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The Three O’Clock Calls
Bright, persistent ringing ripped Tom from sleep. He rolled over, fumbled for the reading light beside his bed, and reached for his phone. As he answered the call, he saw the 3:00 a.m. Nothing good comes from a three o’clock call.
134 pages, Paperback
Published December 16, 2024
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2 people want to read
About the author
Tom Smith
336 books9 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this same name on Goodreads.
Others:
Tom 2^ Smith: GR Author, history
Tom 3^ Smith: Dr Tom Smith
Tom 4^ Smith: Comics illustrator
Tom 5^ Smith: GR Author, veteran, history
Tom 6^ Smith: Business, Management
Tom 7^ Smith: Health
Others:
Tom 2^ Smith: GR Author, history
Tom 3^ Smith: Dr Tom Smith
Tom 4^ Smith: Comics illustrator
Tom 5^ Smith: GR Author, veteran, history
Tom 6^ Smith: Business, Management
Tom 7^ Smith: Health
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 2, 2025
Smith has written a novel exploring the most painful experiences of his life and how his Christian faith has sustained him. There is tragedy and grief, healing and learning to live with loss. Woven throughout is his sustaining relationship with Jesus Christ. It contains good examples of salvation, including being saved but still struggling with sin and being saved moments before dying.
Smith experienced tragedies that may be trigger situations for potential readers, including the death of a child and the abuse of an alcoholic father. While these situations are hard to read about, there is encouragement in also reading how faith sustained Smith and others in his family. This book is also a good example for those who are considering writing a faith building book about their own experiences.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Smith experienced tragedies that may be trigger situations for potential readers, including the death of a child and the abuse of an alcoholic father. While these situations are hard to read about, there is encouragement in also reading how faith sustained Smith and others in his family. This book is also a good example for those who are considering writing a faith building book about their own experiences.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author. My comments are an independent and honest review.
January 5, 2025
This book is so well written and such a great read. It talks about faith through tragedy and the hardships that life can bring. It’s a very encouraging book!
May 31, 2025
The Three O’Clock Calls
By: Tom Smith
Publisher: WestBow Press
Release Date: December 16, 2025
Length: 134 Pages
Triggers: Grief, loss, family tragedy
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Family Tragedy and Spiritual Renewal
The Three O’Clock Calls by Mr. Tom Smith is a heartfelt, deeply moving memoir that begins with a jarring phone call at 3 a.m.—a time that so often signals the arrival of life-changing news. Through this powerful opening, Mr. Smith shares his own journey through immense personal loss, grappling with tragedy while navigating faith and family.
The structure of the book—divided into Before the Call, The Call, and After the Call—beautifully mirrors the way grief unfolds in real life: the quiet of normalcy, the shock of tragedy, and the long, winding path toward healing. Mr. Smith writes with clear, direct prose that never shies away from the rawness of pain, yet consistently circles back to the quiet strength of faith and the enduring love of family.
What I especially appreciated about this memoir is the way Mr. Smith draws from scripture and his own spiritual reflections. He doesn’t present easy answers; instead, he invites the reader to sit with grief, to learn how it transforms us, and to discover that healing often begins in the small acts of living—talking, sharing, and loving those who remain.
It’s a short book, but one that lingers long after you finish. The honesty in these pages makes it clear that while the calls at 3 a.m. changed everything, they also offered Mr. Smith a new understanding of life’s fragility—and its preciousness.
Perfect For:
📖 Readers interested in grief memoirs with a Christian perspective
📖 Anyone who has faced loss and seeks comfort in shared stories
📖 Those who appreciate narratives that blend personal vulnerability with spiritual insights
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
By: Tom Smith
Publisher: WestBow Press
Release Date: December 16, 2025
Length: 134 Pages
Triggers: Grief, loss, family tragedy
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Family Tragedy and Spiritual Renewal
The Three O’Clock Calls by Mr. Tom Smith is a heartfelt, deeply moving memoir that begins with a jarring phone call at 3 a.m.—a time that so often signals the arrival of life-changing news. Through this powerful opening, Mr. Smith shares his own journey through immense personal loss, grappling with tragedy while navigating faith and family.
The structure of the book—divided into Before the Call, The Call, and After the Call—beautifully mirrors the way grief unfolds in real life: the quiet of normalcy, the shock of tragedy, and the long, winding path toward healing. Mr. Smith writes with clear, direct prose that never shies away from the rawness of pain, yet consistently circles back to the quiet strength of faith and the enduring love of family.
What I especially appreciated about this memoir is the way Mr. Smith draws from scripture and his own spiritual reflections. He doesn’t present easy answers; instead, he invites the reader to sit with grief, to learn how it transforms us, and to discover that healing often begins in the small acts of living—talking, sharing, and loving those who remain.
It’s a short book, but one that lingers long after you finish. The honesty in these pages makes it clear that while the calls at 3 a.m. changed everything, they also offered Mr. Smith a new understanding of life’s fragility—and its preciousness.
Perfect For:
📖 Readers interested in grief memoirs with a Christian perspective
📖 Anyone who has faced loss and seeks comfort in shared stories
📖 Those who appreciate narratives that blend personal vulnerability with spiritual insights
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
April 12, 2025
Tom Smith writes a moving, narrative memoir regarding the life, and death, of three members of his family: his father, George, an abusive alcoholic who dies from cancer; his daughter, Danielle, who dies in a car accident; and his nephew, Blake, a young man trying to get his life together when he is tragically murdered. With each incident, his faith and his close family and friends, comfort and provide guidance though such a terrible time.
Tom writes with honesty and sincerity about the tragedies his family has gone through. He speaks about processing his own grief and wrestling with the ideas of forgiveness and anger, with disarming frankness. The heartbreak is written about openly and with such poignancy that readers will need a box of tissues beside them.
But it is his faith that is most heartfelt. Even here he writes with amazing clarity and freshness; about the struggles and comfort being faithful brings, especially in the light of such tragedies. And yet it is his faith that is one of the most amazing aspects of this entire story. He is not afraid to speak candidly about what it means to him, how it has helped him and how he has struggled with it. It is refreshing to see such a human touch!
Both religious and non-religious readers will find something in this novel. His discussions of faith and grief are absolutely, beautifully devastating but cut to the heart of the matter in a way that will leave readers deeply touched. So, keep the tissues close and dive into a poignant memoir about love, loss and faith.
Tom writes with honesty and sincerity about the tragedies his family has gone through. He speaks about processing his own grief and wrestling with the ideas of forgiveness and anger, with disarming frankness. The heartbreak is written about openly and with such poignancy that readers will need a box of tissues beside them.
But it is his faith that is most heartfelt. Even here he writes with amazing clarity and freshness; about the struggles and comfort being faithful brings, especially in the light of such tragedies. And yet it is his faith that is one of the most amazing aspects of this entire story. He is not afraid to speak candidly about what it means to him, how it has helped him and how he has struggled with it. It is refreshing to see such a human touch!
Both religious and non-religious readers will find something in this novel. His discussions of faith and grief are absolutely, beautifully devastating but cut to the heart of the matter in a way that will leave readers deeply touched. So, keep the tissues close and dive into a poignant memoir about love, loss and faith.
May 15, 2025
Family Journey Which Teaches Many Lessons—Tragic and Inspiring
It all starts with that dreaded phone call at 3:00 am, as the book title indicates. Generally, nothing good happens at the time, whether in person or on the phone. Tom Smith starts out by describing a series of traumatic childhood events, setting the stage for his adult existence with a loving family, a solid working life and a dynamic existence within an extended Church Family, as it were.
But the road to his place in the world had been rocky, and his forthright relationship with his children, and the reader, involves exposing his grievous mistakes on that Road to Redemption. A key part of the journey involved fully embracing his Christian Faith, which meant trying to make sense of a series of personal tragedies which tested that Faith to the limit.
Events not of his making, totally out of Tom Smith’s control, start with the untimely death of his 19-year daughter in a car accident, followed close behind with his nephew’s passing in bar brawl gone bad. The narrative is characterized by such phrases not “waking from a nightmare, but to a nightmare” every morning afterwards. He wrestles with the “complexities of grief” knowing that “to be human and to love meant inviting sorrow.”
After the hustle and bustle of each of these twin-tragedies ended, Tom, like we all must do, had to fight the good fight in the dreaded silence of his own solitude. This book is heartbreaking and sad, and yet uplifting and inspirational. Just like Life.
Brad Butler, Author of ‘Without Redemption.’
It all starts with that dreaded phone call at 3:00 am, as the book title indicates. Generally, nothing good happens at the time, whether in person or on the phone. Tom Smith starts out by describing a series of traumatic childhood events, setting the stage for his adult existence with a loving family, a solid working life and a dynamic existence within an extended Church Family, as it were.
But the road to his place in the world had been rocky, and his forthright relationship with his children, and the reader, involves exposing his grievous mistakes on that Road to Redemption. A key part of the journey involved fully embracing his Christian Faith, which meant trying to make sense of a series of personal tragedies which tested that Faith to the limit.
Events not of his making, totally out of Tom Smith’s control, start with the untimely death of his 19-year daughter in a car accident, followed close behind with his nephew’s passing in bar brawl gone bad. The narrative is characterized by such phrases not “waking from a nightmare, but to a nightmare” every morning afterwards. He wrestles with the “complexities of grief” knowing that “to be human and to love meant inviting sorrow.”
After the hustle and bustle of each of these twin-tragedies ended, Tom, like we all must do, had to fight the good fight in the dreaded silence of his own solitude. This book is heartbreaking and sad, and yet uplifting and inspirational. Just like Life.
Brad Butler, Author of ‘Without Redemption.’
June 5, 2025
In The Three O’Clock Calls, Tom Smith shares a deeply personal memoir revolving around the lives and losses of his father George, his daughter Danielle, and his nephew Blake. Through these tragedies, Smith explores the enduring impact of love, memory, and faith.
“The phone rang at three o’clock in the morning. The phone only rings at three o’clock in the morning when something is wrong.” Smith immediately pulls the reader into a moment thick with tension, recounting the uneasiness and sense of impending doom he felt when he awoke to the phone call. What makes this moment even more powerful is how the narrative moves between life before the call and the aftermath that follows. This shifting structure allows readers to fully grasp the emotional weight of the event and deepens the story’s impact, illustrating the complexity of Smith’s experience navigating sudden loss.
When Smith thought all hope was lost for him, he rediscovered his strength through faith: “Pain shows me my need in profound ways and because I can look back on my life and see how God has never abandoned me.” Rather than framing grief as something to overcome, Smith presents it as a lasting expression of love. He reflects on how the pain of loss, even 10 or 20 years later, remains a measure of endearment- not bitterness.
Smith’s resilience in the face of profound sorrow is truly inspiring. “These stories are part of my life,” he writes. “They are massive parts, but they are not the whole of it. I have more life to live, more people to love and serve, more to discover about God.” The Three O’Clock Calls is ultimately a testament to love, faith, and the human capacity to heal while carrying the weight of loss.
“The phone rang at three o’clock in the morning. The phone only rings at three o’clock in the morning when something is wrong.” Smith immediately pulls the reader into a moment thick with tension, recounting the uneasiness and sense of impending doom he felt when he awoke to the phone call. What makes this moment even more powerful is how the narrative moves between life before the call and the aftermath that follows. This shifting structure allows readers to fully grasp the emotional weight of the event and deepens the story’s impact, illustrating the complexity of Smith’s experience navigating sudden loss.
When Smith thought all hope was lost for him, he rediscovered his strength through faith: “Pain shows me my need in profound ways and because I can look back on my life and see how God has never abandoned me.” Rather than framing grief as something to overcome, Smith presents it as a lasting expression of love. He reflects on how the pain of loss, even 10 or 20 years later, remains a measure of endearment- not bitterness.
Smith’s resilience in the face of profound sorrow is truly inspiring. “These stories are part of my life,” he writes. “They are massive parts, but they are not the whole of it. I have more life to live, more people to love and serve, more to discover about God.” The Three O’Clock Calls is ultimately a testament to love, faith, and the human capacity to heal while carrying the weight of loss.
May 6, 2025
“The Three O’Clock Calls” by Tom Smith is a profoundly emotional and deeply personal journey through grief, loss, and the enduring power of faith. The story opens with a vivid and haunting image: a phone ringing at 3:00 a.m.—the kind of call that no one ever wants to receive. From the very first page, Smith captures the rawness of tragedy with startling honesty.
Reading this book was not just a literary experience, but a personal one. I found myself overwhelmed by emotions, reliving painful memories, but also seeing them through the author’s eyes.
“The Three O’Clock Calls” doesn’t just dwell in sadness; it pulses with love—love of family, love of life, and most importantly, love from our Heavenly Father. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's enduring presence and faithfulness even amidst our deepest suffering.
Tom Smith masterfully weaves personal stories with reflections on faith, prayer, and the importance of a strong support system. For anyone grappling with grief, questioning their faith, or searching for hope during dark times, this book is not just a comforting read—it’s a lifeline.
Reading this book was not just a literary experience, but a personal one. I found myself overwhelmed by emotions, reliving painful memories, but also seeing them through the author’s eyes.
“The Three O’Clock Calls” doesn’t just dwell in sadness; it pulses with love—love of family, love of life, and most importantly, love from our Heavenly Father. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's enduring presence and faithfulness even amidst our deepest suffering.
Tom Smith masterfully weaves personal stories with reflections on faith, prayer, and the importance of a strong support system. For anyone grappling with grief, questioning their faith, or searching for hope during dark times, this book is not just a comforting read—it’s a lifeline.
May 3, 2025
I was stunned
This book is awesome in a thousand ways. Everything revolves around the idea of a call, but a good or bad call that we can interpret from a symbolic, abstract or metaphorical sense. I interpreted the book as three stages to visualize death, from the life lived, the fateful moment of death and finally the way it impacts on the environment surrounding the person who dies. The book is completely full of literary resources to make a simile regarding the feelings, reflections and sensations that death can produce in the human being and that makes it a very polished and intelligent book to approach such a complex and sensitive subject. It has fascinated me, because the amount of reflections that it generated in me, were not produced by a book a long time ago.
This book is awesome in a thousand ways. Everything revolves around the idea of a call, but a good or bad call that we can interpret from a symbolic, abstract or metaphorical sense. I interpreted the book as three stages to visualize death, from the life lived, the fateful moment of death and finally the way it impacts on the environment surrounding the person who dies. The book is completely full of literary resources to make a simile regarding the feelings, reflections and sensations that death can produce in the human being and that makes it a very polished and intelligent book to approach such a complex and sensitive subject. It has fascinated me, because the amount of reflections that it generated in me, were not produced by a book a long time ago.
May 3, 2025
Two things were extremely clear to me as soon as I saw this book: that the mystery would be fast-paced and that the emotions would grow page after page. I can't explain why I was drawn to this title as the cover actually says very little and the synopsis is so concise that it doesn't end up showing anything, however, I think both of these aspects hold so much intrigue that it is the reason for my choice!
The author’s writing style is impeccable, with sublime descriptions and great characters development. The roller coaster of emotions to which the author dragged me is very strong. It’s a book that makes the reader reflect deeply about loss, grief and the courage involved in this difficult process.
The author’s writing style is impeccable, with sublime descriptions and great characters development. The roller coaster of emotions to which the author dragged me is very strong. It’s a book that makes the reader reflect deeply about loss, grief and the courage involved in this difficult process.
May 5, 2025
This gripping book is an emotionally charged tale that explores the weight of sudden moments and life altering information imparted in the dead of night. In a series of vivid, personal vignettes the author explores the hard reality of receiving horrible calls at 3am calls that turn everything upside down. The writing style of the author is personal, honest, and very human, a memoirist series of thoughts and reflections. Smith embodies grief, resilience, and the delicate beauty of life with incredible clarity. This is not a book about tragedy but about connection, strength, and how we pick up the pieces after everything crumbles. A compelling, provoking read that haunts long after the last page.
May 2, 2025
If you are looking for a book to help you reaffirm your faith in God, this is the perfect book. "The Three O'Clock Calls." After a tragic event that Tom experienced, God's call helped him heal and reaffirm his unconditional faith in God. The narrative in this book will take you on a spiritual journey of reconciliation with God and with life in general. It is moving and I am sure it will help you on your journey toward God. Author Tom Smith aims to move me with this book. I would like to recommend it to everyone. It is an enriching reading with a message of love and faith.
May 23, 2025
Reading The Three O’Clock Calls by Tom Smith gave me chills—not the scary kind, but the kind that come when something hits too close to the heart. From the very first line, I felt the weight of those early morning phone calls—the dread, the uncertainty, the life-changing moments that often follow. This book pulled me in emotionally right away, and I stayed fully engaged until the very end.
What really stood out to me was the honesty and vulnerability in Tom’s storytelling. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and that’s exactly what made the experience so powerful.
What really stood out to me was the honesty and vulnerability in Tom’s storytelling. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and that’s exactly what made the experience so powerful.
December 25, 2024
Excellent read for those dealing with or have had to handle tragedy. Tom shares how God was present through multiple tragedies which included loss of his sweet daughter. It is a must read for those looking for a closer relationship to their family and God. It also is a beautiful story of forgiveness.
April 16, 2025
‘God has never abandoned me’ – A testament to faith
Florida author Tom Smith has gained recognition as an author of children’s books: The Boss Bandit series of four books and Out of This World. Now he turns to the sensitivity of his Christian faith with this profoundly touching memoir, THE THREE O’CLOCK CALLS, relating his responses to three tragedies in his life: the death of his daughter Danielle due to an auto accident, his nephew Blake’s murder due to a gunshot wound, and his alcoholic abusive father George’s death due to metastatic carcinoma.
The manner in which Smith relates his message is adroitly suggested in his book’s title, and further refined in his presentation in three parts – Before the Call, The Call, and After the Call, each section delivered in portions referencing the three losses: George, Danielle, and Blake. The initial Before the Call outlines the lives of his father, his daughter and his nephew, bringing into focus their impact on the author and his greater family unit. The Call details the moments leading to their deaths, and the After the Call provides his philosophy of managing loss and the force of grief accompanying the ICU passing of Danielle, the delayed trial for the murderer of Blake, and the last moment redemptive period at his father George’s death. Quoting scripture passages explains the author’s coming to grips with his losses and the strength his faith in God creates and supports. Smith’s own memorable statements include, “to be human and to love also meant walking alongside others in pain and bearing one another up under it,” “There is no getting used to death,” and “God can meet each one of us right when we need God most.”
Offered in the style of a novel, including a fascinating cast of characters both in his extended family and acquaintances, brings validity and immediacy to the goal of Smith’s message – ‘These stories are part of my life. They are massive parts, but they are not the whole of it. I have more life to live, more people to love and serve, more to discover about God.’ Especially poignant during these chaotic times, this book brings a sense of peace and understanding – a very welcome addition to our library.
Florida author Tom Smith has gained recognition as an author of children’s books: The Boss Bandit series of four books and Out of This World. Now he turns to the sensitivity of his Christian faith with this profoundly touching memoir, THE THREE O’CLOCK CALLS, relating his responses to three tragedies in his life: the death of his daughter Danielle due to an auto accident, his nephew Blake’s murder due to a gunshot wound, and his alcoholic abusive father George’s death due to metastatic carcinoma.
The manner in which Smith relates his message is adroitly suggested in his book’s title, and further refined in his presentation in three parts – Before the Call, The Call, and After the Call, each section delivered in portions referencing the three losses: George, Danielle, and Blake. The initial Before the Call outlines the lives of his father, his daughter and his nephew, bringing into focus their impact on the author and his greater family unit. The Call details the moments leading to their deaths, and the After the Call provides his philosophy of managing loss and the force of grief accompanying the ICU passing of Danielle, the delayed trial for the murderer of Blake, and the last moment redemptive period at his father George’s death. Quoting scripture passages explains the author’s coming to grips with his losses and the strength his faith in God creates and supports. Smith’s own memorable statements include, “to be human and to love also meant walking alongside others in pain and bearing one another up under it,” “There is no getting used to death,” and “God can meet each one of us right when we need God most.”
Offered in the style of a novel, including a fascinating cast of characters both in his extended family and acquaintances, brings validity and immediacy to the goal of Smith’s message – ‘These stories are part of my life. They are massive parts, but they are not the whole of it. I have more life to live, more people to love and serve, more to discover about God.’ Especially poignant during these chaotic times, this book brings a sense of peace and understanding – a very welcome addition to our library.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews