Loved this one!

I’ve read the first two books in the Ragdoll trilogy and enjoyed them both. It’s interesting how different all three books are in tone and direction; this final book is no exception. I would definitely advise not reading it as a stand-alone, the character arcs run the course of the books and lots of plot elements interconnect, despite the new central investigations in each book.

This book revolves around the apparent ‘suicide’ of a retired police officer. The narrative shifts between the past and the present leading up to the death and pulls in the central stain of corruption that soon becomes apparent. It’s then a race and a challenge to incriminate and bring the guilty to justice; this quest is headed by a determined ‘Wolf’.

I love the character of Detective William ‘Wolf’ Fawkes, he’s a monolithic wildcard of a detective and a brilliant creation by Cole. The great depth to Fawkes comes from his working and personal relationship with DCI Emily Baxter and in ‘Endgame’ it’s the heart of the story. I was really moved by their personal developments, and for one moment actually forgot this was a crime novel genre. Sigh. But no spoilers..:

We see the return of characters from the previous books, again no detail as I don’t want to spoil anything. But to say it’s a really satisfying read.

I thought the plotting was smart, and yes it’s far-fetched at times, but find me a thriller/crime read that’s not. As a reader I want drama and big thriller moments, so we have to push at reality to do this, but Cole never goes too far.

This book is also funny, Fawkes adds witty dialogue and there’s some nice comedy moments.

To use the common thriller descriptive, it’s twisty! Both nicely paced and plotted with style! I think it’s a great story concept and conclusion to the Ragdoll books, each one having its own personality and style ~ a highly recommended series!

Oh… and the epilogue left me with a huge grin.