What do you think?
Rate this book
The Devil's Own Rag Doll
1940's the war effort is in full swing and racial tensions are running high. When a vivacious white heiress is murdered in the black part of town, the city threatens to erupt into mob violence, bringing the factories to a grinding halt and imperiling Allied forces around the world.
Newly minted Detective Pete Caudill is charged with covering up the crime in the interests of civic peace and finding some kind of justice for the dead girl. Odds are the girl was killed by her black boyfriend, but some whisper of an Axis plot to hamper America's war effort. Or is Detroit's shadowy political machine manipulating events to its own ruthless ends? As he delves deeper, Caudill soon learns the hard way that friends are rarely what they seem, family ties are often deceptive, and sometimes the bravest thing a man can do is think for himself.
Newly minted Detective Pete Caudill is charged with covering up the crime in the interests of civic peace and finding some kind of justice for the dead girl. Odds are the girl was killed by her black boyfriend, but some whisper of an Axis plot to hamper America's war effort. Or is Detroit's shadowy political machine manipulating events to its own ruthless ends? As he delves deeper, Caudill soon learns the hard way that friends are rarely what they seem, family ties are often deceptive, and sometimes the bravest thing a man can do is think for himself.
- GenresMystery
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 11, 2018
I will always have a special place in my heart for Michigan writers/MSU alum writers. I was happy to say that this Detroiter knew the city and I could follow where his character Caudill went on his outings. However, this book didn’t have me reaching for it saying “I have to finish it!” It was a good storyline and I adored the gray morale of Caudill. Also the tiny fact that there is supposedly a huge sugar industry in Mio just doesn’t mesh with me. And with the story being set in the middle of WWII, there seemed to be no worry about the war whatsoever. I appreciated his showing the hard line and war between races, and how that can be carried across even into current Detroit. This had a very Chandler feel, and for it being his debut novel, he fits wonderfully into the mystery/crime genres.
April 22, 2009
want to remember some of the quotes in this - his writing is really very right-on!
pg 24 "I set my jaw and sank back in my chair, watching intently. That was how they got you. From the moment you walked in the door, the money on one side of the table made it so that any blame to be passed around was going to fall your way. It never mattered that you hadn't before that moment played any part in it. Even if you were in on the same side with the money, as long as they had it and you didn't, you could never make it an even game.
And money was worth more than that. Hardiman had to be a good bit older than me, but his skin looked young, aside from the alcohol damage. There was a soundness to his teeth and his bones and a clarity to his eyes that brought home to me what might be bought with money. It was easy to imagine that the rich were not different, but I noted Hariman's way of talking, how he controlled what was coming out of his mouth, how it sounded so full but gave away nothing. Maybe it was the real advantage of a good education."
************** **************
pg 30 "...Maybe it's better to live alone, I thought. For me at least - better not to have to haggle about small things every day...I found myself at 35 with regret and a bit of relief. Never married and starting to get to the age where it wouldn't be expected anymore. I could think of it as one less responsibility to shoulder, one less obstacle between me and a simpler life.
Simplicity.
I tried to think of the exact time I'd crossed over the line to where I could no longer keep everything straight in my head. Maybe as a young man I'd just been better at ignoring all the things outside my immediate circle of concern. I'd done all right for myself...Now it seemed that for every problem I worked on with my full attention, two more popped up, so that I was always behind in what I needed to do. It was a terrible feeling waking up in the morning already in the hole."
************** ******************
pg 119 (this is a different character speaking)
..."But he was a good man, a good husband in his way...When we are children, we think we know so much. We can tell what is right and what is wrong. But when we are older, we cannot be right all the time. There is more to regret, always more as time goes by."
pg 24 "I set my jaw and sank back in my chair, watching intently. That was how they got you. From the moment you walked in the door, the money on one side of the table made it so that any blame to be passed around was going to fall your way. It never mattered that you hadn't before that moment played any part in it. Even if you were in on the same side with the money, as long as they had it and you didn't, you could never make it an even game.
And money was worth more than that. Hardiman had to be a good bit older than me, but his skin looked young, aside from the alcohol damage. There was a soundness to his teeth and his bones and a clarity to his eyes that brought home to me what might be bought with money. It was easy to imagine that the rich were not different, but I noted Hariman's way of talking, how he controlled what was coming out of his mouth, how it sounded so full but gave away nothing. Maybe it was the real advantage of a good education."
************** **************
pg 30 "...Maybe it's better to live alone, I thought. For me at least - better not to have to haggle about small things every day...I found myself at 35 with regret and a bit of relief. Never married and starting to get to the age where it wouldn't be expected anymore. I could think of it as one less responsibility to shoulder, one less obstacle between me and a simpler life.
Simplicity.
I tried to think of the exact time I'd crossed over the line to where I could no longer keep everything straight in my head. Maybe as a young man I'd just been better at ignoring all the things outside my immediate circle of concern. I'd done all right for myself...Now it seemed that for every problem I worked on with my full attention, two more popped up, so that I was always behind in what I needed to do. It was a terrible feeling waking up in the morning already in the hole."
************** ******************
pg 119 (this is a different character speaking)
..."But he was a good man, a good husband in his way...When we are children, we think we know so much. We can tell what is right and what is wrong. But when we are older, we cannot be right all the time. There is more to regret, always more as time goes by."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews