What do you think?
Rate this book
OPSIG Team Black #1
The Hunted
"How well do you really know the person you love? How far would you go to find out?" If there was one person in the world Dr. Lauren Chambers was sure she could rely on, it was her beloved husband, Michael. Recovering from an agoraphobic depression and prone to episodes of blinding anxiety, Lauren is a gifted psychologist for whom her husband's love and support mean everything. So when Michael suddenly and mysteriously vanishes, Lauren once again finds herself balancing on a knife's edge, haunted more than ever by an all-too-familiar paranoia.
Is there more to it than paranoia, though? Private investigator Nick Bradley believes so. As the pair takes off on a cross-country journey in search of answers -- a search that yields a series of unsettling truths about the husband Lauren believed she knew so well -- bestselling author Alan Jacobson sets into motion a page-turning tale of concealed identities, an assassin's vendetta, and murderous revenge. Once again proving his mastery of the shocking twist and the ingenious turn, Jacobson leads readers on an exhilarating road thriller built for hairpin turns and unexpected detours as Lauren heads for a face-off with the most dangerous secret of the truth.
From Alan Jacobson, "one of the brightest stars of the publishing world" (CNN), comes a chilling follow-up to his breakthrough national bestseller "False Accusations": a high-velocity thriller of deadly revenge and psychological mayhem.
Is there more to it than paranoia, though? Private investigator Nick Bradley believes so. As the pair takes off on a cross-country journey in search of answers -- a search that yields a series of unsettling truths about the husband Lauren believed she knew so well -- bestselling author Alan Jacobson sets into motion a page-turning tale of concealed identities, an assassin's vendetta, and murderous revenge. Once again proving his mastery of the shocking twist and the ingenious turn, Jacobson leads readers on an exhilarating road thriller built for hairpin turns and unexpected detours as Lauren heads for a face-off with the most dangerous secret of the truth.
From Alan Jacobson, "one of the brightest stars of the publishing world" (CNN), comes a chilling follow-up to his breakthrough national bestseller "False Accusations": a high-velocity thriller of deadly revenge and psychological mayhem.
376 pages, ebook
First published January 30, 2001
402 people are currently reading
744 people want to read
About the author
Alan Jacobson
33 books331 followersALAN JACOBSON is the USA Today bestselling author of a dozen critically acclaimed, award-winning thrillers. His 20 years of research and training with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, DEA, US Marshals Service, ATF, Scotland Yard, SWAT, and the US military bring unparalleled realism to his stories and characters—prompting the San Francisco Chronicle to write that “Alan Jacobson researches his books like a good newspaper reporter and then pushes the envelope into reality more thoroughly than the typical crime novel could ever allow.”
Jacobson's series protagonist, FBI profiler Karen Vail, has resonated with both female and male readers and inspired Nelson DeMille, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly to call Vail one of the most compelling heroes in suspense fiction. Likewise, his OPSIG Team Black series has been lauded by real-life Navy SEALs.
Jacobson’s thrillers have been published internationally and several have been optioned by Hollywood.
Web: www.AlanJacobson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/AlanJacobsonFans Instagram: alan.jacobson
Twitter: @JacobsonAlan
Jacobson's series protagonist, FBI profiler Karen Vail, has resonated with both female and male readers and inspired Nelson DeMille, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly to call Vail one of the most compelling heroes in suspense fiction. Likewise, his OPSIG Team Black series has been lauded by real-life Navy SEALs.
Jacobson’s thrillers have been published internationally and several have been optioned by Hollywood.
Web: www.AlanJacobson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/AlanJacobsonFans Instagram: alan.jacobson
Twitter: @JacobsonAlan
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 4, 2020
A bit convoluted but given that it was an early work for Jacobson and first in the series I think there is potential. Given the time between book 1 and book 2, I’m expecting more from this series also.
The idea behind the book was solid. It just was executed clumsily. The characters were jumbled even though pulled together in the end. I loved the first Vail book and will continue reading both of Jacobson’s series.
The idea behind the book was solid. It just was executed clumsily. The characters were jumbled even though pulled together in the end. I loved the first Vail book and will continue reading both of Jacobson’s series.
October 13, 2014
What a wild ride ! Alan Jacobson's "The Hunted" is a fast paced action mystery/ thriller that seems to move at the speed of sound. Dr. Lauren Chambers, a psychologist and a top doctor in her field, learns her husband has gone missing. Michael Chambers while on a skiing trip in Colorado with friends has just disappeared. Michael has just vanished into thin air. Lauren is at her wits end trying to get help in finding Michael. PI Nick Bradley ends up taking on the case for Lauren. We come to find out Michael was in a horrific traffic accident, and taken to a hospital with injuries and amnesia. While the doctors can treat Michael's injuries, his mind is completely blank. Can it really be possible Michael was a former FBI agent having jumped out of witsec and had been living in deep undercover- to which Lauren didn't even have a clue. In this wild and wooley ride, FBI director Douglas Knox grabs up Michael, who as an FBI agent was known as Harper Payne. Michael/ Harper is in perilous danger from his arch enemy, an assassin known as "The Viper', AKA "Hung Jin", and AKA Anthony Scarponi. Scarponi is as dangerous, and evil as it possibly gets. Scarponi wants Michael/ Harper dead. The story line is just loaded with twists and turns, and winds into incredible directions. Powerful plot is loaded with plenty of action and suspense. It's a mystery/ Thriller that's top notch. The characters are so incredible. The elite HRT FBI team (Hostage rescue team) with agents Hector DeSantos and Brian Archer are wonderfully built characters to root for. Without a doubt this was a top notch mystery/ thriller well worth reading. I couldn't even figure out the last of the twists at the ending. The story line delivers without fail. 5 stars out of a possible 5 stars. I'd recommend this mystery/ thriller to anyone who's a mystery/ crime buff for a great time reading. This novel is not a book to be missed. Pick this one up ASAP, and strap in tight for a wild ride that delivers. You'll not be sorry. It's a winner !
May 9, 2012
I’m always on the lookout for entertainments as well as for serious literature, so when I was clued in that Alan Jacobson was a hot newcomer on the mystery scene and that she’d actually spent an evening with him (and a few others--full disclosure here), I was glad for the chance to check him out. The Hunted is the second of Jacobson’s three novels, False Accusations being a best-selling first, The Seventh Victim the latest. Besides its other distinctions, The Hunted is perhaps the first blockbuster thriller set (at least in the beginning) in Placerville, CA. It was entertaining to imagine some of the scenes taking place in and around Placerville and Cameron as well as in the Sierra.
Of course, a real thriller can’t stick around such rural settings for long, and sure enough Jacobson fairly promptly carries us to D.C. and Quantico and has us running around with CIA and FBI and other clandestine personnel. One of the clandestine personnel is the protagonist, who has amnesia, hence the “Man Hunts Self” title of this piece. However, in addition to the protagonist, Jacobson has chosen to follow many characters and does an excellent job of keeping us up with them and in suspense about how they are all going to find one another and what’s going to happen when/if they do. There are a number of extremely clever chase scenes with narrow escapes and even captures and injuries that you’d think would end the story. Reminds me of a writing instructor who advised me to get the hero into scrapes that even you don’t know how he’s going to get out of. There are perhaps a couple too many of these. It got so I was saying oh, no, here we go again. But not a serious flaw.
My only major complaint with The Hunted was that the loose ends get tied up through narrative Agatha Christie style at the book’s conclusion. I much prefer to have the characters discover these matters for themselves, to follow the thinking and actions that lead them to the discovery. As it is, there’s too much Deus Ex Machina and such for my taste. However, others would probably disagree, and I didn’t spot any glaring anomalies in the plot, which is a major accomplishment.
The Hunted is a quick and rewarding read, and I hope the other books let me spend a little time in Placerville as well. I like the place in real life, and I have it as one of the settings in my own novel. Charge on, Alan.
Of course, a real thriller can’t stick around such rural settings for long, and sure enough Jacobson fairly promptly carries us to D.C. and Quantico and has us running around with CIA and FBI and other clandestine personnel. One of the clandestine personnel is the protagonist, who has amnesia, hence the “Man Hunts Self” title of this piece. However, in addition to the protagonist, Jacobson has chosen to follow many characters and does an excellent job of keeping us up with them and in suspense about how they are all going to find one another and what’s going to happen when/if they do. There are a number of extremely clever chase scenes with narrow escapes and even captures and injuries that you’d think would end the story. Reminds me of a writing instructor who advised me to get the hero into scrapes that even you don’t know how he’s going to get out of. There are perhaps a couple too many of these. It got so I was saying oh, no, here we go again. But not a serious flaw.
My only major complaint with The Hunted was that the loose ends get tied up through narrative Agatha Christie style at the book’s conclusion. I much prefer to have the characters discover these matters for themselves, to follow the thinking and actions that lead them to the discovery. As it is, there’s too much Deus Ex Machina and such for my taste. However, others would probably disagree, and I didn’t spot any glaring anomalies in the plot, which is a major accomplishment.
The Hunted is a quick and rewarding read, and I hope the other books let me spend a little time in Placerville as well. I like the place in real life, and I have it as one of the settings in my own novel. Charge on, Alan.
October 12, 2014
I had read this author's later books and was so so on them. But if I like an author I like to check out all of their books. I kept putting this one off because of some issues I had with the other series. So as a part of my new years resolutions to read some of those books that have been on my list the longest I picked up the book.
I ended up giving up this one after 40 or so pages. I disliked Lauren right from the start. For a doctor she seemed to have an interesting sense of right or wrong. In some of the first scenes she thinks her patient is a rapist and all she does is give him a post hypnotic suggestion of a headache when sexual thoughts enter his head. Then when she is out of the office she can barely function due to her own issues. This one just isn't for me.
I ended up giving up this one after 40 or so pages. I disliked Lauren right from the start. For a doctor she seemed to have an interesting sense of right or wrong. In some of the first scenes she thinks her patient is a rapist and all she does is give him a post hypnotic suggestion of a headache when sexual thoughts enter his head. Then when she is out of the office she can barely function due to her own issues. This one just isn't for me.
August 2, 2016
Good book
Twists and turns never did figure it all out until the last few pages. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Twists and turns never did figure it all out until the last few pages. I really enjoyed reading this book.
December 9, 2015
শেষের দিকে ছোট্ট একটা টুইস্ট এ আমি তো অবাক । লেখকের লেখার ভঙ্গি ভালো । অনেকটা ডেভিড বলদাশির মতো ।
September 22, 2022
Michael goes away for the weekend and never comes home. His wife pulls out all the stops to find him from neighbourhood watch groups to the FBI. Meanwhile, the POV switches to Michael who wakes up in hospital with a gunshot wound and amnesia. He escapes and goes on a hunt to find out who he is. Along the way, he discovers he may be an FBI agent.
This was brilliant! Plenty of action but lots of character development as well. I've realized I actually like certain kinds of spy thrillers and will certainly finish this series. This was just great and I can't wait to catch up on the Karen Vail series too.
This was brilliant! Plenty of action but lots of character development as well. I've realized I actually like certain kinds of spy thrillers and will certainly finish this series. This was just great and I can't wait to catch up on the Karen Vail series too.
February 7, 2025
3 1/2☆s rounded up
The plot of this book is engaging and exciting. The start of the book was fast-paced and very easy to read. There are about 150 pages in the middle that became difficult to stay interested in, however. The overall story is always exciting and fast-paced, but many times got lost and difficult to navigate through the chaos of the timeline. The end wrapped up somewhat nicely but was choppy, in my opinion, trying to tie up loose plot points.
This book was good enough that I am interested in reading the sequel. It does, however, need an editor. It was first released 24 years ago but still has big typos...
The plot of this book is engaging and exciting. The start of the book was fast-paced and very easy to read. There are about 150 pages in the middle that became difficult to stay interested in, however. The overall story is always exciting and fast-paced, but many times got lost and difficult to navigate through the chaos of the timeline. The end wrapped up somewhat nicely but was choppy, in my opinion, trying to tie up loose plot points.
This book was good enough that I am interested in reading the sequel. It does, however, need an editor. It was first released 24 years ago but still has big typos...
December 21, 2021
Laren Chambers' husband never comes home from a ski weekend and the search for him takes one strange turn after another. This is a great story - classic cat and mouse with some witness protection thrown in. There's also a great scene in the beginng where the bad guy does surgery on himself to remove a tracking device - ugh and wow.
October 26, 2025
This was a very fast moving story. Dr. Chamber's husband left to go to Colorado with old college buddies to cross country ski and he doesn't return. He is in his own bizarre situation and she is introduced to a private investigator who wants to help her find her husband.
No one is who they say they are or are they? This was suspenseful and a long book, but a fast read.
No one is who they say they are or are they? This was suspenseful and a long book, but a fast read.
September 4, 2017
Wow, I loved this book. There were twists at every turn and I never wanted to put it down. I figured part of it out in advance, like who the mole was, but never expected the final scenario. Who would think someone would go through all that pain just to get their way on gun control.
December 29, 2017
Loved it and hated it as I physically cried towards the end of the book. I can only imagine how hard it was for Hector DeSantos. No spoilers here. Just read the first 3 Karen Vail novels then jump into this one since you'll be familiar with Hector DeSantos, that and you just should read them.
July 5, 2020
Had me on the edge of my seat from page 1. As the story reached its conclusion I found I had to take breaks between each chapter because it was so stressful. If you like that feeling of being on a roller coaster, this book it for you.
January 21, 2022
Fabulous!
Love Alan Jacobsen’s writing! Read the whole Tracie Tanner Series (hoping for more-hint, hint) and came across this series. Could not do it the book down! Then continued to read the several chapters to next book & am buying that immediately!
Love Alan Jacobsen’s writing! Read the whole Tracie Tanner Series (hoping for more-hint, hint) and came across this series. Could not do it the book down! Then continued to read the several chapters to next book & am buying that immediately!
October 27, 2022
Started off really cool but then just got so jumbled, and a lot of things weren’t plausible. I mean there were like 7 “twists” in the last 50 pages. I was getting a headache from all of his forceful configuring
September 15, 2017
Not as great as the other books.
December 22, 2017
Review to follow
June 10, 2018
Good thriller. I liked the idea of the agoraphobic wife forced to go after her amnesiac (spy?) husband. Some of it was pretty unbelieavable, but that comes with thriller territory.
May 5, 2019
Suspenseful
Very intriguing, many twists and turns. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one. Interesting character development throughout. Keep up the good work.
Very intriguing, many twists and turns. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one. Interesting character development throughout. Keep up the good work.
January 16, 2020
Filled with twists and turns in the storyline - it is the definition of a "gripping page turner"!
July 31, 2020
This was a quick read with some good twists. I can’t help but think it would be one of the rare cases where the movie could outshine the novel.
September 12, 2020
Outstanding. Many twists and turns throughout the book, even up until that last couple of chapters. This is 4th book I've read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Highly recommend.
November 28, 2020
A multilayered story
A very interesting book, dealing with multiple plot lines. Lots of great characters and places. I found this book hard to put down. Highly recommended
A very interesting book, dealing with multiple plot lines. Lots of great characters and places. I found this book hard to put down. Highly recommended
November 1, 2021
A bit clunky writing style. And a bit much in plot points. But the first in a series.
February 4, 2022
Full of twist and turns but once the tension is ratcheted up it does let off. Be prepared to not put it down
October 3, 2022
What a really good book.
May 28, 2023
Too many characters and story lines to give it more stars.
August 15, 2024
Loved it. It was fast-paced with many twists and turns. Kept me reading until I turned the last page.
April 7, 2025
Great government suspense
December 31, 2016
Great Read!
Lots of suspense, lots of twist and turns! Good thriller. Fast read. If you like espionage you will like this book.
Lots of suspense, lots of twist and turns! Good thriller. Fast read. If you like espionage you will like this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews