THE DOLL COLLECTOR by Joanna Stephen-Ward - Emma
OMG.A crime book with a difference. The synopsis reads as a crime/thriller with rather
more, and boy this is so much more. Maurice lives in a flat. Years beforehand his
mother nursed the owner who left the flat to Maurice and his mother so that they
would not have any financial worries. Enter Ian and his father- the son and grandson
of the original owner. They are estate agents and actually having to work for a living
- something they never did when times were good. They have flash cars, several
properties and are now having to tighten their belts. They contrive against Maurice
and find an old copy of the will so that Maurice still rents the flat rather than own it-
and they want him out before he causes any issues. Maurice himself isn’t the best
of workers and has an aversion to cleaning- both himself and the flat. One day when
strapped for the rent he decides to rent out his spare room. Enter Gloria and her
doll collection. Gloria lives in a world of her own and cleans and cleans and cleans
. She is critical of almost everyone. She decides that she and Maurice should move
into the same room and get engaged- all without Maurice having a say in all of this.
Gloria has a past and this is where the dolls come in to it. Gloria is rather a scary
character to say the least. I felt for Maurice as he really was naive and innocent
in what he did. Oh boy! A clever plot. I won’t spoil anything other than to say
“revenge is a dish best served cold” Loved this!
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
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Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
Book Blurb:
Murders that look like accidents. An accident that looks like murder.
A couple and their young son burn to death in a house fire.
A girl dies from a nut allergy.
A woman falls under a train during the rush hour.
An accountant falls down the steps to his basement.
Their deaths appear to be accidents but Gloria knows they were murdered because she murdered them. And every time Gloria kills she buys a doll.
But how many dolls will she need to keep her satisfied?
When Gloria takes a room as a lodger her behaviour starts to spin out of control. Gloria wants love and happiness and friendship and she will do anything she can to get what she wants...
About Joanna Stephen-Ward:
Joanna Stephen-Ward was born in the Australian outback, and grew up in Melbourne. Her school days were spent dreaming about being an opera singer or a writer. To the exasperation of her parents and teachers she spent her final year sitting at the back of the classroom writing a novel set in WW2.
When she left school she went to an opera school where she was taught drama, movement and language pronunciation and had small roles in the workshop productions. She was not good enough to become a professional opera singer, but the seeds of her novel Vissi d'arte were sown.
She left Australia and spent a year travelling around Europe and the UK. While working in outpatients for the NHS she met Peter and they married in 1985. They lived in Richmond Surrey and she worked at The National Archives, an enthralling place for anyone interested in history or crime.
Having been brought up as a lonely only child, she was astonished to discover in 2010 that she was one of eight children. She and her sister had last been together on a verandah in the outback when they were babies. They had a joyous reunion in Cornwall in 2012.
Joanna has written seven novels and is working on her eighth.
Joanna’s Social Media Links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/
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