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The Doll A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel Taylor Stevens Books

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The Doll A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel Taylor Stevens Books

Vanessa Michael Munroe is back, and now she's a victim! We first met her in The Informationist, then followed her rescue operation in The Innocent. Her skills as a hired gun/body guard/person who gets things done have come to the attention of people on the other side of the law.

The Doll opens with Munroe's abduction by some mysteriously skillful, wiley, and well-financed bad dudes. Her associate (now lover) Bradford tries to track her down, but the bad guys get her to Europe, where they want her to use her skills to smuggle another kidnapped young lady to a buyer in Monaco. This young lady, a rising Hollywood starlet, was kidnapped by the Doll Maker's people at the request of a client who is paying a tremendous amount of money to add her to his "collection." What follows is Munroe's attempts to following the Doll Maker's instructions as she drives the girl across Europe (he is holding her best friend hostage as collateral), maybe trying to save the girl, and Bradford's efforts stateside to penetrate the Doll Maker's horrible trafficking organization.

The focus of the novel is Munroe's scheming and planning for escape and revenge, but the undertone of the world of human trafficking is strong and disturbing. Granted, the kidnapping of a well-known darling of screen and tabloid seemed a bit over-the-top and unbelievable, but Stevens sheds light on the very real problem of sex trafficking. As Munroe observes, "Were there no market, no buyers, and no men willing to pay for sex, organizations that fed off human misery, and criminals like the Doll Maker who stole and cashed in on the value of the female body, would cease to exist." (Too bad our government doesn't put more resources toward human trafficking instead of wasting money on the pointless, destructive "War on Drugs.")

So in spite of the hard-to-swallow scenario of a celebrity being kidnapped for sale on the sex slave market, and in spite of the unbelievable seemingly omniscient and omnipotent power of the Doll Maker and his organization, and in spite of Munroe's unrealistic super smarts and super fighting skills (which Stevens' readers have come to expect), The Doll is a fun, gripping read, with unexpected twists and turns and a satisfying, if despairing ending. It's at least as good as The Informationist, and probably better than The Innocent. I will look forward to Munroe's next adventure.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!


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The Doll A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel Taylor Stevens Books Reviews

This is a remarkable, exciting but harrowing thriller that is not for the weak at heart. This is the third book by Taylor Stevens featuring Vanessa "Michael" Munroe, a dangerous loner who bears emotional and physical scars from her youth, reminiscent of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. Michael's horrific past gives her a potential for ferocity and violence to overcome her enemies. She's a super-intelligent and dangerous character who is skilled in martial arts, and always carries a knife. She has an eidetic memory and speaks multiple languages.

After a period of reasonable contentment with her lover and business associate Miles Bradford, things spiral out of Michael's control. Bradford looks out of the window one day and is powerless when he sees Michael collapse next to her motor cycle and is quickly spirited away in an ambulance. Then follows a nightmare where Michael wakes up in a cell in the Croatia under the control of the "The Doll Maker" - a notorious and viscous sex trafficker.

His name stems from an obsession with a huge collection of life-like porcelain dolls, hand-painted and air-brushed, perfectly clothed with waxen hair, curled and styled - each doll in perfect condition. "Perfection, they have no flaws, only beauty. ... they bring me joy."

Paradoxically "The Doll Maker" cashes in on the value of the female body and traffics kidnapped human cargo across the globe to continuing misery as sex slaves. His richest and most important clients ask for the most beautiful and valuable - untouched and doll-like. Michael is forced to transport an extremely valuable girl across Europe and deliver her in pristine condition. The Doll Maker pulls Michael's strings to make her co-operate by capturing and torturing a person who is nearest and dearest to her.

Stevens keeps the suspense high all the way, with constant action, a huge body count, and many kidnappings and violence. It is a roller coaster of a ride that taxes all of Michael's strategic and violent strengths.

I really enjoyed "The Informationist" which introduced us to Michael but was a bit disappointed with "The Innocent" that touched on the kind of extreme religious cult where Taylor Stevens grew up. "The Doll" takes us back to the original Michael who is as deadly as any of the male fictional heroes you will read and also has a really dark side that she has to fight to keep under control.

I highly recommend this book for those who like to read intelligent but violent thrillers.
Vanessa Michael Munroe is back, and now she's a victim! We first met her in The Informationist, then followed her rescue operation in The Innocent. Her skills as a hired gun/body guard/person who gets things done have come to the attention of people on the other side of the law.

The Doll opens with Munroe's abduction by some mysteriously skillful, wiley, and well-financed bad dudes. Her associate (now lover) Bradford tries to track her down, but the bad guys get her to Europe, where they want her to use her skills to smuggle another kidnapped young lady to a buyer in Monaco. This young lady, a rising Hollywood starlet, was kidnapped by the Doll Maker's people at the request of a client who is paying a tremendous amount of money to add her to his "collection." What follows is Munroe's attempts to following the Doll Maker's instructions as she drives the girl across Europe (he is holding her best friend hostage as collateral), maybe trying to save the girl, and Bradford's efforts stateside to penetrate the Doll Maker's horrible trafficking organization.

The focus of the novel is Munroe's scheming and planning for escape and revenge, but the undertone of the world of human trafficking is strong and disturbing. Granted, the kidnapping of a well-known darling of screen and tabloid seemed a bit over-the-top and unbelievable, but Stevens sheds light on the very real problem of sex trafficking. As Munroe observes, "Were there no market, no buyers, and no men willing to pay for sex, organizations that fed off human misery, and criminals like the Doll Maker who stole and cashed in on the value of the female body, would cease to exist." (Too bad our government doesn't put more resources toward human trafficking instead of wasting money on the pointless, destructive "War on Drugs.")

So in spite of the hard-to-swallow scenario of a celebrity being kidnapped for sale on the sex slave market, and in spite of the unbelievable seemingly omniscient and omnipotent power of the Doll Maker and his organization, and in spite of Munroe's unrealistic super smarts and super fighting skills (which Stevens' readers have come to expect), The Doll is a fun, gripping read, with unexpected twists and turns and a satisfying, if despairing ending. It's at least as good as The Informationist, and probably better than The Innocent. I will look forward to Munroe's next adventure.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!