The Killing Doll
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime, Mystery |
| Publisher |
Hutchinson (UK) Pantheon Books (US) |
Publication date | 5 March 1984 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 237 pp |
| ISBN | 0-09-155480-2 |
| OCLC | 10700508 |
| 823/.914 19 | |
| LC Class | PR6068.E63 K5 1984c |
The Killing Doll is a novel by British writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1984.
Plot summary
The winter before he was sixteen, Pup's Mum died and he sells his soul to the devil. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to get in exchange. For the time being, all he asked for was to be happy, and to grow a bit taller. Even though she was older than Pup, Dolly was always in awe of her brother. More and more, she wanted to believe that he had occult powers and could do anything. Magic could remove the birthmark from her face and make her normal. Magic could kill their wicked stepmother, Myra. Pup laughs when Dolly shows him an effigy of Myra: a rag doll, about fifteen inches high, with knitted nylon skin and rust-coloured wool hair. Dolly sticks it full of pins. Myra dies due to trying to abort a child. Doly believes that she killed her. Dolly then begins to hear voices of both her mother and Myra. On the other part of town is Diarmit Brawne who has moved into Conal Moore's apartment. Conal has been questioned of several crimes, and with other things Diarmit has become paroniod, taking shelter in a tunnel behind a mattress in the day. There ended up being a murder near the tunnel, the head was cut off. It ended up being a girl that had entered the tunnel. Dolly ends up making dresses and dolls for different people. She ends up becoming attached to Yvonne Colefax. Yvonne ends up confessing to Dolly that her husband, George, is cheating on her with another man. Ashley. Dolly ends up trying to get Pup to help her like they did with Myra. After helping, Pup decides that Dolly is taking things to far and ends up getting rid of everything that dealt with the occult. Dolly tries to take things into her own hands and pushes who she thinks is Ashley, it ends up being George. But during the day she did this deed she lost her necklace. When searching for her necklace she goes in the tunnel where Diarmit is waiting.