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The Broken Doll #1
The Pain Hunter
A violent jailbreak bleeds into a street fair in Wisconsin. In the wake of the carnage, a getaway van barrels down a rural highway. Inside are two men with a tenuous bond: an obsession with pain.
One is Paul Offenbach, a sadistic crime boss with a life-threatening bullet wound. The other is his hostage, Dr. Stuart Collier, now faced with a harrowing ethical quandary. Mile by mile, as a calculated battle of wills and wits plays out, the killer plots his next move. So does the doctor, sworn to do no harm but desperate to escape.
From internationally bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver comes The Pain Hunter, part of The Broken Doll collection, a series of interconnected short stories about killers and prey, justice and revenge, that can be read or listened to in a single breathless experience.
One is Paul Offenbach, a sadistic crime boss with a life-threatening bullet wound. The other is his hostage, Dr. Stuart Collier, now faced with a harrowing ethical quandary. Mile by mile, as a calculated battle of wills and wits plays out, the killer plots his next move. So does the doctor, sworn to do no harm but desperate to escape.
From internationally bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver comes The Pain Hunter, part of The Broken Doll collection, a series of interconnected short stories about killers and prey, justice and revenge, that can be read or listened to in a single breathless experience.
2 pages, Audible Audio
First published December 13, 2022
4429 people are currently reading
1520 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery Deaver
513 books11.8k followers#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 362 reviews
January 16, 2023
I received this 61-page novella from Amazon Unlimited. This is the first of the Broken Doll series of short interconnected stories. A vicious mob boss has been involved in a shooting at a market following a bank robbery, leaving a police officer dead and several wounded and traumatized. A bullet has seriously damaged the gang's psychotic leader in his leg. A doctor has been kidnapped and is now in the getaway vehicle. He is to treat the wounded criminal and save his life. The doctor knows even if his patient survives, he will be killed and that his patient enjoys inflicting pain. This vicious man has a history of torture, drug running, armed robbery, and people trafficking. The doctor must use all his wits to survive. In the meantime, an officer is trying to capture the mob boss, his driver, and any other criminal in the car while rescuing the doctor who abides by the oath, 'Do no harm.' He doesn't know that the getaway vehicle has been switched.
This is a tense, suspenseful, and thought-provoking story.
This is a tense, suspenseful, and thought-provoking story.
March 7, 2024
I read most of Jeffery Deaver's books and I like them very much.
But his short stories are something that fascinates me a lot. They are like visual illusions. You think that you know what is going on and the story finally proves that reality is not what you thought. This is why when I saw in Amazon Prime his The Broken Dolls Collection of short stories I grabbed them quickly deciding this time to be ready for his tricks and to see the truth through the illusions. But he did it again! And the story's final again is not what I expected it to be.
Thank you, Jeffery Deaver! This story made my day again. I hope that the next three are going to be the same good.
But his short stories are something that fascinates me a lot. They are like visual illusions. You think that you know what is going on and the story finally proves that reality is not what you thought. This is why when I saw in Amazon Prime his The Broken Dolls Collection of short stories I grabbed them quickly deciding this time to be ready for his tricks and to see the truth through the illusions. But he did it again! And the story's final again is not what I expected it to be.
Thank you, Jeffery Deaver! This story made my day again. I hope that the next three are going to be the same good.
March 4, 2025
Satisfying.
Dr. Collier is in a pickle. He has been kidnapped by a violent criminal, during a nasty jail break. Offenbach, the violent killer, is injured during his getaway.
Dr. Collier is the only person in the getaway van who has medical knowledge, so he is expected to do what he can to save the monster.
And that is exactly what he decides to do.
Slow pacing. Lots of talking about things that happened. Not much action. We hear about it. We don’t see it.
Three stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dr. Collier is in a pickle. He has been kidnapped by a violent criminal, during a nasty jail break. Offenbach, the violent killer, is injured during his getaway.
Dr. Collier is the only person in the getaway van who has medical knowledge, so he is expected to do what he can to save the monster.
And that is exactly what he decides to do.
Slow pacing. Lots of talking about things that happened. Not much action. We hear about it. We don’t see it.
Three stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 27, 2022
The first short story of four that make up The Broken Doll collection, which can be read as a stand alone story or as part of the series.
There's a violent shootout at a jailbreak, a kidnapping & the sort of twists you have come to expect from Jeffery Deaver. A promising start to the series.
There's a violent shootout at a jailbreak, a kidnapping & the sort of twists you have come to expect from Jeffery Deaver. A promising start to the series.
April 13, 2024
Totally underwhelmed by this novella. The twist at the end is a great surprise but it is not my kind of book. I can handle violence in books but cannot handle this fascination with weapons in real life and in crime fiction. In real life, well you have seen how well Americans are doing with constant shootings. In crime fiction anyone can write a book with blazing guns and no plot and people will buy it. This author at least wrote a decent plot and show us that weapons of war do not belong in a police officer’s hands.
I got the whole series via Prime but will be returning the other three books. Not for me.
I got the whole series via Prime but will be returning the other three books. Not for me.
August 6, 2023
Not a big fan of the Amazon originals where what should probably be a novel is broken down into multiple short stories and sold individually.
This story was just an ok read for me. No character development means no reason to care about what happens. I unfortunately already bought all the books in this "series" so I'll probably read them eventually, but I won't be in a rush to do it.
This story was just an ok read for me. No character development means no reason to care about what happens. I unfortunately already bought all the books in this "series" so I'll probably read them eventually, but I won't be in a rush to do it.
September 20, 2025
Wanting to fill my reading time with a mix of novels and short stories, I came upon a collection of short stories by Jeffrey Deaver. This is the first of four stories, all of which have a link to one another. After a violent jailbreak, the prisoners find themselves in the middle of a fair in rural Wisconsin. A hostage is taken and soon the getaway van is speeding down the highway. Inside the van, two men are forging a relationship over pain. Paul Offenbach is a crime boss with a life-threatening wound and in need of dire help. Dr. Stuart Collier is a doctor tasked with helping him, while also a hostage to this ragtag group. As the van continues, both men bond through an ongoing conversation, but each has a plan for their next move to ensure their own safety. Deaver delivers with this first story in the series.
I enjoy short stories and Jeffrey Deaver was the ideal choice. I have enjoyed some of his short stories before and still need to delve into his full-length work. A swiftly moving narrative keeps the reader on edge as they try to make sense of all that is going on. Character development was well-established for the time limit imposed by the story length. The plot points proved effective and laid the groundwork for more in a way Deaver has perfected. I am eager to see where things go from here!
Kudos, Mr. Deaver, for a great start to this series.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
I enjoy short stories and Jeffrey Deaver was the ideal choice. I have enjoyed some of his short stories before and still need to delve into his full-length work. A swiftly moving narrative keeps the reader on edge as they try to make sense of all that is going on. Character development was well-established for the time limit imposed by the story length. The plot points proved effective and laid the groundwork for more in a way Deaver has perfected. I am eager to see where things go from here!
Kudos, Mr. Deaver, for a great start to this series.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
January 4, 2023
THE PAIN HUNTER is the first in a series of four novellas that make up The Broken Doll collection, available exclusively on kindle. The can be downloaded free by members of Amazon Prime.
This one, the first in the sequence, is like reading Deaver in his prime—when he wrote “The Bone Collector”. There is a violent shootout during a jailbreak, a woman killed, and a doctor kidnapped. Mostly we follow the actions of the kidnapping victim, Dr. Stuart Collier, as he discusses various types of pain with one of his kidnappers, Paul Offenbach, a crime boss. It is a match of wills as Collier tries to stay alive. As with all of Deaver’s stories, there are twists and turns galore, many of which I didn’t see coming.
On to the next novella in the series.
This one, the first in the sequence, is like reading Deaver in his prime—when he wrote “The Bone Collector”. There is a violent shootout during a jailbreak, a woman killed, and a doctor kidnapped. Mostly we follow the actions of the kidnapping victim, Dr. Stuart Collier, as he discusses various types of pain with one of his kidnappers, Paul Offenbach, a crime boss. It is a match of wills as Collier tries to stay alive. As with all of Deaver’s stories, there are twists and turns galore, many of which I didn’t see coming.
On to the next novella in the series.
December 19, 2022
I wasn't sure about this one, wasn't sure the Dr. was a good person. It seemed like he had a little too much in common with the criminal. It was only when we got to the end that you realized just what the Dr. was doing. Not sure that I would have been able to be as crafty as he was in that situation.
June 2, 2023
Very gripping short story with an excellent twist!
February 5, 2024
Amazing that once you start reading and following authors, opportunities, ideas about what to read next assail you to the point you are spoilt for choice.
From Jeffery Deaver’s latest newsletter, details about The Broken Doll. “A collection of four short stories that recount a harrowing few weeks in the lives of a half dozen characters in the rural Midwest.”
Short stories and Jeffery Deaver what is there not to get excited about.
Furthermore, all are available free on Kindle Unlimited, here is the first, downloaded, read and now reviewed.
A shoot-out, a rapid escape by three killers, the leader with a gun-shot wound and a hostage who is a doctor.
Great tension and drama as the van gets away with limited pursuit but with one needing medical attention to stop the bleeding.
Deaver draws you into the van and the uneasy conversation of the medic trying to save a life but also aware his value will diminish when his surgical skills are completed. Tension mounts as you wonder if a Deputy hot on their heels will save the day as he tries to save face.
Completely hooked by this writer who in just a few pages can spin a story so simple yet so extreme. Where life is in the balance but characters act under pressure with focus.
Do not assume this is just a small rollercoaster - it will scare and delight and thrill you every moment of the ride.
When you reach the end you’ll see curves, twists and turns that were not there before and you’ll be glad you can take a moment to catch your breath.
From Jeffery Deaver’s latest newsletter, details about The Broken Doll. “A collection of four short stories that recount a harrowing few weeks in the lives of a half dozen characters in the rural Midwest.”
Short stories and Jeffery Deaver what is there not to get excited about.
Furthermore, all are available free on Kindle Unlimited, here is the first, downloaded, read and now reviewed.
A shoot-out, a rapid escape by three killers, the leader with a gun-shot wound and a hostage who is a doctor.
Great tension and drama as the van gets away with limited pursuit but with one needing medical attention to stop the bleeding.
Deaver draws you into the van and the uneasy conversation of the medic trying to save a life but also aware his value will diminish when his surgical skills are completed. Tension mounts as you wonder if a Deputy hot on their heels will save the day as he tries to save face.
Completely hooked by this writer who in just a few pages can spin a story so simple yet so extreme. Where life is in the balance but characters act under pressure with focus.
Do not assume this is just a small rollercoaster - it will scare and delight and thrill you every moment of the ride.
When you reach the end you’ll see curves, twists and turns that were not there before and you’ll be glad you can take a moment to catch your breath.
March 8, 2024
Doctor vs. Patient
Review of the Amazon Original Stories Kindle eBook (December 13, 2022).
A wounded escaped convict and his henchman kidnap a doctor during their getaway. A disgraced policeman gives chase in the hope of redemption. The murderous criminal and the doctor trade stories about pain and the means to endure it. The doctor hopes to survive if he can somehow bond with the sociopath over the course of their encounter. Meanwhile the policeman is apparently closing in.
This was a well-crafted short story / novella which managed to pull off a few surprising twists.
The significance of The Broken Doll title was not apparent to me in this first entry of the series.
The Pain Hunter is novella #1 of 4 interrelated stories issued in The Broken Doll series.
Review of the Amazon Original Stories Kindle eBook (December 13, 2022).
A wounded escaped convict and his henchman kidnap a doctor during their getaway. A disgraced policeman gives chase in the hope of redemption. The murderous criminal and the doctor trade stories about pain and the means to endure it. The doctor hopes to survive if he can somehow bond with the sociopath over the course of their encounter. Meanwhile the policeman is apparently closing in.
This was a well-crafted short story / novella which managed to pull off a few surprising twists.
The significance of The Broken Doll title was not apparent to me in this first entry of the series.
The Pain Hunter is novella #1 of 4 interrelated stories issued in The Broken Doll series.
May 13, 2025
“It’s the way I am, Stu. You can’t do harm. I can’t stop myself from doing."
Deaver can write a story and this one has robbers, a wounded psycho killer, and the kidnapped Dr. Stu Collier who cleverly and successfully works a little Freudian transference technique into a very bad situation.
Deaver can write a story and this one has robbers, a wounded psycho killer, and the kidnapped Dr. Stu Collier who cleverly and successfully works a little Freudian transference technique into a very bad situation.
May 13, 2025
Brilliant twisty short story. Number 1 of 4 in the Broken Doll series
Can be read as a standalone but they all inter weave
Can be read as a standalone but they all inter weave
September 27, 2023
Love Jeffery Deavers books, this one isn't an exception.
This is the first one in a series of high voltage suspense novellas...
Quick reads all of them, but dense and dramatic!!!
I'll go directly to the next installment...
This is the first one in a series of high voltage suspense novellas...
Quick reads all of them, but dense and dramatic!!!
I'll go directly to the next installment...
August 29, 2025
Can’t for the life of me see why this wasn’t the first quarter of a single book.
Well enough written and an interesting enough tale but give me the whole story as one please.
Well enough written and an interesting enough tale but give me the whole story as one please.
June 30, 2025
This starts off with 2 men in a van, obviously fleeing from something. Offenbach, seems to be some kind of mafia/hitman and the other is Dr Collier, who we find out is his hostage.
Offenbach has a gunshot wound to his leg, which the Doctor treats. They have a conversation about what the Doctor does and who he helps when he's at work. This is basically how the story goes until the end. There's a nice twist at the conclusion of this, not all was quite as it seemed.
Wasn't bad, it's a short novella so a quick read. With these short stories it's often the case there isn't much depth to characters etc. and this one is no different.
Offenbach has a gunshot wound to his leg, which the Doctor treats. They have a conversation about what the Doctor does and who he helps when he's at work. This is basically how the story goes until the end. There's a nice twist at the conclusion of this, not all was quite as it seemed.
Wasn't bad, it's a short novella so a quick read. With these short stories it's often the case there isn't much depth to characters etc. and this one is no different.
January 20, 2023
For the most part I enjoyed the story but the ending just left me confused with a plot error too big to ignore. I'll probably give this author another chance in the future but I will not continue with this series.
June 4, 2024
Good short story, first in The Broken Doll series by Jeffery Deaver
May 5, 2025
Cops and robbers. A wounded stone cold killer and a kidnapped doctor on the run in rural Wisconsin. Pretty fast paced until it isn't and it just ends without much resolution.
May 6, 2024
Quite a lot happening even though it’s a short story. Liked the characters.
December 21, 2022
Deaver always writes a great story
This is a short story with a surprising end. Jeffrey Deaver always captivates with unexpected twists and turns. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series. BTW this nivel was free with Amazon Prime.
This is a short story with a surprising end. Jeffrey Deaver always captivates with unexpected twists and turns. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series. BTW this nivel was free with Amazon Prime.
August 31, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
September 3, 2024
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book one
They are in a van escaping from the law. He is a doctor. He is an escape killer who needs medical care. This is their story of lies.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of adventure mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book one
They are in a van escaping from the law. He is a doctor. He is an escape killer who needs medical care. This is their story of lies.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of adventure mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024
September 8, 2024
Jeffery Deaver’s The Pain Hunter is the first book in ‘The Broken Doll’ series and is a well written short story full of suspense.
A violent jailbreak sets the stage for a pulsating chase, and a battle of wills between two men bound by a twisted connection. Paul Offenbach is a fondness for inflicting pain, and Dr. Stuart Collier, his prisoner make a fascinating dynamic. As they speed down a rural highway in a getaway van, the tension between them builds driven by their conflicting motivations. Paul needs to control and Stuart struggles as a doctor sworn to “do no harm.”
The cramped setting of the van adds to the claustrophobic tension and the tension between the two men. A moral conflict elevates the story which makes this suspenseful and thought provoking. This is a short story that packs so much into so few pages. Very good read.
A violent jailbreak sets the stage for a pulsating chase, and a battle of wills between two men bound by a twisted connection. Paul Offenbach is a fondness for inflicting pain, and Dr. Stuart Collier, his prisoner make a fascinating dynamic. As they speed down a rural highway in a getaway van, the tension between them builds driven by their conflicting motivations. Paul needs to control and Stuart struggles as a doctor sworn to “do no harm.”
The cramped setting of the van adds to the claustrophobic tension and the tension between the two men. A moral conflict elevates the story which makes this suspenseful and thought provoking. This is a short story that packs so much into so few pages. Very good read.
December 27, 2022
A great beginning to a 4 part epic from the master of suspense, Jeffery Deaver
This is a good beginning to a story that has been split up into 4 different parts. There are a few twists in it but they're not really mind blowing like they are in some of Jeffery Deaver's other stories, such as The Coffin Dancer or The Bone Collector. It's a very vivid story that comes to life in your imagination and there's no doubt that Jeffery Deaver is still at the top of his game whereas other peers of his have fallen off. This experiment that Mr.Deaver is trying here with breaking up a story into 4 different parts has been done before and it was done most recently with The Green Mile by Stephen King and The Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul so it's not something that's never been tried before.
It is a first for him, though, and that's why it's different. Also, on a side note, the serialization of a story is an interesting way to tell a story and it hearkens back to an earlier time (long before I was born since I'm only 43 years old😀.) when stories used to be serialized all the time in The Saturday Evening Post. It was a guaranteed way of getting people to come back for the next issue. And the same thing happened with The Green Mile and The Blackstone Chronicles, both New York Times bestsellers back in the mid-'90s.
You only got a little bit of the story with each new novella that was released and that's the same thing here with The Pain Hunter. If you're a Jeffery Deaver fan, then you'll like this story. But, if you're just a fan of suspense and thriller stories looking for a good read, then there might not be enough meat on the bone here to entice you to come back for more. It's really up to personal preference because there's really not a lot to this story. You're introduced to 3 characters in this story and none are very interesting to carry the story for 3 more parts.
But a new character does show up at the very end of this story and she figures prominently into the next story from what I've read of the synopsis. As I previously stated, if you're a Jeffery Deaver fan (which I am one), then you'll want to read all 4 parts to get the whole story. Just keep in mind that this starts off as a slow burn read when reading it.
This is a good beginning to a story that has been split up into 4 different parts. There are a few twists in it but they're not really mind blowing like they are in some of Jeffery Deaver's other stories, such as The Coffin Dancer or The Bone Collector. It's a very vivid story that comes to life in your imagination and there's no doubt that Jeffery Deaver is still at the top of his game whereas other peers of his have fallen off. This experiment that Mr.Deaver is trying here with breaking up a story into 4 different parts has been done before and it was done most recently with The Green Mile by Stephen King and The Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul so it's not something that's never been tried before.
It is a first for him, though, and that's why it's different. Also, on a side note, the serialization of a story is an interesting way to tell a story and it hearkens back to an earlier time (long before I was born since I'm only 43 years old😀.) when stories used to be serialized all the time in The Saturday Evening Post. It was a guaranteed way of getting people to come back for the next issue. And the same thing happened with The Green Mile and The Blackstone Chronicles, both New York Times bestsellers back in the mid-'90s.
You only got a little bit of the story with each new novella that was released and that's the same thing here with The Pain Hunter. If you're a Jeffery Deaver fan, then you'll like this story. But, if you're just a fan of suspense and thriller stories looking for a good read, then there might not be enough meat on the bone here to entice you to come back for more. It's really up to personal preference because there's really not a lot to this story. You're introduced to 3 characters in this story and none are very interesting to carry the story for 3 more parts.
But a new character does show up at the very end of this story and she figures prominently into the next story from what I've read of the synopsis. As I previously stated, if you're a Jeffery Deaver fan (which I am one), then you'll want to read all 4 parts to get the whole story. Just keep in mind that this starts off as a slow burn read when reading it.
December 25, 2022
This is the second story I've read from this author, with the first being Buried from Amazon's Hush Collection. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the previous story and was happy to find something similar here.
There was a lot of misdirection in this story, both by the author and by the various characters. There's a fine line that I haven't really defined for myself when an author misdirects the reader in a way that I appreciate versus a way that I dislike. I think it might have something to do with whether the withholding of info feels like a crutch the author's using to keep the story going. It happens a lot with 1st-person pov when the character would have undoubtedly thought about a certain thing during a scene, but the author hides it from the reader to save a surprise the plot relies on later.
For this story, the misdirection was like an extra layer of entertainment in a story that already worked without it.
I can't wait to read the next parts of this series to flesh out the big picture of events. I'm sure there will be a few more twists and turns along the way, one of which will probably involve the woman in the car at the end of this story.
There was a lot of misdirection in this story, both by the author and by the various characters. There's a fine line that I haven't really defined for myself when an author misdirects the reader in a way that I appreciate versus a way that I dislike. I think it might have something to do with whether the withholding of info feels like a crutch the author's using to keep the story going. It happens a lot with 1st-person pov when the character would have undoubtedly thought about a certain thing during a scene, but the author hides it from the reader to save a surprise the plot relies on later.
For this story, the misdirection was like an extra layer of entertainment in a story that already worked without it.
I can't wait to read the next parts of this series to flesh out the big picture of events. I'm sure there will be a few more twists and turns along the way, one of which will probably involve the woman in the car at the end of this story.
December 21, 2022
The first of 4 short stories entitled "The Broken Doll," an interlocking series. It is going to be real interesting to see how this plays out. The 4 short stories will add up to one fair size book. I was looking to get a taste of the writing of Jeffery Deaver, and I think that this will do it. My first reaction is so far so good. We will see how it ends up.
March 20, 2023
(AUDIO) I’m not sure if it was this novella specifically or if I just don’t like novellas since this was my first one. There wasn’t enough character building for me to care about what happened. The author’s writing was not an issue. Obviously it’s only 60 pages so it’s limited but it just wasn’t for me.
December 21, 2022
A kidnapped doctor must work fast to save the life of his kidnapper.
Deaver's "The Pain Hunter" is the first part of an interlocking series of short stories. Tight and well thought through, the twist at the end is very clever.
Deaver's "The Pain Hunter" is the first part of an interlocking series of short stories. Tight and well thought through, the twist at the end is very clever.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 362 reviews