Is it a noir? Is it a hard-boiled detective story? Is it a bit of both? Probably, but it contains the security expert, Happy Doll, on a mission to find a missing person, the mother of a woman who visited him in his office. He knew something wasn't quite right but when the name of the missing person was mentioned - Ines Candle - he knew he would take the case because she was once his lover.

There are parts of this story which are quite unbelievable: Doll does kill a lot of people, especially at the end and there is no real wrap up for this. Perhaps the next book will start off where this one finished. At this point, Doll is snorting cocain and heroin, has a nasty wound on his thigh and has just had a dip in the local river so it is bound to become infected. However, to try and control himself, he does have Buddhist leanings and a dog that loves him no matter how many people he kills.

One of the things that Chandler, the king of hard-boiled detectives, did was to use similes very effectively and so does Ames.

The back doors of the van were open like wings, and he sat on the lip of the interior, with his feet dangling. Behind him was his mattress and there was clutter and garbage all around his bed, like a human version of a bird's nest - if the bird had begun to lose its mind.
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There's humour, wisecracks and dialogue that is spikey and staccato. The wheel that is named in the title is the full circle Doll goes through in finding the love of his life, only to lose her again. It takes him back to his drug addict days.

It's a quick read and is good fun if you can suspend disbelief long enough. ( )

There is a lot to like in this book but it is not perfect. I'm not convinced that the most spaced out hippies would name a boy "Happy" anything, let alone "Happy Doll" and that Happy didn't change it when he could or that he would stop using "Hank" as an alternative. Happy is an interesting guy with a long harsh backstory. Today he is trying to be more serene. He loves his dog. Unfortunately, Happy makes his living as an investigator and we all know what that means. Bad guys (or her girls) come knocking. It's a far stretch to believe that Happy can find missing Ines when no one else can, but he does, and pretty quickly too. It's also hard to believe that Ines was murdered in her bed without a struggle but she does. Ines is the first in a very long string of deaths in the book. As the bodies piled up I kept wondering why in some novels people are knocked around hard and don't die but in other books. One good whack does them in. Anyway, there are a lot of bodies here.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

This is the second installment of the Happy Doll series. Happy is hired to find Ines, a woman from his past. Her daughter, Mary, hires Doll to go to Portland to find Ines, a homeless woman. Naturally, trouble ensues as he attempts to find Ines, and what will happen when he does find her.
I felt this book had way too much violence and drug abuse. I don't know how Doll could actually function with all the drugs. While Doll tries his best to be nice to people, however, when he is being attacked he loses control. ( )

I loved the first book and this one, not as much. Why? The violence got to be too much and that Happy managed to survive each encounter became less believable. I loved Happy's observations about the world around him. ( )

I read the first book in Jonathan Ames's 'Doll' series last year and absolutely loved it. The second book, The Wheel of Doll, has just released - and it delivers another additive read.

For those of you, who, like me, love hardboiled, down on their luck P.I. fiction, you're going to want to introduce yourself to 'Happy Doll'. Uh huh, that's his name.

The case? A beautiful young woman turns up at the office, wanting to hire Hap to find her missing mother. And her mother just happens to be a woman Doll once loved. You got it - he takes the case and immerses himself into the search.

The home setting is LA and I immediately get a noir feeling from the settings and characters - Hank's office, his occupation, (which is officially a Security Consultant since he lost his PI license), his home under the lights of the Hollywood sign, his knowledge of back alleys, encampments and the denizens those who call them home and more.

Happy's inner dialogue is wickedly sharp and darkly humourous. He acts on impulse quite often and doesn't seem to realize that he isn't immortal. He's quite likeable and you can't help but behind him. Oh, and his dog George is an excellent sidekick.

Another heckuva ride tale with a no apologies lead character. Can't wait for the next case!

Gentle readers this book may not be the one for you - this book contains violence, drug use and more. ( )