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Saturday 12 November 2016

Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

 
About Ragdoll
 
The nation is gripped by the infamous 'Ragdoll Killer'
Every news bulletin and headline is obsessed with this story.

Your friends, your family and your neighbours are all talking about it.

Believe the hype. Sold in over 32 countries and counting, RAGDOLL is the standout thriller of the year.

A body is discovered with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together like a puppet, nicknamed by the press as the 'ragdoll'.

Assigned to the shocking case are Detective William 'Wolf' Fawkes, recently reinstated to the London Met, and his former partner Detective Emily Baxter.

The 'Ragdoll Killer' taunts the police by releasing a list of names to the media, and the dates on which he intends to murder them.

With six people to save, can Fawkes and Baxter catch a killer when the world is watching their every move

My Review of Ragdoll
 
Oh My Word!!! Where do I start other than saying that this book was brilliant in every single way imaginable.  
 
 
I can't stop thinking about this book, I have a severe book hangover, I just loved everything about it. As the blurb says, this book focuses upon a serial killer who has killed 6 people. However, all the  police have to go on are the six body parts that have been found stitched together, so as to form the grotesque 'Ragdoll'. Then the killer releases a list of six future victims to the media, one of whom is Detective William 'Wolf' Fawkes, along with the dates in which they will die. The race then begins to find the killer.

From the very beginning I just knew that I would love this book. It is sharp, brutally violent, yet really, really funny, which seems strange when talking about a book that is incredibly violent and focuses upon a serial killer... but it is... very funny. This may be due to the fact that Daniel Cole is a former paramedic, and so has that natural ability to underhand and write black humour. As a former nurse, I totally get where he is coming from.  But that is not to shy away from the fact that this book is dark, disturbing and incredibly violent, so if you are at all squeamish or easily offended, then this is possibly not the book for you.

Having said that, not much offends me and I do enjoy black humour and grizzly crime thrillers,  so this book was right up my street. It very much reminded me of the film Seven, but with added humour.

I can't talk abut the actual plot as even sharing a little bit of what happened will spoil the excitement of reading the story for the very first time, and I don't want to do that,  so I'll talk about my favourite characters. So, to Wolf. What ca I say? He is witty, clever, handsome and flawed, but I could not help but love him. He is what glues this book together and, I found him absolutely fascinating. Just as fascinating was the character of Detective Emily Baxter, I just loved her bluntness and she created so many laugh out loud moments.

Now, back to plot. There are just so many twists, turns, dead ends and surprising moments, that you will find yourself momentarily putting the book down while you get to grips with what just happened, before taking a deep and shaky breath and carrying on, this happened a lot. I was so torn while reading this book, I wanted to whizz through the pages, to find out what would happen next, but at the same time I wanted to savour every word, as I did not want the book to end, and I was so very sad when it did, as I felt I had said goodbye to a long, lost friend.

So yes, I adore this book. If there is only one book that you buy in 2017, it has to be this one, you won't be disappointed.... and if it isn't made into a feature film, then I will eat my beanie hat.

Ragdoll is published by the Orion Publishing Group, Trapeze, on Feb 23rd 2017.

With many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 



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