• Murder by Other Means

  • The Dispatcher, Book 2
  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Zachary Quinto
  • Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (20,477 ratings)

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Murder by Other Means

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Zachary Quinto
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Go Behind the Scenes of Murder by Other Means

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About the Creator

New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi is celebrated for his sharp, whip-smart sci-fi. With novels such as Redshirts, Lock In, The Collapsing Empire, and The Kaiju Preservation Society, Scalzi’s uncanny ability to craft new worlds and technologies has earned him three Hugo Awards, three Locus Awards, a Heinlein Award, and the Audie Award for Original Work. His works have been translated into over 30 languages. Adding to his long-form fiction triumphs, Scalzi acted as a creative consultant on the Stargate Universe television series and as a writer for the Emmy-winning Netflix series Love Death + Robots. From 2010 to 2013, Scalzi served as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and in 2016, he received the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio. He currently resides in Bradford, Ohio with his wife and (several) pets.

About the Performer

Zachary Quinto hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Carnegie Mellon where he received a BFA in Acting. In 2007 he was cast as Sylar on the hit NBC series Heroes. That same year, he was cast as Spock in the JJ Abrams directed reboot of the Star Trek franchise. He starred in the first season of American Horror Story in 2011, and won a Critic’s Choice Award and Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal on American Horror Story: Asylum. More recently, Zachary hosted the unscripted show In Search Of on the History Channel, and starred in the AMC series NOS4A2.
Quinto appeared in the 2010 Signature revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels In America, for which he won a Theater World Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination. He made his Broadway debut in the 2013 Tony Award winning production of the Glass Menagerie. He was also seen in MCC’s production of Noah Haidle's Smokefall and in the Tony Award winning revival of The Boys in the Band. He stars in the film version of The Boys In The Band, which will be released on Netflix this fall. Quinto began his production company Before the Door Pictures in 2008 and produced such films as Margin Call, All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year, and Aardvark. Before The Door Pictures currently has first-look deals at AMC & Spoke Studios.

What listeners say about Murder by Other Means

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pineapple pizza - an existential test of character

An engaging and short urban fantasy crime procedural staring Tony The Dispatcher, a man authorized to kill people to save people in a world where anyone violently killed comes back from the dead- mostly. It is more subdued than Scalzi’s usual fare, although the occasional acid edges poke through. This book excels in jumping right to the Bladerunner-esque warped questions of how people adapt to committing crimes when the tool of direct murder is off the table. Is it murder if you coerce suicide? Or when the victim asks to be killed?
Unlike many series, you can easily start with this one, although book 1 had slightly more explanation of how the whole “back from the dead” thing works. But neither book gives much in the way of back story or character development. Tony Valdez may be Hispanic, based on the last name, but we never get a physical description or age (middle aged, maybe, because he’s divorced). His “friend” cop Nona Langdon is black, which you’ll only know if you caught the single reference in book 1. And the magic, science, or deity behind the whole “back from the dead” thing? Fuggedaboutit.

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Glad to See another book in The Dispatcher series

I would have taken off half a star for the story if it was possible. It was unfortunate the plot to frame 'The Dispatcher' is so over-used. There is so much interesting information about how the world in this books has changed that it could have been handled more creatively.

It is still worth the money and the time. I am really enjoying the series and hope there will be more books to come.

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Scalzi, excellent story teller.

This is a new author for me but I am drawn into his style of telling a very difficult concept; one that may be hard for many to face head on.

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A FANTASTIC sequel!

A great follow up to the first book, and wraps everything nicely! Such a pleasant listen to!

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the dispatcher

I read the original dispatcher and it was very easy listening and had a great plot line without being overly cumbersome.The second dispatcher was even better the narrator voice fits perfectly with the character and the story was awesome.I usually can figure out the bad guys but this time I missed big time.Anyway its definitely worth ur time

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Scalzi does it again

I don’t know if I would consider three hours bite-size but this is an extremely addicting story, and if you have not listened to the first one by Scalzi called the dispatcher I highly recommend it first. It helped me get into some of his other works as well. He is a very talented writer. I cannot stress enough, read (listen) more Scalzi.

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Great story!

The writing was great, the narrator was awesome and the storyline was original. Looking for more of John Scalzi

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A Can't-Miss Selection

This second installment in the Dispatcher series is even better than the first! The ending suggests to me that these short but fascinating stories will keep coming, and I sure hope so! Scalzi has become one of my favorite authors.

And I wish Zachary Quinto would do more audiobook work! He ranks with the very best of the best, his voice is perfect for audio.

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Great

I was pleasantly surprised that this is a continuation of the dispatcher which I really enjoyed. I hope there’s more books in the future but longer. The author and narrator are awesome!!!

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So happy to see this second installment!

I love the original underlying premise of the Dispatcher stories, and Zachary Quinta again did an amazing job with the narration and characters. I hope there is more coming in this series!

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