I’m taking another shift with my Series on Saturday meme. This year, 2026, I’m going to read short series, or finish short series. The Dispatcher series is one I started with a freebie from Audible. The next two books are in Audible Plus, which I am not sure I have ever used so I’m going to try it.
Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi Narrator: Zachary Quinto
Series: The Dispatcher #2
Published by Audible on September 10, 2020
Genres: Science Fiction
Length: 3 hours, 33 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible Escape - Plus
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Welcome to the new world, in which murder is all but a thing of the past. When someone kills you, 999 times out of 1,000, you instantly come back to life. In this world, there are dispatchers—licensed killers who step in when you're at risk of a natural or unintentional death. They kill you—so you can live.
Tony Valdez is used to working his job as a dispatcher within the rules of the law and the state. But times are tough, and more and more Tony finds himself riding the line between what's legal and what will pay his bills. After one of these shady gigs, and after being a witness to a crime gone horribly wrong, Tony discovers that people around him are dying, for reasons that make no sense...and which just may implicate him.
Tony is running out of time: to solve the mystery of these deaths, to keep others from dying, and to keep himself from being a victim of what looks like murder, by other means.
We continue to follow the exploits of Tony Valdez, Dispatcher in Murder By Other Means. Dispatching has only been around for 12 years. It is when a dispatcher or someone else murders someone and afterwards they appear naked in a place they feel sage, usually their home.
Tony is in the bank making a deposit when robbers come in and threaten people, kill the bank manager, and then kill each other. Tony knows at least one of them who is a dispatcher who takes private jobs.
Tony has done some private jobs but finds them problematic and stops. When he does them, they have a tendency to go sideways. The police, particularly Detective Langdon, question him about how he views the moralities of his work, or how dispatchers view things. She hires him as a consultant to bring him closer and to help with cases where dispatcher are involved. Some of the police think Tony was a fifth participant in the robbery even.
Tony walks a fine line as he consults with the police but is also targeted by the criminals. The pace of events keeps the story moving. I enjoyed the views of the conscience in Tony’s decisions and consulting. The ending was exhilarating and fun!
Travel by Bullet by John Scalzi Narrator: Zachary Quinto
Series: The Dispatcher #3
Published by Audible on September 1, 2022
Genres: Science Fiction
Length: 3 hours, 43 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible Escape - Plus
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Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Apple
The world has changed. Now, when someone is murdered, they almost always come back to life—and there are professionals, called "dispatchers," who kill in order to save lives, to give those near the end a second chance. Tony Valdez is a dispatcher, and he has never been busier.
But for as much as the world has changed, some things have stayed the same. Greed, corruption and avarice are still in full swing. When Tony is called to a Chicago emergency room by an old friend and fellow dispatcher, he is suddenly and unwillingly thrown into a whirlpool of schemes and plots involving billions of dollars, with vast caches of wealth ranging from real estate to cryptocurrency up for grabs.
All Tony wants to do is keep his friend safe. But it's hard to do when friends keep secrets, enemies offer seductive deals, and nothing is ever what it seems. The world has changed...but the stakes are still life and death.
With the COVID pandemic, Tony is back working at the hospital. But a dispatch only takes a person back a few hours, or at most a day. Someone on a ventilator for a week isn’t going to get as much improvement as they need. But for an accident victim, like his sort of friend Mason, it takes him back to before any injury.
Mason is a dispatcher but just does private jobs, which are dealing with wealthy, and often criminal clients. He knows he can’t go home or he’ll just be grabbed again to force him to do what they want or to be killed. Tony is able to suggest a possible “safe place” to go.
Unfortunately, because Tony talks to him, everyone comes to him to find out where Mason is or to look for Mason’s things (which don’t go with the dispatch). Everyone being the police, the FBI, the wealthy and the criminals. Tony spends much of his time after this trying to determine what the right thing to do is, helping cops as much as he is able, and staying out of any of those people’s clutches.
One of the wealthy criminals tries to bribe him. Eventually, one of the criminals captures him and threatens him with dire consequences if he doesn’t get his way. Tony has to seek help in the last way he wants to get help. It looks like he is still in big trouble until the brilliant ending.
Narration:
Zachary Quinto did well with the voices, a great performance to which I was absorbed in listening. The stories are all from Tony’s point of view and with his narration throughout the series he was Tony for me. I enjoyed the narration at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About John Scalzi
Born: May 10, 1969
Lived in: LA’s Eastern San Gabriel Valley; Chicago; Fresno, CA; Sterling, VA; Bradford, OH
Education: The Webb Schools of California; The University of Chicago (AB, Philosophy with Allied Fields)
Employment: Film Critic/Columnist; Writer/Editor; Freelance writer; Novelist
Personal: Married. One child. Several pets.
Bibliography: It’s here. New York Times best seller in fiction. Awards won include the Hugo, the Locus, the Audie, the Seiun and the Kurd Lasswitz. Recipient of the 2016 Governors Award for the Arts in Ohio. Works translated into 20+ languages.
Other: Creative Consultant for the Stargate: Universe television series. Writer for the video game Midnight Star, by Industrial Toys. Former president (7/10 – 6/13) of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Executive Producer for Old Man’s War and The Collapsing Empire, both currently in development for television.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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I’ve read the first two books and really enjoyed them. But I need to catch up!
They are short so hopefully you can. They really look at some moral and integrity aspects.
Well, another series for me to check out. Great reviews, Anne💜 Thanks for featuring.
They are good and short. I listened to all three in one day. Although I read the first one a few years ago. It looks at death and morality. It’s interesting.
I listened to the first book years ago. I think I’d need to re-listen before continuing the series. Not sure if I get them with my Audible membership, but I think I do.
yes Rachel I relistened to the first one. The second two are still available in AudiblePlus. They are all only a few hours so I listened to them over one day.
Oh, I didn’t realize this is a series. I listened to the first book ages ago. Such an interesting premise. I may need to find time to catch up on the series.
I had the same reaction but knew there was a series and wanted to finish it up. I relistened to the first and then the next two which are in AudiblePlus. Each one is only 2-3 hours so I fit them all into one day.
I’ve heard good stuff about this series! I like when Wil Wheaton narrates Scalzi’s books. I don’t think I’ve listened to anything narrated by Zachary Quinto though, so I might have to try that. Great reviews!
Thanks Lisa. You might enjoy them. None of them are really long either just 2-3 hours each.
Interesting concept!!!
yes it’s a different kind of grim reaper.