The Doll Maker

Montanari’s compelling eighth crime novel featuring Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano (after 2014’s The Stolen Ones) opens with the particularly gruesome murder of a prostitute that some readers may find off-putting. After this scene, the book turns into a detailed police procedural, as Byrne and Balzano’s investigation leads them from one killing to an ever more complex series of grotesque crimes and a baffling array of questions. Why is a doll left at the scene of each execution? What is the connection among the victims? The plot goes down an astonishing number of byways, including the history and technology of doll making, the psychology of collectors, and the covert meanings of popular songs. Montanari creates a large cast of believable, moving characters, men and women with families, needs, and histories. The workings of the Philadelphia PD are as detailed and convincing as those of Isola in an Ed McBain novel, in which the city itself becomes a virtual character. Agent: Jane Berkey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)