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THE DEVIL'S OWN RAG DOLL
by Mitchell Bartoy
St Martin's Minotaur, October 2005
290 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0312340885


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Detective Pete Caudill has just recently reached the rank of detective in Detroit's police department. He is a man used to action and has several injuries relating to his deeds. The loss of one eye and several fingers makes him appear more frightening and dangerous than he actually is.

With World War II in progress, things are difficult for everyone and the city of Detroit is no exception. Detroit is also facing the potential of race riots. Tensions are high and many people seem to be looking for any excuse for violence. When a white heiress is murdered in the black side of town, tempers flare.

Caudill finds himself part of the investigating team even though he is not the most politically correct detective. But he wants to find the truth regarding the murder, although many people would prefer that he take the easy way out by arresting the victim's black boyfriend. Caudill's quest for justice puts him up against the political machine and community leaders. He must rely on his strength and his wits to prevent violence from destroying his town.

THE DEVIL'S OWN RAG DOLL presents a Detroit that one might not be familiar with. This Detroit has all of the tensions of the later race riots in the South and some of the characteristics belonging to the political machine of Chicago. While this Detroit might be the image that first pops into mind, the city in the book is well described and realistic.

With all of the themes explored in THE DEVIL'S OWN RAG DOLL, it is obvious that this book is dark and brooding. The relationship between blacks and whites is tenuous at best. Black men who join the police become outsiders in both communities. Most cops are considered corrupt and politicians only care about their own gains, not their constituents. The world presented in this book is one consumed with the idea of us against them.

In such an oppressive atmosphere, it is almost unheard of that a white man would look beyond the black community for a murder suspect. Caudill's determination to discover the truth provides one of the few glimpses of hope in this book. The possibility of a peaceful resolution and Caudill's sense of morality will keep the reader hooked until the final page.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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