Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Man Named Doll | 2021 | Jonathan Ames | Buy |
| 2 | The Wheel of Doll | 2022 | Jonathan Ames | Buy |
| 3 | Karma Doll | 2025 | Jonathan Ames | Buy |
The Happy Doll series is Jonathan Ames’s foray into classic hardboiled detective fiction, set in a gritty version of Los Angeles. The protagonist, Happy Doll, is a former Marine and ex-cop working as a private investigator from a small bungalow near the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Doll is a man of contradictions. He is gentle with animals and loyal to the few people he trusts, but capable of sudden violence when his cases take dark turns. The series draws on the traditions of Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, filtered through Ames’s distinctive voice. Each book is a self-contained mystery, though the recurring cast of characters and Doll’s personal arc reward readers who follow the series from the beginning.