Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Jack Widow #7

The Midnight Caller

Rate this book
Former undercover NCIS Agent Jack Widow is in New York City. Today is his birthday. He's spent the day riding the subway, walking the streets, and sipping espresso near Central Park. Enjoying the tourist life.

An irresistible offer comes his way and he ends up staying the night in one of the nicest hotels in New York City, The Plaza.
Things are going his way. So far.

At midnight, the hotel room telephone rings, waking Widow from a dead sleep.

A woman with a stimulating Russian accent and seductive voice, speaks, making a desperate plea for her life. She claims to need help. She claims that she's being held against her will by a group of dangerous men.

Suddenly, the phone goes dead.

Who was she? Was her claim real?

Being Jack Widow means that he must find out. No choice. But what he finds drags him down the rabbit hole of an international hunt for a missing Russian submarine, armed with nukes, and a horrifying plot ripped out of a nightmare.

317 pages, ebook

First published November 11, 2017

1954 people are currently reading
649 people want to read

About the author

Scott Blade

59 books314 followers
USA TODAY and AMAZON BESTSELLER - Scott Blade is a Nomadvelist, a drifter and author. He writes the bestselling Jack Widow book series, two of which reached the Top 100 list on Amazon, knocking Harry Potter & Jack Reacher off the top spots, which angered one of the big publishers. Scott wears that fact as a badge of honor.

Scott Blade isn't a traditional novelist who spends his time stuck behind a computer desk in some dreary office. He truly walks the walk. He drifts around like the nomad he writes about, touring the world, writing mysteries and searching for the perfect coffee.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,811 (55%)
4 stars
1,070 (32%)
3 stars
290 (8%)
2 stars
43 (1%)
1 star
36 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
6,282 reviews81 followers
April 29, 2025
Jack Widow is in New York City for his birthday, staying in a very nice hotel room. Then he gets a phone call from a woman with a Russian accent begging to be rescued.

Since this is a men's Adventure novel, of course he does, and the two go on the run to figure out the danger.

Some twists and turns, but this is never better than diverting.
Profile Image for T.W. Barton.
266 reviews22 followers
December 7, 2017
The saga continues...

One of the great things about this series is that each book can stand on its own so you don't have to start at the beginning but it is helpful in understanding Jack Widow.

It seems that Russia is all the rage recently and this book is capitalizing on the trend.

The birthday boy is in the big apple. An unexpected call at the oddest location leaves Widow with an, even more, unexpected birthday gift. As it seems is his life, a gift never seems to be just a gift.

Looks like the good old spy games continue. Meet Eva Karpov. A devastatingly beautiful women who has no problem using her assets to get whatever she wants and even Widow seems incapable of resisting.

Throw in an homage to a Tom Clancy classic "The Hunt for Red October" and how could any action/thriller fan resist. The good guys aren't always good and the bad guys aren't always bad.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of this series and this was another killer for my action fix. I read a lot and it always fascinates me how different books read. Some seem to take forever to get through and others, like this one, seem to fly by. I could have used a couple hundred more pages.
Profile Image for Natalie Smith.
34 reviews3 followers
December 12, 2024
I love this series but on the odd occasion and especially in this story, which is a great storyline, the author makes widow seem stupid. He was a navy seal, seen death, war and things no one could image but at times it feels even the average person is smarter!! Just frustrating to read at times.
Profile Image for Lindsay .
197 reviews1 follower
February 18, 2022
always good

Another great book by Scott Blade not had a bad one yet out of the seven I have read can’t wait for the next one
Profile Image for P..
Author 1 book11 followers
April 16, 2020
Recalling a classic tale

I loved "The hunt for Red October" and this story drawing on the imagery of that classic tale was also very enjoyable . Widow is again linked up with people in his former trade in a case in which friends might be enemies and enemies might be friends..
Profile Image for Nick Brett.
1,069 reviews68 followers
February 25, 2021
Oh dear. This really isn’t great.
The series is an obvious Jack Reacher copy, but that can be forgiven if it’s written well. This isn’t. I have read two or three of the series and they have been okay, but this is poor.
Wandering Jack Widow, ex SEAL, ex NCIS finds himself in the right place at the wrong time and helps a Russian female escape from some bad guys. It’s all tied into a ludicrous plot involving a Russian submarine and a desire to get back to proper conflict with Russia (?). Lots of references to The Hunt For Red October and the book is mainly comprised of short paragraphs of two or three sentences which is more than a bit annoying.
The author can do a lot better than this. Almost anyone could.
Profile Image for Marco Morissette.
665 reviews
December 10, 2017
I like reading Scott Blade and his Jack Widow series but this last one even if Widow is the main character something about the plot that I did not like and this is my own opinion! So I read it until the last page and like the fast pace action and suspense during the last chapters but still is hunting me the plot who I still not get it and probably do not like it!
Profile Image for Stefan.
271 reviews37 followers
July 27, 2023
The Midnight Caller is the seventh book in Scott Blade’s Jack Widow series and it is action packed. It was quite enjoyable and I found that it was a really quick read.

Out in the Arctic Ocean, way north of Greenwich, England, a top-secret Russian Dolgorukiy-class (aka Borei-class) nuclear submarine equipped with a nuclear payload seems to drop off the face of the Earth.

On the other side of the globe, Jack Widow finds himself in New York City taking in the sites and sounds of the Big Apple for his birthday. He eventually finds himself in a nice luxury suite at The Plaza Hotel courtesy of his former boss. So far, this is turning out to be one great birthday. But you know that is not going to last for long…

Sometime around midnight, the phone in Widow’s room rings, waking him from a dead sleep. On the other end of the phone, a woman with a Russian accent pleads for help saying she is being held by a group of dangerous men in the same hotel.

Why did she call him? Who is this person?

Well, Widow being Widow, he sets out to track her down and get to the bottom of it. What ensues, is Widow being dragged into the search for the missing nuclear submarine… and the woman who called him is just one of the pieces to the puzzle.

OK, so… this books has plenty of action and like the other Jack Widow books, he gets himself into trouble and needs to use all his former training to get himself out of it alive. There are some rather blatant face-palm moments where reality has to be suspended… but for the most part, this is just a good fun read.

If you enjoyed any of the previous books in the series, I am sure you will also enjoy this one. I look forward to reading more from this series in the near future.
10 reviews3 followers
July 31, 2018
I have read the previous 6 of the books in this series and thought they were all good quality reads. Some better than others, but overall, I would recommend all of them. This one I do not recommend.

Unfortunately, this book did not come close to hitting the mark for me. If someone told me that a different author wrote it, I'd believe them. It was so too far fetched, it felt cheesy and there were also way too many holes in the plot to be ignored.

For instance, I don't understand why any of the McConnel paragraphs were in the book or were needed. If they were just going to kill him, why invite him to the meeting in the first place. Likewise, the paragraphs dealing with Eva's handler seemed pointless and added literally nothing of value. Finally, and this one irked me the most, Eva accidentally calls Jack's room because Eva failed to dial a "9" before "911" when she was trying to call the cops (apparently you have to dial a 9 to call out of the hotel so she dialed Room 911). After reaching Jack, and Jack telling her he would call the cops for her (which was her original intent) she instead begs Jack NOT to call the cops so that a guy she doesn't know at all can protect her from 4 paramilitaries. Come on.

This was a very difficult book to get through and one that had me shaking my head at numerous points. I will read book 8 and hope that the series gets back on track.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jo-Ann Fitzgerald.
753 reviews2 followers
July 7, 2022
This is the 7th book in the series.

It’s our hero’s birthday and his old boss gives him a gift. He takes her up on it only to be woken up during the night by someone in the hotel calling for help. He decides to help her and ends up dealing with 4 bad guys. They leave after making sure they will be out for some time.

They go all over the city before meeting up with the woman’s handler only to be overthrown and the woman taken again. Over the small amount of time our hero was with the woman, he realises what’s going on and calls his old boss again to get help.

Before long he’s back on a naval carrier trying to figure out what the next steps are…and how to stop it. They realise what’s happening and he takes a small group to where they think the bad guys are. They find them and get the woman and her father back…they get to stay for their help. However, an end needs to be tied up too…

I liked the end and figured who was in on it…however as it was getting to the end of the book, I thought the author might keep the main bad guy under cover for a few books…but it was shocking at the end. I like books that can shock me at the end with things I didn’t expect. I hope the author keeps going.
43 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2021
Scott Blade knows how to write a fast paced and enticing novel. This is my second Jack Widow read of the week and third in ten days. He just takes me back to a time, before the Internet, when you could get lost in a novel, rather than your daily deluge of emails. Of the three Jack Widow novels I have read in the series, this is the best in terms of details and complexity of plot. He weaves in a Hunt for Red October theme this time and builds on it.

As with other Scott Blade novels, the only reason why I give him four rather than five stars is that he always has Jack Widow doing something impossible or just stupid so as to set up a scene. While I appreciate the desire to build in movie-like fight scenes, his books would be better still without these unnecessary devices. Not every book needs to climax with mano a mano.

But I trifle. Scott Blade is a delightfully enjoyable "Blade Runner."

489 reviews6 followers
July 16, 2018
The Midnight Caller (Jack Widow #7) by Scott Blade

Jack is in room 911 fast asleep when he's awakened by the room phone. Finally, Jack realizes that he isn't dreaming and that ring isn't an alarm clock. He picks up the receiver and he hears a woman's voice "Help Me! Help me, Please! Jack's training kicks in and the rescue begins. After taking out four bad guys, he enters room 921 to find Eva, the woman on the phone struggling to get free of zip-ties on her hands and feet, duct tape on her mouth. The journey to help Eva has begun. The danger, risk, and keeping her safe has elevated to new levels. You'll be turning pages to follow the twists, turns and plot to see what and where Blade's writing takes Jack, Eva, and even the U.S. Navy before the mission is complete! Thanks for another great read.
Profile Image for Scott.
76 reviews
Read
December 18, 2024
Widow gets a very special surprise birthday present, and it's a deadly one.

Jack Widow's sitting in a cafe enjoying the attention from the attractive young barista as she serves him with a smile but any plans he hopes to have with her are halted when he receives a call. Now Widow doesn't carry a phone and the last time this happened the government emptied his bank accounts and forced him back to work, so when he heard the same voice giving him instructions to head for a certain address he couldn't shake off the feeling trouble was coming his way. And when it does failure's not an option. If you like Lee Child's Reacher then you'll become hooked on the Jack Widow series. Both are loners but are still different and addictive with great plots and enough thrilling action to keep you hooked.
Profile Image for Jeff Benham.
1,738 reviews13 followers
September 29, 2018
Where else can you call 9-1-1 in an emergency and get Jack Widow. And who would be waking him up at 3:00 in the morning? How about a beautiful Russian Spy? She has been kidnapped and being held in the same hotel that Widow is. 4 against 1 are lousy odds when the 4 are the bad guys and the 1 is Jack. They should have had more. Eva's (the beautiful Russian spy) father is the captain of a Russian submarine, fitted with a nuclear warhead, that has been hijacked and is headed for the United States. Obviously rogue operators at work here, but they work for someone that has an agenda. What that agenda is, you do not find out until the very end. Widow and Eva get in an out of a lot of scrapes before then.
785 reviews
February 20, 2020
Midnight Caller

Too bad. I think the author has the ability to tell a good story. Unfortunately he didn’t choose to do so. The sentence structure in this book frequently feels awkward; almost like English is a second language. The actions of the people in the book are improbable and unrealistic. An example: after a bad guy is killed, the hero spits on him and then throws the gun in the dishwasher and wipes his prints off of doors etc. Wouldn’t he have left his dna on the victim by spitting on him? Just another Jack Reacher type guy; bigger and badder than everyone else. How about a little originality?
1,591 reviews7 followers
February 27, 2023
needed good editing

The story was ok, I’ll admit that. It was clean, no swearing or crudeness at all, which was refreshing. But, the errors were big ones. Like at the ending, he spat on the guy he murdered, wiping his prints off everything as he left the house. He used to be in the navy and covert cia, of course they would have his dna on file in a data base somewhere. Wiping off prints while leaving dna? Dumb. There are spelling errors, as well as other obvious editing errors. So, not a very polished book at all. Neither is it heart pumping, just a decent story. Definitely only 3 stars in this current edition.
362 reviews4 followers
May 14, 2020
I am now an avid Jack Widow fan. Having read seven of his books I am looking forward to number 8, ‘Fire Watch’. It never ceases to amaze me how Scott Blade’s imagination transposes into a book. I can only imagine the time and effort it takes to producing a final result. I genuinely appreciate his commitment and dedication to produce such incredible and captivating stories. I can only hope that my appreciation as a reader goes some way to letting him know that his wonderful talent allows me to escape the nightmare of Covid 19. This is another 5 star book - thank you ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Don.
1,035 reviews5 followers
August 24, 2020
To get woken up at Midnight with only a couple hours of sleep by some bimbo.
That is Jack Widow - time to come to the rescue. I was so into it I couldn’t put it down. Talk about an engaging story, wow. I loved it all the way to the end. I didn’t like that Blade had let Widow get someone behind him to get a garrote over his head. I don’t think that the character that Blade built in Window would ever let that be possible. But I did like how he survived it. There were some errors not picked up by his editing team, but overall. 5
7 reviews
February 16, 2020
Good book

OK, first off I have to say that the editing was bad. I highlighted multiple places and wrote notes so if you have access to those you can do a final pass editing.

The pace of the book was good and I enjoyed the editing into small chunks of text. The widow character is an awfully lot like Jack Reacher, but I like the Reacher novels so this is a genre that appeals to me. The plot was good and all in all it was a good read.
2 reviews
July 10, 2025
I quite like all the Scott Blade books I’ve read which is now 7. Kind of a rip off of Reacher but everyone knows that and it’s a fine writing style very close to Lee Child. The premise of this one is good, ala Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October, but I think he ran out of steam as this seems to be the 4th book written in a year. It is a bit like a movie treatment and desperately needs fleshing out.The ending was rushed in my opinion but still well worth a read. Hopefully number 8 perks up a bit.
Profile Image for Susan Moore.
509 reviews7 followers
December 3, 2019
Good mystery with Russians and Nukes

I enjoyed reading more about Jack Widow. He's definitely a no-nonsense type of man. He's very good at deciphering lies and truth. Reading body language. A retired Seal who heads back into the breach, again. I highly recommend this series. Well written.
1,077 reviews5 followers
February 26, 2020
Jack Widow (ex undercover NCIS) enjoys his birthday in NYC when he is granted a night at a swank hotel. He receives a midnight call for help from a female Russian and becomes involved government conspiracy to kidnap a Russian submarine who is going to nuke a US city. Good read, enjoyable characters. I will definitely read more books by this author. I rate this a 5.0
304 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2021
Enjoyable

A used, but great storyline, a book of favorable characters, even though some were more out there than others. In my opinion a good book is like a tv movie, if it's not happening in reality, then you lose interest. It's got to be at least believable to capture and maintain your interest. This one could have been that book, but sadly fell below standard.
Profile Image for William Viergever.
112 reviews
January 20, 2024
I’m Getting Tired…

Of writing these Jack Widow reviews where I say this was the best yet. Well, in terms of potential impact, it was for sure, however, it was equal to the prior books in terms of characters, pace, intriguing plot, and violence of action. Loved it. Now on to Book 8.
Profile Image for Avalon.
618 reviews3 followers
Read
March 4, 2024
Killing machine

Jack Widow answers the phone in his hotel room. A woman in the hotel has been abducted and is calling for help. Her father is a nuclear submarine commander and they are holding her hostage as leverage to get her father to give up the code to arm the nuclear missile. Jack does what he does best. He takes no prisoners
Profile Image for Shawn W.
65 reviews
April 16, 2024
Wow another great Jack Widow novel. As with all the others, this book grabs you right away & never lets go. Widow is the complete package when it comes to bad ass characters. He is a very intelligent detective, he is lethal with his hands & incredibly deadly with a gun. Don’t hesitate grab this book NOW!!! I can’t wait to read the next Widow novel!!!
Profile Image for Theresa Dettloff.
65 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2024
2.5
The ending of this book really took away from the third star . I like how he spits on the body, but washes his fingerprints and everything else off in a dishwasher. Like how the hell is that gonna help? DNA anyone?
It’s just another reacher wannabe, but it’s a fun fast read , sometimes not as fun and more annoying because of the similarities to reacher “he said nothing”
Profile Image for Richard Cowart.
619 reviews
November 14, 2019
Best yet

Just try to be a gentleman knight in NYC, not once but twice in the same night Widow comes to the aid of a damsel in distress and gets a partial beating then involved with a spy. Great reading and action packed
1,538 reviews5 followers
December 10, 2019
Close call

Action, mystery, wrapped up by Widow. He's in the right place to help a kidnapped woman. This turns into a more sinister story than meets the eye. Suddenly there's a nuclear threat, and it pushes aside Widows efforts to save the girl. Luckily he does both!
Profile Image for Kate O'Connell.
84 reviews
February 24, 2020
Look out Jack Reacher!

A bit of competition for the new age Superhero that kicks butt and doesn't care about taking names!
Reacher gets lots more ladies crossing his path it seems LOL!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.