This book was trying hard to be something.....funny.....hardboiled.....ironic....I just found it annoying. Characters constantly making bad choices to service the plot moving forward....violence for violence's sake. If it hadn't been short, I probably wouldn't have finished it. He is a good writer because he violated a lot of my internal book rules and I kept reading but ultimately when I got to the end I felt like I had a bad attempt at an American Ken Bruen novel. ( )

What an odd little book this was. Wanders all over the place, the story doesn’t really develop until the last quarter, the main character Happy Doll is a total loon, but the book is a quick read and entertaining. ( )

This book introduces Happy Doll (aka Hank) who is a PI after leaving the LAPD. His friend Shelton asks him to be a kidney donor and Doll isn't sure. Later, he feels bad, and agrees to do it. Doll also supplements his income by working at a Thai massage parlor, which is a front for other activities. While there, a disturbance happens and Doll is injured. Later that week, Shelton is shot and collapses on Doll's sofa. Doll goes to investigate and gets involved in activities he would rather keep from the cops.
This is funny at times, but also frightening, and a bit heartbreaking. Doll hasn't had it easy in life or love, and his love for his dog, George, is very sweet.
Looking forward to book 2. ( )

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S A MAN NAMED DOLL ABOUT?
Happy Doll is a cop-turned-P.I. in Los Angeles, he now primarily works in doing security in a massage parlor* to make ends meet, but he used to do more investigative work.

* The employees may happen to negotiate other services.

When we first meet him, he's talking with his mentor in the LAPD, a man who took a bullet for him and who now comes to him for a big favor. He needs a kidney transplant. Hap says he'll think about it. That's not good enough for Lou who ends up doing some very short-sighted things to get him that kidney. Happy doesn't know that at the time, or he'd have said yes sooner.

An altercation with a high client at the parlor leaves Happy injured and under scrutiny by a couple of detectives from the LAPD. He's also loopy on painkillers (which he counters with ADHD meds to really impair his judgment).

This leaves him in a bad spot when he has to investigate what Lou had gotten himself into and with whom. But he keeps plugging along obstinately (also, fueled by undeserved confidence).

IRVING ASH
I picked this up because Chris McDonald said that this is the book that inspired him to write his novel Little Ghost. I tried, usually successfully, to not compare the two as I read.

I can see the shadow of A Man Named Doll on Little Ghost—there's a similar vibe to the protagonists being up against forces they're not ready for, but not backing down or allowing themselves to think of it. There's a similar feeling of events quickly spiraling out of control for everyone involved, and the protagonist being in a very different place when the book is over.

I'm not suggesting that McDonald borrowed much from this book, but the novels share some DNA (and the protagonists likely do, too). The two novels can—and should—be entertaining on their own, and don't need to be considered in relation to each other in any way. I just found it interesting to see how an author could draw inspiration from a novel and run with it.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT A MAN NAMED DOLL?
There were multiple twists that I didn't see coming. I had to stop and go back to re-read a few paragraphs to make sure I just read what I thought I did, because...what author does that? Apparently, Jonathan Ames does.

I do think that this book moves a bit too quickly. I'd have liked to see Doll have to work a little harder to connect the dots between everything. I'd have liked to see the LAPD detectives play a larger roll in things (although I can't imagine how they could've without ruining things for Doll's investigation). It's not a fatal flaw, but I think the book would've been better with just a little more of everything.

Ultimately, this reminded me of Eoin Colfer's Daniel McEvoy books—just leaner and not quite as funny*. Although the latter could be a result of the former. I did laugh though at some of Doll's narration—so not quite as funny does not imply not witty or funny at all. Both series share the same kind of worldview, the same kind of violence, and the same kind of twisted logic.

* It occurs to me that Doll does tell us that he's half-Irish. But that part of his family hasn't been in Ireland for quite some time, unlike McEvoy. But maybe there's something to that heritage and the way he reacts to things. I only thought of that connection, as I was preparing to hit "Publish," so I'm not going to spend time on it. It's entirely possible that it won't hold water. But it might.

I thought the emotional and psychological elements were handled perfectly—the way that Doll (and his friends) react to the events that befall them seems perfectly handled. And I really liked the Epilogue and the repercussions of the events of the novel for the characters. It comes across as a little more realistic than some PI novels would have it.

This didn't completely wow me as I hoped—but it was a satisfying and surprising read. I want to see what else Ames is capable of and will be returning for the sequel as soon as I can.

Somehow I made it through this entire post without mentioning George, Doll's half-Chihuahua, half-terrier dog. Shame on me. Briefly, he's just adorable and goes through too much because of his doped-up human. ( )

I picked up Jonathan Ames's new novel - A Man Named Doll - on a rainy Saturday morning and finished it before dinner. It's just over 200 pages - but those pages make for addictive reading.
Meet Happy Doll - yes, that's his real name, but he does answer to Hank. Former Navy, LAPD and currently a struggling Private Investigator. He also works security for a massage parlor to make ends meet. And for the reader - a unique lead character.

An old colleague stops by the office to see if Hank would be willing to donate him a kidney. And that one act is the start of a string of bodies and a set of crimes that you just can't predict.

The setting is LA and I immediately got a noir feeling from settings and characters - Hank's office setting, his occupation, his home under the Hollywood sign, the buxom barkeep at his local and more.

Happy's inner dialogue is wickedly sharp and darkly humourous. He acts on impulse quite often and doesn't seem to realize that he isn't immortal. He's quite likeable and you can't help but behind him. Oh, and his dog George is an excellent sidekick.

The plot kept me guessing with every new turn (and body). There was no way to guess how things were going to turn out. The pacing of the book is fast and furious, with no downtime. Well, maybe a tad - Hank does get knocked out quite a bit.

The writing was excellent, the lead character engaging and the plot was inventive. Lee Child says this about A Man Named Doll - "Quirky, edgy, charming, funny and serious, all in one." I couldn't have said it better myself. And.....there's more Happy-ness to come. The first chapter of the next book is included at the end. The Wheel of Doll is due out next year. ( )