The Dispatcher

Apr 21, 2012 Lou rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: january-2012-reading-list, arc

Seven years and counting your cherished daughter, has been gone. You buried an empty casket, you need closure, you need to put her body to rest.
It must be unimaginable the grief, memories and the sorrow that you have to deal with on a daily basis. The vengeance and the anger must be an unrelenting force. Still you keep your job answering calls as a dispatcher, calls of others in need, calls of emergencies. Meanwhile your life fragments and disappears slowly before you.
What can our main protagoni...more Seven years and counting your cherished daughter, has been gone. You buried an empty casket, you need closure, you need to put her body to rest.
It must be unimaginable the grief, memories and the sorrow that you have to deal with on a daily basis. The vengeance and the anger must be an unrelenting force. Still you keep your job answering calls as a dispatcher, calls of others in need, calls of emergencies. Meanwhile your life fragments and disappears slowly before you.
What can our main protagonist do? He's lost his wife to the aftermath of his daughters disappearance. What he doesn't do is give up hope.
Hope that one day a call comes through and at the end of the line news of his daughters discovery comes to light.

She is 14 now and has been treated nothing less than an animal. Kept in a basement chained and feed. A sociopathic couple have her. She hopes one day her cop dad will save her. She has hope.

The villain is killing, he has been since he lost his young child. He's been snatching replacement kids and killing those that don't fit their needs. You really hope that the girl in in this story sees the light of day and one day be in her fathers arms in safety.

One day that saving grace comes, a call comes through its her it's her voce she is alive!
Thoughts and emotions racing through the father he must take action and move fast. He's feeling Vengeance and happiness and by any means necessary she must be found.

What unfold is a story of desperate measures. Someone who was once a law abiding citizen a man of the law and lived by the law is forced to break them and get his daughter back.

The author does well in gluing you to the pages with the ensuing events. It all plays out well in your minds thought imagery, a cinematic explosive search and survival down to a grand finale. You won't be disappointed the story delivers one hell of a feel good payoff. The story was in a simple flowing fashion unfolding with tension and as time runs out it hooks you, a visceral tale with expectations of vengeance and glory.
Review also here.(less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

After finishing this book, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It definitely had an impact on me that stayed with me. The first half of the book is very realistic and reads almost like a true crime book. But about half-way through the novel something changes and some plot elements are added that seem implausible to me. Those plot developments were not related to the violence in the book (which was quite graphic) but more related to things that happen that I can't see happening in reality. I...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reason for Reading: I love a good thriller and the publisher's summary pulled me into giving this one a go.

When I sat down to start reading this book which has closer to 400 pages than 300, it was early in the morning and little did I know I would be in the same spot that evening tapping to the final pages of this addictive read. My back was sore, my thumb ached (from tapping pages on my Kindle Touch) but I had just been on the most thrilling ride of my recent reading life. I've read some pretty...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, non-erotic, suspense-mystery

Originally posted at: http://lasrmystery.blogspot.com/2012/...

911 dispatcher Ian Hunt receives a call from a fourteen-year-old girl–his daughter Maggie who’s been missing for seven years and declared dead. Before Ian can get more than a rudimentary description of his daughter’s kidnapper, the phone is snatched from the girl’s hand. Ian begins a hunt for his missing daughter that will cover not only the East Texas community where Ian lives, but also a mad chase along the Interstate 10 to Californ...more Originally posted at: http://lasrmystery.blogspot.com/2012/...

911 dispatcher Ian Hunt receives a call from a fourteen-year-old girl–his daughter Maggie who’s been missing for seven years and declared dead. Before Ian can get more than a rudimentary description of his daughter’s kidnapper, the phone is snatched from the girl’s hand. Ian begins a hunt for his missing daughter that will cover not only the East Texas community where Ian lives, but also a mad chase along the Interstate 10 to California. Can he reach her in time?

Jahn’s theme is not new, but he gives life to an otherwise predictable plot by infusing life into his characters. Thrice divorced dispatcher, Ian Hunt has foibles aplenty, but he has a determination to find the only precious thing he has left in his empty life–his daughter Maggie. Henry, the villain, is a truly disgusting man, but Jahn provides a fascinating glimpse into the criminal mind that raises Henry from the stereotype. Even Henry’s dim-witted wife Bea is portrayed with a pathos that makes the reader both despise and pity her. Henry’s twisted loyalty to Bea and his hideous determination to give her what she lost are hard to stomach in this tale of a young girl who has lived as a captive practically under the noses of the local police. I was at first reminded of news stories where young women had been held captive. This is different, and Henry’s motives are not those of Elizabeth Smart’s or Jaycee Dugard’s kidnappers. Only the compliant wife lends any similarity to Maggie’s story.

Despite Maggie’s unusual strength of character which seems unbelievable given her confinement, Jahn’s fast-paced plot keeps the reader turning pages and suspending disbelief. I appreciated the viewpoints of several characters, however, I was put off by the present tense storytelling style. Also–and I do not take off for formatting since the version I read may be a NetGalley problem, not occurring in the printed book–I found point of view switches hard to follow without asterisks or other hiatus indicators.

Warning: there is macabre violence a plenty in this story of blood, bullets, twisted love and torture. Gripping, moving, well-crafted, but not for the faint of heart. Still, Jahn has crafted a terrific thriller that shows the criminal mind at work. Recommended.
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Mar 01, 2012 Ryan G rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can't recall a ton of books that I've read over the last few years that deal with a father doing everything they need to do to protect their child. Other than Cormac McCarthy's The Road, my brain is a little stumped trying to remember another book that I've read that deals with the specific relationship of father and child. I don't even think I could name a book I've seen reviewed somewhere else in the last few years that reflect such a perspective. I could name off tons of book that deal with...more I can't recall a ton of books that I've read over the last few years that deal with a father doing everything they need to do to protect their child. Other than Cormac McCarthy's The Road, my brain is a little stumped trying to remember another book that I've read that deals with the specific relationship of father and child. I don't even think I could name a book I've seen reviewed somewhere else in the last few years that reflect such a perspective. I could name off tons of book that deal with mothers protecting or rescuing their kids, but not fathers. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm not being exposed to the books, or if it's because they are being written. Whatever the explanation, when I read the synopsis of this book, I jumped at the chance to read it.

From the get go, Ian and his fight to get his daughter back kept me on the proverbial edge of my seat the entire time I had the book open. It was one of those reads that I didn't necessarily want to put down, and only did so under duress. Ian is a emotionally crippled man who has had to deal with his abduction of his daughter seven years ago, a horrific experience that has destroyed every other relationship he had. His wife left him for another police officer. The relationship with his son, who was in high school at the time of the abduction, is damaged beyond repair. Ian could not help but blame him for his sister's abduction. He never wanted to feel that way, but sometimes the brain really has no control over how someone is going to react.

From the moment Ian receives that phone call, he is racing against time. He doesn't know what the kidnapper will do now that he is in danger of being found out. When the bodies of 3 other female toddlers along with the nightgown Ian's daughter was wearing the night she disappeared are discovered on private property, they get the break they need. I'm not going to even get into how the bodies were discovered because it's the result of one of those seemingly random events that can get you into trouble, even if you don't realize it at the time. But the way it happens is brilliant and never seems to be unbelievable.

When the initial contact with the suspect ends up with two officers dead and Ian in the hospital, it's up to Ian to get his ass in gear and save his daughter on his own. He leaves the hospital and sets out on a crusade to get his daughter and his life back. He does someone that I'm sure some out there would find to be over the top or out of character, but I'm pretty damn sure I would have done the same thing Ian does. If someone had knowledge of where my son was at, and would not spill the beans, I would do everything I had to do to get that information. Rescuing my son would comes first, consequences can be dealt with after my child was safe.

What follows is a car chase across barren deserts and abandoned towns. It's a chase filled with violence and blood shed. Innocent people lose their lives along the way, people who were just trying to do the right thing. It's a bloody journey that I would pray no father would ever have to make, but it's a journey that any father should be willing to embark on in order to protect their child.(less)

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Feb 18, 2012 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy, nook

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

Sometimes after reading several books like I've Got Your Number, you need a good gritty novel to "cleanse you pallet".
The Dispatcher is as gritty as they come!

Ian Hunt traded in the big city police force for a job as a dispatcher in a backwoods Texas town. He got divorced from his third wife shortly after their young daughter disappeared. They recently had her declared legally dead and had a funeral for her and everything. So imagine his surprise when one...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Amy Lignor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Winner of the New Blood Dagger Award, Ryan Jahn certainly has the gift to begin a suspense novel by setting hearts on edge the second the book is opened.

This new novel focuses on Ian Hunt who works as a police dispatcher out of Bulls Mouth, Texas. Ian hasn’t had the best life, thus far. His poor daughter was kidnapped when she was only seven-years-old. Another seven years has gone by and Ian still holds the innate hope that Maggie is still alive out there somewhere, even though they declared he...more Winner of the New Blood Dagger Award, Ryan Jahn certainly has the gift to begin a suspense novel by setting hearts on edge the second the book is opened.

This new novel focuses on Ian Hunt who works as a police dispatcher out of Bulls Mouth, Texas. Ian hasn’t had the best life, thus far. His poor daughter was kidnapped when she was only seven-years-old. Another seven years has gone by and Ian still holds the innate hope that Maggie is still alive out there somewhere, even though they declared her dead just four months ago. His ex-wife is now remarried to a cop and has two new children, a new house, and a new life - yet Ian is still buried in his grief.

One evening, as he’s doing his job, a call comes in from Maggie. Now fourteen-years-old, she’s screaming out for daddy to come save her, yelling that she has escaped but that the kidnapper is hot on her heels and she doesn’t have much time before he captures her once again. Ian can barely breathe as the case is suddenly re-opened and he goes on the hunt to get his missing daughter back.

The reader is taken through part of the story by Maggie, who has lived years of imprisonment in a concrete walled basement that has another individual living in its depths. The ‘thing’s’ name is Borden, and he has a story that no reader will believe. Henry and Beatrice are the couple who have Maggie. Beatrice always says how much she loves her, feeds her well and treats her as if she is her very own daughter. Unfortunately, the cell always remains the same.

What these kidnappers don’t realize is that Maggie is one strong little girl, and there is no way she will lay down and forget about her very real father who is out there searching for her. Add in a half-Spanish, half-Apache by the name of Diego Pena, car chases across the lonesome country of the Texas Panhandle to California, gun fights that outdo any that the OK Corral ever saw, and readers have a thrilling book that will definitely keep them on the edge of their seats. A word of warning, this is a very well-written book which means very realistic. Make sure you are ‘up for’ a plot of this nature before getting into the read.

(Amy For Suspense Magazine)

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Jun 01, 2012 Nancy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I honestly went into this book thinking it would be urban fantasy, since the tagline is, "The phone rings. It's your daughter. She's been dead for four months." Cue supernatural adventures, yes? No. She's not actually dead, she was kidnapped seven years ago and she was only declared dead four months ago. She manages a brief escape and calls 911. It's a really small town so she's answered by her father, the local police dispatcher. She isn't able to say much before the kidnapper hauls her back ag...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Elizabeth A. rated it 3 of 5 stars

What means the most in life to you, and how far would you be willing to go to attain or keep it? Those questions are at the core of author Ryan David Jahn’s The Dispatcher, the follow up to his CWA John Creasey Dagger winning Acts of Violence.

Ian Hunt is a police dispatcher in Bulls Mouth, Texas whose life pretty much fell apart seven years ago on the night Maggie, his seven-year-old daughter, was kidnapped from her own bed. His marriage limped along for a bit before finally calling it quits, an...more What means the most in life to you, and how far would you be willing to go to attain or keep it? Those questions are at the core of author Ryan David Jahn’s The Dispatcher, the follow up to his CWA John Creasey Dagger winning Acts of Violence.

Ian Hunt is a police dispatcher in Bulls Mouth, Texas whose life pretty much fell apart seven years ago on the night Maggie, his seven-year-old daughter, was kidnapped from her own bed. His marriage limped along for a bit before finally calling it quits, and a distance grew between Hunt and his son, Maggie’s older brother who had been responsible for watching her on the night she was taken. Maggie was never found.

Four months after having Maggie officially declared dead and holding a funeral for her at his ex-wife’s insistence, Hunt is at work one evening when he gets a 911 call from a teenage girl pleading for help; she’s escaped from the people holding her captive and made it to a pay phone on the edge of town. Just as Hunt realizes with a mixture of horror and elation that the girl on the other end of the phone is Maggie, the call is abruptly cut short as she’s snatched away from him again. Working with the brief description Maggie was able to give, Hunt begins a quest to find the kidnapper and get his daughter back at any cost, and god help anyone who gets in his way.

The Dispatcher is a book that’s not going to be for everyone. Despite that routine sounding setup – and the story itself is rather straightforward – Ryan David Jahn’s writing style is not nearly as routine or straightforward. Jahn propels the story along via frequent changes in the point of view from which the story is being told, with Hunt, Maggie, the kidnapper, and one of Hunt’s fellow officers all getting opportunities to advance the narrative. For some that will work as a way to keep things lively, but others may find it somewhat disruptive as you never really get to settle in with one character.

Additionally, The Dispatcher contains several scenes of extremely graphic violence, including a very methodical interrogation/torture episode that is most decidedly not for the faint of heart or those with a weak stomach. Again, this may not bother some and, in fact, there will probably be readers who will not only understand but sympathize with the extremes to which a parent is willing to go in order to rescue and protect their child. Where Jahn tries to make things morally and emotionally interesting is in the backstory behind the kidnapper’s motive, which reveals he’s acting out of a desire to make his family whole again after he and his wife lost their infant daughter. [That's not a spoiler.] Of course there’s no way this story can end well for everyone, but Jahn leaves his ending just ambiguous enough to either make you hopeful for the future or leave you frustrated at the lack of closure.

Bottom line, The Dispatcher is a traditional story of kidnapping and revenge with a somewhat nontraditional, and ultra-violent, style of presentation. Your personal preferences with regard to those factors will be the ultimate arbitrator of whether The Dispatcher works for you or not.(less)

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May 31, 2012 Raven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well- what can I say? The genius of Jahn is in evidence again in this new thriller which again is distinctly different to his first two books. In a lesser author's hand this could easily have been boxed in with the Harlan Cobens and Linwood Barclays but thanks to Jahn's depth of characterisation this is altogether a more meaningful read. I loved some of his little descriptive flourishes, the injection of some brilliantly dark one-liners,and the sheer wretchedness of emotion that Ian Hunt goes th...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Bailey rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is supsenseful, and wants to make you keep reading. It is also about a lot of revenge coming in each characters' way. They are all ready for what consequences they must get, but were willing to take the risk. This book is a great book for those who like suspense, some killing, and frustration. I got mad at many parts of this book, just because of what the characters did. One thing that gets confusing throughout the book is the author switches character views each section. You get a vei...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn is a fictional thriller which takes the reader from Texas to Arizona. I could not put this book down, it moves fast and furious.

Dispatcher Ian Hunt wears a uniform but does not consider himself a police man. One day Ian answers a 911 call only to realize he is talking to his daughter who has been abducted from his home seven years before.

Going on a bullet ridden chase from Texas to California, this macabre, violent ride in a 1965 Mustang will...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ian Hunt receives a call while working as a police dispatcher and the caller is his daughter. His daughter that went missing seven years earlier and was recently legally declared dead. Before he could get any information, the call is cut off and she disappears again. For the past seven years, he hasn’t given up hope that is daughter is alive and now he will do anything to get her back!

The Dispatcher grabbed me from the first page since that’s when the phone call is received. It slows a little as...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

I saw a review of The Dispatcher in my RSS feed st Jenn's Book Shelves but since it was past the publication date I thought it would no longer be available. To my surprise it was still listed so I decided to request it anyway and to my surprise I was approved a few days later. It was both the premise and Jenn's review that I found intriguing. A small town emergency dispatcher receives a call from a phone box, his daughter, who has been missing for seven years, is begging for his help. With singl...more I saw a review of The Dispatcher in my RSS feed st Jenn's Book Shelves but since it was past the publication date I thought it would no longer be available. To my surprise it was still listed so I decided to request it anyway and to my surprise I was approved a few days later. It was both the premise and Jenn's review that I found intriguing. A small town emergency dispatcher receives a call from a phone box, his daughter, who has been missing for seven years, is begging for his help. With single minded determination, Ian Hunt renews his search for his daughter, willing to do anything to bring her home.

From the first few pages, after Hunt receives the call, I was eager to know what had happened seven years ago and by then introducing Maggie's point of view, the author had me hooked. There is a palpable sense of urgency as Hunt mobilises the police and Maggie is dragged screaming from the phone box, leaving the receiver dangling. Jahn then lets us into the mind of Henry, Maggie's abductor - his fury at her escape, his fear at being caught and his twisted justification for kidnapping Maggie. The story unfolds between the three points of view of Ian, Maggie and Henry, overlapping at times to reveal the differing perspectives of the three, allowing us to follow their individual journeys.
Jahn reveals Hunt's grief in the aftermath of his daughters disappearance - the break down of his marriage, his anger at his son who was babysitting her, the end of his career and the solace he found in a bottle. Hunt is incredibly sympathetic even as he crosses the line into vigilantism. He has been driven past the point of the rational, his focus narrowed to saving his daughter and making her captor pay.
Maggie is fourteen now, she has spent seven years in a dank basement with only an imaginary friend for company, grimly holding tight to the knowledge of who she is. Her aborted escape doesn't dampen her spirit and while her strength is unlikely given the circumstances it is admirable and with every fibre of my being I was hoping she would escape.
With Henry's perspective we learn about his own desperation to make his wife happy, the only redeeming feature the man has. It's a fascinating look at motives that makes this man a monster, but still a human being.

The tension is unrelenting as Ian and the police try to determine the identity of Maggie's captor, as Maggie looks for another opportunity to escape and Henry grows increasingly anxious about being caught. An explosion of violence starts the chase across the country, Henry leaving a trail of bodies in his wake while Hunt races to catch them with a bullet wound in his chest. The violence in this novel is not graphic exactly but is real and not for the faint of heart. Ian and Henry are both desperate men, Henry determined to escape, Ian to rescue his daughter at any cost, even his own life.

The Dispatcher is a gritty, dark thriller with a frantic, intense pace. It is not a complex story but is nevertheless completely compelling and I couldn't put it down. (less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery

this is the first book I have read by this author and I must say that at first it was not what I expected, but turned out to be very exciting and my kind of book. This book involves a very heinous crime of kidnapping and what one father and his, partner will do to save the father's daughter. This book also has lots of ups and downs but in the end all is well I hope I didn't give away the ending.

At first I thought this book was going to be about what a 911 dispatcher does and while it does talk a...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: finishedreviewcopy

On first look, and perhaps the next several looks as well, The Dispatcher is a gritty story of revenge, of vigilante justice. It reads somewhat like an episode of CSI, Law and Order or Criminal Minds, if those were told from the perspective of a third person narrator, so that the audience knows what every party is thinking. Violence, action, and horrible people abound.

More than that, though, this book is a study in psychology and human nature. Jahn considers what humans are capable of doing when...more On first look, and perhaps the next several looks as well, The Dispatcher is a gritty story of revenge, of vigilante justice. It reads somewhat like an episode of CSI, Law and Order or Criminal Minds, if those were told from the perspective of a third person narrator, so that the audience knows what every party is thinking. Violence, action, and horrible people abound.

More than that, though, this book is a study in psychology and human nature. Jahn considers what humans are capable of doing when they feel their backs are to the wall. He also plumbs the emotion of love and what horrors can come out of it. None of the characters in this book come out of it without blood on their hands, whether literally or figuratively, but all of them, one could argue, and I do, are in some way motivated by love, and not love for themselves, but for someone else.

The opening sequence is definitely an attention grabber. It really made me think. I do not have kids, and have no interest in having any, but as I reader I try to put myself in the place of the characters as much as I am able to. Ian's love for his daughter is evident in the way he never gave up hoping she might be alive, despite the incredibly low and discouraging odds for the survival of abducted children. I wonder, though, whether it would be more painful to find out that your daughter had been dead all that time or that she was alive. Can you imagine the guilt you would feel that your daughter had been nearby all that time and you had given up the search and left her to whatever awful ministrations the kidnapper has been putting her through all of these years?

Incredibly tragic, too, is the character of Maggie Hunt. Even if she is rescued, how much hope is there for her now, really? She is 14, but having been kidnapped since she was 7, her mental development is stalled. Her only companion for years has been a grisly figment of her imagination. What capacity will she have for trust, for love?

If you enjoy seriously dark stories of murder and people pushed to their limits, Jahn's book may be for you. Be prepared, though, for an open ending. These always drive me crazy because I so much want to know!(less)

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Feb 11, 2012 Caitlin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I wanted to read The Dispatcher because the story sounded like it would be good and because I panned the author's first book, Good Neighbors (yes, I know it won an award). Most of my issues with Good Neighbors had to do with some authorial and metafictional choices, but were mostly rooted in the fact that he was writing about the Kitty Genovese murder and I think Harlan Ellison wrote the definitive fictional work on that in his short story, The Whimper of Whipped Dogs. What I did know was that M...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like a well written story.

Recommended to Richard by: I read a revies.

This is a powerful story of love lost and found in the person of Ian Hunt and his daughter, kidnapped over 7 years ago when she was seven years old.

Through her own tenacity, as well as her dad's she is reunited with her parents.

What happens in the last few days of her captivity is a blood bath leaving at least 9 dead or in serious condition, not counting the babies that died in the years before the last "Sarah" was kidnapped.

To think that all this time you have been looking at a complicit brothe...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Lineola rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book met the "good" criteria for pulling me in and keeping me reading throughout. I should probably rate it higher, but I just can't bring myself to...in the end, I felt a bit beaten down by this book. It was overall a harsh and gritty look at human nature, even though it had some great stuff (father daughter relationship, friendship) among the harshness.

The first half of this book is just phenomenal, but it takes a turn into more gritty, violence mid-way through. I just can't bring myself...more

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Oct 07, 2012 I_love_books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Im fiktiven Örtchen namens Bulls Mouth, Texas geschieht der Alptraum jeder Eltern: Ian Hunt & seine Frau gönnen sich einen Abend zu zweit, während der große Sohn auf seine kleine Schwester Maggie aufpassen soll. Sie wird klammheimlich aus ihrem Kinderbett entführt. Keiner hat etwas bemerkt, nur das zerschnittene Fliegengitter zeugt vom Eindringling. Maggie ist spurlos verschwunden. 7 Jahre später ist Hunts Leben so gut wie zerstört. Trotz dass Maggie’s Leichnam nie gefunden wurde, hat seine...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't think I've actually written a review on here, but I wanted to type out a quick one regarding this book because it was such a disappointment and I'll want to remember why. This is a crime-thriller that falls flat, the plot is realistic enough but the author has absolutely no talent with character development. Physically, you can picture them just fine, but you don't grow any attachment for the protagonists beyond hoping there'll be a good ending. The ending's honestly rather quick and lam...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a hard book for me to read. I usually don't like to read books that leave me all bloody. This book is written very graphically which was hard for me. Not my usual read. But it was for a book club discussion so I read it - in two evenings. I could not stop from reading it. It was like being at a train wreck. I had to know if the girl was saved. The author seems to bring the "hero" down to the level of the villain. The story left me wonder how life would ever be redeemable again for him....more

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Mar 13, 2012 Karly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

This was the start of a good run of adult suspenseful thrillers on my reading list. I had heard about this title from somewhere and was thrilled when I saw it on NetGalley. It was a good read that took hold right in the beginning and was like a roller coaster ride-you want it to be over, but at the same time you don't want it to stop!

There may well be nothing in the world stronger than a father's love. Ian Hunt proves this again anad again throughout this book. To begin with, even though his dau...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

A kidnapped child who has been missing and presumed dead for 7 years calls 911 and begs for help. Unlike many recent stories in the news this is not really about the kidnapped child. Instead it is about a father who turns his back on all he knows about right and wrong and does whatever it takes to get his daughter back. It is a deadly, violent and bloody chase that will only end with his death or the rescue of his daughter.

A gripping, but violent, thriller about a father’s no holds barred quest...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Audra (Unabridged Chick) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hand-that-rocks-the-cradle, mood-dark-and-twisted, mysteries, place-american-south, secret-identities, skeletons-in-the-closet, teenage-heroine-but-not-ya

In the first few pages of this novel, we meet Ian Hunt, a police dispatcher who gets a 911 call from his daughter, who has been missing for seven years. Four months ago, at his ex-wife's request, they had a funeral for Maggie, but Ian hasn't been able to let go of the hope that Maggie was alive.

This book had me on the edge of my seat every time I picked it up; if I had coffee while reading it, I honestly thought I'd expire from anxiety. Jahn's present tense narrative has the effect of making eve...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Jade Eby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-and-need-to-read, netgalley

Originally posted at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

I had zero expectations starting this book. I thought the premise sounded interesting and very reminiscent of Taken with Liam Neeson which happens to be one of my favorite movies. After finishing the book, it had all of the same elements that made me love Taken. I was floored by how much I enjoyed this book. It hooked me from page one.

The intensity in this novel starts from page one and it doesn't stop for one minute. It's a read-at-your-own-p...more Originally posted at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

I had zero expectations starting this book. I thought the premise sounded interesting and very reminiscent of Taken with Liam Neeson which happens to be one of my favorite movies. After finishing the book, it had all of the same elements that made me love Taken. I was floored by how much I enjoyed this book. It hooked me from page one.

The intensity in this novel starts from page one and it doesn't stop for one minute. It's a read-at-your-own-peril kind of book because you pretty much block everything else out when you're reading it. The characterization in this novel was incredible. Our main character, Ian Hunt is a man you do not want to mess with. The way Ian loves his daughter.I haven't seen very many books where the love between a father and a daughter is so strongly felt. Jahn did such a great job of showing just how far a father would go to get his daughter back and make sure she is safe. Also, he is so in awe of her strength and bravery and it makes me fall in love with him a little bit the way he views his daughter. The way Ian loves his daughter….haven't seen very many books where the love between a father and a daughter is so strongly felt. Jahn did such a great job of showing just how far a father would go to get his daughter back and make sure she is safe. Also, he is so in awe of her strength and bravery and it makes me fall in love with him a little bit the way he views his daughter.

Jahn did a great job of having Henry and Bee be atrociously creepy and yet…you pity them and feel sorry for them for a bit. He doesn't make it easy to straight out hate them like you want to. He makes you work for your emotions.
Maggie. Oh my word. I loved loved loved Maggie. She possessed a kind of strength that only people who have these traumatic experiences possess. She was smart and witty and I found that her complete in her faith in her father endearing. It's the way every little girl should feel about their father…that no matter what happens, your daddy will go through hell to get you back. The psychological aspect of Maggie's abduction is seen through her manifestation of "Borden," the boy living in the basement with her. It's evident that Maggie tries to cope with things by believing Borden is a real boy and is keeping her company, telling her what to do etc. But I think the telling part of Maggie's character is the way she felt AFTER she escaped. She got a taste of her old world, what it felt like to be free and it's a desire that grows in her like a fire and she won't stop until she has her freedom back. That's an incredible spirit to have not only in a child but in someone who has gone through such a traumatic experience. I love that she event taunts Henry with the realization that her dad is going to come get her and he will kill Henry when he does. I just love Maggie's spirit. I loved that the novel was told in alternating POV's and I loved being able to get into the heads of the main character. This novel is truly a glimpse inside the human psyche and an attempt to figure out why people are the way they are and what motivates them.

There wasn't much to complain about this novel honestly. The only thing I can say is that I think for a child to be abducted and kept in isolation, tortured a bit and brainwashed, Maggie seemed a little too "normal" for her situation. I mean, I admire her strength and everything, but I just feel like it's not totally accurate. I feel like there would be A LOT deeper issues with Maggie than what is shown in the novel.

Overall, this was a fantastic, wild, Taken-esque ride. I couldn't put it down and I loved every single minute of this novel. I HIGHLY recommend for mystery/thriller lovers and anyone who loves to read about the lengths a father will go to save his daughter.

**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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Mar 07, 2012 Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: f-general, source-review, 2012, f-thriller, format-ebooks, fiction

Ian Hunt is working a regular day at the dispatch office, receiving more prank calls than genuine ones at the job, when a call comes through from a payphone. The distressed caller is a girl who introduces herself as Maggie Hunt, Ian's own daughter who has been missing for the past seven years, and whose funeral was arranged four months earlier to give her mother closure. She had just managed to escape and is hoping for help, but her abductor manages to get her in time. Ian, now convinced that hi...more Ian Hunt is working a regular day at the dispatch office, receiving more prank calls than genuine ones at the job, when a call comes through from a payphone. The distressed caller is a girl who introduces herself as Maggie Hunt, Ian's own daughter who has been missing for the past seven years, and whose funeral was arranged four months earlier to give her mother closure. She had just managed to escape and is hoping for help, but her abductor manages to get her in time. Ian, now convinced that his daughter is very much alive, will stop at nothing to get her back, even if it means punching a few noses, chopping a few fingers or killing someone.

This book is not really my usual fare, but I only chose it because Ryan David Jahn wrote it. After loving the ingenuity of Good Neighbors, I was looking for more magic when I opted to read this one. Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me. I know it is my elevated expectations that spoiled my enjoyment because otherwise, The Dispatcher was a pretty good crime novel.

One of the main strengths of this book is its characters. There are quite a few narrators, from Ian to his daughter, from her abductor to Ian's friend. Except for Maggie, the daughter, all the other narrators were very well-etched. Maggie felt quite weak to me, and I guess it's because of the minimal information I got about how she has been managing for seven years - her education, her mental condition, her emotional maturity, etc. She didn't appear too affected by the abduction - there is a lot of anger but not any of the emotional effects I would expect to see.

The Dispatcher was pretty fast paced and a bit gruesome. There are some really stomach churning moments and a lot of bloodshed in the book. I didn't feel all that uncomfortable reading the book, but it should be stated that there are quite a few kidnappings and child killings in the book, in case that's something that gives you a headache. The gruesomeness was pretty vivid in Good Neighbors as well, but I think The Dispatcher will take the cake in that department.

The plot itself was pretty well setup. My usual problems with crime novels are how much the writer teases the reader - the good guy will be thiscloseto catching the bad guy before something happens, he escapes and I roll my eyes. I didn't feel manipulated in this case - the expected things happen, and then some unexpected things happen, but nothing that involves the police coming in at the last minute after all the gunshots are fired. The setting being in Texas, there is a lot of landscape descriptions that are not really my cup of tea but will be delicious to anyone who loves a good setting.

One of my issues with this book has to do with my ebook copy itself. I read it via Kindle, sent directly from NetGalley, and the copy was pretty badly organized. The paragraphs weren't properly split up between perspectives. The transition from one narrator to another is not so obvious that sometimes I am a couple of paragraphs into the next person's story before I realize it. This was my first time reading NetGalley copies on the Kindle app - I usually read on my Nook. Not a big issue, but a jarring note, nevertheless.

Despite all the wonderful things I wrote about this book, it didn't really intrigue me much. The middle portion of the book slowed down quite a bit and there wasn't much happening either to move the story along. There are many other characters who come and go through the book. I was disappointed that some of them aren't explored more considering the strategic placement of quite a few subplots. I also felt that Maggie's abductor was occasionally acting out of character - of course, what's out of character for a kidnapper is debatable. His wife was quite frustrating most of the time that I wasn't sure what her ailment was. It was these weak characterizations that eventually took away my enjoyment. I did however like how the author left the ending ambiguous, and although I would love to know how Ian manages after it all ends, I do see how I will be dissatisfied with whichever ending the author chooses.(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Brett Starr rated it 5 of 5 stars

A father's love.

A missing child considered forgotten, something bad that happened and is now in the past, a buried memory.

Ian Hunt is a small time cop in a sleepy police department in East Texas. His daughter Maggie was fourteen years old when she was kidnapped from their home. Ian blamed himself for not being there that night. Out of the blue, a phone call comes in from Maggie, she's alive and needs her father to come and save her, save her like he failed to do the first time around.

I randomnly...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, favorite, ya

Talk about an adrenaline rush! I absolutely loved this book. From the moment Ian picked up the phone and heard his daughter’s voice on the other end, he was on a mission to find her. Two months earlier they had a memorial service (without a body) to put closure to the case of his missing daughter but it was more for Debbie his ex-wife who needed closure. His now, fifteen-year old daughter who had been missing for 8 years was alive and Ian was sure that this was no trick, Maggie was alive. How di...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Jen at Reading Lark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got a heavy flavor of the Denzel Washington movie, Man on Fire, while reading this book. The central character's daughter Maggie manages to make contact during a short-lived escape attempt after 7 years of imprisonment with her kidnappers, Henry and Beatrice. This kick-starts a chain of events, culminating in a cross-state chase to rescue her. During this chase Ian, her father, fights with horrific injuries and it is pretty much only his grim determination that carries him through.

The action...more

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