The Dollmaker's Daughters

Fifth in the Bo Bradley series, in this psychological thriller Bo reaches out to 15-year-old Janny Malcolm, a foster child found frozen in terror at a popular Goth hangout. An exquisite but battered doll is chained to Janny's wrist. She keeps the doll, called "Kimmy," close at all times, although she doesn't know why. Neither does she know anything about her past. But something has frightened Janny so deeply that, without help, she may retreat into herself. Permanently. Against all departmental rules, Bo befriends Janny and picks up a 13-year-old trail of child abuse, deceit and murder that may involve Child Protective Services at the highest level. When Bo learns of a grim medical facility and secretly observes a furtive funeral attended by only two people, her investigative instincts lead to a master dollmaker, a reclusive ex-cop and a hidden trail of disturbing secrets.. Even Bo's heightened psychological insight and empathy are nearly, but not quite, foiled by the complex spin surrounding a single, malignant mind. "Excellent ... a Bach concerto of a read... Fascinating... outstanding blend of the comic and the eerie ... engrossing and enchanting ... It is impossible to put down." —New Brunswick Reader "This is a book I hated to put down until I reached its satisfying conclusion." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch