You Shouldn’t Have Answered
When brothers Jace and Theo throw an unplanned Halloween party while their parents are away, the worst they expect is a trashed house or a noise complaint. They couldn't be more wrong. What starts as a stupid joke—making random, creepy phone calls and laughing when people hang up—seems entirely harmless. That is, until one number actually answers. The voice on the other end doesn’t yell or disconnect; instead, he simply whispers, “I’ve been waiting.”
What begins as a prank quickly spirals into a dangerous nightmare they can’t escape. Every subsequent call pulls them deeper into the caller's twisted game. Soon, people start disappearing one by one—first a friend, then a girlfriend—with bodies left behind like gruesome messages. The house is no longer a party; it has become a trap.
The mysterious caller isn't just playing games anymore; he is actively hunting them. Jace and Theo shouldn’t have made that initial call, and they definitely shouldn’t have answered when he called back. Now they have to pay the ultimate price, learning the hard way that on Halloween, some calls don't need an invitation.
- Theo - Jace and Ashley’s brother, 22
- Cindy - Theo’s girlfriend
- Jace - Theo and Ashley’s brother, 18
- Ashley - Theo and Jace’s sister, 15
- Rylan - Serial killer in the area
- Tony - Bouncer
- Lana - Party attendee
- Orlando - Party attendee
- Raymond - Party attendee
- Shelley - Party attendee
- Jesse - Party attendee
- Calvin - Party attendee
- Tegan - Party attendee
- Theo and Jace are planning a Halloween party while their parents are out of town.
- Rylan is released from prison after serving two years for killing thirteen people.
- Theo and Jace hire Tony to be a bouncer for the Halloween party.
- Tony checks IDs until everyone is inside, then leaves.
- Ashley answers Theo’s phone - the bouncer service says they were unable to send Tony.
- Ashley suspects the man posing as Tony was Rylan.
- The partygoers start taking turns making prank calls.
- Jace calls a hotel pretending to deliver pizza; the man who answers describes partygoers’ clothing, then hangs up.
- Everyone is shaken and stops the game.
- Most people leave the party.
- Someone calls the house phone and says to check on Lana.
- Lana is found with a knife through her eye, then falls from upstairs into the living room, cracking her head.
- Orlando is found on a bed, crushed and bloodied by a fallen chandelier.
- The phone rings again and asks if anyone has checked on Ashley.
- Theo runs to her room and finds her missing.
- The next call comes from Ashley’s phone - ‘you didn’t deliver my pizza’.
- As they try to flee, a garden fork is driven into Raymond and Shelley.
- The group sees Jake and Ronda hanging from a tree by their waists, tied with electrical cord.
- In the garage, where she’s being held captive by Rylan, Ashley turns on a table saw to make noise and attract attention.
- When the saw starts, Jake and Ronda are dragged into the pool and electrocuted.
- Cindy and Edward are caught in bear traps and suspended over upright knives.
- Cindy is dropped onto the knives; Edward is pulled into the pool and electrocuted.
- Jesse, Tegan and Calvin escape to a neighbor’s house to call for help.
- Theo searches the shed for Ashley and three bodies fall out.
- A rake is driven into Clayton’s face.
- Rylan takes off with Ashley.
- Police arrive at the house and say they found more bodies in alleys not far from Theo and Jace’s house.
- Rylan calls Theo and Jace and tells them to meet at a roadside rest stop four hours away if they want Ashley.
- Rylan calls again and tells them to pick up pills on the way.
- The pharmacist refuses, so Theo shoots him.
- Jace speaks with Tegan, who says police traced Ashley to Red Rock Motel.
- Rylan had a daughter who needed a heart transplant, which motivated his killings. More deaths equals more donors.
- Ashley reveals she has been on the donor list since age twelve.
- Theo and Jace get to Red Rock Motel but Rylan and Ashley are gone.
- Rylan calls and tells them to meet at Tweeny Lake.
- Police realize Rylan targeted victims based on donor list matches.
- Theo and Jace arrive at Tweeny Lake and find Rylan with Ashley.
- Ashley escapes, Jace is shot in the arm, and Rylan gets away.
- Three days later, Rylan is still on the run.
- Ashley is told they found a match for her and she gets heart surgery.
- While in recovery she gets a letter from Rylan saying ‘I hope you like your new heart.’
I really enjoyed You Shouldn't Have Answered by C.K. Smith for its great blend of horror and thriller elements. The present-tense narrative keeps the tension high, broken only by a few quick flashbacks. There is solid character development for the three main siblings - Theo, Jace, and Ashley - before the Halloween party begins, and I appreciated that the setup didn't drag, getting to the main event much faster than many other books. While the climax felt a little abrupt and the ultimate conclusion became obvious well before the final pages, the ending itself was still satisfying. Even with a predictable finale and a few small plot holes, nothing detracted from my overall enjoyment or stalled the story's momentum.
- Murder
- Kidnapping
- Violence
- Gore
Publisher: Independently Published
ASIN: B0GXYL5459
Publication Date: April 29, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
