Book Review: The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn

Title: The Dispatcher
Author: Ryan David Jahn
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 978-0-230-75596-3
Format: Paperback
416 pages
Genre: Fiction, thriller
Source: Publisher

The Dispatcher is a tense, fast-paced thriller about a father doing whatever he has to do so that he can rescue his daughter from her abductor.

Ian Hunt is a police dispatcher for a small town and near the end of his shift one night he gets a call from his daughter Maggie who was abducted when she was seven years old. Now, seven years later, Ian hears her voice as she begs for help but the call ends abruptly with the sound of Maggie screaming. Ian is galvanized into action and immediately stops everything else so he can focus all his efforts on finding Maggie.

As Ian sets out on his quest to rescue his daughter, he resorts to sickening means to attain the information he needs to locate the kidnapper and rescue Maggie. Her abductor seems to be one step ahead of Ian though, while Ian's loyal friend and fellow police officer, Diego, is one step behind Ian.

The point of view alternates between Ian and Maggie and her abductor, so that the reader is aware of just how determined Ian is; how brave and feisty Maggie is; and how fiendishly clever and wicked the abductor is.

The characters, their motives and actions as well as the consequences all add up to a gritty story that leads to a frantic and violent cross-state chase.

The Dispatcher is a stomach-churning thriller with an exciting plot, realistic charaacters, and scenes of violence that leave little to the imagination. The tension is palpable throughout the story and I was hooked from the attention-grabbing first sentence to the terrifying conclusion. I'm very grateful to the publisher, Pan Macmillan, for sending me a copy.

If you like thrillers, you must read The Dispatcher. You won't be disappointed. I highly recommend it.