She’s a Doll, Barbara Truelove (Review by Abigail Blake)

True Crime meets the supernatural in Barbara Truelove’s She’s a Doll. Lucy McQuinn had been murdered, but she refuses to pass on without seeking vengeance on her killer—a guy named Kyle, no less. In the chaos, panic, and devastation of her death, her spirit frantically grasps onto one of the few items in her field of vision: one of her grandmother’s four porcelain dolls. To reasons still somewhat a mystery to Lucy, she chooses the bride and begins her next life as a ghost who haunts a doll.

At first, she struggles to make sense of the parameters of her new form. Ghosts do not abide by the same laws of time, emotion, or impact on the physical world. Eventually, in fits and starts, she comes into her haunting abilities and must maneuver her own grief, frustration, and desire for revenge around being treated like a discarded toy.

She eventually connects with Nicola via a cheap hearing aid. The two team up on a quest to give Kyle exactly what he deserves, forging a true friendship along the way.

Lucy’s story is zany, hilarious, and downright creepy in a scary-movie kind of way. Yet it also balances the true terror of what she went through at the hands of a monster made all the more infuriating by his frightening humanity. Her grief and rage are both so visceral, making the well-deserved conclusion fitting and fully justified. For all pet lovers out there, a small warning is required, but it only vindicates Lucy’s goals even more.

Lucy is not for the faint of heart. Her killer does not matter, but what he did to her does. Her story is fun and terrible; tragic and triumphant. Its happily-ever-after ending is unexpected for a ghost story, but still undeniably sweet. Fast paced and bursting with energy, wit, and unique characters, She’s a Doll is a perfect not-so-scary spooky-season read.