The Doll: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel

I started reading The Doll in the morning. Luckily I'm on a road trip with my husband and he's the driver because, other than for a few necessary breaks, I didn't put it down. I read by the light of my IPad until I finished it at 2:00 AM. Heart stopping suspense, seriously evil villains, and a woman with skills in stalking, self-defense, deduction, weapons, to match any man. I loved the previous two Vanessa Munroe novels and The Doll did not disappoint. Make sure you carve out some reading time before you start reading.

I am NEVER disappointed by Taylor Stevens! I finally got my hands on this book and it's just as intense and incredible as all her others. Vanessa Michael Munroe is an exceptionally fascinating character - someone who is capable of so much darkness, but has a conscience and empathy in her own twisted way that gives her a human side that few can appreciate or obtain not having gone through what she has. The content of this book was downright chilling and it gripped me from page one and kept me guessing all the way through (and that ending,oh my goodness, I blurted out a crazy expletive, I wasn't ready). And ever since we met Miles Bradford, his connection to Michael has given her a tether that is so different from everyone else, even Logan. Logan is her soulmate - soul-twin, I would say - but Miles access a different part of her heart and soul that lets her be free. I really love the dedication between them, and it was readily evident in this book in how Bradford fought every inch of the way to get to her and help her.

The stories about Vanessa Michael Munroe have always sounded interesting. Well, unlikely and interesting, but no more than the Bourne stories. This is the third book of a series of 4.

The Informationist: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel (Vanessa Michael Munroe Novels)

The Innocent: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel (Vanessa Michael Munroe Novels)

The Doll (This one.)

And due July 15, 2014 The Catch: A Novel

One of the things that aggravated me as a reader was the absence of down time. It reached a fever pitch by the end of the first chapter and never let up for 300 pages. As I have not read the earlier books, I didn't feel any connection to Vanessa Michael Munroe. She alluded to some tragedies early on, but there was no emotional connection. There were no breaks in her façade, no where to see inside to the person.

I like gratuitous violence in a thriller novel as much as the next guy but this one went over the top. The violence showed how ruthless the characters were but it could have done so without the constant bloodshed. That being said, I have moved the next Taylor Stevens Vanessa Munroe book into my wish list. I have also put the first book in my Kindle waiting for me to catch up with my reading.

Being a book reviewer has its ups and downs, well, at least for me it does. There are times when I get behind on reviewing and I have to shove some books aside to focus on those that I'm stuck with a specific post date in a book blog tour. Unfortunately, I sometimes forgot about these books completely, which is what happened with The Doll by Taylor Stevens, a book I had signed up to review back in April or May. Luckily, I have been doing some fall cleaning and found the book last week.

The Doll centers on Vanessa Michael Munroe who is kidnapped on the streets of Dallas and is forced to work for the Doll Maker, a crazed "baddie" who kidnaps famous and beautiful girls for rich clients. One of these clients has their eyes on a rock star, Neeva, which is why the Doll Maker grabbed Munroe, as the Doll Maker want her to escort the lovely rocker to the client's location.

Of course Munroe tries to resists, but it seems the Doll Maker is one step ahead of her and threatens the life of one of her dearest friends - Logan. Munroe is known for being a chameleon and a hunter, but her skills will be put to the ultimate test in this intense thriller.

Though I have never read the other books in the series (The Informationist and The Innocent), to me The Doll felt like a standalone adventure. It is nice to find a smart and tough female character that isn't cliched to death. The author, Taylor Stevens, has a talent for this type of novel and her vivid descriptions are more impressive than the recent slew of James Patterson thrillers. Overall, The Doll is a well-written thrill-ride from start to finish. I can easily see this being turned into a feature film.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Vanessa Michael Munroe seems to be invincible. Her stealth in investigation and her ferocity and skill in protecting herself and those she loves make Michael almost untouchable.

Almost.

Until an angry psychopath known as the Doll Maker enacts a plan to kidnap Michael and use the lives of those she loves as collateral to force her into performing a mission. She is to deliver a kidnapped girl to a wealthy client. But how far can Michael go when so many lives are on the line?
Taylor Stevens has done another great job of throwing readers right into the plot of the novel; pushing us into the action. Munroe is plunged into a dangerous situation, and her reactions to the order she’s given once again portray another layer of her vulnerabilities. Although her character is akin to a super-ninja-killer-spy, readers are also given glimpses of her frailties and weaknesses; what makes her human.

An early excerpt from the book artfully but succinctly sums up Munroe’s skill in what she does:

Do not let her hear your language…she will use language as a weapon. Keep the area around her free of objects, everything will be used as a weapon. Stay clear of her reach, she doesn’t need a weapon to kill you. Don’t use restraints, she will find a way out of them and they will only give a false sense of safety. Do not touch her…Leave her in peace, and treat her respectfully, only then will the violence stay muted. Disrespect these and make no mistake, she will kill you.

But this book is not just about the action. In it, we are taken deeper into the personality of Vanessa Michael Munroe. The events which unfurl in the story shake her to her very core. And yet, again, even with the danger she must face, and the extreme consequences of failure, she puts her compassion for others in front of her hard veneer, and does what’s right to save the one most vulnerable.

Taylor Stevens is skillful in how she plunges readers into both the action, and the mind of Munroe, who becomes more and more complex with every new book. Her plot is fast-paced and entertaining, and I can’t wait to read the next one in the Munroe series – THE CATCH.

Thanks for another great read Taylor!

The Doll by Taylor Stevens is a thriller with heart-racing action, unexpected twists and dangerous turns.

The main character, Vanessa Munroe, can change herself and "become" whatever she needs to be to survive. She's a fighter. More importantly, she is a survivor. In The Doll, she gets kidnapped and taken into an underground world in Dallas where women and girls are sold, used and abused. This world and the women forced there are controlled by a man known as the Doll Maker. He captures women and young girls and sells them.

Munroe has not only herself to save, but also a young girl, Neeva, who also has escaped. Munroe doesn't want to be saddled with Neeva, but Munroe knows if she doesn't take Neeva with her, Neeva will either be killed or taken back into slavery.

Munroe is used to violence. Most of her life has been marked by violence. She can speak multiple languages and she knows how to fight and how to survive. She could escape and disappear into the shadows, but she'll have to take Neeva back to the Doll Maker, even though she knows what will happen to her.

Munroe will have to decide between Neeva and someone she dearly loves.

This is book three in the Vanessa Munroe series, I have a feeling I might have got more from this book if I had read prior books in the series. This book left me with very mixed feelings about it, I liked certain aspects of it then was bored and uninterested in others, so this is not an easy review to write.

The overall plot sounded fantastic but I felt it was too wordy and almost not simplified enough for the reader to really grasp what was going on. I was confused for much of the book.

Vanessa Munroe was a great character and I can see how reading prior books would have her grow on you as a lead character. All the scenes in the book that she was in I loved. Everything else just lost me.

International trafficking of women with a twist, a man called The Doll Maker, he does just that. I leave it at that lest I spoil things for you. I was so excited that this was going to be such a great page turner, but it wasn't.

Where this book lost me was in long winded chapters that had a lot of talking and not a lot of action, some of it not even adding to the book. My brain struggled to connect characters and remember them even chapter to chapter, I was going "hang on, who was he again?", if you know what I mean? They did not become real to me, just loads of names and the start of the book in my opinion is hugely confusing that's why I don't think this one works as a stand alone.

For me personally as a reader, this is a 2 star read (okay), but because the actual writing is pretty good and the scenes that star Vanessa Munroe in them I will award it 3 stars. I think this would suit fans of the classic thriller, think the Jason Bourne books etc. Which is not really my favourite type of thriller. I was sucked in by the complexity and mystery of why Vanessa has the abilities she does. The rest? You can keep it.

Some will truly love this book, personal taste and all that. So I suggest making your own mind up on this one. I tasted it and it did not do enough to get me running in for more.

Imagine that you wake in a prison both physical and psychological. If you do not obey the orders you are given, the person you love most in the world will die. If you obey the orders, you betray your professional contract and your integrity to protect your client.

Impossible choices.

This prison is the world where Vanessa Michael Munroe, protagonist of The Doll by Taylor Stevens, lives for the duration of the novel. If not for her volatile past, she might have escaped the ruthless cruelty of the Doll Maker, the one who controls a massive human trafficking organization and who demands her help with one victim in particular.

Without her affinity for foreign language retention, her skill with weapons, her impeccable observation skills, and her long-suppressed rage and hatred toward tormentors, the impossible odds against her would have succeeded.

By the end of the novel, you'll wonder whether those odds did, in fact, succeed.

Fast-paced from beginning to end, the novel -- actually the third book in a series with Munroe as protagonist -- is without a doubt one of the tightest and most well-written thrillers I've read in a long time. It took me four days to read, and only that long because I had to put it down to get other things done.

Author Taylor Stevens snatches your attention and your sympathy from the very first page, and the stakes escalate until you're absolutely sure there's no way the story can end well for the characters you've come to care about. By the end of the book, those characters are so real, it's like they're in the room with you, moving and breathing through their lives as you turn pages.

For you adventure buffs who can't get enough of the thriller and suspense genres, The Doll won't disappoint. The best compliment I can give the author is to admit that I'm actively looking to own the rest of her books, as a result of my reading and enjoying this one so much.

Side effects of reading this book may include (but probably won't be limited to) insomnia, jumping at unexpected noises, and checking over your shoulder as you walk from one place to another in a crowd.

Title: The Doll
Author: Taylor Stevens
Series: Vanessa Michael Munroe #3
ISBN: 978-0307888808
Purchase here: http://www.the store.com/The-Doll-Novel-Taylor-Stevens/dp/0307888800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405536371&sr=8-1&keywords=the+doll+taylor+stevens

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books review program in exchange for an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Disclaimer: Blogging For Books sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start out by noting that before I chose this book, I had never heard of Taylor Stevens or her Vanessa Michael Munroe series. After reading The Doll, I can honestly say that Stevens has made me a fan. The front cover says it all, quoting Lee Child: “Munroe is a sensational character and Stevens is a sensational writer.”

This is the third in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series of thriller/suspense novels. I found the beginning slow, but that may be partly because I wasn’t already emotionally invested in the characters by reading previous books. However, after the first six chapters, the plot centers on Michael, who stole the show and hooked me.

The story starts with Michael’s friend and lover seeing her kidnapped. From there, all of Michael’s allies start working together to get her back. When the story finally focuses on Michael, the suspense is ratcheted up about a hundred notches. We meet the Doll Maker, a fiendish ringmaster who heads a well-oiled human trafficking operation, and who is charging Michael with the task to deliver a package to a wealthy buyer.

Michael must choose between two horrific options: deliver a young woman whose face is recognized across the globe to a sadistic murderer, or her brother will be tortured to death. This book was one of only a few that I can guarantee is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride into the dank underworld where girls are stolen and sold to the highest bidder. Absolutely recommended to those with the stomach to handle the subject matter.

You don't want to mess with Vanessa Michael Munroe. She has serious anger management issues. When she's mad, she becomes feral, blindly psychopathic in her rage, behaving like the Incredible Hulk without the green skin or the growth spurt. When she's calm, her calculating intelligence shines. The winning combination -- intelligent fury -- makes Munroe one of my favorite thriller protagonists.

The Doll begins with Munroe's fall from her motorcycle. An ambulance whisks her away, but the patient who is admitted to the hospital isn't our heroine. Munroe's closest friend, Sherebiah Logan, has also been snatched, leaving Miles Bradford (Munroe's lover and occasional employer) and his team of mercenaries to search for them. Munroe and Logan have been taken by the Doll Man, who is keeping Logan as a hostage to assure that Munroe will use her talents to undertake a mission on his behalf. It's not entirely convincing that the Doll Man couldn't have used his own people rather than the troublesome Munroe to get the job done, but that's the set-up and I was able to roll with it.

Not coincidentally, Neeva Eckridge, an actress and the child of prominent parents, has been missing for two weeks. Munroe had been trying to find her before the Doll Man intervened. The connection between these stories becomes apparent in the early chapters. During the first half of the novel, the focus shifts between Munroe and Bradford, with Munroe becoming the dominant character in the second half.

Is the story entirely believable? I'm not sure any of the Munroe stories are entirely believable, but they are told with such speed and intensity that Taylor Stevens always hooks me. She makes me suspend my disbelief for the sake of enjoying the experience.

Munroe is a complex character, often a dangerous, amoral sociopath, yet motivated by compassion for the innocent. Unlike other thriller heroes who are driven by vigilantism, Munroe makes no pretense of adhering to a higher moral code. When she kills, she is a creature of instinct. For that reason, I find her easier to accept than the more sanctimonious vigilantes in thrillerdom. Not just in Munroe, but in at least one other central character, Stevens blurs the line between villain and victim, creating moral ambiguity that is both realistic and refreshing. Of course, some readers dislike moral ambiguity, and they might be put off by Munroe and by the novel for the very reasons I admire it.

Although The Doll makes frequent references to (and reintroduces some characters from) the first two novels in the series, it would be easy to read this as a stand-alone novel without becoming lost. Stevens fills in enough of the backstory to make Munroe's life understandable. If anything, she repeats herself unnecessarily while explaining the events that shaped Munroe's life. Fortunately, the narrative never bogs down; the story is always in motion.

As much as I enjoyed the characters in The Doll (one of the bad guys is particularly well drawn), the first two novels had stronger plots. This story amounts to a series of extended chase scenes, with Munroe sometimes acting as pursuer, sometimes as the pursued. It delivers thrills, and that's what a thriller should do, but it isn't as memorable as the earlier books. On the other hand, Munroe's final confrontation with the Doll Man is as powerful and surprising as anything in the previous novels.

A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel
By Taylor Stevens
Crown Publishers, 335 pgs
978-0-307-88878-5
Submitted by Crown Publishers
Rating: 4.5

And they're off! The Doll bursts out of the starting gate like Secretariat at Aqueduct. This is no exaggeration: page one and our heroine is darted like a bear and kidnapped by homicidal Croatians masquerading as paramedics in an ambulance stolen from the city of Dallas. Miles Bradford, lover, PTSD-sufferer, spy extraordinaire and Boy Robin, witnesses the scene from his office window.

This sets off a vicious romp across countries, oceans and continents but not in search of Michael, oh no, Michael can more than handle herself. Turns out she's been "hired" by The Doll Maker, a bat-s*** crazy, child-sex-slave trafficking, scum of the earth, who only passes as human because he has opposable thumbs. Michael is being coerced into delivering a particularly valuable "package" (read: kidnapped woman) to a client, as penance for what The Doll Maker sees as her past transgressions against his organization and revenue stream. The Doll Maker's minions have kidnapped Logan, the person Michael is closest to in all the world, in order to ensure her cooperation. But watch what happens when she turns the tables.

This is the third installment in the best-selling saga of Vanessa Michael Munroe - chameleon, language-savant, assassin, righteous dispenser of justice. The first volume is The Informationist, the second The Innocent, both of which have been reviewed on this blog previously. Michael is a female protagonist like none before. She is something truly new under the sun: physically, mentally and emotionally courageous, just like plenty of real women. There are no wasted pages spent on improbable romantic entanglements, no "female" squishiness here. There are facts and logic and strategy and tactics - good lord it's so freeing! And there is the necessary kill. Or a dozen, maybe, who's counting?

In evidence of Michael's reputation, instructions given to the kidnappers, page 22:

Do not let her hear your language, the source had said, she will use language as a weapon. Keep the area around her free of objects, everything will be used as a weapon. Stay clear of her reach, she doesn't need a weapon to kill you. Don't use restraints, she will find a way out of them, and they will only give a false sense of safety. Do not touch her, the source said. Leave her in peace, and treat her respectfully, only then will the violence stay muted. Disrespect these and make no mistake, she will kill you.

As long as I'm offering samples, here is an example of the way Michael absorbs and assimilates sensory information:

Not real speech, a recording. She could tell that even from this drug-induced haze. She stretched fingertips to the wall and heard from touch the same story told by the smell of this place. Dank. Damp. Buried.

One more. Michael has a knife fetish, upon lifting a knife off a bad guy:

The handle connected with her palm like a creation returning to its mold, metal against skin, familiar and soothing.

I really can't quibble with anything here. The writing is improving on schedule, as it should with a third book. The dialogue is genuine. The pacing is nearly perfect - there are no lulls in the action here. The characterizations are true. The plot is unique to the genre - exactly what genre is this? Taylor Stevens may be inventing a new one and how exciting is that? Just when you think you know where the plot is headed, it arrives in another location entirely. You think you've got it figured out but there are a hundred pages left and what's up with that? And then the tale takes off again, racing onward to a conclusion unexpected, complicated and immensely satisfying.

Vanessa Michael Munroe has been kidnapped. It happened while her boss - and lover - was watching from his office window. Within moments, he'd begun trying to track her down only to discover that a second acquaintance was gone as well.

Munroe wakes to find she's been transported overseas by a man known as the Doll Maker. The man has Munroe's friend, Logan, as his bargaining chip and claims that she owes him a debt. Once her debt has been paid, both she and Logan will go free. Munroe is well aware that the Doll Maker cannot be trusted but defying him this early in the game will mean certain death for Logan even if she is able to escape. And what's the job? Human trafficking. The girl in question has had her face splashed all over the media since her highly publicized disappearance. Munroe can't fail but choosing the victime - Logan or the kidnapped girl - isn't sitting well with her either.

I kind of made a mistake with this latest from Taylor Stevens. I was told that it could easily be read on its own but the publisher very kindly supplied me with the first two installments so that I could read them in order. And I ran out of time. Readers, read them in order! THE DOLL begins with beaucoup action. It's a story already in progress. Which is not to say that it picks up in a to-be-continued way from THE INNOCENT (I checked) but that it literally begins with Munroe's kidnapping. For me, this meant starting with no clue as to what Capstone was, who Bradford was to Munroe, who Logan was to Munroe, or what Munroe's special set of skills actually was. Stevens does touch on all of these things but I think getting to know the character from the beginning of the series would have been easier than diving in midstream.

Not to mention the references to previous jobs! I'm know for a fact that this means spoilers for when I do go back to the beginning. So no, this one can't be read easily on its own in my opinion, unless it's the only Taylor Stevens novel you plan on reading, which I highly doubt would be the case once you finish this latest in the series.

All of that said, THE DOLL is the kind of book you can (and probably should) read all in one go. The action doesn't let up at any time in the book - it begins on page one and you're soon off alternating between Bradford as he tries desperately to save Munroe and Munroe herself as she attempts to outwit the Doll Maker.

Michael Monroe is a trained killing machine. On the streets of Dallas, her lover, Bradford, watches as she is injected with tranquilizers and placed into an ambulance and taken away. When he goes to the emergency room, Michael is not there. There is someone else in her place. Meanwhile, her best friend, Logan, is beaten by four men and taken hostage as collateral for Michael. He js her best friend and confidante. Taking him hostage along with Michael will encourage her to cooperate with her captors.

Michael is in the hand's of a ruthless sex trafficker who is bound to get what he wants from her come hell or high water if he has his way. Michael is not intent on letting him do this however. Like the previous two novels in this series, this is a high-octane thriller that takes the reader for a wild ride.

Michael comes with a lot of baggage that is revealed in the earlier novels. Her relationship with Bradford is what has kept her in Dallas where she is kidnapped and he feels very guilty about this. He is determined to find her and get to the bottom of things.

While this book is interesting, it is a bit tired out after the first two and not quite up to their intensity and power. The characterization slips a bit and things are not quite on target.

Something terrible happened to Monroe in the past to turn her into a killing machine deadly to predatory males. Now she's doing odd jobs for a security firm that is really a group of elite mercenaries. The owner of the firm happens to be Monroe's lover Bradford, who feeds her jobs keep her from drifting off. By nature she's a loner with her own wrathful agenda.

Just as Monroe gets ready to work on a high-profile kidnapping case, she herself gets seized and transported to Eastern Europe. A creepy trafficking lord wants her to do a job for him: transport a beautiful young movie star from Point A to point B. And he has a perfect scheme in place to blackmail Monroe into doing the job.

This is a novel about trafficking, a subject that certainly needs all the public awareness it can get. The story has a strong feminist bent, since Monroe is a better fighter and more devious strategist, with better focus and faster reflexes than the baddest of thugs. Watching Monroe in action is an empowering experience for a woman reader. For a male reader like my husband it's a gripping thriller with lots of guns and explosives going off and a high body count.

Monroe's androgynous nature is fun. She'll dress as a man or a woman, depending on what's most useful at the time. When she's a man she's Michael.

Monroe's lover Bradford is also a formidable fighter, and the narration alternates between his exploits on her behalf in the US and Monroe's adventures in Europe. Another great character is the Doll, the young woman Monroe's being forced to transport. And there's a fascinating psychological portrait of a young bad guy.

At times in the story I did wish I knew more about Monroe's past. So I just ordered The Informationist, first book in the series, and The Innocent, the second book.

Author Taylor Stevens may be just as driven by her own fury at the plight of abused women and others who end up as victims in modern society, she doesn't (yet, at least) possess the skill to turn this ire into a series of novels that are as complex and eloquent as Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. That said, the books may still appeal strongly to readers who found Larsson's hefty tomes too long, convoluted and full of 'back story': in contrast, Munroe's adventures are more of a non-stop action read, with little pause for context, back story or character development. (All of that came in the first book in the series, The Informationist: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel (Vanessa Michael Munroe Novels), which I continue to find to be by far the best, fresh and intriguing.)

For my tastes, this third book in the series is really a 3.5 star read -- enough action to keep me turning the pages, only to feel somewhat dissatisfied when I put it down several hours later, a bit the way I feel after eating a meal that tastes great but has no nutritional value and leaves me hungry for more later in the evening. The interesting element is the way the bad guys try to use what makes Munroe most human (and therefore interesting to us as readers) to manipulate her into becoming a tool for their purposes; also intriguing is how she chooses, ultimately, to respond. (There's also a particularly chilling twist at the end, for which I give Stevens kudos, and that was responsible for this rating being upgraded to 4 stars, since the store still doesn't allow half-star ratings.) The exotic backdrops -- Slovenia, Albania, Monaco, etc. -- are simply that: wallpaper against which the action plays out. Stevens clearly has done her research, but it doesn't carry the same kind of intangible "wow, I never thought of the place that way before" punch that her descriptions of Africa in the debut book did.

This will satisfy thriller readers looking for a quick hit, but for my part I'd love to see Stevens invest a bit more time in fleshing out her characters and themes. But then, this review is coming from someone who is not a big fan of the Bourne novels and other such rapid-fire action thrillers that end each chapter with a gunshot or some other kind of cliffhanger, with dead bodies piling up right, left and center. Stevens is tilting more in that direction with each novel, and while I enjoyed this better than its predecessor, it still left me thinking about what it could have been rather than what it was. 3.5 stars.

.....and the lines between her broken pieces were not fissures but scar material stronger than whatever had once filled those spaces". Description of Munroe.

I don't come across many books I consider five stars so when I picked this book at random, just for something to read, I was surprised. I finished the book in eight hours and when I checked the author's bio it was understandable why the book read like non-fiction. I went to Google Earth and "traveled"along with Munroe to deliver the "doll". The Medical City hospital and small airport actually exist in Dallas. I started the trip in Donji Grad, old-town Zagreb, and followed along through all the little towns . I entered Monaco from the north and drove along the tree-lined streets named for J.F.K and princess Grace. I "walked" along the seawall by the world's most expensive collection of ocean borne real estate. On to Genoa, Milan, Nice. Everything just as described in the book.

I also discovered this is the third book in a series. I downloaded the other books, "The informationist" and "The Innocent" to my kindle and read them straight through. It has been my experience that with most book series :

a) The first book might be pretty good (i.e. "The girl with the dragon tattoo") but subsequent books seem to be written just to make money on the popularity of the first book

OR

b) The first book isn't that good but the author seems to get better with practice.

In my opinion all three Munroe books are stand-alone.

The book description covers everything very completely so there is no reason for me to repeat the story. the store has the "click to look inside" feature so you can read a section of the book to see if it might appeal to you.

Taylor Stevens is a terrific thriller writer. She burst onto the literary scene in 2010 with "The Informationist," the first in a five-book deal from Crown Publishers. In it, we were introduced to a new and exciting heroine, the androgynous and seriously badass Vanessa Michael Monroe. Not only can see pass as a man in situations that call for, well, a man's touch, but she has a photographic memory and a knack for learning languages. While her past has left her damaged, she lives her life by a code of ethics that is hers alone, and Lord help those who cross her. In reviewing "The Informationist," Kirkus wrote: "...the writing is stellar, the heroine grittier than Lara Croft and the African setting so vivid that readers can smell the jungle and feel the heat."

It's no surprise that Monroe has been endlessly compared to Steig Larsson's now famous protagonist Lisbeth Salander from the "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" series. While it seems that every fifth thriller writer these days is billed as the next Larsson (and nearly all of the Scandanavian writers), it's a bit ironic that the true successor hails from Texas and not somewhere in Finland.

This is not to say that the similarities are obvious, or that Stevens' series is a "Dragon Tattoo" rip-off, as some have suggested. Stevens started writing "The Informationist" in 2005, the same year that "Dragon Tattoo" was published in Sweden. By the time it hit the United States, Stevens had already secured and agent and was well on its way to finding a publisher. The comparison is, however, necessary for at least one important reason. I know when I finished the "Dragon Tattoo" series, I was disappointed that there would never be another book (Larsson died in 2004) featuring the completely original Lisbeth Salander. When I finished "The Informationist," I had found the original, strong, terrifying, and ass-kicking female protagonist that I had been looking for.

Fast-forward to 2013, where Stevens has published the third installment, "The Doll" ("The Innocent" was published in 2012). Without saying too much about the plot, the story opens with a brazen kidnapping of our heroine. By now you can probably guess that Monroe doesn't think too highly of getting kidnapped. This sets off a game of cat-and-mouse that forces Monroe to make seemingly impossible decisions throughout the story. The plot is set up in such a way that by the first 100 pages, you will start to wonder how in the hell Monroe is going to get out of the s***storm she has found herself in. Stevens handles it with a pro's touch, and will undoubtedly leave readers not only satisfied with the resolution, but craving for more.

The plotting is intricate, the action intense and unrelenting, and the writing is flat-out stunning. Often, thriller writers sacrifice good writing for an exciting story. Frankly, the jacket covers of most thrillers should say, "If you want good writing, go read Ian McEwan or James Salter. If you simply want action, this is the book for you."

Not so with Stevens. The tension she builds on nearly every page is sweaty hands, blood pumping, lock your doors and hope someone isn't already in your house kind of pressure. Yet she refuses to sacrifice quality in her writing. Take this passage, from "The Doll":

"She would never be as fast as a bullet, but in close contact, would always be faster than the hand that drew the gun. Speed was life. Speed was survival. Speed born from the will to live, from the necessity of staying one move ahead, speed carved into her psyche one sadistic knife slice after another. That which hadn't killed her had made her faster."

It will be a crime if "The Doll" doesn't make the New York Times Bestseller List. "Gone Girl" was the (well-deserved) sensation of 2012, and "The Doll" is a worthy candidate for this year's best novel. Seriously, put down current NYT listers James Patterson, Dean Koontz, and Glen freakin' Beck (seriously?) and spend some time with the most original character to hit the literary world in years. You'll be glad you did.

The Doll
Taylor Stevens
Crown, Jun 4 2013, $24.00
ISBN: 9780307888785

In Dallas, the Doll Maker sends his nephew Valon Lumani to abduct Vanessa Michael Monroe, but warns him to be on alert as this woman can kill with her hands within a nanosecond. He succeeds in snatching her in front of her lover Miles Bradford. At about the same time the Doll Maker also arranges the kidnapping of Michael's best friend Logan to insure she behaves.

Valon Lumani escorts Michael to Zagreb, Croatia where his uncle the Doll Maker tells their captive she will deliver live merchandise to a customer to repay the debt. A professional killing machine, she does the Doll Maker's bidding after he shows her a video of a battered Logan. Michael knows the time to repay the debt will come, but believes Miles and his employees need time to rescue Logan.

The third Vanessa Michael Munroe gritty noir (see The Informationist and The Innocent) is a dark thriller due to a sociopathic vile trafficker and a psychopathic heroine dancing a deadly tango. Perhaps the key difference between them is she tries to keep the innocent out of the fight while he willingly, even going out of his way, sacrifices the innocent as expendables. Readers will appreciate the grim The Doll from the opening abduction to the final confrontation.

Harriet Klausner

As Taylor Stevens continues honing her skills, Vanessa Michael Munroe hones hers. Michael grows in depth of character with each book and we keep learning little bits about her that make her all the more intriguing. I almost said, "lovable," but I'm not sure Michael's very lovable. She speaks to the part of me that hurts and is trying to heal. She vindicates my feelings of revenge. She pats me on the back and tells me she'll take care of me. As many people buy and read these books, she has to be saying something to all of us and I suspect it's frequently different things for each of us.

First, I would like to thank Blogging for Books for sending me this book for an honest review. I have a new author and series that I can now put on my favorites list. Taylor Stevens has done an awesome job writing this book. I have not read the other books yet, but that is now a must on my tbr list. The action, mystery everything is there and you keep reading to find out what happens next and I have fell in love with the main character Munroe and Bradford as well, but especially Munroe. She has to fight her dark side to survive what she must do at all times. The characters are well developed and written and the story-line is amazing. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series.

The name to remember in this book is Munroe. This is the character around which the action swirls and starts and stops. Munroe is a finder, a guardian, a home grown terrorist (against our enemies),an undercover agent and operative that has the radar to go up against some of the worst we have ever seen and out think them, outrun them and outmaneuver them almost every time. Taking on the dollkeeper, a man who is deeply involved in the sex trade and has no emotions except perhaps pride. This book will keep you awake all night, reading and reluctant to put it down no matter how sleepy you get and how tired you are. This is truly the rousing action mystery that will capture your interest and hold it to the last word. Munroe also likes revenge. ENJOY.

Vanessa Michael Munroe is a survivor, born to missionary parents in Africa, raised by gunrunners, she is known as a woman who gets the job done. Her prowess has earned her jobs with some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world. So what if she doesn't always do things by the book, or according to the law. Of course that attitude has also earned her powerful enemies. She is kidnapped and held in a frightening world where women are bought and sold like pieces of meat. What will she do, who will she sacrifice to save herself ?

A sobering look at the world of human trafficking. Munroe is the thinking woman's heroine and Stevens' latest entry in the series is bound to be well received by fans as well as new readers.

Plunging straight into the action from the first page, The Doll is an addictive, fast paced thriller. The third book in Taylor Stevens series featuring Vanessa Michael Munroe sees 'Michael' kidnapped by an international human trafficker known as The Doll Maker and forced to deliver a young woman to a violent sadist or forfeit the life of those Munroe loves.

What I particularly enjoyed about this installment is the way in which Munroe is forced to leash her prodigious talent for violence to outwit her enemies, at least for a time. No matter the promises the Dollmaker has made, Munroe knows neither she, Logan or the girl, Neeva, will survive unless she can tip the balance of power in her favour. Given the constant surveillance during the journey across Europe, she has to exploit whatever opportunities arise all the while hoping Bradford can figure out what has happened to her and use the resources of his security agency to rescue Logan leaving her free to rebel against her captor.

Munroe is such an intriguing character, a sociopath capable of deadly violence with finely honed instincts, intelligence and a talent for languages, but in The Doll her single weakness is brought to the fore. With an ability to withstand egregious torture and no fear of her own death, her connections to family, lovers and friends, something she has only just begun to make, is a vulnerability. Yet The Dollmaker underestimates the unique psychology of Munroe and ultimately no matter how much Munroe loses, he will never win.

I thought the plot and motivations in The Doll much stronger than in The Innocent. There are a number of unexpected twists and the pace is intense, despite the narrative being divided between Munroe and Bradford.

I'm not sure The Doll would work as a stand alone, Munroe's history informs the choices that she makes in this story and without that background, readers may find themselves somewhat puzzled by unique character.
However, as someone familiar with the series, I found the The Doll to be a gripping, hard hitting action thriller and I am already looking forward to Taylor's next book.

Good fast paced story about the human slave trade and it's far reaches. None of the story is soft pedaled and the violence is very graphic. If you are easily upset or grossed out it might not be the book for you.
The Doll maker is an individual that kidnaps and provides women on order. If you want a hollywood starlet, no problem, just ask and she will be supplied. The same for young girls and children he could not care less about human life.
He also provides revenge on order to some of his customers. The back story is very lightly glossed over but does provide enough to explain the reactions of the main character, Vanessa Michael Munroe. She is a killing machine in both of her persona when needed.

Taylor Stevens is a gifted writer and I enjoyed her first two books, The Informationist and The Innocent, but I was disappointed by her latest novel, The Doll. For some reason, it failed to grab me from the start and unlike her first two books, I wasn't emotionally invested in the protagonist's plight. That said, the action scenes in The Doll were well done and Stevens' creative metaphors continue to impress me. While it's my least favorite installment in the series, you should check out The Doll if you've read Stevens' other novels. If you're new to this author, start with her debut novel and then work your way up to this one. Just don't expect to be blown away.

I found this a difficult book to get started. Part of a series, it didn't make a lot of sense to me in the beginning. It would be a lot more enjoyable
had I read the prequel and read it recently. Came close to giving up on it, but really enjoyed the second half. The story came to life once the reader
connected with Michael Munroe. An exciting heroine, I got caught up in her mission and her relationship with the woman she tries to save. The ending was somewhat disappointing in what the author did with Neeva, who the reader had come to care about. Still, a pretty good read, in particular for those readers following the series.

Another great adventure by Taylor Stevens. I've just ripped through The Innocent, The Informationist and The Doll in the past 3 days. While they've all been great, this was the most enjoyable from start to finish. I found, in the first two books, that the story really slowed in the last few chapters, like the author had trouble knowing how to wrap up the story. But The Doll was action-packed pretty much to the last page. Moving on to The Catch!

Stevens moves between continents, cultures, and countries with ease, describing places and people with an adroitness that puts the reader squarely in the center of action. Her sure-handed skills guide the reader through the murky world of human trafficking and the degrading impact such facilitators have on the lives of those they treat as chattel. Vanessa Michael Munroe grows in stature with each new book, exhibiting a clever ruthlessness born of a tortured past that keeps both her and her package alive and fighting. Michael is at her best when backed into a corner with no apparent way out. She’s quick, deadly, and dangerously smart. I can’t stop reading Taylor Stevens’ books!

I chose this book because it sounded exciting, but I found that I just couldn't handle it. It was very gory and violent and the topic of human sex trafficking was harder for me to digest than I thought it would be. I enjoyed the action (who doesn't love a good kidnapping?!) and I enjoyed the author's writing style. I have to admit, I did not read the first two books in the series, but I would be interested in checking them out. I enjoyed the character of Vanessa Munroe.