THE DISPATCHER - Ryan David Jahn

I am posting my review of THE DISPATCHER with permission from Shelf Awareness where the review appeared earlier this month.

First line: "Ian Hunt is less than an hour from the end of his shift when he gets the call from his dead daughter."

Ian Hunt, the town police dispatcher, is hard at work on a solitaire game when the 9-1-1 call comes into the Bulls Mouth police station. Expecting the usual small-town emergency call, he discovers his daughter on the other end, the daughter who was kidnapped seven years ago, the daughter who they buried in a symbolic ceremony only four months earlier. She manages to elude her captors. But before Ian can get help to her, the kidnapper grabs her again and is on the run. Now the depths of Ian’s love for his child are put to the test. How far is he willing to go to save her?

Ryan David Jahn (Good Neighbors) expertly weaves the story of a battle between two men who both believe they are fighting to protect their families. Their actions mirror one other, and each judges the opposite for those actions. When man pushes aside the laws of society for what he deems justifiable cause, the result is physical, mental and emotional carnage.

Jahn’s quiet intensity lulls the reader into the sleepy town atmosphere. And the explosive action is heightened as a result. Meanwhile Jahn builds the reader’s empathy for his characters through flashback scenes, helping the reader find justification in lawlessness. The Dispatcher is a tale that challenges readers’ perceptions of right and wrong, good and bad. The grime of this small town leaves everyone’s hat dirty; it’s virtually impossible to tell who’s wearing the white ones.

THE DISPATCHER is available now in trade paper (ISBN 978-0143120704) from Penguin.