Doll Crimes

Written by Karen Runge

Narrated by Linda Jones

"It’s not that there aren’t good people in the world. It’s that the bad ones are so much easier to find."

A teen mother raises her daughter on a looping road trip, living hand-to-mouth in motel rest stops and backwater towns, stepping occasionally into the heat and chaos of the surrounding cities. A life without permanence, filled with terrors and joys, their stability is dependent on the strangers - and strange men - they meet along the way. But what is the difference between the love of a mother and the love of a friend? And in a world with such blurred lines, where money is tight and there’s little outside influence, when does the need to survive slide into something more sinister?

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Interview with the author:

What makes your Doll Crimes novel so special?

Karen Runge: This novel aims to broach difficult subjects, handling delicate truths with care, respect, and empathy. Doll Crimes engages with a sensitive topic from a unique perspective. This is a story about the ultimate type of betrayal, and offers insights into what happens when a blinded soul finally discovers its wounds.

Tell us more about your lead character.

Karen Runge: She’s a girl too innocent to know that she’s lost her innocence. Isolated by her mother, her world is a cage she cannot recognize. Nameless, she is kept blank and malleable. As she matures and her inner life and personal desires develop, she begins to recognize the walls that entrap her.

Why should listeners give your work a try?

Karen Runge: In my work, I try to explore aspects of life that are vivid, emotive, and recognizable in the real world. The bloodier the steps, the darker the stain. There’s a lot of beauty and complexity in psychological/trauma horror - perhaps more so when handled with empathy and care.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fireside Horror
• Release date: Mar 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669679943

Reviews for Doll Crimes

[RichardKevinWilson · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book was SO So overrated for what it is. It is the furthest thing and or book of horror that you will ever read. It is NOT a book of horror, but what it is is a novel of a bad mother doing bad sexual things with her daughter. Yes, it is about child prostitution. If you can think of the 1980's movie "Pretty Baby" that starred Brooke Shields, that was way worse than this was. There are no scenes of shocking horror and torture as everyone said there was in the reviews.

I guess coming from a 62 year old gay man who went thru way worse sexual torture and abuse in the 60's than this girl does, I guess this was not as shocking as i thought it was going to be. It is so poorly executed that it needed a good editor badly. Read 'The Groomer' if you want a shocking tale of horror.

I cannot recommend this at all. Sorry.....snooze fest.
1 star

[Nina Quartuccio · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Going into this based on a fellow reviewer's comments, I was intrigued by his thoughts. I found this audiobook did indeed skim over the atrocities. If the author would have dove into each crime bringing them into the forefront, this story could have had such an impact. The premise was really good, and committing to abuse would have sent the story into true horrorfic levels. Instead, it washed it out, and you couldn't get the true hatred you should have for the mother. The ending confused me... Was Susie angry with the mother over the money? certainly not the acts? The 2 stars are for the narrator. A shame...