Gripping! This is the read I have been waiting for…
The Doll Maker
A Byrne and Balzano Mystery
Richard Montanari
Mulholland Books
ISBN: 9780316244732
Description:
Detectives Byrne and Balzano return to the streets of Philadelphia to put an end to a macabre succession of murders.
A quiet Philadelphia suburb. A woman cycles past a train depot with her young daughter. There she finds a murdered girl posed on a newly painted bench. Beside her is a formal invitation to a tea dance in a week’s time.
Seven days later, two more young victims are discovered in an abandoned house, posed on painted swings. At the scene is an identical invitation. This time, though, there is something extra waiting for Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano: a delicate porcelain doll.
It’s a message. And a threat. With the killers at large, Detectives Byrne and Balzano have just seven more days to find the link between the murders before another innocent child is snatched from the streets.
My View:
After a few average reads this week I was so pleased that I picked up my e-reader and settled in for the night with this incredibly creepy read. The prologue had me hooked (and is probably the most gruesome and violent part of the narrative) the creepy parts comes later 🙂
The Doll Maker had my attention in a vice like grip. I felt the urge to read and read…and I did …my husband has no idea what time I turned the bedroom light off… (And I am not saying). He slept peacefully as I read the entire book start to finish.
A great, fast moving, tension packed police procedural with the creepiest villains I have come across in a long time (no spoilers here) but I think is the juxtaposition of manners/politeness against loathsome serial murders that makes these antagonists so creepy. This narrative is well plotted, very well executed and delivers in every way a good work of crime fiction should – you are left believing this could happen. Such evil does exist.
And surprisingly this is Book 8 in the Byrne and Balzano series – and I hadn’t read the other 7 and it didn’t matter! (But now I would like to).
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.
Reading, Writing and Riesling 
Even the cover looks creepy…
I find all the crime book with broken dolls on cover to be particularly creepy…dont know why…
Actually I always found dolls creepy, broken or not. I was a teddy bear girl – much cuddlier!
So where did the crime thing come from? Crime is not cuddly at all 🙂
It was when my brother tortured my teddy and I started plotting how to get revenge… 😉
When I am reading a book sometimes one will strike me as partially good for an audio book – like The Mountain Story 0maybe because the book trailer set the images and main character up for me?? (and written in letter form)
I find the slower books don’t work very well as audio – there needs to be plenty of action or dialogue to keep my interest.
I am learning too 🙂
It certainly sounds like a very creepy story, Carol. I’m glad that the ‘creepy’ part was stronger, if I can put it that way, than the ‘brutal’ part.
Yes “creepy” was the overall theme and it was done very well Margot. This author knows how to use words.
It sounds like an interesting book but an “incredibly creepy book” isn’t really up my alley.
That is a pity Ms M – I like a book that grips me with both arms 🙂 The ones you read and keep reading until finished.
Completely agree!!!
That is good news Deb – I felt the pressure for a while 🙂
Good review although I’m another one who flinches at the sight of the broken doll cover 🙂
What it is about broken dolls? In the past I have bypassed such book covers – especially if the doll has that ceramic style face in the cover design