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jadeeby's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.
lisa_butler79's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
This book I read for my book challenge prompt
Title Of The Book Is "The ________" (One Other Word)
The dispatcher is a fast paced dark book from start to finish.
When a 911 dispatcher Ian Hunt takes a call from his 14-year-old daughter Maggie who was kidnapped seven years ago and is presumed dead, it sets off a desperate chase to find and rescue the girl.
The story Is told through the POV of different characters
and each chapter alternates between Hunt, his daughter, the kidnapper and Hunt's cop friend, Diego.
The book at times is very violent and the writing style meant I could easily imagine this as a cinematic film.
The author does a good job of gaining sympathy for both the kidnapper and understanding his reasons for doing so and her father who goes to extremes of torturing someone graphically to get information about his daughter.
It questions your own morals and how far you would go to save your daughter.
This book is a fast paced thriller that has you hooked from the start. My only fault was the ending was a bit too neat and tied up with a pretty bow.
kthomas4415's review against another edition
3.0
3.5-4 stars I think? I was kind of bummed because I thought this book was going to be about an actual dispatcher and not an officer in desk duty. Story was a little rough at times and hard to believe in others, but I've never lived in a small enough town where life may be what it is in this book. Pretty cool action scenes but a whole lot of trigger warnings.
didactylos's review against another edition
1.0
Turned into a nasty gratuitous read, a shame as the writer has actually got some nice touches. I finished it in case it improved. It didn't.
You have to stretch your credulity a lot as to how a man shot in the lung can manage to chase across America and perform feats a fit person would not manage.
Oh dear.
You have to stretch your credulity a lot as to how a man shot in the lung can manage to chase across America and perform feats a fit person would not manage.
Oh dear.
scknitter's review against another edition
3.0
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 to rescue his kidnapped daughter.
A gripping, but violent, thriller about a father’s no holds barred quest to rescue his kidnapped daughter.
kirsty147's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, fast-paced crime/thriller novel. Not one I would normally read as I like British fiction, rather than American (with the exception of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay & this novel reminded me of their style). I finished it in two nights, couldn't put it down. A bit graphic in places, but that doesn't bother me as it fitted well with the book.
shelleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
lanie_b's review against another edition
3.0
The title stood out to me at the library because I work as a police dispatcher at the airport so of course I had to read this one! It is an exciting, fast-paced story from beginning to end.
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
4.0
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 Mr. Jahn could write and I watched out for what he might write next.
Second books are hard - lots of people flub them badly. Mr. Jahn, however, wrote a great second book. He kept the cast of characters tight, the various stories and subplots woven together tightly, chose a great landscape with miles and miles of deserted highway, and he paced things just right. In fact, he paced them as if you and he were riding together in the main character's 1965 Mustang down those highways after the people who kidnapped your girl.
Mr. Jahn has a way with words and has proven that he can write a great story. I had a really hard time putting this book down - I devoured it in a day (a work day, even). I wasn't very sociable with my co-workers on break and at lunch because I was too enraptured to stop reading this book. It was a sort of a teenaged joyride of a book, complete with those bad moments that happen when you realize the car is stolen, you're probably too drunk to be in it, and you're definitely driving way too fast, but somehow you just can't stop. Excellent book - highly recommended for those who like a great thriller.
Second books are hard - lots of people flub them badly. Mr. Jahn, however, wrote a great second book. He kept the cast of characters tight, the various stories and subplots woven together tightly, chose a great landscape with miles and miles of deserted highway, and he paced things just right. In fact, he paced them as if you and he were riding together in the main character's 1965 Mustang down those highways after the people who kidnapped your girl.
Mr. Jahn has a way with words and has proven that he can write a great story. I had a really hard time putting this book down - I devoured it in a day (a work day, even). I wasn't very sociable with my co-workers on break and at lunch because I was too enraptured to stop reading this book. It was a sort of a teenaged joyride of a book, complete with those bad moments that happen when you realize the car is stolen, you're probably too drunk to be in it, and you're definitely driving way too fast, but somehow you just can't stop. Excellent book - highly recommended for those who like a great thriller.
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
3.0
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 everything immediate, and so I just chased line after line, desperate to get to the resolution.
The novel alternates mostly between Ian, Maggie, and her kidnapper, and the additional viewpoints are both delightful and maddening. I wanted to get to The End, of course, but Maggie's interludes ratcheted up the tension while the kidnapper's POV just made everything creepier and creepier. Other characters got their own chapter now and then, which slightly affected the mood for me, but otherwise, I can't complain about the pacing or the vibe of the story. If thriller you want, thriller you get.
Beyond the thrilling plot line -- will Ian be able to rescue his daughter? -- this novel also lifts up the damaging effects losing a child has on a person and a marriage. Ian is estranged from his son who was babysitting his daughter the night she was kidnapped; his tragedy is one in this town full of heartache and loss, one that marks him and yet makes him just another of the damaged.
Contemporary thrillers aren't always my thing because I'm a wimp, and I get freaked out easily, and this book has tension and creepiness in spades. The story isn't gory, not exactly, but has some explosive violence that fits with the feel of the story and matches the plot -- but still squicked me out.
In the end, this was a very fun way to spend a few days -- well, maybe not fun, but certainly engrossed -- and anyone who enjoys cinematic, tension-filled thrillers will dig this one.
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 everything immediate, and so I just chased line after line, desperate to get to the resolution.
The novel alternates mostly between Ian, Maggie, and her kidnapper, and the additional viewpoints are both delightful and maddening. I wanted to get to The End, of course, but Maggie's interludes ratcheted up the tension while the kidnapper's POV just made everything creepier and creepier. Other characters got their own chapter now and then, which slightly affected the mood for me, but otherwise, I can't complain about the pacing or the vibe of the story. If thriller you want, thriller you get.
Beyond the thrilling plot line -- will Ian be able to rescue his daughter? -- this novel also lifts up the damaging effects losing a child has on a person and a marriage. Ian is estranged from his son who was babysitting his daughter the night she was kidnapped; his tragedy is one in this town full of heartache and loss, one that marks him and yet makes him just another of the damaged.
Contemporary thrillers aren't always my thing because I'm a wimp, and I get freaked out easily, and this book has tension and creepiness in spades. The story isn't gory, not exactly, but has some explosive violence that fits with the feel of the story and matches the plot -- but still squicked me out.
In the end, this was a very fun way to spend a few days -- well, maybe not fun, but certainly engrossed -- and anyone who enjoys cinematic, tension-filled thrillers will dig this one.