The Dollmaker (edit title)

• Rated 3 stars

“Clare and Dave’s young daughter disappeared seven years, without a trace. Dave found his solace in a bottle, leading to the end of his marriage. Claire has remarried, but that marriage is falling apart. When she sees a doll in a shop window, a doll that looks remarkably like her missing daughter, Clare turns to Dave, who is now sober and a private investigator, to find out what the dollmaker knows about their child’s disappearance. Although the book has a good premise, and the characters of Clare, Dave and others are well developed, this book was for me neither suspenseful nor thrilling. I found it a solid read, but figured out the mystery fairly quickly and found nothing too remarkable about the book, I never felt that edge of the seat excitement I look for in books of this kind. A good, but pedestrian thriller. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“One day Claire Doucett, while out on a walk in New Orleans sees a doll in a store window with the spitting image of her missing daughter. Claire tries to convince her sister that she is not going crazy and that there really is a doll that looks exactly like her daughter, as they travel to the store the doll is missing and the store owner has been murdered. Claire than goes to the one person she can turn to her ex-husband Dave Creasy. Together they investigate the strange mystery surrounding the doll all the time not realizing that it would take them down a dangerous path and wind up encountering a psychopath. This book will make you look at dolls in a whole different way. Check it out ”

• Rated 4 stars

“4.5 out of 5 stars

ISBN-10: 0778324281 and ISBN-13: 978-0778324287
Publish date: March 1, 2007
Mass market paperback; 384 pages; $6.99
Fiction, Suspense

The Dollmaker is satisfyingly creepy.

The cover of The Dollmaker was what first drew me, its shadowy blue and green tones, and the doll’s face, particularly the eye. I found it mesmerizing and was drawn to it many times before I bought it. And when I did, I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a story about tragic loss―the abduction of a child and the resulting destruction of a marriage.

Claire Doucett’s life spins out of control from the moment she glimpses a doll that looks exactly like her missing daughter Ruby, right down to an identical birthmark on the doll’s arm. To complicate matters, no one believes her and the doll mysteriously disappears.

Then Claire’s ex-husband Dave, a former cop and alcoholic who is investigating the murder of a stripper, comes back to town. He’s looking for answers in the stripper’s death, but also searching for resolution in a cold case―one that has haunted him because it is linked to his daughter’s disappearance.

The plot lines are woven meticulously, connecting then separating, making for a very interesting read. The New Orleans setting is perfect (especially with the Katrina references and haunting visuals), the characters are compelling and flawed, and the pacing is dead on, until the end where I felt that the resolution was a bit rushed. Everything happened so fast, I lost a bit of the emotional connection, which is why I didn’t give this book 5 stars.

Regardless, Amanda Stevens has penned a spine-tingling story about love, loss, lies, guilt and family secrets. This is a great read for that cold winter night. I highly recommend it! And I’ll never look at a doll the same way again. 

―Bestselling author Cheryl Kaye Tardif, http://www.cherylktardif.com

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• Rated 3 stars

“Good.Suspenseful to the very end. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Creepy cover, creepy story. But really good!”