Fast paced thrills but let down with the end. - Rated 
I have just finished this book and readit in only 1 day. I, like other reviewers, hesitated reading this book due to all the negative reviews on here however I finally got around to reading it and i'm so glad I did!
I loved the two detectives Joe Lucchesi and Danny Markey, I thought theyre friendship was so readable and believable and i also loved the story goin on with how the Lucchesi family were coping with the trauma after the first book 'Darkhouse'.
Some parts did confuse me but I feel this is down to me reading this book before Darkhouse. However the ending was quite confusing and at first seemed a bit drawn out then a bit rushed and left a lot of unanswered questions and loose ends, but I think Barclay will go over these in the next book as it seems the story is set for another 1.
I will definately read Darkhouse now after being so impressed by The Caller. Defiantely worth a read!
Not sure what book the 1-star reviews were reading! - Rated 
'The Caller' is the second book from author Alex Barclay, starring New York homicide detective Joe Lucchesi. Following on from the shocking ending in Darkhouse, the Lucchesi's, now living back in New York, are still suffering from the trauma that they experienced when living in Ireland the previous year, at the hands of Duke Rawlins. A new killer is on the loose, apparently allowed access into the victim's houses without forceable entry, then having there faces (their teeth in particular) battered to a pulp before being finished off with a .22 to the temple. Joe and Danny are on the case and it seems that there are more murders linked to their first reported one, going back nearly a year.
I absolutely loved Barclay's debut novel 'Darkhouse' as it was fresh, different and basically one of the best recent thrillers that I'd read for some time. I was put off from reading this follow-up due to negative or below-average reviews on here and on other sites but now, after reading it, I really can't believe I waited so long to give it a go. It isn't as original as the first novel but is still a fantastic seriel killer thriller that I found extremely hard to put down and flew through the pages in no time. Some of the minor characters from the previous novel, due to them being in New York while Joe was in Ireland, were now main characters, so if you have read Darkhouse you'll be familiar with a lot of them. Joe and Danny are very likeable and their relationship with each other is very believeable. How the family are dealing with the aftermath from the previous book is very well written, as I find with a lot of on-going series the characters just move on as if the events from the last book never happened, which was not the case at all here.
The Caller was a surprise when you find out who the killer is, with a great and unexpected twist when he is revealed. I do however agree with some of the other reviews here that have commented on that there are quite a few plot holes at the end where some of the reasoning of why things have happened are left unexplained, such as the teeth facsination. Other than this though this is again a brilliant book from Barclay and I just can't wait for her to write another book in the series as I'm longing to read another book starring Joe and Danny. Overall this is a great thriller that was well above my expectations and one that kept me guessing all the way to the end.
Poor - Rated 
I was not at all impressed with this book. It was slow to start and had a disappointing plot.
Good but something's missing - Rated 
Perhaps, Barclay should have spent more time going into each individual character. Honestly, it dragged so bad in the beginning, I contemplated giving up. The characters were introduced abruptly and suddendly. It made me stop, re-read, go-back and the continue all the time. I cannot remember so many names at the same time and when introduced closely together without giving them specific characteristics, it gets confusing.
To the benefit of Alex Barclay, it picked up by the 3/4th of the book. THEN things picked up.
But many things is still left unanswered. How is Anna? Shaun was accounted for but what about Anna? She was the one with the scars! And how about Mary???? What happened to her? And Stan? It ended all like that? For us to guess? I mean, it's a good idea but hell, that's too much guesswork involved.
Furthermore, the issue of the criminal's obcession with teeth....didn't go deep enough, As I was reading, I was really expecting the man to be a dentist which would have made more sense. But...sigh....it didn't like 'HIT ME' in the end.
sorry.
But it was still a good read, anyway!
Tedious in the extreme. - Rated
This book deserves 3 marks out of 10. There are too many unimportant characters that are never fleshed out. They keep popping up but it's almost impossible to remember who they are or their relevance. I gave up trying to keep track and just read the book - or 90% of the book. About 50 pages from the end I just gave up. I had persisted because every now and then there was a good chapter, or section, that gave me hope that the book would become worthwhile. Most books are and I very rarely give up on a book, especially this far through. In the end it was just too tedious, boring and exasperating to finish. The basic story, although not in the least bit original, was competant enough. That is the kindest thing it's possible to say about Alex Barclay's The Caller. With so many very good thrillers around, this book should only be considered in desperation. This author should read a Lee Child book to learn how to write a brilliant thriller. Sorry - but it's all true.
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