Wowsers! What a brilliant conclusion to a great series. I've really enjoyed the way that this has been written, the author has a really creative approach and it's a nice change. Looking forward to seeing where he takes the characters next.

Firstly thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC copy of This book. I have come to the conclusion this series is one of the best I have read in a very long time. The characters are well thought out and the storylines believable. I love the pace of the books and how they are all interlinked with each other. I would heartily recommend these books and just to be sure the ending of this one was for once a totally satisfying conclusion. Note to Daniel Cole thank you so much for a wonderful trilogy and allowing me a few hours of total escapism, your books are amazing

A satisfying conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. I absolutely loved the first two books in this series. Like many reviewers, I was so excited to receive the third one, and it certainly did not disappoint. This book can be read as a stand-alone but to really appreciate it, read the first two books, you won’t regret it. All of the main characters are back and this book, as well as tying up all the loose ends, it is another plot full of surprises, it is difficult to say too much about the storyline without giving away spoilers. The two characters central to all three books, William ‘Wolf ’Fawkes and DCI Emily Baxter, are once again locking horns but at the same time do have mutual respect and their relationship is a central part of the book. The story begins when Wolf’s mentor and friend, Finlay Shaw is found dead in a locked room in his house with a gun nearby. It looks obviously like suicide, but Wolf cannot believe that his friend would ever leave his beloved wife Maggie alone and pleads for some time to try and prove that this was murder. Wolf has been on the run since the last book and when he comes out of hiding is promptly arrested. However due to some information he has that is vital to the police, he is given some time to pursue the investigation. We are taken back to Glasgow in 1979 when Shaw and another detective were involved in a warehouse raid where a huge amount of drugs were recovered. This incident, at the time, received widespread acclaim for the detectives involved but the repercussions come back to haunt them 40 years later. Daniel Cole is a master of writing plots that are different and in this book we know what happened very early on, but it is the way Wolf, Emily and various other characters from the previous books, interact to solve the crime. However, what makes Mr Cole’s books even better for me is that he can inject humour and his characters, although flawed, are eminently likeable. This is an unusual trait in this type of book, and I thoroughly enjoy the juxtaposition of both tragedy and humour. You are drawn into the lives of the main characters, and I felt a lot of empathy with them. The even better news is that although this book completes the trilogy very satisfactorily, it would appear that there may be more to come. I, for one, want to be one of the first to read it! Dexter Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Endgame is the last of the Ragdoll trilogy and though it contains all the characters we have come to know and love, as a story I think it works well in its own right and could therefore be read as a stand-alone. To get the most from it though, start with Ragdoll, the first book. I think Endgame is the best of the three books so far. It has an excellent story arc, starts with a locked room mystery and is full of the irascibility, humour and fast paced action for which the Ragdoll series is known. Our protagonist Wolf reminds me slightly of Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb. He has the same lack of respect for rules; the ability to suss out double dealing and match it with even greater duplicity, the foul mouth and the biting wit. The comparison ends there, of course, but Wolf is a larger than life figure that cannot be ignored. Finlay Shaw an ex-copper, is found dead at his home, by his wife Maggie, with a gun by his side William Fawkes (Wolf) is not prepared to believe that his long term friend would ever commit suicide because he loved his wife too much. Wolf ropes in DCI Emily Baxter, PI Alex Edmunds and Jake Saunders to look into Finlay’s old cases. Commissioner Christian Bellamy, Finlay’s partner in the early days and long-term friend ever since, joins them in searching out the answers to how and why this happened. The answer lies in the past and it is soon clear that there are people who will go to any lengths to make sure it stays there. With Wolf treading a very thin line between being re-arrested and sent to prison, you’d think this would not be a time for Wolf to go round picking fights and complicating his already pretty dire personal life, but that wouldn’t be Wolf. His past actions as well as Emily Baxter’s impinge on this case and as they get into the depths of the investigation there is a tension in the team that is palpable and things get very heated. Daniel Cole has written a cleverly constructed plot, with great characters and a lot of fast paced and violent action. What makes these books stand out though is the interaction between the characters with all the scathing wit and put downs that make the reader laugh at the same time as they are in the midst of deadly gun battles. Verdict: Excellent, fast paced entertainment that offers a thrilling ride. Cole’s tight plotting and lively wit make this a sure fire winner. Let’s hope there’s more to come.

Endgame is the third book in Daniel Cole's Ragdoll series featuring William Wolf  Fawkes and Emily Baxter.  This books follows directly on from the previous book Hangman, with it's shocking conclusion, and follows the consequences of those events.  Finlay Shaw, retired Detective Sergeant and colleague of Wolf and Baxter, is found dead in a locked room after apparently committing suicide. Wolf is unsure and wants prove that he was in fact murdered, so for one final case Wolf, Baxter, Edumunds a former colleague and now a private investigator, and Saunders are back together on what seems an impossible case. This is a fast paced, crime thriller that had me gripped from the beginning with it's compelling plot and engaging characters. Endgame is an apt title as it maybe the last book in the Ragdoll series, and it ties up many of the loose ends from the previous books.  As well as the investigation into Finlay Shaw's death, there is also the undercurrent of the consequences from the Hangman investigation, which is still sending ripples through the police department.  Whilst looking at Finlay's death they look at his previous cases and there are chapters that look at his early career with his partner Christian Bellamy, now the Commissioner, in the 1970's.  My only complaint would be that I thought the plot jumped around a bit, in time and character focus which left me having to check back quite a few times. The different threads of this book did however keep my attention and added to the suspense of the plot. It was great to see Wolf back, even if he was in custody for his actions in the previous book. There was a lot of tension between Wolf and Baxter, in the form of mistrust and the sexual tension that has underpinned their woking relationship in all three books. Baxter is under a lot of pressure in her personal and professional life, trying to do the right thing by everyone but as usual not taking care of her self. I love her sarcasm, strength, intelligence but also her sense of the doing the right thing the can put her at odds with Wolf.  The reuniting of the team, and their very different personalities, their interactions, add a sense of reality, drama and occasionally a touch of humour that can only come from people who know each other well. Endgame is deliciously dark and exciting thriller with a twisted and devious killer as its heart.  Full of tension, action, and twists and turns, this book had me hooked until the last page. As a crime thriller this worked for me on every level; detailed procedure, a seemingly impossible crime, characters that rub off each other adding a sense of reality and an intelligent and evil killer.  An. intense, chilling and brilliant read.