Dismantled

by Jennifer McMahon

Book Overview

"An eerie and gripping tale of suspense....A triumph."
--Boston Globe

A stunning and chilling thriller from the author of the New York Times bestseller Island of Lost Girls that further burnishes her reputation as One of the brightest new stars of literary suspense (Los Angeles Times online).

When Henry, Tess, Winnie, and Suz form the Compassionate Dismantlers in college, the first rule of their...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061689335
• ISBN13: 9780061689338
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Suspenseful book

In the beginning I was a little put off by the anarchy type theme; however, I ended up loving the story. The author really created a thrilling, suspenseful story line that could easily be a movie.

Dismantled

It was a good book didnt like it as well the winter people. The ending was suprising but left alot of questions. Thought it ended in a way where there can be a sequal.

"The only true creative force is chaos, Babycakes."

In "Dismantled" Jennifer McMahon riffs on the old four friends from college have a secret past, and creates a ghost-suspense tale that doesn't lose its focus or its pace, and I found it incredibly entertaining. Ms. McMahon plays with time and tense here, as well as multiple points of view, and throws in a double twist at the end. Why? Well, because she can I guess. There's misperception, misdirection, misunderstanding, wise children, dumb adults, imaginary friends, and 90-pound doll filled with sand. Throw in a suicide, a private detective, a woman of mystery who wants to be a patron to an artist, a colorful Vermont town, a deserted cabin on a lake, and--oh yeah--a Moose named Francis, and you have all he ingredients for a thrilling ride. And you get one. If you find sociopaths fascinating, if you think the journey's more important than the destination, if you realize that some families are just plain dysfunctional, and/or if you're looking for a well written, suspenseful thriller, here you are. If you like Lovecraft, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Joyce Carol Oates, Elizabeth Hand, and/or (and this is just a bit of a stretch) Roxana Robinson, here you are. Enjoy.

Heart-stopping literary thriller

Four young friends from Sexton College in Vermont formed a group called the Compassionate Dismantlers. The motto of the Dismantlers was: " To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart." The leader of the group is Suz, whose main motivation is revenge. They spent a summer in a remote cabin with Suz plotting crazy pranks and seemingly innocent acts of destruction. Suddenly, Suz's plans become much more violent and Suz is killed. The group breaks up, vowing not to speak of the incident, and they go live their own lives. A decade later two of the members, Henry DeForge and Tess Kahle, have married and now have a nine year-old daughter, Emma. Their marriage is in a shambles and Henry has moved into the garage apartment. Emma and a friend are determined to get Emma's parents back together. They come across evidence of the couple's past. Believing that reuniting the group of friends will bring the couple back together, they decide to send postcards to those individuals who played such a key part in their lives. Soon after Henry and Tess learn that one of their friends has committed suicide. They fear what happened ten years ago has been revealed and is beginning to haunt them. A private investigator has been hired by the family of the suicide victim and begins snooping around, asking a lot of questions. Young Emma plays a very key role in this story. She has an imaginary friend named Danner, who starts making comments and asking questions that remind Henry and Tess of Suz and that tragic summer long ago. They soon feel like they are being watched. Is it possible that Suz has returned from the grave to make them pay for what happened so long ago? McMahon weaves a very intriguing tale in Dismantled, a character-driven thriller told from the point of view of several of the main characters. She weaves the past with the present in a very fluid manner. The several plot twists keep the reader engaged, not knowing what to expect with each turn of the page. I warn you, this one is addictive, forcing me to stay up late at night to finish reading it. I'm quite a fan of psychological thrillers, those seem to be the only type that really spook me. Mcmahon wove bits of suspense in with the supernatural. I found myself turning on all the lights in the house, jumping at every little sound I heard. This book got to me...in a very good way. Highly recommend to fans of literary thrillers.

Interesting book

I was surprised by this book. It was better than I anticipated. I did love Promise Not To Tell and I think this one was even better.. The ending surprised me big time! Not sure why I did not see that coming! Quick read.

I Can See This One as a Movie...

I devoured this book in one day and could not put it down. I have never read this author before, but if this is any indication of her work, then I am completely hooked. The book is about a group of four art students who form a group called the Compassionate Dismantlers. Their fearless leader, Suze, encourages them to commit petty crimes and vandalize with their motto being, "To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart." The book flash forwards to ten years later and Henry & Tess, two people that were in the group, are now married and have a child together. They have been living with a secret for ten years of a prank that has gone horribly wrong and both seem haunted by the crime. It is pulling them away from their marriage and neither can seem to get over what has happened. Their daughter is anti-social and has created an imaginary friend who is helping her to bring her parents together. She finds an old journal and pictures and sends a postcard to all of the former members of her parent's group with their motto on it. The postcard triggers a suicide and a chain of twists and turns that are as horrifying and thrilling as any good horror movie. The book kept me up at night until the shocking conclusion that will lead you on a crazy roller coaster. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Not for the faint of heart...

Dismantled is a plot-twisting, gut-churning ride from the first word that will lead you guessing and gasping for air. This is a ghost story all grown up packed with mystery, deceit, and guilt. Emma and her imaginary friend, Danner, are at the heart of this story, which takes turn after turn until there is no way you could see the end coming. McMahon takes her time weaving this story balancing carefully between spine-tingling suspense and too much detail. Without giving too much away, Tess and her husband, Henry, have a secret they have kept since college, a secret that shouldn't be told - a secret that is driving them apart. When Emma launches a plan to reunite her parents, she inadvertently forces her parents to confront that past - which may be all their undoing. This story [...] me in. The only negative I could really find with it was the abrupt ending. Bottom line: If you like scary stories with a hint of the supernatural, you will love this book. Read it!