This is quite different to what I normally read but I absolutely loved it. A page turner for sure, lots of gory parts (which makes it different from what I normally read) but I loved the suspense and the thrill of the read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and can't wait to read more from this author. A great read.

A really good read - as soon as the crime happened you were taken along for the ride with lots of twists and turns. I look forward to reading Daniel Coles next novel and hopefully at some time in the future there will be another case involving Wolf.

Ragdoll is definitely a ripping yarn and then some, with plot twists throughout keeping you guessing precisely where the story is going and exactly how it will end.
I found this story both satisfying and enthralling, as well as very difficult to put down. The characters are well developed and Daniel Cole has done an excellent job of showing the increasing stress they are under as the story progresses and the bodies mount up. This is a fantastic effort as a debut novel. More from this author please!

Very good read. Interesting characters. Kept me guessing. Would recommend.

I cannot recommend this enough. Wolf may never be my book boyfriend, he is too moody and cranky. It is the story that grips to the end. It is intelligent, sneaky and surprising. It is not just about a case, the reader and everyone in the story will be surprised.

A story worth a read by all adults craving for a good mystery suspense.

Frequent readers of crime fiction tend to be over some plot element or standard form or another. It's hard to avoid getting a little jaded when a particular structure shows up time and time again - and in my case it's been serial killers for sometime now. Which does at least mean that it's a discomfortingly nice surprise when you come across an interesting twist on the tired old form.

Which, of course means, that you've taken a punt on something with a blurb that's guaranteed to be off-putting. For this reader there was something about the author's bio and the blurb of RAGDOLL that hinted at something out of the ordinary. Mercifully there didn't seem to be slightest indication (nor eventuality) that time would be spent in the killer's head, whilst they explained their twisted little justifications ad infinitum. Whatever it was that made me pick up RAGDOLL though, thank goodness it was there. This is a brilliant book, and I'm acutely aware how dodgy that sounds, what with the whole serial killer thing and all.

That's not to say that there's not a hefty serving of ick about the discovery of dismembered human remains, sewn together and strung up like a puppet. Hence the "Ragdoll Killer" nomenclature from the press.

That's not to say that there's not a stressed, fragile, and flawed central character. In fact Detective Wolf Fawkes raises each of those to a new high, and adds highly suspect into the bargain. His offsider is the only person who can work with him for a whole heap of complicated, nuanced or blazingly obvious reasons.

And it's definitely not to say that there's not quite a headliner to the whole serial killer plot - what with a list of intended victims, and the dates of their deaths delivered straight into the hands of a slightly less than eager member of the press - she being the ex-wife of Wolf Fawkes and all. His is, after all, the last name on the list and the divorce wasn't that acrimonious.

RAGDOLL has a beautifully twisted storyline, peopled with wonderfully flawed human beings, delivered a break-neck pace. There's enough surprising twists and turns to the plot elements to allow the standard clichés - like the tension with upper echelons, and the difficulties in forming working partnerships - play out against suspicion and the sheer weirdness of having a list of victims who the police are desperately trying to identify and protect. Then there's the complication of connecting the dots between them. What do a series of seemingly random killings have to do with each other, and does that answer provide even the vaguest hint about a killer who is resourceful, cunning and very deadly.

It's been a while since finishing a debut book made me mildly miffed I'd have to wait a while for the second in the series. Particularly as the end of RAGDOLL does not in anyway telegraph where a second might be heading, let alone starting out. Which statement is trying to be deliberately tantalising because really this is a debut book everyone should be reading - serial killer allergy or not.

Ragdoll is Daniel Cole’s first novel and it started life as a screenplay. Perhaps that’s where the problem lay a little for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong… I enjoyed this book, but I know many have LOVED it. And I didn’t. I think the book had great potential, but it felt like we were in people’s heads when we shouldn’t have been and timing and elements (on occasion) seemed bit confusing.

(I insert the blurb here)

The book opens in a courtroom with Detective William Oliver Layton-Fawkes (WOLF) attacking a man after he's found not guilty of killing and cremating 27 teenage prostitutes.

We're in the head of one of the jurors when it happens, but suddenly move to Wolf's as he 'tastes blood' when tackled.

We then leap forward in time and - perhaps I'm thick - as I found it a little confusing as we're drip-fed information about Wolf for some time. Eventually we learn he did some time in a psych ward before returning to the police force. (And if that seems improbable - without offering up any spoilers - he came back by popular demand. An encore of sorts, if you like. ;-) )

Wolf, Emily Baxter and her new probationer Edmunds are given the case of the stitched-together body and tasked with identifying those who died so the doll could live. Well, not live... but you know what I mean!

However, they're sidetracked as Wolf's ex-wife (and journalist) receives a package from the killer with a list of who's next.

We soon learn the Ragdoll case has ties to the Cremation Killer and Wolf's on the killer's hit list. And there's the proverbial race against time as the detectives try to save each of the intended victims.

All of that was enjoyable, but... there are leaps in time (and continuity) that plagued the last part of the novel (for me). Of course there's meant to be an element of confusion as we try to separate the goodies from the baddies, and I have no problem with 'grey' in my reading. However... it (occasionally) felt a little all over the place (structurally) and seemed to end quite abruptly.

I wondered on more than a few occasions if bits had been cut and pasted as I kept thinking I was missing some backstory... 'why does Chambers walk with a limp?' and comments about Wolf leading Baxter on 'for years', for example. I know structural edits usually pick up on those types of issues so wondered if the novel needed a little more work. Of course, it also could have just been me!

But... having said all of that, I did enjoy this book for the most part and kept turning the pages, needing to know what was next.

Wow. For a first book this was amazing! I think the writing is still a little.. not quite polished, but the story was brilliant! Good characters too - I hope we are going to see more of them!

I wanted to read faster and faster, but I didn't want it to be over, either. A very gripping, very enjoyable read.

4.5★s

The recently reinstated Detective William Fawkes (known as Wolf by all) was thrust into what the media dubbed the Ragdoll murder – a “body” made up of six different body parts. The killer had dismembered his victims, roughly sewing them together to make one – a “ragdoll”. But that wasn’t the worst of it…

Wolf’s ex-partner Detective Emily Baxter and her offsider, Detective Alex Edmunds worked the case, alongside Wolf and other team members. Finding who the six victims were was a priority; but it was when a list of names was released to the media - their murder dates written neatly alongside, that the race was on. Knowing they had to protect the people on the list at all cost meant the force was stretched to the limit. And in the meantime, Wolf was struggling – his temper; never the best to control – was on show often. Was Wolf losing control of the situation? Would the killer better the police? Not on Wolf and his diligent team’s watch – of that he was determined!

Ragdoll is the debut novel by Daniel Cole and wow! The pace is electric; the tension gripping. The pages seemed to turn themselves – and I am so pleased to know this is book #1 in the new Detective William Fawkes series. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.

‘One dead body, six victims’

Meet William Oliver Layton-Fawkes, an English detective nicknamed ‘Wolf’. He’s just been reinstated to the Metropolitan Police Force four years after his attempt to kill a man. A man he was convinced was a serial killer –twenty-seven victims in twenty-seven days – even though a jury had returned a not guilty verdict.

Wolf receives a ‘phone call early one Saturday morning, summoning him to a crime scene. The body, the ‘ragdoll’, is composed of the body parts of six different victims stitched together, suspended in a room close to where Wolf lives. He can see his own flat from the window.

Wolf recognises the head of the victim as the man he tried to kill four years earlier. Who are the other victims, and why were they killed? And then a list of names and dates, together with photographs of the ragdoll is sent to Wolf’s journalist ex-wife, Andrea. The first name has today’s date, and it is clearly a hit-list. Now the police are in a race against time: both to try to identify the owners of the body parts, and to try to prevent the people on the hit-list from being murdered. There are a number of puzzles to be solved in the search for the murderer, and at times Wolf is his own worst enemy.

In addition to Wolf, there are a number of other interesting characters. There’s a young policeman who becomes obsessed with the case, whose research is essential. There are personal histories to be understood and aspects of various pasts to be negotiated. And, it would really ruin the read if I write much more about the story.

If you like fast moving crime stories, if you can handle dark novels with flashes of black humour, then you may want to pick this one up. The main characters are interesting, and mostly well developed, the story is detailed and has a number of different layers. There’s plenty of tension as the time ticks down.

I picked this novel up, and found it very difficult to put down.

Note: My thanks to Hachette Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

It is such an interesting bloody book. I had fallen in love with Wolf as he believes in justice even though the lines do become blurred at times. But as the book moves along I realize that he is a man so haunted about something he asked for when his world was crashing down. Will he ever get away from the Cremation killer and the past or will it come for him?
Wolf is a complex man that wants to work with others but they are all wary of him as he is known to get his way. This killer is playing with people's lives and the death clock has started and Wolf' is the last victim but can he find the monster before it is too late.
Baxter is so tired of her feelings for Wolf, they have gotten in the way for so long but she still believes in the man and even though her fellow officers find proof that Wolf is involved in these awful murders does her will crack but she can't give up trying to save him.
As the book moves along we find out what drives Wolf and how he has taken on the killer all by himself and I realized that he has lost his way a long time ago and I was so glad that Baxter helps him even though he breaks her heart again.
Just a incredible journey of one man and his regrets and the damage he has caused.

A memorable and interesting story about a rugged and tortured detective doing his utmost to save lives doing whatever it takes. This story will be mentioned in the same breath as those written by Tana French, John Grisham or Robert Galbraith. For any lovers of crime fiction this is a must read.

A well-written, solidly-plotted crime novel with a cast of unique & memorable characters and plenty of plot twists & turns. A surprisingly slick & accomplished read for a debut novel - really, really entertaining stuff!

Ragdoll is a really addictive fast paced thriller that is hard to put down. Great characterisation and the plot twists kept me guessing and I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading it. Excellent debut novel and I look forward to seeing more of Wolf

While this story revolves around Detective William Oliver Layton-Fawkes, aka WOLF, it’s told from multiple point-of-views, subject to change at any minute. In fact, the story starts in juror Samantha’s head as she makes her way to the trial that sets the plot in motion.
When a despicable man avoids being convicted of killing many young women, Wolf wants at him and chaos erupts in the courtroom. Fast forward a few months, Wolf attends a gruesome crime scene, and so ensues the mystery of who staged the human Ragdoll, red herrings, and the outcome.
A few key players die along the way, but as I never came to care about any of them, their deaths didn’t move me one way or another. And therein lies the reason I didn’t love this story. It lacked the feels for me. Sure there’s a mystery to solve here, but the characters were so one-dimensional, I didn’t become invested in the plot.
Some of the above could’ve been due to the narration, info dumps, and slight head-hopping. Around the 62% mark, the story flicks back and forth between present day, 2014, and the events of 2010. Thus begins a shifting timeline from that point on. The ending left me scratching my head and asking, seriously? And not in a good way.
If, like me, you’re a character driven reader, this story might not be for you. If you enjoy a whodunit story you might just love it. I seem to be in the minority in my disconnect, so I urge you to check out all the other reviews praising Ragdoll.

A first novel that is so hard to put down. And the sting in the tail!
A dead body that is not one body but six, a disgraced detective reinstated after almost killing a murder suspect, a TV presenter who is the detective's ex wife, another detective secretly in love with the disgraced one and many other well written players in this story. Many persons making up the whole but at no time was I confused as to who was whom. The book needs some tidying up before being published but in all a great read,
Will we be seeing more of Wolf? I hope so.

Wow, this really is an amazing book. I could tell straight away in the first chapter that Daniel Cole has an obvious talent writing. I really enjoy a floored character, and Detective Fawkes certainly fits that category. He has certainly been to hell and back in the way he has been treated, but being the stand out detective he can get away with more than most. To top it all off the plot has been so well put together, and is truly mesmerising. Detective William Fawkes has had a tough time the last couple of years. Especially after spending a year in a psychiatric hospital for almost beating to death the Cremation Killer, Naguib Khalid. They thought with all the stress that he had a breakdown in court, and he needed some time out. His actions on that day has made him a bit of a legend amongst his co-workers. However, not so much with the hierarchy who would have been quite happy to see the back of him. Now there is a new serial killer on the lose that’s decided he wants the police and media involved, in a game of cat and mouse. He has made up a list of people and dates on when he plans to kill them, and he’s sent this to Williams ex-wife the reporter. Unfortunately, William has been unlucky enough to have his name on this list. Now it’s up to the police to protect these people, and so far, they have done a terrible job of it. Dubbed the ‘Ragdoll’ for the way he put together one of his first kills, he’s turning out to be much smarter than the average killer. From start to finish this was a pleasure to read, and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more stories from this Author in the future.

Really enjoyed the suspenseful plot and creative deaths (does that make me sound like a psycho?) but thought that Wolf was a bit of a twat. I mean, fair enough given what he's been through, but he wasn't my favourite main character ever. I would like to see more of Emily in future books. Despite thinking Wolf was a bit of a dickhead, I would still definitely pick up future books in this series and am excited to see where Daniel Cole goes with this. In summary: a bit of a wanker, but a wanker I definitely want to read more about.

This is simply one of the best crime books I've read in many, many years. Dark, fascinating, and wildly inventive, I hope this is the first of many from Daniel Cole.