I read Broken Dolls in two sittings. James Carol’s debut novel is full of twists and turns and, to my delight, a mixture of recognisable crime format and a frighteningly unique concept. Jefferson Winter, a fabulously exciting main character, and his colleague DS Sophie Templeton team up with Mark Hatcher to solve the crimes of an abductor who leaves their victims alive.
Winter knows his psychopaths and profiling by heart, and, when confronted by four abducted women and no real clues, he has a no-nonsense approach to catching the unknown subject (unsub). Drawing on his background and the experience of his colleagues, Winter is clinical in his approach to crime, yet not afraid to take risks.
This novel’s plot is thrilling and surprising but the best part of this book is the attention to detail. Gruesome both physically and psychologically, the reader is taken deep into the world of the victim and lives the minutes and second of their experiences. Carol has worked hard to depict the relationship of control between the victim and the abductor and succeeds superbly.
The structure of the novel adds to the suspense, and all in all it keeps the reader guessing right until the final pages. A recommended read – can’t wait for James Carol’s next novel.