Dodge

The Broken Doll #2

by Jeffery Deaver

Nothing can stop an avenging vigilante from channeling her rage—or pursuing her prey. Not the relentless cops in her rearview. Not the cunning and elusive sociopath she’s closing in on.

A robbery goes awry. A female deputy is tortured and murdered. The killer, hiding in plain sight, has officials in rural Wisconsin under his thumb—except for Special Agent Constant Marlowe, on an unsanctioned mission to avenge her friend’s death. Constant isn’t letting a notorious sadist like Paul Offenbach get away. Traps are set. A cat-and-mouse game begins. Both hunter and hunted are ready to play.

From internationally bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver comes Dodge, 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.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Suspense

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2022

About the author

#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.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 second of four stories, all of which connect in some fashion. With a cop fueled by revenge, no one is safe who has crossed her or caused harm to those who matter. After a robbery goes south, a female deputy is murdered by a sadistic killer. The trajectory has the killer, Paul Offenbach trying to hide away in rural Wisconsin. However, Constant Marlowe is on his trail. True, she is on leave and should leave well enough alone, but this was a friend who was killed. What follows is a dangerous game between two determined people with everything to lose, but more to gain. Deaver keeps the tension high once again.

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. The narrative keeps the reader guessing as the pieces inch closer at break-neck speed. Character development proves great for what little time there is to find it. The plot points effectively keep the reader unsure what awaits them and ramps up the intrigue. Deaver has perfected this type of story and impresses again. I am eager to see where things go from here!

Kudos, Mr. Deaver, for another fast-paced thrill ride.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice series

This is the second book of this 4 book series. There is a lot of excitement, twists and turns, and especially surprises regarding who is really who and what's actually going on behind the scenes. Lots of excitement, mystery and murder.

I recommend reading this entire series as characters are blended in from each story.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story in Amazon's interlocking "The Broken Doll" series.
"Dodge" introduces Special Agent Constant Marlowe who is on a mission to avenge her friend's death. The stakes are high and the traps are cunning but who will survive this suspenseful "Cat and Mouse" game?

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in a series of 4 interconnected short stories. Another excellent crime mystery thriller.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book two

A U.S. Marshal and police officer are looking for a murderer. Then something happened. It all comes to a happy ending 😀.

I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024 👒😤

[Shannon M (Canada) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

DODGE is the second novella in Jeffery Deaver’s “Broken Doll” series. This one has two main sections. The first part focuses on Deputy Anthony Lombardi, who has been assigned to help Marshal Greene capture a dangerous killer named Constant Marlowe. Simultaneously, we follow Constant as she is searching for someone. She is a tough woman who fights like a man.

The second part focuses on Constant Marlowe as she matches wits with her adversary.

I didn’t like this one quite as much as the first in the series, “The Pain Hunter“ because I saw the first twist coming a mile away. Once the focus shifted to Constant, the story improved because the ways in which the duel between her and her adversary unfolded did have unpredictable parts.

Again I’ll mention that this series is free for Amazon Prime members. I’ll also add, do not read them out of order. Read #1 first, then #2, then #3, and finally the concluding novella, “Sixty-One Seconds”. Reading the out of order spoils the enjoyment of following the twists and turns that Deaver does so well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My review for the first novella in the series:
 The Pain Hunter (The Broken Doll, Book 1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dodge, by Jeffery Deaver is fast paced short story from The Broken Doll collection dealing with justice, vengeance, and obsession.

Special Agent Constant Marlowe, is a determined woman operating outside the law in pursuit of justice with the aim of bringing down Paul Offenbach, a ruthless killer who was responsible for the torture and murder of her close friend, a female deputy. The odds are stacked against her as it appears the killer has influence over the local authorities so Marlowe’s only option is to go rogue.

Special Agent Constant Marlowe is determined to get justice for her friend and feels the only way to do that is by not sticking to the rules. Paul Offenbach is a brutal sadistic killer that needs to be stopped so traps are set and the hunt is on.

A good short story.

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m going to take your statement about what happened here, Agent Marlowe. And then I think I’d like you to get out of Harbinger County.”

Agent Constant Marlowe brings lots of trouble where ever she goes, she's great with her fists and she doesn't follow the rules. I met agent Marlowe in Downstate, another of Deaver's novellas, but I have to say I liked her in this story a lot better. Constant is hot on the trail of Psycho killer Paul Offenbach, (remember him from book one of this series), and she will not stop until her friend's killer is dead. Lots of twists and turns an entertaining story.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in The Broken Doll series; a collection of four inter-related short stories from Jeffery Deaver.

In Dodge we have something of the Wild West feel to the story. Firstly a Marshall, a Sheriff and a Deputy; a bar room brawl and a five pointy badge. All heading to a shootout showdown.

But if you’re following the story you have already been mislead and confused. The two main protagonists are not who they claim to be; lies tumble from their mouths and good and bad seems to be mixed up too.

Written with a smile on his face. With skill and panache. The wider implications of law enforcement are blurred against hunting down an evil killer, who tortures for pleasure.

It seems that these communities are not geared up for this level of violence and you are left wondering just how many people could be killed by this sociopath if he remains at large.

This story ends with more questions than answers. However, this author has two further offerings to twist the narrative and find a hero to stop the further loss of life.

[Moon Light Amethyst · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh nice twist

[Deepu Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was second in the series and started setting the same gloomy atmosphere from the page one, i say perfect for the stories like this and you don’t get any loose ends in any stories cause they are all connected by brilliant storytelling.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story that had me guessing. Thoroughly enjoyed the ending. Sweet justice.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm using these short audiobook listens to fill in small gaps between scheduled reads. I actually enjoyed this one more than the first.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second part of The Broken Doll series of interconnected shorts that build off of the events of each other. I really enjoyed the first part, but Deaver took it up a notch with this one. Constant Marlowe is an amazing character from the go, and once again, we get the great twist of perception that made me want to reread both part one and two all over again.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series!!!
Love it very much so far.

Worthwhile reading it...
All of them are indeed short novellas, but populated with characters brimming and full of life....

The persons in the different books are interconnected, for full reading pleasure I do recommend to read all the installments.

I'll go directly to "The Broken Doll #3!!!
Cannot await to see how things develop, and what will happen next to the characters!!!

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this one things weren't quite what they seemed at first too. I have to say that by the end I didn't mind the moves that Constant made, nor the help she got at the end.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10
Very twisty!

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a few to get into, but once the story started rolling and the twists started hitting it was a solid read. A special agent turned vigilante in an unsanctioned mission to avenge the brutal torture and murder of a female deputy, who was also a friend. Here we meet Paul Offenbach, prior to his arrest, jail break and kidnapping of Dr Collier in the Pain Hunter. Its a high stakes game of cat and mouse as both the agent and the sociopath hunt each other to deliver their own form of justice.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vigilante Constant Marlowe hunts down the killer of her friend.

[JJtheBookNerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 2 in The Broken Doll series. This is a 4 book series and the author states they can be read as standalones, but they are also loosely connected.

We start off with Marshall Greene and Deputy Lombardi on the tail of Constant Marlowe, a woman not to be messed with. They believe she is responsible for the death of a female deputy. But there's a misdirection here. Offenbach, the bad guy from book 1 pops up again here.

The biggest twist in the book comes pretty early. Whist I liked Constant as a character, I don't think this was quite as good as book 1. I'd give this a 2.5 but I'll round up.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vigilante vs. Criminal
Review of the Amazon Original Stories Kindle eBook (December 13, 2022).

This had a clever bait & switch somewhat like the author's The Rule of Threes (2024) but it would be spoilery to discuss that further. It becomes evident now that the Broken Doll series is not being told in chronological order and that #2 Dodge actually takes place before #1 The Pain Hunter. The pieces are fitting into place quite well though with Dodge apparently being a reference to the cat and mouse game being played out between a vicious criminal and the vigilante who is determined to end their career by one means or another.

The significance of The Broken Doll title was not apparent to me in this second entry of the series.

Dodge is novella #2 of 4 interrelated stories issued in The Broken Doll series.

[jjmann3 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dodge is the second short story of Deaver’s 4-part Broken Doll series. Agent Constant Marlowe took some leave to track down and kill Paul Offenbach, a sadist who tortured and killed her friend. Like the first short in the series, the story takes some twists.

Unlike some other reviewers, I didn’t find this second part better than the first. I also didn’t find it worse. Yet, I found Constant’s endless reaffirmation of herself – her skills, her single-mindedness, her talent -- more indicative of uncertainty of ability or weakness in her psyche. Its a Patterson crutch that hasn't aged well this millennium and I for one hope Jeffery gives it a rest! A character talking themselves up does not build connection with or develop sympathy from the reader. Indeed, it made me almost sympathize with the killer.

Recommended for those looking for something else to listen to instead of a podcast or read instead of some breezy celebrity magazine.

[Laureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second short story in “The Broken Doll” collection was very entertaining. I picked up on the misdirection right away because I knew the character from another book. It interlocked with the first story and was just as good. I have been reading Deaver on and off for years, he never disappoints.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Second book in The Broken Doll series, these are short, gripping, and cleverly interconnected novels you can devour in a single sitting.

Once again, packed with unexpected twists that completely caught me off guard. Can’t stop.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

[Joseph Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, this was so good. This is the second book in this four book Short story collection. It was fast paced, and I did not expect the twist in the story! What a thriller!

[Ron Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable. Great suspense. Intense. I love the whole concept of these little books. I probably prefer they were all one book so as to not skew my reading challenge, but otherwise, this was excellent.

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

good short story

This is the second one that I read in this collection. I thought it would tie into the ending of the first book, but it didn’t. Still, this was good as a stand alone short story and as part of the collection as you learn more about Offenbach.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of 5 novellas of the broken doll series, all stories link and complete a bigger picture when read one after the other. Interesting series and an enjoyable read.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Local cop teams with
U.S. marshal to capture
Murderous woman

Very short story
Loosely connected series
Wish I hadn't bought