Broken Dolls by James Carol

Author : James Carol
Title : Broken Dolls
Published : 2014
Publisher : Faber & Faber
Pages : 400
Genre : Crime Fiction

      Ex-FBI star profiler Jefferson Winter is no ordinary investigator. An eccentric genius and self-described geek with a passion for Mozart, he is haunted by the legacy of his notorious serial killer father . . . and not likely to admit this may be why he has such a phenomenal insight into the psychology that drives the criminals he hunts. The former G-man is now a sought-after freelance consultant, jetting around the globe helping local law enforcement agencies with their toughest cases. When Detective Inspector Mark Hatcher calls from Scotland Yard about a particularly disturbing case, Winter leaves his native California for the chilly streets of London to help track down a sadistic serial kidnapper.  When another young woman goes missing, Winter has to race against the clock to identify the attacker and find the latest victim before it's too late.

     This was the first of my recent Christmas presents I came to read, and also the first time I came to read this author. It had been on my wishlist for quite some time as the blurb sounded very intriguing. What do you do if one of your parents is a notorious serial killer? Can you build yourself a life after everything that has happened? It is not often you ever hear what happens to there kids, so with this book, Carol ponders this very question. For most, I would imagine that shining away from the light would be up most on there minds but Winters decides to take a different path, Why not take what he knows and put it to good use trying to stop men just like his own father.  To my surprise the author devotes little time to Winters father and the people he killed, it is more about how Jefferson uses this knowledge in identifying markers that would lead to there serial kidnapper. 

      I have to say I like Jefferson as a character, sure he's a little broken around the edges from what he went through but her refusal to let it beat him down. He still good for some wisecracking and seeing a little dark humor in what he does, and he's really good at it. With the odd mistake thrown in for good measure, I mean come on he's only human. But there is enough give and take between him and D.C.I Hatcher to make it a fun ride. The book splits as we also get to witness first hand one of the victims as she struggles with every day of being held captive and tortured. This adds an offset and a much dark view of the world the author has created. They build genuine tension into the chapters as I found myself willing her to make it through, with each turn of the page I was left wondering if this would be her final moments and Winters would be left to discover a body rather than free a hostage. 

     The other big theme in this book is that of lobotomy, the taking away of the very essence of who you are. It is something I find deeply disturbing that someone else makes a decision and everything you were or would be is gone forever. Not to mention that it was heralded as a wonder cure for all that ails you up until very recently.  It makes me squirm just to think about it. Here within the pages of the book, it is put to very good use as it allows for the ultimate form of control. There is a lot to take in as we follow our intrepid heroes on the quest. As we skip between hero and victim I got to see a game of cat and mouse play out, in a lot of ways it reminds me of the Alex Cross books. That mix of dark and disturbing fact with just a hint of Hollywood all played out in my home country. I suppose you could say there was a touch of the t.v show Luther to it. For me there was so much to like about this book, some felt like familiar ground whilst others took on their own path. The second thing that took me by surprise was the lack of blood to it all. In many ways, this comes from my own biased to such books. I really do like a good splashing across the pages. But for this story, it didn't matter much. That's not what this book is all about. It goes back to control and who has it and who doesn't and it works so well. 

     Overall I was left with an amazingly well thought out plot and a hero I can get invested in. I also liked that fact that he is a serial killer consultant which would allow further books to skip to other location and countries expanding on the world Carol has built here.