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Cold Caller
Once Bill Moss was a rising VP at a topflight ad agency, but now he works as a "cold caller" at a telemarketing firm in the Times Square area. He's got a bad case of the urban blues. Still, he's good at his work and (he thinks) about to be promoted, when out of the blue he's fired. So Bill snaps . . . and the next thing he knows he has a dead supervisor on his hands and problems no career counselor can help him with.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
24 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Jason Starr
116 books246 followersJason Starr is the international bestselling author of many crime novels and thrillers, including Cold Caller, The Follower, The Pack and The Next Time I Die. He also writes comics for Marvel (Wolverine, The Punisher) and DC (Batman, The Avenger) and original graphic novels such as Red Border and Casual Fling. In addition, he writes film and TV tie-in novels including an official Ant-Man novel and the Gotham novels based on the hit TV show. His books have been published in sixteen languages and several of his novels are in development for film and TV. He has won the Anthony Award for mystery fiction twice, as well as a Barry Award. Starr lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
June 18, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. Cold Caller was fast paced, had dark humour, and felt like a bit of a tame version of American Psycho at times. This was really easy to listen to in audiobook format, and I found myself taking it around the house with me all day, as I couldn't stop listening to it.
I borrowed this through Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
I borrowed this through Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
February 9, 2023
This wasn’t the kind of novel by Jason Starr I was expecting. It lacked the action and humor I’m accustomed to in books by him.
Instead this became a gripping if leisurely paced, almost plodding, thriller. Told in the first-person, the first two thirds were consumed with intricate details of the narrator’s job as a telemarketer, his ambitions for a better position in the company, and his manipulative handling of fellow employees and bosses. Even worse is his toying with the emotions of his fiancée when at home.
As the novel progresses the reader comes to realize that there are multiple facets to our narrator’s personality. At some point the novel becomes intolerably suspenseful, almost horrific.
This is a very well written thriller with a narrator out of the Jim Thompson school of psychotics. The wrap up is a real shocker.
Instead this became a gripping if leisurely paced, almost plodding, thriller. Told in the first-person, the first two thirds were consumed with intricate details of the narrator’s job as a telemarketer, his ambitions for a better position in the company, and his manipulative handling of fellow employees and bosses. Even worse is his toying with the emotions of his fiancée when at home.
As the novel progresses the reader comes to realize that there are multiple facets to our narrator’s personality. At some point the novel becomes intolerably suspenseful, almost horrific.
This is a very well written thriller with a narrator out of the Jim Thompson school of psychotics. The wrap up is a real shocker.
September 19, 2015
The plot is easy to follow,and narrative crisp and clear,but sorry something is missing for me.Probably I have a deja-vu feeling that I've read this kind before.Reading it again may give me a different impression.
January 1, 2020
Darkly comic take of a deluded egotist making some very bad decisions.. highly readable!
Cold Caller is Jason Starr’s 1997 debut and is classified as American noir, specifically hard-boiled white collar noir and having read very little of the genre I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. Whilst I am not sure that I enjoyed the novel or would recommend it, I certainly couldn’t stop reading and that certainly says something. Why? Firstly due to how bizarre it seemed and secondly due to the wryly amusing, serial lying and immoral protagonist whose first-person narrative makes him strangely easy to empathise with.
Bill Moss is in his early thirties and should have been somebody in the world of advertising up until losing his job as a VP of marketing at a major New York agency two years earlier. Taking a job as a cold caller at a telemarketing firm was only supposed to be a temporary stopgap and despite his aptitude for the job, he considers it well beneath him. Unfulfilled and fed up renting a cramped apartment with Julie, the whining girlfriend who is holding him back, a disastrous commute and the petty bureaucracy of his line-manager sees him snap. But when the unexpected upshot results in being promoted to the assistant to the officious telemarketing manager, Bill is in no doubt that his time has come and is already dreaming of his swift return to his old career. But Bill, smart and well-educated with an MBA, has big plans and when his fat-headed manger, Ed O’Brien, throws a spanner in the works he succumbs to his fury and starts to take out anything standing in his way!
Bill is the ultimate unreliable narrator and very economical with the truth, even to himself. A deluded egotist with an iceberg size chip of his shoulder, his narrative withholds the reason he lost his job and portrays those that surround him through his own very biased perspective. There is little objective about his make-up and his belief that he is right is unfailing, with those that disagree either simply stupid or jealous of his talent. However his dedication to his work cannot be faulted and terms of productivity and hours worked his record after promotion is stellar.
Whilst I wouldn’t particularly categorise the book as a thriller given there is nothing too surprising about Bill’s downward spiral as his lies, half-heartedly makes an effort to cover-up his crimes and deals with the unforeseen consequences, it is undoubtedly a compelling ride. Although it takes until the half-way mark for Bill to actually despatch his boss. the build-up to it is hugely entertaining as from the get-go he is a loose canon heading towards a disaster given the size of his ego and lack of conscience.
In parts the story reminded me of a calmer and less gratuitous version on American Psycho whilst at others I struggled to follow the protagonists random chain of thought which saw him incensed by the petty bureaucracy of his telemarketing job at one moment to fantasising about prostitutes the next. I did feel that Bill’s relationship with Julie (a needy embarrassment to women everywhere) added little to the story and was noticeably less tense than any of the time he spent in the workplace.
The ending is near perfect and a satisfying resolution to a short, slick and blackly comic novel and Cold Caller is an atmospheric and crazy look at a telemarketer releasing his frustrations in the most extreme of ways! A short novel of cynical suspense that leaves a lasting impression and the memory of an unforgettable character whose engaging narrative makes him oddly likeable!
So whilst I wouldn’t actively seek out any more of this authors books, I would definitely read another it if the opportunity arose.
Cold Caller is Jason Starr’s 1997 debut and is classified as American noir, specifically hard-boiled white collar noir and having read very little of the genre I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. Whilst I am not sure that I enjoyed the novel or would recommend it, I certainly couldn’t stop reading and that certainly says something. Why? Firstly due to how bizarre it seemed and secondly due to the wryly amusing, serial lying and immoral protagonist whose first-person narrative makes him strangely easy to empathise with.
Bill Moss is in his early thirties and should have been somebody in the world of advertising up until losing his job as a VP of marketing at a major New York agency two years earlier. Taking a job as a cold caller at a telemarketing firm was only supposed to be a temporary stopgap and despite his aptitude for the job, he considers it well beneath him. Unfulfilled and fed up renting a cramped apartment with Julie, the whining girlfriend who is holding him back, a disastrous commute and the petty bureaucracy of his line-manager sees him snap. But when the unexpected upshot results in being promoted to the assistant to the officious telemarketing manager, Bill is in no doubt that his time has come and is already dreaming of his swift return to his old career. But Bill, smart and well-educated with an MBA, has big plans and when his fat-headed manger, Ed O’Brien, throws a spanner in the works he succumbs to his fury and starts to take out anything standing in his way!
Bill is the ultimate unreliable narrator and very economical with the truth, even to himself. A deluded egotist with an iceberg size chip of his shoulder, his narrative withholds the reason he lost his job and portrays those that surround him through his own very biased perspective. There is little objective about his make-up and his belief that he is right is unfailing, with those that disagree either simply stupid or jealous of his talent. However his dedication to his work cannot be faulted and terms of productivity and hours worked his record after promotion is stellar.
Whilst I wouldn’t particularly categorise the book as a thriller given there is nothing too surprising about Bill’s downward spiral as his lies, half-heartedly makes an effort to cover-up his crimes and deals with the unforeseen consequences, it is undoubtedly a compelling ride. Although it takes until the half-way mark for Bill to actually despatch his boss. the build-up to it is hugely entertaining as from the get-go he is a loose canon heading towards a disaster given the size of his ego and lack of conscience.
In parts the story reminded me of a calmer and less gratuitous version on American Psycho whilst at others I struggled to follow the protagonists random chain of thought which saw him incensed by the petty bureaucracy of his telemarketing job at one moment to fantasising about prostitutes the next. I did feel that Bill’s relationship with Julie (a needy embarrassment to women everywhere) added little to the story and was noticeably less tense than any of the time he spent in the workplace.
The ending is near perfect and a satisfying resolution to a short, slick and blackly comic novel and Cold Caller is an atmospheric and crazy look at a telemarketer releasing his frustrations in the most extreme of ways! A short novel of cynical suspense that leaves a lasting impression and the memory of an unforgettable character whose engaging narrative makes him oddly likeable!
So whilst I wouldn’t actively seek out any more of this authors books, I would definitely read another it if the opportunity arose.
October 16, 2008
The book that launched Jason Starr's career, and the book that got me hooked onto his dark, crime noir style of writing.
All his protagonists are creepy, devious, and evil. Yet you can't seem to avoid rooting for them to get out of their predicaments.
The closest author I can think of who most resembles his works and characters is Patricia Highsmith and her famous Talented Mr. Tom Ripley character.
All his protagonists are creepy, devious, and evil. Yet you can't seem to avoid rooting for them to get out of their predicaments.
The closest author I can think of who most resembles his works and characters is Patricia Highsmith and her famous Talented Mr. Tom Ripley character.
September 9, 2008
I always knew that telemarketers were sociopaths. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.
January 4, 2021
0 stars.
I was... thoroughly disappointed. Maybe my copy was wrong, but calling this a 'book' would be an insult to all the other novels out there.
Let's start with the things I liked.
I actually liked the writing style. Though it wasn't anything special, it was good and was actually the only thing that was consistent and good throughout this... story.
Every character had a distinct 'voice'.
Now to the stuff I didn't like.... oh boy.
It read like a first draught of a school boy, who is the most "amazing writer" out there. Or who believes himself to be. The boy wanted to have certain things happen in the story, but failed to connect any of them.
The best summary of this book would be: "Things happen, because they happen I guess."
Sometimes the author would forget, that anything happens before and every new scene read like a completely new story. The connections were so loose, you might as well say that there were none.
I also loved, when the first 50 pages everyone in the story made such a huge fuss about the scar, just to forget it the next 250 pages.
What I also really "enjoyed", was that the story started kicking in at around the middle. In the first half, Bill talked about his slut kink and how much he wants to dick down a slut. I also love how this went nowhere.
In the beginning the author gave all of the characters a personality, just to shit on that. Of course these were stereotypical and not exactly 'realistic', but I could've rolled with it, if he just kept to their personalities and not ruin everything he build.
There was absolutely no character development which was ruined by a not consistent character in the first place.
Bill was the egotistical, arrogant prick who is only living for himself. Julie was the good girl. Basically she just served to exist for Bill and some internal drama of his.
The author did Julie very dirty, when she stabbed Bill. I get that he wanted to show, how "broken" she was by everything, but not a single time has Julie acted impulsively. She is a smart woman who is capable of a lot of things and she chooses to basically ruin her life. Or it would've ruined her life, if the police was not dumb as bricks and had realised she had done it.
I also absolutely hated the ending. I get that the author wanted to "serve karma", but instead he made the perpetrator to the victim. I would've enjoyed it way more, if the police got him from good detective work and he would've ended up in prison. Rotting his life away.
And Julie deserved so much better anyway. She stayed with him throughout all of it. When he got promoted and she quit, so that they could move? She stayed with him. When he started fights with her and also pushed her? She stayed with him. When they basically where to strangers living together and she wanted nothing more than a close relationship with her boyfriend, but he failed to do that? She stayed with him. She deserved so much better.
In conclusion, the story made no sense, there was no foreshadowing. Me and my boyfriend discussed a clever twist the book could've had. (From any given point the author could've written a so much better story, but we took the scene with David and Sharon.) Also important: in German the title is: "Top Job".
What if they actually moved to Seattle and this was about him discovering that the top job was taking care of the family as the house "man", while his wife would go to work? He could've shown the reader that, unlike David said, a man isn't just about his work. That the quality of his "work" defines him.
I know this was supposed to be a thriller, but the only thrilling thing about this was when I read the last page and was finally done with it. Every time there was a "thrilling" scene, I had to do a double-take, because it came out of nowhere. No build up, no structure.
Also, too long to be a good hate-read-story.
I was... thoroughly disappointed. Maybe my copy was wrong, but calling this a 'book' would be an insult to all the other novels out there.
Let's start with the things I liked.
I actually liked the writing style. Though it wasn't anything special, it was good and was actually the only thing that was consistent and good throughout this... story.
Every character had a distinct 'voice'.
Now to the stuff I didn't like.... oh boy.
It read like a first draught of a school boy, who is the most "amazing writer" out there. Or who believes himself to be. The boy wanted to have certain things happen in the story, but failed to connect any of them.
The best summary of this book would be: "Things happen, because they happen I guess."
Sometimes the author would forget, that anything happens before and every new scene read like a completely new story. The connections were so loose, you might as well say that there were none.
I also loved, when the first 50 pages everyone in the story made such a huge fuss about the scar, just to forget it the next 250 pages.
What I also really "enjoyed", was that the story started kicking in at around the middle. In the first half, Bill talked about his slut kink and how much he wants to dick down a slut. I also love how this went nowhere.
In the beginning the author gave all of the characters a personality, just to shit on that. Of course these were stereotypical and not exactly 'realistic', but I could've rolled with it, if he just kept to their personalities and not ruin everything he build.
There was absolutely no character development which was ruined by a not consistent character in the first place.
Bill was the egotistical, arrogant prick who is only living for himself. Julie was the good girl. Basically she just served to exist for Bill and some internal drama of his.
The author did Julie very dirty, when she stabbed Bill. I get that he wanted to show, how "broken" she was by everything, but not a single time has Julie acted impulsively. She is a smart woman who is capable of a lot of things and she chooses to basically ruin her life. Or it would've ruined her life, if the police was not dumb as bricks and had realised she had done it.
I also absolutely hated the ending. I get that the author wanted to "serve karma", but instead he made the perpetrator to the victim. I would've enjoyed it way more, if the police got him from good detective work and he would've ended up in prison. Rotting his life away.
And Julie deserved so much better anyway. She stayed with him throughout all of it. When he got promoted and she quit, so that they could move? She stayed with him. When he started fights with her and also pushed her? She stayed with him. When they basically where to strangers living together and she wanted nothing more than a close relationship with her boyfriend, but he failed to do that? She stayed with him. She deserved so much better.
In conclusion, the story made no sense, there was no foreshadowing. Me and my boyfriend discussed a clever twist the book could've had. (From any given point the author could've written a so much better story, but we took the scene with David and Sharon.) Also important: in German the title is: "Top Job".
What if they actually moved to Seattle and this was about him discovering that the top job was taking care of the family as the house "man", while his wife would go to work? He could've shown the reader that, unlike David said, a man isn't just about his work. That the quality of his "work" defines him.
I know this was supposed to be a thriller, but the only thrilling thing about this was when I read the last page and was finally done with it. Every time there was a "thrilling" scene, I had to do a double-take, because it came out of nowhere. No build up, no structure.
Also, too long to be a good hate-read-story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2015
COLD CALLER is one of those books that gets better the more times I read it.
The dialogue is crisp, clever, and portrays the mindset of lead character Bill in perfect clarity. From his deluded thoughts of justice to his misguided sense of right and wrong, author Jason Starr manages to make Bill's rationale honest whilst being equally murderous.
As far as white collar noir goes, COLD CALLER is right up there. The plot is bullet riddled with acts of easy violence that almost feel natural as Bill climbs over bodies and up the corporate ladder. The evolution of a telemarketer to serial killer is executed with a coldly calculated sharpness few authors could muster.
COLD CALLER is a great book and tailor made for readers who crave good dialogue and clever plotting. I'll definitely be reading it again at some stage down the track.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
The dialogue is crisp, clever, and portrays the mindset of lead character Bill in perfect clarity. From his deluded thoughts of justice to his misguided sense of right and wrong, author Jason Starr manages to make Bill's rationale honest whilst being equally murderous.
As far as white collar noir goes, COLD CALLER is right up there. The plot is bullet riddled with acts of easy violence that almost feel natural as Bill climbs over bodies and up the corporate ladder. The evolution of a telemarketer to serial killer is executed with a coldly calculated sharpness few authors could muster.
COLD CALLER is a great book and tailor made for readers who crave good dialogue and clever plotting. I'll definitely be reading it again at some stage down the track.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
May 6, 2009
This is Starr's first novel. At times the prose struck me as either overly mannered or overly amateurish, but overall he turns in a great performance, updating the conventions of the classic noir tale to familiar and believable contemporary NYC surroundings. The ending is a surprise, but also the only possible (and fitting) conclusion. This one makes me want to read more Starr.
December 15, 2015
Awful on so many levels...
December 5, 2022
A tame version of the American Psycho . Bill’s life spirals more and more with his work and his relationship. He’s the definition of an unreliable narrator. A deluded unhappy man. It’s a short-ish story with a plot of no plot, if that makes sense
January 22, 2015
Cold Caller – Dark White Collar Noir
Cold Caller by Jason Starr has been dubbed white collar noir and having read and enjoyed his short thriller it is easy to see why it has attracted that tag. Cold Caller gets darker the more you read and the more you read the easier it is to identify with Bill Moss. If you have ever worked in a call centre those soul destroying places that are the modern satanic mills then you will closely identify with what Starr has written, especially about some of the daft rules that are in place.
Bill Moss used to be important in advertising but he had to now work in a call centre while trying to get back in to the advertising world. He kept seeing idiots being promoted while was stuck in his cubicle making the contacts for the sales team. When humiliated by his line manager the seeds of destruction were sown in his mind.
At the same time Bill’s world with his girlfriend Julie was starting to unravel as was every other aspect of his life. His work was stifling him his girlfriend was stifling him and he was slowly reacting against it. When workers were being let go he thought he too would be shown the door but somehow ended up being promoted. The more he wanted to rise in the job the more willing he was to kill his boss Ed to get there and destroy the evidence in the process.
Even after murdering Ed, Bill’s life really does spiral out of control until he has no control over his life whatsoever. Even at the end we see the cycle of offending start again even though things will be a rather lot harder for him.
Cold Caller is a well written scary noir story with some excellent twists that leave you guessing all the way to the end. This thriller is both dark and funny at the same time set in a world where a great many people can identify with Bill Moss. An excellent addition to the American Noir shelves a book that you will regret not reading sooner.
Cold Caller by Jason Starr has been dubbed white collar noir and having read and enjoyed his short thriller it is easy to see why it has attracted that tag. Cold Caller gets darker the more you read and the more you read the easier it is to identify with Bill Moss. If you have ever worked in a call centre those soul destroying places that are the modern satanic mills then you will closely identify with what Starr has written, especially about some of the daft rules that are in place.
Bill Moss used to be important in advertising but he had to now work in a call centre while trying to get back in to the advertising world. He kept seeing idiots being promoted while was stuck in his cubicle making the contacts for the sales team. When humiliated by his line manager the seeds of destruction were sown in his mind.
At the same time Bill’s world with his girlfriend Julie was starting to unravel as was every other aspect of his life. His work was stifling him his girlfriend was stifling him and he was slowly reacting against it. When workers were being let go he thought he too would be shown the door but somehow ended up being promoted. The more he wanted to rise in the job the more willing he was to kill his boss Ed to get there and destroy the evidence in the process.
Even after murdering Ed, Bill’s life really does spiral out of control until he has no control over his life whatsoever. Even at the end we see the cycle of offending start again even though things will be a rather lot harder for him.
Cold Caller is a well written scary noir story with some excellent twists that leave you guessing all the way to the end. This thriller is both dark and funny at the same time set in a world where a great many people can identify with Bill Moss. An excellent addition to the American Noir shelves a book that you will regret not reading sooner.
May 31, 2018
A bit of a weird one this! I received a random add from a verified author on Twitter, and so browsed some of his stuff. This book seemed short enough, with a decent enough concept to hook me in.
Unfortunately, this book is just a bit too ridiculous to be deemed good. For a start, the cited plot concept only occurs half way through the book, meaning the first half is pointless preamble. Not only this, the characters were all so wooden and often cliche. I also maintain that using racism to make the reader hate a character is a cheap niche, used too readily here. And finally, the protagonist is just too delusional to be considered credible.
But, with that said, the second half of the book (I’d say the last 100 pages) reads very quickly and you are intrigued to see what happens next. To be frank, the ending is simply ridiculous.
Was I entertained? Yes. Would I recommend? No. But for a 50p book, I’m not too disappointed with this one!
May 9, 2009
The most frustrating thing about COLD CALLER is that there is a good book in there somewhere. But it's a draft or two away. Everything about the book felt sloppy and unfinished to me. The language, the plotting and the characters all lacked consistency and never quite felt grounded.
While the story suggests a satire of the working world and a broad approach to the subject matter, the execution plays everything straight. And I'm not sure what the story is satirizing. I never really bought anything that was happening, many of the turns in the story far too convenient for the writer.
I would definitely read another book by Starr, as his reputation seems to suggest that I would like his books. However, I would hope that the next one I read would be a little more polished.
While the story suggests a satire of the working world and a broad approach to the subject matter, the execution plays everything straight. And I'm not sure what the story is satirizing. I never really bought anything that was happening, many of the turns in the story far too convenient for the writer.
I would definitely read another book by Starr, as his reputation seems to suggest that I would like his books. However, I would hope that the next one I read would be a little more polished.
September 10, 2024
This is of those books that you will either love or hate. The main character is loathsome. What makes it difficult to stomach is that the story is told from his point-of-view. The main plot line begins around the halfway point and moves much faster at the conclusion.
In some respects I think the comparisons to American Psycho are appropriate. Overall, the author did a great job. I look forward to reading more from this author.
In some respects I think the comparisons to American Psycho are appropriate. Overall, the author did a great job. I look forward to reading more from this author.
December 6, 2025
What THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY is for vacations, COLD CALLER is for work.
October 21, 2015
I'm glad this audiobook is over - didn't even care about what happened to him at the end,
just know he deserved it...
just know he deserved it...
August 6, 2017
what about the fingerprints on the wallet?
how could the prostitute know Ed was his boss?
so many plot holes.
what happened to the author and editors?
how could the prostitute know Ed was his boss?
so many plot holes.
what happened to the author and editors?
May 21, 2021
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: A dark, twisted roller coaster ride and certainly a story you will not easily forget.
BRIEF REVIEW: Bill Moss was once a VP of an ad agency but, now he works as a telemarketer at ACA, a call center in New York City. It's a horrible company that engages in racially discriminatory practices by paying larger commissions to white employees and wrongly laying off a higher percentage of black employees to avoid paying out their commissions. Bill hates his job and feels under appreciated and has plans of quitting his job. He has convinced his weak, gullible, girlfriend Julie to move back to Seattle with him where he's convinced he can get a top level management job. The very next day, after Julie reluctantly resigns from her high level position, Bill gets promoted to Assistant to the President at ACA. Of course, his promotion is built on a lie he told because, that's what Bill does but, that lie will come back to bite him. Bill lies a lot, he cheats a lot and he makes his girlfriend believe that she is paranoid and has an explosive temper at times as well. Bill is a sociopath, Bill is delusional, Bill may be a psychopath and as the story progresses, Bill can add murderer to the list.
Bill is a character that is easy to detest but, he's like a car wreck that once you start reading about him and all of his antics and just how his warped mind works you won't be able to turn away or stop reading.
This is the author's first novel and although the writing isn't exceptional, the story is very addictive and easily readable and it very much satisfied my warped sense of humor. The story is dark but you will find it hard to resist chuckling or at least scratching your head in amazement at times and, I also loved the ending as well. I got the idea to try this one as it was mentioned in Peter Swanson's book, Eight Perfect Murders, a book that I loved. Touted as one of the top 10 noir crime novels of all time and an international best seller, the Kindle version is available for just $1.99, in case I've made you curious. I'm definitely planning on checking out what else the author has out.
RATING: 4.5/5
BRIEF REVIEW: Bill Moss was once a VP of an ad agency but, now he works as a telemarketer at ACA, a call center in New York City. It's a horrible company that engages in racially discriminatory practices by paying larger commissions to white employees and wrongly laying off a higher percentage of black employees to avoid paying out their commissions. Bill hates his job and feels under appreciated and has plans of quitting his job. He has convinced his weak, gullible, girlfriend Julie to move back to Seattle with him where he's convinced he can get a top level management job. The very next day, after Julie reluctantly resigns from her high level position, Bill gets promoted to Assistant to the President at ACA. Of course, his promotion is built on a lie he told because, that's what Bill does but, that lie will come back to bite him. Bill lies a lot, he cheats a lot and he makes his girlfriend believe that she is paranoid and has an explosive temper at times as well. Bill is a sociopath, Bill is delusional, Bill may be a psychopath and as the story progresses, Bill can add murderer to the list.
Bill is a character that is easy to detest but, he's like a car wreck that once you start reading about him and all of his antics and just how his warped mind works you won't be able to turn away or stop reading.
This is the author's first novel and although the writing isn't exceptional, the story is very addictive and easily readable and it very much satisfied my warped sense of humor. The story is dark but you will find it hard to resist chuckling or at least scratching your head in amazement at times and, I also loved the ending as well. I got the idea to try this one as it was mentioned in Peter Swanson's book, Eight Perfect Murders, a book that I loved. Touted as one of the top 10 noir crime novels of all time and an international best seller, the Kindle version is available for just $1.99, in case I've made you curious. I'm definitely planning on checking out what else the author has out.
RATING: 4.5/5
October 23, 2020
Cold Caller by neo-noir master, author Jason Starr, is pretty good! It's Starr's first published novel and his unique style is fully in-place. The story follows narcissistic sociopath Bill Moss through his low-level career and love-life in New York City...and the only answer to his life issues there appears to be murder....It may sound like American Psycho but as opposed to that novel Bill Moss's world is very tightly, tightly controlled by who else...Bill Moss! Author Starr's technique of turning a paragraph on a dime by flip-flopping the intent of the last sentence is fully in-place here...and that leads to some humorous reading! Example on page 238, "If I loved her I would have left her right then and not gotten her more involved in my life more than she already was...But I was too worried about myself to worry about her." That's some pretty narcissistic shit there and the book is loaded with those...funny stuff. Also included with this edition published in 2020 is a new Introduction by Starr. There he explains some autobiographical background in Cold Caller...and, which I found useful, is Starr advises to read his work in chronological order as written...which is good for me because I have only read three of Starr's books...by coincidence the first two, Cold Caller & Fake ID plus his 6th book, the great Twisted City. So I'm pretty much in-line to reading the rest of Starr's novels one at a time in-order. -If I were to compare Starr's writing to any other author from the past it would be Day Keene's Sleep With the Devil, but Jason Starr has definitely created his own neo-noir world out of New York City...Great, Great reading if you're a fan of neo-noir-crime-fiction...I give Cold Caller a strong 3.5 rating, so I'll bump it up to a 4.0, especially because its his first published novel...
March 30, 2018
This is a really weak noir that I felt had some promise, but ultimately squandered it's opportunity with a weak, predictable story that took far too long to unfold, and a dull, unrelatable character whom I disliked more and more as the story progressed.
There was too much fluff to pad out the barely there story, I couldn't sympathise or relate to the main character at all and overall I felt sorry for the people he had to interact with. I get that the protagonist is some sort of narcissistic yuppy douche, but even morally reprehensible characters can be written so that you relate in some way. The rest of the characters in the book are rather forgettable and two-dimensional, but at least a few provoked some sort of empathetic reaction.
The only saving grace of this book is that it's a relatively quick read so you can get it over with and move on to something better.
There was too much fluff to pad out the barely there story, I couldn't sympathise or relate to the main character at all and overall I felt sorry for the people he had to interact with. I get that the protagonist is some sort of narcissistic yuppy douche, but even morally reprehensible characters can be written so that you relate in some way. The rest of the characters in the book are rather forgettable and two-dimensional, but at least a few provoked some sort of empathetic reaction.
The only saving grace of this book is that it's a relatively quick read so you can get it over with and move on to something better.
January 13, 2024
A modern noir, pulp classic
Jason Starr is not a world-class writer with a profound philosophy to life that everybody needs to hear. But he's a good writer, if you like reading dark noir stories about unpleasant characters on the typical noir path of destruction.
I read Starr's "Fake ID" before "Cold Caller", and while "Fake ID" was probably slightly better written than "Cold Caller", the story of "Cold Caller" was a bit better from start to finish.
This is not world-class literature, as mentioned above, but it's hardboiled noir written in such an enjoyable way that the pages simply fly by.
After reading it, I even made my then-wife, who would only ever read Facebook updates, read this book. Even she enjoyed it!
How could you not want to read it now then?
Jason Starr is not a world-class writer with a profound philosophy to life that everybody needs to hear. But he's a good writer, if you like reading dark noir stories about unpleasant characters on the typical noir path of destruction.
I read Starr's "Fake ID" before "Cold Caller", and while "Fake ID" was probably slightly better written than "Cold Caller", the story of "Cold Caller" was a bit better from start to finish.
This is not world-class literature, as mentioned above, but it's hardboiled noir written in such an enjoyable way that the pages simply fly by.
After reading it, I even made my then-wife, who would only ever read Facebook updates, read this book. Even she enjoyed it!
How could you not want to read it now then?
August 2, 2017
It's good realistic, fast paced, do-not think too much about it, crime book.
Very effective if you want to mentally shield yourself from feeling guilty when you're very abrupt with telemarketers over the phone.
I picked it up when I found myself without a book on me but with a train ride to go, it did what I wanted from it: it was a fast read, not too involving, not too demanding on the brain. Now I can move on to other things.
Very effective if you want to mentally shield yourself from feeling guilty when you're very abrupt with telemarketers over the phone.
I picked it up when I found myself without a book on me but with a train ride to go, it did what I wanted from it: it was a fast read, not too involving, not too demanding on the brain. Now I can move on to other things.
October 28, 2017
Jason Starr is a hidden gem. It's a shame, he hasn't got the recognition he deserves. There are not many authors, who can evoke such tension and page, and even more so: maintain this tension for the entire book. I only hope that Mr. Starr will write more novels.
November 28, 2018
I've enjoyed a previous book by this author but found that this one was only so-so. Written as a first person narrative, I couldn't really engage with the main character who is, and is probably written to be, a bit of a psycho. I made it through to the end and was rather surprised I did.
January 4, 2022
Entertaining, light read. Not too heavy going but a gripping storyline about the dire situation of the main character and the gruesomely depressing reality of his job & life, that evolves into something darker. Great book for me to break up the non-fiction
February 5, 2023
4stars -maybe 4.5 stars - as a genre rating. Starr is great at setting the tone, and directing a fine balance between surprises, red herrings, and diminishing returns to normality as the plot drives down to its dour, but unexpected, end.
August 27, 2023
I don’t even know how to describe this particular book without giving away the plot…
Tense, psychological, dark thriller. Don’t expect a horror, as it’s not that.
It was ok, I found it slightly dull at times but it improved towards the end.
Tense, psychological, dark thriller. Don’t expect a horror, as it’s not that.
It was ok, I found it slightly dull at times but it improved towards the end.
November 26, 2023
[No Exit Press] (1997). SB. 256 Pages. Purchased from Infinite Books.
Typical Starr - a ‘corporate type’ loses the plot and sees his life spiral into a violent, duplicitous nightmare. Marvellous fun.
Typical Starr - a ‘corporate type’ loses the plot and sees his life spiral into a violent, duplicitous nightmare. Marvellous fun.
March 20, 2025
3.5 stars, this is sort of like American Psycho but his origin story of how he started to murder people (if we negate the ending). This book is fast-paced and easy to read, I was in a bit of a reading slump and I think this got me out of it!
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