The Dispatcher has been dispatched ***SPOILERS WELCOME****

[dhaupt]

Here's a thread for all of you who've finished the read

please feel free to talk freely about the novel 

[elaine_hf]

Just finished it this afternoon, couldn't wait another week to do it! Wow, that was truly an exciting read, particularly towards the end. My feelings towards Henry have only hardened, my feelings towards Bea have softened somewhat. She finally allowed herself to see what was really going on in her life, but took the coward's way out. I wish there'd been an epilogue, I'd like to know that Ian survives and has a rewarding life with Maggie...and maybe his ex?? Who knows, it sounds like maybe he sees that as a closed door. 

Ron is just an older, wiser version of Henry, maybe a little more like Donald. Regardless, no love lost for him from these quarters. But Diego, he was a surprising hero!

More later, as I think about this a little more.

Elaine

[ryandavidjahn]

Thanks, Elaine. So glad you enjoyed the read. You're not the first person I've heard wish for an epilogue, and I totally understand that, but I decided to go out on a feeling rather than a story point. I'm still happy with the ending, but I have been thinking over the last year about a sequel. Maybe someday I'll actually write it!

[Ryan_G]

Here is the review I posted on the blog when I read the book back in Feb.

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 aren't 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 the 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 something 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.

[dhaupt]

Thank you all for your responses.

Ryan David- Oh boy a sequel, I have mixed emotions about that as I've already declared what happened to Ian, to Maggie, Jeffrey and Deb

But to be honest I would love to see where you put all of them.

Elaine- I can't wait to see what you have to say later, Diego was a sort of surprise to me but he did proove through out the novel that he deeply cared for Ian and wouldn't let him down.

Ryan G- I totally enjoyed your review the first time I read it on your blog and really have enjoyed having a male perspective join in the forum this month and as always respect your views and thoughts on all things fiction.

To me this novel was an epiphany of  what it means to be a real father, I can see my own dad never giving up for any of his children that became lost and it's a testament to Ryan David's amazing telling of his story what emphasis he puts on fatherhood itself. For me the real meat of the tale was how realistic the characters were, how I could easily see each and any of them living in my small town, how a comedy of errors uncovered a multitude of sins and led to a bloody trail of disaster. And how in the end Ian saved the day. I loved the innocence of Maggie in the face of all she went through. I loved how Ryan David gave us just enough information on some characters to draw interest and how he constantly went back and relived the past through the thoughts of his characters.

Well I just loved it.

[Catherine111]

I am really happy with the ending.  It ends peaceful and it leaves things open for interpretation.  I would like to see Ian with Monica and Maggie starting a new life.  I thought the side story with Monica was interesting, and Monica seemed to have a sadness about her --- a need to be loved by someone.  I'm at a point in my life where I like happy endings.  So I'm making up my own happy ending for everyone. 

[dhaupt]

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Catherine111 wrote:

I am really happy with the ending.  It ends peaceful and it leaves things open for interpretation.  I would like to see Ian with Monica and Maggie starting a new life.  I thought the side story with Monica was interesting, and Monica seemed to have a sadness about her --- a need to be loved by someone.  I'm at a point in my life where I like happy endings.  So I'm making up my own happy ending for everyone. 

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Catherine what a great response

there was a time in my life that I couldn't have read this novel, when my husband was sick and battling cancer I only read light things as there were enough dark things in my life at the time. I'm glad to say he's well and I'm back into thrillers, dark fantasy and hard science-fiction where I belong

[Catherine111]

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dhaupt wrote:

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Catherine111 wrote:

I am really happy with the ending.  It ends peaceful and it leaves things open for interpretation.  I would like to see Ian with Monica and Maggie starting a new life.  I thought the side story with Monica was interesting, and Monica seemed to have a sadness about her --- a need to be loved by someone.  I'm at a point in my life where I like happy endings.  So I'm making up my own happy ending for everyone. 

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Catherine what a great response

there was a time in my life that I couldn't have read this novel, when my husband was sick and battling cancer I only read light things as there were enough dark things in my life at the time. I'm glad to say he's well and I'm back into thrillers, dark fantasy and hard science-fiction where I belong

---

This brings up a question I had for Ryan David Jahn ---- How emotionally involved do you get with your characters?  I mean, you live inside their heads for months.  Is it hard to pull yourself out of it when it is over, or are you emotionally detached from it all and see it all more from a technical standpoint? 

BTW, Deb, I am glad your husband is doing better. 

[elaine_hf]

Catherine, that is an interesting idea about Monica and Maggie, and one I hadn't considered. I agree, Monica seems to have a deep well of sadness - people come and go, her life is stuck in this roadside rut, she's a kind of a diner prostitute picking up a little cash on the side..... Her life is going nowhere and she knows it. But do I think that Ian is going to come charging up on his white horse and make a life with her? I guess my take is no - he needed some compassion, she provided what she could because she also needs compassion, and then he moved on. I think they both need more than either one of them could provide for the other, and maybe now that Ian has his daughter back he can start to look for the right person. But who knows - your idea of the 'epilogue' is as real a possibility as the next! 

Elaine

[Catherine111]

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elaine_hf wrote:

Catherine, that is an interesting idea about Monica and Maggie, and one I hadn't considered. I agree, Monica seems to have a deep well of sadness - people come and go, her life is stuck in this roadside rut, she's a kind of a diner prostitute picking up a little cash on the side..... Her life is going nowhere and she knows it. But do I think that Ian is going to come charging up on his white horse and make a life with her? I guess my take is no - he needed some compassion, she provided what she could because she also needs compassion, and then he moved on. I think they both need more than either one of them could provide for the other, and maybe now that Ian has his daughter back he can start to look for the right person. But who knows - your idea of the 'epilogue' is as real a possibility as the next! 

Elaine

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You are probably right.  I am a big-time geek who wants everyone to be happy whether it makes literary sense or not! 

[Ryan_G]

My brain doesn't go to the happy ending for some reason.  In my head I know Ian is going to have to answer for what he did in the trailer.  Even if he somehow skates by, lack of evidence, it's still going to cause problems for him.  At the least I would think they would have to move out of the area, maybe the state.  Get away from the looks of those around him who are always going to feel a little off about what he did, regardless of the reasons behind it.  That and I'm not sure I would want to stick around an area that would have nothing but bad memories for me.  I would also like to think Ian and his son would be able to fix their relationship, but I'm not sold on that either.

I must say that I can honly hope that I'm able to go to the same lengths he did if I was in the shoes, and it was my son in danger.

[ryandavidjahn]

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Ryan_G wrote:

Here is the review I posted on the blog when I read the book back in Feb.

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 aren't 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 the 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 something 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.

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Many thanks for the review, Ryan. Glad you enjoyed the read.

[ryandavidjahn]

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Catherine111 wrote:

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dhaupt wrote:

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Catherine111 wrote:

I am really happy with the ending.  It ends peaceful and it leaves things open for interpretation.  I would like to see Ian with Monica and Maggie starting a new life.  I thought the side story with Monica was interesting, and Monica seemed to have a sadness about her --- a need to be loved by someone.  I'm at a point in my life where I like happy endings.  So I'm making up my own happy ending for everyone. 

---

Catherine what a great response

there was a time in my life that I couldn't have read this novel, when my husband was sick and battling cancer I only read light things as there were enough dark things in my life at the time. I'm glad to say he's well and I'm back into thrillers, dark fantasy and hard science-fiction where I belong

---

This brings up a question I had for Ryan David Jahn ---- How emotionally involved do you get with your characters?  I mean, you live inside their heads for months.  Is it hard to pull yourself out of it when it is over, or are you emotionally detached from it all and see it all more from a technical standpoint? 

BTW, Deb, I am glad your husband is doing better. 

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Thanks for the question, Catherine. I get very involved. Once I knew that Ian was going to confront Donald, for instance, and knew, too, what was likely to happen, I spent two days avoiding my desk simply because I didn't want to put the scene down. I finally had a glass of scotch and got down to it, but it was difficult because I knew it would change him.

The technical stuff comes after the first draft is written.

[ryandavidjahn]

I should say, too, that I very much like the different interpretations of the ending. I absolutely have my own opinions about what happens next, but don't think it right to share them. The book is the book, after all, and contains everything I wanted it to. I think sharing my thoughts about that would ruin it.

[dhaupt]

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ryandavidjahn wrote:

I should say, too, that I very much like the different interpretations of the ending. I absolutely have my own opinions about what happens next, but don't think it right to share them. The book is the book, after all, and contains everything I wanted it to. I think sharing my thoughts about that would ruin it.

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Ryan, thank you for saying you enjoy the "possible" endings we've contrived here, we're very good at that and do it with practically every read.

I truly believe in artistic discretion, this story is yours and I personally loved the way it ended giving the reader their own ability to put it to rest.

Although I have to admit I would be the first in line to read a sequel