The Strangers. Ryan David Jahn. 2026.
Crime story. Neo-noir. Neo-Western. Thriller.
Five years after rescuing his kidnapped daughter in The Dispatcher, an East Texas police chief’s quiet world explodes when an assassin’s bullet leaves his girlfriend in a coma.
While The Dispatcher had the vibe of a white-knuckle police chase, the sequel feels more like a race against time. The team of investigators working with Ian Hunt know the assassin is coming back. But the only person who has seen him has a brain injury and may not be able to recognize him when he comes.
This story is told from a variety of perspectives, including investigators, villains, and victims. As with the previous book in the series, each is a distinctive character with a unique point-of-view. But once again, all share a common sense of purpose. Everyone in this story is solving puzzles, trying to figure out how to protect themselves and achieve their goals.
The Strangers is the second book of the Ian Hunt Series, created by Ryan David Jahn. It follows The Dispatcher (2011) of which Apple TV has recently released an adaptation in the form of an Australian thriller miniseries. It is called Last Seen and features Patrick Brammall, Brendan Cowell, Maxine Peake, and Daniel Henshall.
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