Happy Doll is a charming, if occasionally inexpert, private detective living just one sheer cliff drop beneath the Hollywood sign with his beloved half-Chihuahua half-Terrier, George. A veteran of both the Navy and LAPD, Doll supplements his meager income as a P.I. by working through the night at a local Thai spa that offers its clients a number of special services. Armed with his sixteen-inch steel telescopic baton, biting dry humor, and just a bit of a hero complex, the ex-cop sets out to protect the women who work there from clients who have trouble understanding the word “no.”
Doll gets by just fine following his two basic rules: bark loudly and act first. But when things get out-of-hand with one particularly violent patron, even he finds himself wildly out of his depth, and then things take an even more dangerous twist when an old friend from his days as a cop shows up at his door with a bullet in his gut.
A Man Named Doll is more than just a fascinating introduction to one truly singular character, it is a highly addictive and completely unpredictable joyride through the sensuous and violent streets of LA.
One of my toxic traits is that I think I’ll win every giveaway that I enter. Sadly, it hasn’t turned out that way. I have won a few over the years, though! Including, most recently, all three books in THE DOLL SERIES by Jonathan Ames! These books were for sure on my radar, as I think I’ve mentioned what a geek I am for Mulholland Books! But I tried my luck on the giveaway & won!
*throws confetti*
I’ve never read anything like A MAN NAMED DOLL & I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I finished it.
Well…I guess I’ve read a lot like this book, in a way. I’ve read lots & lots of books about private detectives, but Ames manages to breathe totally new life into a genre, while also relying on plenty of the well-worn trappings that’ll make this book feel familiar to fans of the genre.
Happy Doll (no really, that’s his name) is ex-Navy, ex-LAPD, and working as a private detective.
Kinda.
He also moonlights at a Thai spa, providing security for the women who work there. He carries a telescopic baton and knows how to handle himself in a fight.
In his spare time, Happy smokes weed and he walks his dog, George. George is a chihuahua/terrier mix, and Happy is pretty much in love with this dog. I’m going to mention George again later in this review, for sure.
He also maintains this really sweet friendship with a bartender named Monica, who he is actually definitely in love with.
So Happy’s life is generally pretty chill. He lives in the shadows of the Hollywood sign, he’s pretty romantic about things like flowers & plants, and I think what sets him apart from pretty much any other fictional private detective I’ve met is his relative lack of cynicism. He’s brave & soulful, and just…different. There’s just something so quirky & unusual about this book that’s hard to put my finger on, but it was wildly refreshing.
But of course, this is an LA noir novel, and Happy’s quiet life gets flipped completely upside down. A violent night at the spa leaves Happy badly injured. A little later an old cop buddy shows up at Happy’s door with a bullet in his gut & a mission for Happy.
Things spiral hard, and fast, and this book turns into a whirlwind.
There’s a lot of dry humor in the book which keeps things from ever feeling too hopelessly dark. But oh man, this book really goes into some dark, dark places. Fair warning for the squeamish.
And as promised, a bit more about George (this part of the review is for the dog lovers, and for the people who, like me, would really like to know whether the dog makes it or not…so consider this a SPOILER WARNING and skip this section if you prefer). The relationship between Happy & his dog just hit so close to home. Like, Happy just dotes on this dog so much and it’s fucking adorable. You’ve got this strange, charismatic, massive man, capable of moments of extreme violence. And he lives & breathes for his little dog, George. And there comes a moment in this book where you’ll think George has died. And it’s…devastating. I was bereft. Didn’t want to keep reading. But I did & I’m happy to report that GEORGE ACTUALLY LIVES and I maybe cried a bit.
I loved this book so much. It was so cool to win all three & I really hope to read the rest of the series soon! Also really hopeful that this’ll be a longer-running series, I think it definitely has the legs for it. Like the best crime fiction, this one is very distinctly Of A Place, and Ames paints a picture of Los Angeles that’s both very romantic, and darkly violent.
What an incredible introduction to a character this book is. Oof, I completely adored A MAN NAMED DOLL!
Thanks to Mulholland Books for the giveaway!
Grimdark Dad 