There is a lot to like in this book but it is not perfect. I'm not convinced that the most spaced out hippies would name a boy "Happy" anything, let alone "Happy Doll" and that Happy didn't change it when he could or that he would stop using "Hank" as an alternative. Happy is an interesting guy with a long harsh backstory. Today he is trying to be more serene. He loves his dog. Unfortunately, Happy makes his living as an investigator and we all know what that means. Bad guys (or her girls) come knocking. It's a far stretch to believe that Happy can find missing Ines when no one else can, but he does, and pretty quickly too. It's also hard to believe that Ines was murdered in her bed without a struggle but she does. Ines is the first in a very long string of deaths in the book. As the bodies piled up I kept wondering why in some novels people are knocked around hard and don't die but in other books. One good whack does them in. Anyway, there are a lot of bodies here.

I enjoyed this novel and the character Happy Doll. I will be going back to read the first volume. Although this is only my second time reading him (I read Wake Up, Sir years ago) Jonathan Ames is a great writer. I read this in two sittings and enjoyed every moment of it.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope he writes more! I am totally hooked!

Happy "Hank" Doll is a middle-aged, former LAPD cop now acting an unlicensed P.I. He is approached by a mysterious couple, Mary and her husband Hoyt, to track down Mary's mother, Ines Candle. Ines is a former lover of Hank's and is now believed to be homeless. Hank travels from L.A. to Washington to find Ines. Ultimately he ends up in a bloody showdown in the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree. Hank is a flawed but very funny and likeable character. Highly recommend.

I loved this book so much! You can read it without reading the first book, but there is a summary of book 1 so it will be spoiled for you if you read this one first. In this novel, a woman comes to Doll for help finding her mom who has stopped communicating with her quite suddenly. She hires Doll to serve as a private investigator to find her mom and make sure she's okay. Of course things get crazy and it's as fast paced and exciting as the first one!

The Wheel of Doll is a great character study, I liked learning more about Hank and his quirks. A great thriller that is pretty short to get through. I liked the adventures throughout the book.

The Wheel of Doll is an exciting crime thriller written by the creator of the HBO series Bored to Death.
Its series of events and cast of characters gets weirder and darker but also more entertaining. Reminded me of the iconic film Taxi Driver.

Thank you to Mulholland Books, Alyssa, Mariah and Katharine of Little Brown and Co, and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

It was a pleasure.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mulholland Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read the first book in the series, and I don't think that it is a requirement to enjoying this second book of the series. This is a character driven novel about an old school, LA P.I., Happy ‘Hank’ Doll. Hank is a likable, flawed character that is well developed. The story opens with him embracing his new found Buddhism while existing on a diet of mainly tinned fish, coffee and pot. He has a new case which he is interested in as he needs the money.

Hank meets with Mary and her mysterious husband who want him to track down her mother, Ines Candle, who happens to be an old girlfriend of Happy's. Seeing this as an opportunity to re-unite with Ines, he travels north to Washington state, where Ines is now apparently homeless and living on the street. As he begins his search, he also cannot shake the feeling that Mary and her husband have not been completely honest about the situation. Happy’s investigation eventually leads to a bloody showdown in a secluded compound in the Mojave Desert.

If you are a fan of the Micky Spillane, classic P.I. novels of the past, this one is for you. Its well written and has eccentric, well developed characters. Happy is a good investigator, but unfortunately has drug addictions that make appearances in the story.

This is definitely an atmospheric thriller!