Broken Doll (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sufficient mitigating circumstances, deer blood, poached deer, Richard Clark, Roxanne Doll, Burl Barer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Details the true story of Richard Matthew Clark, a petty criminal, who, unable to control his penchant for murder and pedophilia, raped and murdered seven-year-old Roxanne Doll and went on to taunt her parents upon his conviction.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle; Other Printing edition (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786016116
• ISBN-13: 978-0786016112
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #908,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRUE CRIME AT ITS HEARTBREAKING BEST, May 5, 2005

By	Luther Burbank - See all my reviews

Burl Barer picks his cases carefully, and each book takes us not only into the minds of killers and the broken lives affected by his or her actions, but into the very fabric of American society. BROKEN DOLL tells of Richard Mathew Clark, family "friend" who kidnaps, rapes and murders innocent 7-year old Roxanne, then actually goes camping with Roxanne's father. The lives and families of both victim and perpetrator are fully illumined, and we see with horrid clarity that the humanity of Clark was probably kidnapped raped and killed long before he crawled through the little girl's bedroom window and did to her body what was done to his mind. Brilliantly researched and written by America's master of investigative crime writing.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, gripping, shocking page turner!, April 19, 2004

By A Customer

True Crime legend Burl Barer returns with another hard hitting masterpiece of investigative crime writing. This time, its the shocking story of 7-year-old Roxanne Doll being kidnapped from her bed in the middle of the night by a trusted "family friend."
Barer continues the standard for which he is famed by taking this story beyond the mere reporting of events and details -- he strips away the "law and order" facade of American justice to reveal the tragic interplay of hope and dissapointment, expectation and devastation, that plagued the lives of child killer Richard M. Clark and the parents of his innocent victim.
Less frenetic than Barer's excellent yet episodic BODY COUNT, nor as legal-heavy as his outstanding HEAD SHOT, BROKEN DOLL equals his MURDER IN THE FAMILY in setting the standard for contemporary true-crime writing. Five stars, indeed -- Barer's best yet!

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painful Story - Excellent Book, July 2, 2004

By A Customer

Having read all of Burl Barer's work, I made certain to pick up his most recent, "Broken Doll", and was not dissapointed. Barer has an amazing ability to relate what would be a gruesome story with compassion and respect. True Crime is not my favorite genre, but Barer brings so much humanity to each of his books that I can get past the "16 pages of shocking photos" and focus on the tale itself. Highly recommended.