This review is spoiler free.
“So tell me, if you’re the Devil, what does that make me?”
Series: Fawkes and Baxter
Published: 2017, by Trapeze.
Pages: 378
Format: Paperback
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller
Contains: Death, Murder, Violence, Blood/Gore, Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals, Fear, Anger, Strong Language, Torture, Arson
‘Ragdoll’ follows Detectives Fawkes (Wolf) and Baxter as a gruesome serial kills composes a ‘ragdoll’ out of six dismembered victims. As if that wasn’t complex enough, the corpse is discovered opposite Wolf’s apartment, where it points in his direction. With six more potential victims on the way, it’s up to Fawkes and Baxter to capture the killer before it’s too late.
Admittedly, it was the goriness that first led me to this book, so expectations were high, but it exceeded them greatly.
This book is by far one of the most memorable crimes novels ever written, with gruesome deaths, fast paced action, and dark humour making it into a highly addictive read. The criminal development within is some of the most cleverly done, with sudden twists, drops and turns, while the language remains easy to understand; there isn’t too much information that makes you stop and process. This crime novel isn’t one that overwhelmed with scientific knowledge. It’s also beautifully balanced with character development, their lives outside of the crime with complex situations and flaws.
The protagonists themselves are impossible lovable, making the story incredibly easy to root for them. The dialogue throughout is engrossing while the concept is so unique it’s impossible not to become addicted to the story fairly quickly. Wolf has quickly become one of my favourite fictional detectives of all time. He’s old school, a little rough around the edges but completely bad-ass throughout the novel.
Overall, I adored every page of this book. It’s gritty, gripping, and with a plot twist that isn’t a plot twist, which is the plot twist… What more could you want in a novel?
5/5
A Little Fool Reads 