinks it's too early to call the police to check if there's any news. Her sister and brother in law run off to do touristy things. Her father plays on his Ipad and goes for walks. Like WTH. She decides not to tell her son his father is missing so it doesn't ruin his vacation. The son is due to go to camp, just like Melody did back when she was there as a kid. And, ps, do not call Evan her husband. She will remind you that is her fiance. Over and over and over.
I was able to breeze through this thank goodness. I could not relate to any of the characters. I didn't even like them. Who goes and does touristy things when someone is missing. Anyway, I will continue reading her books. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do recommend this book as others loved it. It just wasn't my thing.
May 4, 2024
The premise of this was interesting to me. But there were so many details that didn’t pertain to the story. A lot of it was repetitive, going over the same thing again and again. Then something would happen but there would be 3 pages describing things that didn’t matter – the scenery, etc. I skimmed a lot but kept reading, wanted to find out what happened to Evan.
Melody had many great memories of a vacation her family went on when she was a child, 30 years ago. So her and her fiancé Evan and their son Sam, Melody’s sister Nina and her husband Thomas and their Dad all go back to this place. Evan is going to arrive the day after the others. Evan calls and says he is 10 minutes away then never shows up. They wait and wait and then Melody and Thomas go looking for him, find his car but no Evan. Melody reports him missing. And then really nothing happens with Evan. Sam goes go camp as planned, which I found very odd. What family goes on vacation and then the child goes to camp? Nina and Thomas go see the sites. The dad spends the day going on walks and playing on his i-pad. There is not much she can do, but you’d think her family would stick by her for support,
There are a lot of weird things going on here. Melody and Evan are not married. OK not a big deal but their son is 9 years old, Melody portrays them as a loving couple, any time someone says her “husband” she corrects them. There is no explanation of why they are not married, just there is a wedding planned for later.
Then Melody meets a local woman. Melody mentions she went to camp there as a child. One of the other kids who she knew back then is still living in the area. She goes to meet this woman. She hasn’t seen the woman in 30 years so not sure what she suspected to happen, but the woman brings up memories of camp that aren’t so happy.
Sam makes some friends at camp. Melody lets him go to the boy’s house after camp. No questions asked, doesn’t know the mom, doesn’t even know where they live.
By the time this wrapped up the ending didn’t seem that shocking. I didn’t suspect but it seemed flat.
Melody had many great memories of a vacation her family went on when she was a child, 30 years ago. So her and her fiancé Evan and their son Sam, Melody’s sister Nina and her husband Thomas and their Dad all go back to this place. Evan is going to arrive the day after the others. Evan calls and says he is 10 minutes away then never shows up. They wait and wait and then Melody and Thomas go looking for him, find his car but no Evan. Melody reports him missing. And then really nothing happens with Evan. Sam goes go camp as planned, which I found very odd. What family goes on vacation and then the child goes to camp? Nina and Thomas go see the sites. The dad spends the day going on walks and playing on his i-pad. There is not much she can do, but you’d think her family would stick by her for support,
There are a lot of weird things going on here. Melody and Evan are not married. OK not a big deal but their son is 9 years old, Melody portrays them as a loving couple, any time someone says her “husband” she corrects them. There is no explanation of why they are not married, just there is a wedding planned for later.
Then Melody meets a local woman. Melody mentions she went to camp there as a child. One of the other kids who she knew back then is still living in the area. She goes to meet this woman. She hasn’t seen the woman in 30 years so not sure what she suspected to happen, but the woman brings up memories of camp that aren’t so happy.
Sam makes some friends at camp. Melody lets him go to the boy’s house after camp. No questions asked, doesn’t know the mom, doesn’t even know where they live.
By the time this wrapped up the ending didn’t seem that shocking. I didn’t suspect but it seemed flat.
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