I can not believe this is a debut novel. It is difficult to say much without giving the plot away but the story starts with a serial killer of the worst kind and the detective who bring him to justice. The story then rolls forward in time to the detective being called to a murder scene where the killer has stitched together parts of bodies. From here on in the pace is quick and you are drawn in. Who are the bodies and why. Then comes the list of the next victims.....and the lead detective is on it. More than that I will not say but this book keeps you gripped - the killings are ingenious and the final twists you will not see coming. If the next book is as good this will rival some leading U.S. authors.

My strategy for choosing the perfect book to read on my holiday to Madeira was a brilliant success with Ragdoll. It is everything you could possibly want whilst away in the sun - a stitched together body created from parts of six different people, a Met Detective with baggage who doesn’t play by the rules, lots of action and tension and all good things that make a thriller thrilling. But, if you are squeamish about gory bits, do tread carefully. This is a no-holds-barred action ride that isn’t short on messy detail. Fawkes, our troubled detective, is seriously troubled, and with good reason. He's had a rough time of it but he’s not alone in his quest for justice. He’s got a good team helping him solve a number of crimes whilst the media stalks them in close quarters. The team dynamic is really good here. Baxter, Wolf’s former partner, and her new trainee are a great tag teaming duo and prove a good balance for Fawkes. Ragdoll is a brilliant book to read when you are in and out and can only read in fits and starts. The story is intense, gripping and keeps your interest as all the shocking events roll out.

Note: This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review Ragdoll is the debut novel by Daniel Cole featuring Detective Sargent William Oliver Layton-Fawkes or Wolf. Fawkes is a detective that went rogue following a not guilty verdict in a serial killer trial. Now back on the force there’s a new killer in town and it soon becomes clear to those involved the new case is linked to that original case. For me this is a really difficult review to write, I want to encourage every crime / thriller reader to pick up this book a read it, but at the same time I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, I want you to go in as blind as I did, just knowing the most basic of details from the description, learning about the characters and experiencing all the new plot points as you go. I will say I loved the characters, the relationships between them and the plot. The book is well written, the plot moves along at a great pace and had me staying up late to get it finished. The ARC e-Book contains a brief note from Daniel Cole where he explains a little about his history and journey into becoming a published author. In it he states that Ragdoll began life as a screenplay that was rejected, within the first few pages it becomes abundantly clear how this would have played out on screen, the visuals created are particularly vivid, and I really hope that this is picked up and ends up on screen, I would definitely watch it. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Daniel Cole is another great addition to the crime writing community. I loved this book and flew through it. I understand that Daniel has a three book deal, I’m not sure if the next novel will feature the same characters or be a stand alone novel but I do know I’ll be keeping my eye out for it, whatever it may be.

I have had this book in the TBR list for a while now, having been lucky enough to receive a copy before Christmas. It was one of those books; the highly anticipated, widely touted books of the year types. I'd seen other bloggers review it and I was intrigued. I'd seen pictures of body parts hanging from the ceiling of Goldsboro Books in London, and I was even more intrigued. But I wanted to hold back. Wanted to delay the experience of reading the book to see if the actual doing matched the hype surrounding it. And so it has come to this. An absolute sense of bewilderment and incredulity over why I bothered to wait so long to read it, and also of absolute devastation that I can't go back and read it for the first time all over again because I loved this. Oh blimey. From the very beginning this book tapped into a myriad of things that I love about books. The basic staple promise of an intriguing and infuriating crime; a sense of the macabre from the grotesque way in which the killer presented their first victims and the way in which they chose to dispatch some of their next. A central protagonist you can get behind; overwhelmingly flawed and yet undeniably appealing at the same time; and a whole host of colourful and textured supporting characters to boot. And yes - I now feel vindicated in that this book has confirmed all my suspicions about flowers. Does it sound bad to say that I absolutely loved the creative way in which Mr Cole offed his characters? Some of the deaths were so unique (at least in the case of the books I've read); and in some respects so cruel, that you have to wonder how on earth he came up with the ideas and then going forward, hope you never do anything to upset him. (This review is in no way influenced by a fear of vile and macabre retribution by the author - I really do like the book). It is a strange experience reading, as I could sense the inevitability over some of the scenes and yet the way in which they played out still took me by surprise. There were so many times I honestly thought to myself 'didn't see that coming'. Cole avoided plumping for the obvious and went for the marginally bizarre and yet it worked. So, so well. If you can imagine a list of six names, all of them accompanied by the date on which they are going to die, then you have the premise of this book. What the Detectives do not know is how they will die, or even how the six people are linked. Now there are some heavy hints dropped, and the over-riding factor, the central thread of the book, is spelt out from the very beginning. But be prepared because there is a lot of misdirection and you won't know what you think it is you know. Not really. Then again. Maybe you will. I'll admit my train of thought did a full 360° as I read and then started on a new journey back the other way. I love it when a book can do that so hats off to Mr Cole. The pacing is perfect. There are so many scenes when I was left on the edge of my seat and I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. I knew, knew, what was going to happen, that someone was going to die, that the police were going to be stumped and thwarted at every turn. Let's face it, this would have been a very short novel otherwise. But it was the anticipation. The tension built perfectly, so much so that I didn't even notice quite how tense I was until the inevitable finally occurred and I let out the breath I'd been holding. You know that feeling? The one where you gallop along with the text, desperate to know what happens that you feel your eyes physically skid to a halt when you get to the final result; as you try and process what you've just read. That. Did I mention I loved this book? And as for Detective William Fawkes, or Wolf as he is known. What a character. I absolutely loved him. He has a dark history, one he cannot escape and which colours his career in the police, and yet he there is something about him. And his relationship with both Baxter his ex-wife, Andrea, adds a great dimension to the book. A strange kind of chemistry, not enough to divert from the story, but enough to make you want to read more in book 2. And you know what? Speaking of which, when the heck is that going to be out because I'm definitely going to need another fix of Detective Fawkes? I kind of liked Finlay too. He looked out for his younger colleagues, but not so much that he was willing to overlook their flaws and failures. I hope we haven't seen the last of him. He needs to be in the next book too.

A really gripping crime thriller, that slowly reveals more complex and twisting threads with each body. Although it was a little unrealistic in places, it didn't seem to matter as the story was so compelling. Fantastic characters, that were all damaged in one way or another. The whole idea of how one bad choice can come back to haunt you was played out in the most gory fashion. Not one for the faint hearted. I'm intrigued to know if there is going to be another installment.