Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

May 11th, 2017 Kimberly Review 47 Comments

11th May
Ragdoll by Daniel Cole
Ragdoll
by Daniel Cole
Series: Detective William Fawkes #1
Narrator: Alex Wyndham
Length: 10 hours and 11 minutes
Genres: Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Narration: 5 cups

A pulse-pounding procedural with a dark sense of humor, Ragdoll follows a volatile detective as he tracks down a murderer before he becomes its next victimOne body. Six victims.William Fawkes, a controversial detective known as The Wolf, has just been reinstated to his post after months of psychological assessment following allegations of a shocking assault. A veteran of the force, Fawkes thinks he's seen it all. That is, until his former partner and friend, Detective Emily Baxter, calls him to a crime scene and leads him to a career-defining cadaver: the dismembered parts of six victims sewn together like a puppet-a corpse that becomes known in the press as the "ragdoll."Fawkes is tasked with identifying the six victims, but that gets dicey when his reporter ex-wife anonymously receives photographs from the crime scene, along with a list of six names, and the dates on which the Ragdoll Killer plans to murder them.The final name on the list is Fawkes.Baxter and her trainee partner, Alex Edmunds, hone in on figuring out what links the victims together before the killer strikes again. But for Fawkes, seeing his name on the list sparks a dark memory, and he fears that the catalyst for these killings has more to do with him-and his past-than anyone realizes.With a breakneck pace, a twisty plot, and a wicked sense of humor, Ragdoll announces the arrival of the hottest new brand in crime fiction.

twisted CRIME MURDERMYSTERY thriller

RAGDOLL by Daniel Cole was an awesome discovery on audio. If you love dark, gritty, procedural murder mysteries with lots of twists and flawed characters you will want to pay attention. Daniel Cole is a new to me British author who mixed grit, humor, and twists into a story that had my heart racing as we tried to stop a killer.

Five reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to RAGDOLL

  • Cole delivered an original plot. A murdered body is discovered, but on closer inspection, the officers realize the body is composed of six different victims stitched together to form one. William Fawkes, dubbed “the Wolf” and his former partner Detective Emily Baxter work this case known in the press as the Ragdoll Killer. This case will push everyone to the limit as this ruthless killer raises the stakes and body count. It will test them both.
  • The characters are complex, and each is fully developed allowing readers to slip into their circle. Love them or hate them, you will be drawn towards them. Fawkes was such an interesting and tormented character. We learn about his prior case, the fallout and the long reaching repercussions making his actions, dedication and suffering feel authentic. As Cole peeled back his layers, you see how unpredictable and driven he is. I liked Baxter even if I found her vulnerable where Fawkes is concerned. She is a dedicated officer and takes the job home with her. Edmund, a colleague, was interesting and quite brilliant. Secondary characters highlighted the intensity, the media, and political pressures of high-profile cases.
  • The case was freaking fantastic, well sick, but totally intense and perfect for the big screen. The timeline and countdown to each victim’s death had me on edge. The methods of murder, and trying to connect the pieces combined with some surprise twists created a fast moving and intense plot that will keep listeners guessing. Just when I thought I had it all pieces together the author threw me down another rabbit hole. Clever. I was particularly impressed at how Cole provided the full picture from victims to the media. He weaved in the day to day obstacles each character faced. He did so seamlessly allowing us a panoramic experience. He allowed the readers to become part of the case and allowed them to inside the characters minds.
  • Darkness and light filled the pages of this tale. The banter, wit, and dialogue between characters delivered humor, and the ticking timeline provided plenty of darkness as the killer appears to be winning. One moment was holding my breath thinking “we all gonna die” and the next I was laughing at something Baxter said. This created a great ebb and flow allowing me to listen for hours.
  • Alex Wyndham with his gritty accent offered the perfect narration for RAGDOLL. I found his portrayal of Fawkes to be pure perfection.  I hope that he continues the series. Rises and drops in his pitch intensified the suspense and made listening to it a pleasure.

RAGDOLL delivered a dark, gritty murder mystery that kept me on edge as it providing just the thrill I was hoping for.

RAGDOLL delivered a dark, gritty murder mystery that will keep you on edge Share on X

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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47 Responses to “Ragdoll by Daniel Cole”

  2. Darlene

    Why have I never heard of this book?!? It sounds fantastic! I’m adding that to my Wishlist 🙂

  3. Lily B

    I have this, I thought it be too gruesome for me, but glad to hear you enjoyed it. I do kind of like the sound of the mystery, but yikes

  5. Christy LoveOfBooks

    Grrr. I still have the ARC, but keep taking it on and off my reading radar. I was hoping to get to it this month, but I doubt I will. 🙁

  8. Angela Adams

    After reading this post, the character of William Fawkes reminds me of “Blue Bloods” Danny Reagan. Thanks for the post.

  9. Katherine

    The whole 6 victims turned into 1 body thing sounds like something from a Criminal Minds episode (I’m kind of surprised they haven’t done that actually) so I’m definitely on board with this one. I love that there’s some humor here too. It’s nice to cut the seriousness a little.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Right. The murders that follow were suspenseful and twisted Katherine. Yes, this would be a great Criminal Minds type movie.

  10. Lampshade Reader

    “the officers realize the body is composed of six different victims stitched together to form one. ” What the what? Sounds gruesome…in an exciting way of course! 😀 ~Aleen

  11. Sophia Rose

    Oh my glands. Now that is a creepy one, but in that way that make you have to read it. I like that there is some banter going on to give it some balance.

  12. Debbie Haupt

    Holy cow Kim, were you a pretzel by the time you finished this? I think I’m ready for a dark twisty read. Thanks!

  14. Heidi

    No. I cant do this one. It sounds too sick and twisted. I certainly couldn’t do audio because i can’t skim when it gets gross.

  16. Dragonfly

    oh I love “light and darkness” twisted case tales! especially if they will make a good movie! Great find Kim!

  17. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I was drawn to that title and the image of a cozy doll…ha! But as I read about the somewhat gruesome crime, I was again tempted and wanted to know more. Thanks for sharing.

  18. Toni

    Sounds like a great murder mystery! I clicked on the sample above. Yeah, I don’t think I can do audio. I got distracted 45 seconds in. LOL. I will definitely be adding to my TBR for reading, though. Thanks for the great review!

  19. Cyn

    Oh man, gritty, clever murder mystery with dark humour? This sounds like a fantastic listen! Glad you ended up loving this! Awesome review, Kim!

  20. kindlemom1

    I honestly probably never would have picked this up based on the cover alone, nothing about it screams awesome to me but having read your review, I would definitely try it. It’s hard to resist a good detective story. 😉

  21. Nadene

    You had me six victims sewed together. I definitelty will be looking into this one.

  22. Nick

    6 victims sewed together??!??! I think I just threw up a little. How twisted is that! But I’m also really intrigued with this book because of that. Not sure what that says about me haha!
    Anyways, I love that the characters are so complex, Kim. You usually don’t always see that with murder procedurals where the murder case usually takes the front and center. Adding this author to my list!

  23. cindy

    An original plot has me wanting to go pick this one up! This plot sounds good to me. Great review!