A gruesome tale with an interesting premise - the killer video phones the victim's nearest and dearest and sets them a game show type pair of questions, one easy and one they find impossible to answer, horribly torturing and finally murdering the victim.

However, I found it let down by the execution. The only character at all developed was Mr J, who starts off as a red herring as if he could be the killer. He was the redeeming feature of the book and I would like to have read a story about his particular career. The actual protagonist detective is written completely flatly and I found it not terribly convincing that he was supposedly such a genius that everyone including his partner and boss stand around having to have him spell everything out for them. It's also ridiculous that he goes into a perilous situation without backup and without even telling anyone where he's going. In real life, he surely would have been disciplined.

The reveal of the killer's identity was baffling - I had to page through the paperback to track down where they had previously appeared. The effect was of a brand new character who had never featured suddenly being introduced. The actual ending was only redeemed by the inclusion of Mr J.

It was troubling that all of the victims were women. A minor but irritating element was having a 'gag' about women and shoes which even the female boss goes along with and the other stereotype about women not liking whisky. So the most I can rate this as is an OK 2 stars. ( )

As always Chris Carter delivers every time without fail :-)
Hunter and Garcia is one of my all time favourite crime fighting duos and I had this book on pre-order for over 9 months so I was dying to get my hands on it. And I hate waiting! Patience isn't one of my virtues I can honestly say!! And you know you are hooked on a series when you finish the latest book and immediately check to make sure the author is working on the next book (he is thank god! But another long wait ensues)

But, It was well worth the wait!! Really good read, it makes you want to keep going and going page after page because the chapters are short and always finish with a big suspense...

If you're into monstrously twisted and evil serial killers who murder their victims in the most grotesque manner imaginable, then this book is for you. You'll be hooked from the outset as the killer calls the victims' closest loved one and then proceeds to record the gruesome murder, forcing them to watch in horror.

It takes a modern twist on societies obsession with documenting their whole life on social media and ultimately the consequences of their carelessness.

Go check your Facebook and other social medias privacy settings!!

If you haven't had chance to read the other books in the series, don't worry, this will work as a standalone, but after reading it you will be searching for the rest of the books straight away :-) ( )

What more can one possibly say about Chris Carter's brilliant choice and brilliant style of writing? There really is nothing more to say than what I've already said, for Chris Carter really knows how to bring his characters to life, and simultaneously make sure that none of them is truly safe, besides his super-hero crime unit detective that goes by the name Robert Hunter of course, who's the biggest star of this truly amazing thriller novel series. This novel, titled, The Caller deals with cancer of today's society and our addictiveness to it, our narcissism, and our ignorance and our arrogance of our own selfish actions. So believe me when I say this, this is quite a read, and after reading this, you will wonder yourself about this cancer, if it can be stopped or cured someday and replaced by something far more intelligent and far more safe. I have to say though that I wasn't surprised at all by the final reveal and by the ending of this novel, and I sort of knew what was to come when Robert put the pieces together and solved the puzzle that solved the crime and brought the killer to justice. So if you haven't already read any book of this series, I strongly recommend it and suggest it that you give it a try, for Chris Carter has proven himself to be one of the best thriller writers of our age. ( )

This is a fantastic series with two really good, believable characters of Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia. It's is not...I repeat NOT a series for anyone that doesn't like very, very graphic murders. Chris Carter has a background in criminal psychology so the killers he creates for his novels are all the more terrifying. This one has another character that comes across as a very likable individual even though he himself has a shady background. I'm hoping that Mr. J will appear again in another book. Overall...this was a very interesting, fast moving novel that i really hated to see end. ( )

I am sure I am not the only one who was disappointed when The Caller (8th outing for Robert Hunter) was not published last July and we the faithful had to wait a further 6+ months before the great Detective Hunter of the LA ultra violent crimes unit was confronted once again with a seemingly unstoppable and deranged serial killer. Hunter is not like any detective I have met before, he is highly intelligent possessing an over active mind that rarely allows him time to relax. He enjoys alcohol but not in the falling down "sozzled" way, rather his tipple of choice is single malt scotch whisky which he savours and sips....."Hunter reached for his glass and brought it to his nose. The smoky and complex aroma of the golden liquid made him smile again. He picked up a water jar and poured just a little more than a few drops into the tumbler, before finally sipping his whisky. Smooth sweet vanilla, with sooty smoke coming to the fore and a long honeyed ember finish..."

A sadistic killer is once again targeting victims in downtown LA, and his methods of execution are both bloody and ingenious. Rather than use immediate torture he makes a video call to someone very close to the victim and asks that person 2 questions. If the friend is successful in answering then the victim lives but a wrong response results in him or her having to watch a horrific and callous murder. What sets Chris Carter's books apart from his rivals is the methods that the perpetrator uses to silence his victims. We have a face destroyed by glass fragments, a head crushed in a vice, a skull penetrated with a chisel and hammer...He brought the chisel and hammer back to Cassandra's head. This time he positioned the chisel just a little left from center, and only about an inch up from her forehead........Up went the hammer. Down it came BANG...." The fact that the author studied psychology and criminal behaviour and as a criminal psychologist worked with many serious offenders means that he can display his knowledge through the brilliant and determined Detective Hunter. My Favourite character in The Caller is Mr J (Jenkinson) married to the lovely Cassandra, who falls victim to the "demon" (I'm not spoiling the story by sharing that with you) We discover that Mr J has a hidden occupation, one that his wife was not aware of, he is a hit man for the mob, and when Cassandra meets an untimely demise Mr J is on the case.....So with Detective Hunter chasing the demon before he strikes again and Mr J demanding revenge the scene is set for a fantastic conclusion...a perfect ending that bought a smile to my face with a beautiful closing observation......

Yes Chris Carter's stories may not be deep, observational and character driven but by god they are great fun to read and once started impossible to stop. The front of the UK hardback edition states "as compelling as a box-set thriller" and that is a great description. I hope I do not have to wait 18 months before joining Detective Hunter and his colleague Carlos Garcia on another thrilling outing! ( )