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Recall

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From the multi-award winning author of Him comes another mind-bending psychological horror that speaks to the darkest recesses of the human psyche.

After suffering a brutal and random attack, Daniel Henderson is left fighting for his life. As he embarks on the long road to recovery, he begins experiencing disturbing visions. Fleeting and half-glanced, they are visions of women being murdered, women who are victims of the Tallyman, the notorious serial killer whose reign of terror began forty years ago.

As Daniel’s family start to put back together the pieces of their life, Daniel dismisses his visions as traumatic hallucinations. But as they become more vivid, he finds himself haunted by details that only the killer could know.

Tormented by memories that aren't his own, soon Daniel is driven to hunt down a killer who’s murders have loomed over his entire life. Sacrificing sanity itself, Daniel begins on a terrifying journey into madness to confront a darkness more warped and unexpected than he could ever have imagined.

Narrated by James McAvoy, and perfect for fans of Stephen King and John Marrs, JD Kirk delivers another terrifying blockbuster which shines a light on the hidden evil buried within us all.

Audiobook

Published February 26, 2026

175 people are currently reading
128 people want to read

About the author

J.D. Kirk

54 books1,844 followers
JD Kirk is the pen name of multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and writer of comics, Barry Hutchison.

JD Kirk lives in the Highlands of Scotland with his wife, two children, and a number of sturdy umbrellas. Despite writing from a young age, 'A Litter of Bones' is his first novel, and combines his love of the Highlands, crime thrillers, and cats.

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5 stars
232 (30%)
4 stars
347 (45%)
3 stars
152 (19%)
2 stars
27 (3%)
1 star
4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
Profile Image for Lena Silk.
24 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2026
5+ hours of James McAvoy’s voice. That is all.
Profile Image for Christine.
425 reviews22 followers
March 3, 2026
I’m probably not a good source of info here, as James McAvoy could read the ingredients on a cereal box and I’d give it 4 stars so idk
Profile Image for Lavins.
1,385 reviews79 followers
March 16, 2026
4.5 stars rounded up

THIS is how you write a page turning, nail biting thriller. Absolutely brilliant.

And I gotta say, the narration definitely adds a 1.5 stars to this book.

After suffering a brutal and random attack, Daniel Henderson begins experiencing disturbing visions. visions of women being murdered.

The book is fantastic, and i love how it unfolds. JD Kirk did an amazing job writing the book and making the reader live the states Daniel Henderson goes through with every revelation as intensely as he does.

The ending is excellent and not at all predictable. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Lisa Guiry.
94 reviews21 followers
March 25, 2026
I listened to this today in it's entirety in one go. I was obsessed.
The book was incredible from start to finish. It was very intense throughout but I liked it. I am a huge fan of J.D Kirk.

I have to mention how James McAvoy was the perfect Narrator for this book. He did a fantastic job getting into the real, raw emotions of each character. He put great effort into making this story come to life like it was him re-living it. Incredibly well done.

I loved this so much and highly recommend.
Profile Image for Alysia.
3 reviews
March 7, 2026
Oh my gosh, this book was amazing. But the narration was even better. Would I have enjoyed the book if I’d read it on my own: yes, I would. It was twisty, which I love. I did’t figure the ending out but once it got to the big reveal, I was like, well obviously. But James McAvoy’s deliverance? Nothing short of absolutely spectacular. I’ve always enjoyed him on screen, but this was like nothing I’ve ever heard before. He completely drew me into the story. I was only sorry I couldn’t finish it in one go but had to break it up since it was audio. I 100% recommend!
11 reviews
March 14, 2026
Recall has a really interesting premise and starts off strong, but it didn’t fully live up to its potential for me.

The idea behind the story is very intriguing. Daniel Henderson surviving a brutal attack and then experiencing visions connected to an old serial killer case creates a dark and creepy atmosphere. The early chapters pull you in quickly, and the concept of seeing the murders through these visions makes for some genuinely unsettling moments.

However, as the book goes on, the story starts to feel a bit repetitive. Many of the vision scenes follow a similar pattern - Daniel experiences a violent memory, wakes up disturbed, and then struggles to convince others what he saw. While these scenes are effective at first, they begin to feel predictable after a while and slow the momentum of the story.

The supporting characters also could have been developed more. Relationships, especially with characters like Cassie, feel somewhat shallow, which makes the emotional side of the story less impactful than it could have been.

The twist and explanation behind Daniel’s visions is interesting, but it arrives quite quickly compared to the build-up. A bit more depth toward the end might have made the resolution more satisfying.

Overall, Recall is still an entertaining and creepy thriller with a unique concept, but the repetitive middle and underdeveloped characters kept it from being a standout read for me.
20 reviews
February 28, 2026
I really enjoyed the narration from James! The storyline was good, I found the flicking back and to interesting and I did not have a clue who the Tallyman was, it's always a bonus when you can't see the end coming. The fact that this title is included with the audible membership is also a major bonus 👍🏻
Profile Image for Sammy.
1,973 reviews20 followers
March 24, 2026
The story itself requires a little suspension of disbelief (not a problem for me), but where this really shines is the narration by James McAvoy, which is exceptional.

However, not for people who can't stomach gore.
Profile Image for Leah Toole.
Author 9 books167 followers
March 7, 2026
4.5 audiobooked it and loved it!! James mcavoy in my ear certainly helped. great story. great actor. great voice 🫠
Profile Image for Jenna.
56 reviews
March 11, 2026
Who better than JD Kirk to get me out of my reading slump! Thrilling narration from James McAvoy
Profile Image for Gracie McLaugh.
6 reviews
March 19, 2026
This was so good, legit could not stop listening to it. James McAvoy does an amazing job and the story is so well written. Legit could not guess the ending and every twist I was wrong about. Amazing
48 reviews
March 21, 2026
Ooh! This was good, scary, thought provoking and quite honestly mind chilling at the thought of what our brains could be susceptible to….. never trust anyone
23 reviews
Read
February 26, 2026
JD Kirk, always a good bet, just got a copy today
12 reviews
March 7, 2026
Amazing psychological thriller, just couldn’t stop listening.
Profile Image for Sylvie.
Author 10 books37 followers
March 7, 2026
The book is weak and predictable. It was saved by the beautiful performance/reading of James McAvoy
Profile Image for Starling Wilkie.
69 reviews2 followers
March 8, 2026
This may not have been to my taste on the page but with James McAvoy’s narration it was totally gripping as an audio book.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
9 reviews
March 14, 2026
Great story, well written, compelling and twisty, with a well planned and executed ending. Best part though, is James McAvoy’s voice reading it to you. Get the audio book. Don’t miss it. You’re welcome.
34 reviews
March 12, 2026
From the multi-award winning author of Him comes another mind-bending psychological horror that speaks to the darkest recesses of the human psyche.

After suffering a brutal and random attack, Daniel Henderson is left fighting for his life. As he embarks on the long road to recovery, he begins experiencing disturbing visions. Fleeting and half-glanced, they are visions of women being murdered, women who are victims of the Tallyman, the notorious serial killer whose reign of terror began forty years ago.

As Daniel’s family start to put back together the pieces of their life, Daniel dismisses his visions as traumatic hallucinations. But as they become more vivid, he finds himself haunted by details that only the killer could know.

Tormented by memories that aren’t his own, soon Daniel is driven to hunt down a killer whose murders have loomed over his entire life. Sacrificing sanity itself, Daniel begins on a terrifying journey into madness to confront a darkness more warped and unexpected than he could ever have imagined.
Profile Image for Christine Rennie.
3,025 reviews43 followers
March 14, 2026
Recall by J D Kirk and narrated by James McAvoy is one of the most terrifying, scary and believable storylines I have read/listened to for some time. The narration was incredible, James McAvoy got the tones of the voices perfectly, there was panic when necessary and there was the absolutely terrifying voice which was truly scary.
It was a mind bending horror story that reverberates through your mind and is very believable.
The Tallyman , the serial killer is brought to life once again and he is even more ruthless than he was at the start of his career.Daniel Henderson is a s hook teacher before he was viciously attacked by three random youths. He nearly died but is now at home recovering from his injuries when he starts hallucinating about women who have been murdered, enter The Tallyman.
Highly recommended
Profile Image for Nandini Reddy Dayal.
383 reviews1 follower
March 15, 2026
If there was a book I knew I would love before I read it then this one was it.

I had listened to J D Kirk's book "Him" and liked the style he adopts to present complex psychological themes. In "Recall", Daniel Henderson is recovering from a brutal attack. During the recovery process he sees fleeting visions of women being attacked. Unable to understand if he was remembering past events or if these were visions from a famous serial killer, Tallyman.

Even before I read who the author was I think I stopped at this book because it was read by James McAvoy. An sometimes those impulsive decisions work well. The heavy Scottish accent takes a bit of getting used to but once you do the story ticks all the boxes in terms of a psychological thriller. It builds slowly and races towards the end that you don't expect.
40 reviews
March 17, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. The plot actually felt fresh, which is getting harder & harder to find these days when so many stories start to blur together. This one managed to go in its own direction & kept my interest the whole way through.
The narrator did a fantastic job as well. The voice was spot on, easy to listen to & the reading had great inflection & pacing. You could tell they understood the tone of the story & brought the characters & scenes to life without overdoing it. That kind of narration really makes a difference in an audiobook.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience from start to finish. A unique storyline paired with strong narration made it an easy listen. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author. I’d happily pick up another one of their books.
Profile Image for Anna Yevtushenko.
185 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2026
This was an interesting listen. At first, it was a bit challenging to follow because of the Scottish accent in the narration, but James McAvoy did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. His performance definitely elevated the overall experience.

The story itself felt more psychologically gripping than action-driven. Much of the tension comes from being inside the main character’s thoughts and commentary, which made the narrative engaging even though it wasn’t always very linear.

One of the most satisfying moments for me was realizing that I had correctly guessed who the serial killer was — I felt quite proud of myself for that.

Overall, it was a good audiobook. Not the most outstanding one I’ve listened to, but definitely engaging, and James McAvoy’s narration made it worth it.
1,437 reviews23 followers
March 9, 2026
4⭐️

Included in Audible Plus

I had the audiobook of this psychological horror read by James McAvoy who is so easy to listen to. His narration is excellent, his tones just lovely.

Daniel is left fighting for his life after a senseless att@ck. On his long slow road to recovery he starts experiencing disturbing visions. They are visions of women being m*rdered by The Tallyman, a notorious seri@l killer whose reign started 40 years ago. Initially he dismisses these as traumatic hallucinations.

This is very different, I was caught up in the tension for a good time, but then it switched to become irritating. I’m not great with unreliability. But then the reveal was shocking , impressive, I didn’t see that coming. I thought I knew which direction it was taking so well done JD!

Profile Image for Victoria Readman.
251 reviews4 followers
March 4, 2026
I was scrolling through Audible and this little beauty popped up. J.D Kirk is an author I will read everything he writes, and then add the brilliance of James McAvoy's narration and you're on to a WINNER!

The story was very dark, full of suspense and twists. This experience was thrilling, if you know McAvoy's work then there will be elements that reminded you of Split. To change your voice in such a sinister way is a master skill. The plot was great, I really liked the flashback scenes of the Tallyman's victims told through Daniel Henderson's eyes ... my heart was racing so much and driving home for work when the killer was revealled. OMG!! Very clever writing, there is another original audible but with David Tenant narrating and your gurl is going to listening!
120 reviews
March 13, 2026
Recall, a book about a victim of an attack who starts to get strange memories after it...

I am still stunned....
Recall was an excellent book. It had me right from the start and kept me guessing all the way through. Just when you think there is a twist. Finally the ending had my jaw drop to the floor.
I listened to it on Audio on Audible. I know it would have been an excellent read as well, one of those books where you would want to put your life on hold for day or two to finish it.
The Audio version, however was amazing. James McAvoy did an EXCELLENT job, he deserves a Grammy for his portrayal.
Loved this book!!!!
Profile Image for Tyrone Murray.
9 reviews
March 19, 2026
I listen to this on audiobook while working . McAvoy is an excellent narrator he has a real talent and it made the story go by way easier . The story is interesting concept and it moves along at a medium to slow pace sometime slowing down to a point where I had to shut down and come back after a while . I enjoyed the story for the most part the thick accent can get in the way a bit . It was a free book on audible so that was a plus . I wouldn’t not recommend it but I would also say if you have anything that you know is a great book then wait on this one. Overall a solid 3 to 3.5 bonus for narration of course.
Profile Image for Gemma Rogers.
Author 15 books598 followers
March 20, 2026
JD Kirk delivers again.

This audiobook was fantastic - James McAvoy is an amazing narrator, conveying every emotion with utter conviction making the character of Daniel believable from the start. Not surprising as he's a brilliant actor.

Daniel is at a restaurant with his wife and son, stepping in to diffuse a situation with some teenage thugs he is beaten senseless, to the point of being in a coma. When he slowly wakes up his mind is different, he's experiencing flashbacks and memories of an infamous serial killer called The Tallyman who has been active for decades. Determined to find out who he is and the connection between them takes Daniel down some very dark paths.

Recommend!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews

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