What do you think?
Rate this book
Rag Doll
If this story doesn't scare you, no story will...Lucas buys his daughter an old, dirty rag doll at a yard sale one day. But when they return home, they realize they may have brought a sinister force back with them. Are the strange occurrences that soon take place supernatural or mere coincidence? Either way, they lead to an ending you will not soon, if ever, forget.
ebook
First published February 25, 2013
98 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
November 26, 2019
A father buys his daughter a tattered, dirty old rag doll at a yard sale. He has his reservations about the ugly doll, but his daughter loves it and insists upon having it. Once they bring the doll home their lives will never be the same...
I found this short story to be really captivating and I kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. It would have been nice to have more history about the rag doll though, but the book was creepy enough to hold my attention throughout.
I found this short story to be really captivating and I kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. It would have been nice to have more history about the rag doll though, but the book was creepy enough to hold my attention throughout.
November 1, 2015
It's Halloween and I decided to read this. It was such a frightening, hair-raising read for a short story. I've read this around 4:00 AM and it was still dark outside. When I got to the bone-chilling part where Lucas dreamed about his dead wife and that creepy rag doll, I decided to stop it and wait for the morning to come before continuing it because it was just so scary. I don't usually get affected with horror books but it's different when you're reading at night/dawn. The creep factor is insane!
Anyway, it was a good horror story. I was scared on most parts, except for the ending which was a little off. Still, it was a nicely written one.
Happy Halloween, you guys!
Rating:
May 3, 2014
Dolls, in general, didn't really scare him. This one was no exception, but he'd never seen a toy with a frown on its face.
As if Heather had read his thoughts, she replied, "Pleeeease? I want to make her happy, Daddy."
Aww! How can you say no to a please with four Es in it?
So, of course, Daddy buys the doll. We've all probably read enough creepy doll tales to know that bad things are gonna happen and this story is no exception to that rule.
I can't really say more without giving something away. There's a good, suspenseful buildup to a fairly satisfying ending. You can't really ask for more from a 14-page short story.
As if Heather had read his thoughts, she replied, "Pleeeease? I want to make her happy, Daddy."
Aww! How can you say no to a please with four Es in it?
So, of course, Daddy buys the doll. We've all probably read enough creepy doll tales to know that bad things are gonna happen and this story is no exception to that rule.
I can't really say more without giving something away. There's a good, suspenseful buildup to a fairly satisfying ending. You can't really ask for more from a 14-page short story.
December 24, 2017
This was an entertaining story that seemed fairly predictable until that ending ...
➳ Short, creepy, Amazon freebie.
➳ Short, creepy, Amazon freebie.
February 13, 2018
A good fast read.
At only 14 pages, this story is a nice quick read. We don't get the doll's history. That would've been a nice addition.
At only 14 pages, this story is a nice quick read. We don't get the doll's history. That would've been a nice addition.
November 29, 2019
Rag Doll:
So I did not love it like others did but neither did I not like it. On the plus side, It is scary! So much scare in such a short little book.
It did not help that as I was reading a family member came into my room and I did not hear them until they said "Bren"? I nearly JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN! And I let out a little screech as well..
Always for me it is the dolls that have done it. Is there anything scarier then a doll story? I played with dolls as a child but I remember even then, hearing a few doll stories that really made me shiver.
And of coarse writers know this and use it to scare us further! And we, the fans, love it!
So I did LIKE this. But it was way to short..I did need SOME back story on the doll. And I do not get why the victims were chosen because I thought the doll LIKED it's new owner and had it in for someone else. (trying to do this without spoilers). I was let down by the ending.
Perhaps a part two will be written. I'd read it. That is my sole frustration . It did not come together for me. Still scared me though and was well written and is yet another doll story I can confidently recommend as being a must read for horror fans, particularly those horror fans who find the creepy factor in doll stories to be up their twisted alley..like I do.
So I did not love it like others did but neither did I not like it. On the plus side, It is scary! So much scare in such a short little book.
It did not help that as I was reading a family member came into my room and I did not hear them until they said "Bren"? I nearly JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN! And I let out a little screech as well..
Always for me it is the dolls that have done it. Is there anything scarier then a doll story? I played with dolls as a child but I remember even then, hearing a few doll stories that really made me shiver.
And of coarse writers know this and use it to scare us further! And we, the fans, love it!
So I did LIKE this. But it was way to short..I did need SOME back story on the doll. And I do not get why the victims were chosen because I thought the doll LIKED it's new owner and had it in for someone else. (trying to do this without spoilers). I was let down by the ending.
Perhaps a part two will be written. I'd read it. That is my sole frustration . It did not come together for me. Still scared me though and was well written and is yet another doll story I can confidently recommend as being a must read for horror fans, particularly those horror fans who find the creepy factor in doll stories to be up their twisted alley..like I do.
December 31, 2020
I had no idea I could want to DNF so badly and have so many issues within 14 pages. I wouldn't know where to begin. Fuck it.
April 30, 2015
The author starts his description of this story with the claim,"If this story doesn't scare you, no story will...,". Now, to be fair, a lot of stories have made similar claims. You know that they are exaggerations, but you hope that they live up to the claim somewhat. This story didn't really.
It is your typical spooky doll story. Doll makes its owner do spooky stuff to other people. Someone tries to stop it and usually fails. Everything ends in tears.
The first problem is that there are too many mistakes and awkward phrasing for such a short story. But the really big problem is that it doesn't come across spooky so much as unbelievable. It felt like the author said he wanted to write a spooky doll story, couldn't come up with any new twists for one, and decided to just crank out whatever popped into his head without worrying about how to tie it all together.
The doll (or the evil spirit in it)might be thousands of years old, it might be the girl's mother, it might be a gaunt man with a horse head, shark eyes, and hooves instead of hands. It might like the little girl or it might just want to kill her.
The characters needed to be fleshed out as well as the story line. The ending was abrupt, not spooky, and not very satisfying. With a lot of work, this story could serve as an outline for a much better one.
It is your typical spooky doll story. Doll makes its owner do spooky stuff to other people. Someone tries to stop it and usually fails. Everything ends in tears.
The first problem is that there are too many mistakes and awkward phrasing for such a short story. But the really big problem is that it doesn't come across spooky so much as unbelievable. It felt like the author said he wanted to write a spooky doll story, couldn't come up with any new twists for one, and decided to just crank out whatever popped into his head without worrying about how to tie it all together.
The doll (or the evil spirit in it)might be thousands of years old, it might be the girl's mother, it might be a gaunt man with a horse head, shark eyes, and hooves instead of hands. It might like the little girl or it might just want to kill her.
The characters needed to be fleshed out as well as the story line. The ending was abrupt, not spooky, and not very satisfying. With a lot of work, this story could serve as an outline for a much better one.
September 24, 2019
This was a short Amazon book that is about an evil rag doll that was bought at a garage sale. This book was very cliche and predictable. Some parts were laughable instead of scary. I would have liked more backstory on the rag doll and just more plot development. The characters could have also been more developed instead of just being cliches.
September 24, 2019
Boring
Cliche
Predictable
Unintentionally funny
Made me laugh at times I probably shouldn't have.
Eh
Just a massive eh
Cliche
Predictable
Unintentionally funny
Made me laugh at times I probably shouldn't have.
Eh
Just a massive eh
October 4, 2015
Blurb:
Lucas buys his daughter an old, dirty rag doll at a yard sale one day. But when they return home, they realize they may have brought a sinister force back with them. Are the strange occurrences that soon take place supernatural or mere coincidence? Either way, they lead to an ending you will not soon, if ever, forget.
I saw the name, the cover and bought it. I didn't realize it was a short story, only 14 pages. It's hard to do a review of a book of only fourteen pages, without giving too much away. But this short tale packed a real punch. It was really good...really good.
Lucas buys his daughter an old, dirty rag doll at a yard sale one day. But when they return home, they realize they may have brought a sinister force back with them. Are the strange occurrences that soon take place supernatural or mere coincidence? Either way, they lead to an ending you will not soon, if ever, forget.
I saw the name, the cover and bought it. I didn't realize it was a short story, only 14 pages. It's hard to do a review of a book of only fourteen pages, without giving too much away. But this short tale packed a real punch. It was really good...really good.
July 7, 2016
A good idea, but poorly executed.
September 23, 2024
This had so much potential especially with that ending.
June 11, 2017
Campfire
If we were sitting around a campfire and someone spontaneously invented this story, it might be ok. Maybe. There would be groans and general discontent about the time wasted, but we would go back to roasting marshmallows and being happy.
Unfortunately this download did not come with marshmallows.
If we were sitting around a campfire and someone spontaneously invented this story, it might be ok. Maybe. There would be groans and general discontent about the time wasted, but we would go back to roasting marshmallows and being happy.
Unfortunately this download did not come with marshmallows.
March 13, 2014
Short and to the point. I really enjoyed the story. I would love to give the author another opportunity. The only issue I had with Rag Doll is it could've been a little longer. The ending seemed rushed.
January 17, 2018
Let’s just face it, dolls are really creepy. They have soulless eyes and bulbous bodies, and their expressions are often trapped in some private joke the rest of the world isn’t privy to. Dolls are creepy…a fact that Troy McCombs exploits to its fullest in Rag Doll.
This quick read is laced with plenty of nightmare imagery and tense moments. Parts of it are a little rushed, but McCombs makes up for it with well written pulse pounding twists and a few touching moments. The fatherly relationship between Lucas and his daughter Heather was particularly well done and sweet. I was definitely drawn in by McCombs’ writing style and look forward to reading more of his nightmare spools.
Any fans of Annabel or The Boy will be right at home here…if their home is some kind of creepy haunted house or something.
This quick read is laced with plenty of nightmare imagery and tense moments. Parts of it are a little rushed, but McCombs makes up for it with well written pulse pounding twists and a few touching moments. The fatherly relationship between Lucas and his daughter Heather was particularly well done and sweet. I was definitely drawn in by McCombs’ writing style and look forward to reading more of his nightmare spools.
Any fans of Annabel or The Boy will be right at home here…if their home is some kind of creepy haunted house or something.
October 14, 2017
This one is super short and because of that it's only focus is the creep factor. There's nothing else this short story wants then to scare you. While reading it, I was a little freaked out and the ending is just sad as can be. The scary doll when the frown that turned into a smile.
I read this at night in my bed and maybe that helped freak me out a bit. Though the next day, I'm not even thinking about it anymore, it's good for the moment but after... that's why I'm giving it three stars, it's not awful but it's not the best.
I read this at night in my bed and maybe that helped freak me out a bit. Though the next day, I'm not even thinking about it anymore, it's good for the moment but after... that's why I'm giving it three stars, it's not awful but it's not the best.
April 4, 2018
At a yard sale, Lucas's daughter Heather finds a rag doll and falls in love with it. It's an ugly thing, not even smiling, but Heather just has to have it. And for $.30, how does a dad say no? After coming home, Lucas starts having horrible nightmares about the doll, including it killing his daughter. Then Heather starts acting strangely, saying the doll is talking to her and using foul language. Perhaps there are something to his dreams...
Very short but quite good. A nice quick punch to the ribs.
Very short but quite good. A nice quick punch to the ribs.
April 13, 2025
I really did not enjoy this one. The premise of the story is good but the execution just didn't work for me. It was short...so I finished it...but it's not something I would recommend even though it was short.
December 24, 2015
no.....just no
October 21, 2018
Not scary, more suspenseful about 3 1/2 stars.
Good & short for my Halloween reading party. Reminds me of that old “ Twlight Zone” episode called Talking Tina. Except this rag doll looked creepy from the get. This is the kind of stuff that happens when parents can’t say NO! Good story though, had my heart pumping.
Good & short for my Halloween reading party. Reminds me of that old “ Twlight Zone” episode called Talking Tina. Except this rag doll looked creepy from the get. This is the kind of stuff that happens when parents can’t say NO! Good story though, had my heart pumping.
September 25, 2018
A quick, enjoyable read. I would like to have seen it written as a longer story with some backstory on the doll. I also felt the ending, while a surprise, was a little abrupt.
April 6, 2024
Good horry
Would love to see as a novel, would of loved the book to further go on with the story, con it's missing pages.
Would love to see as a novel, would of loved the book to further go on with the story, con it's missing pages.
January 4, 2025
Entertaining.
April 3, 2023
what w…… 😒
October 18, 2013
I downloaded this short story into my phone because I download a few free horror stories every week from Amazon. I love horror stories and short stories so this book was great for me. Especially since it’s free and prefect for the holiday season.
This short story is about a father names Lucas, who buys his daughter Heather a seemly harmless rag doll. He didn’t like the doll from the moment he laid eyes on it. It was old, ugly, had dirty clothing and instead of a bright smile you would normally see on a rag dolls face, it had a frown.
Despite having a bad feeling about the doll, he buys it for his daughter because she really wanted it, and anything that brought his daughter joy was okay with him. Late that night, when Lucas and
Heather get home and are trying to sleep in bed, Lucas gets a dream where his died wife, who died in childbirth, comes to him and warns him about the doll. He continues to have haunting dreams, all of which show his is daughter dying in front of him and him standing motionless unable to do anything. In a few dreams a demon like creature says these Latin words to him, ““Vestri filia mos intereo!” he has no idea what these words mean, but he soon finds out.
I will not give anymore away because this book is a very short story and is only about 14 pages. What I will say is that this book was awesome. It’s really hard to tell a horror story well, and even more impressive when you can frighten and scare your readers with a book that is only 14 pages long. It was well written and very captivating. If you like short horror stories, I recommend you read this one. Very chilling.
This short story is about a father names Lucas, who buys his daughter Heather a seemly harmless rag doll. He didn’t like the doll from the moment he laid eyes on it. It was old, ugly, had dirty clothing and instead of a bright smile you would normally see on a rag dolls face, it had a frown.
Despite having a bad feeling about the doll, he buys it for his daughter because she really wanted it, and anything that brought his daughter joy was okay with him. Late that night, when Lucas and
Heather get home and are trying to sleep in bed, Lucas gets a dream where his died wife, who died in childbirth, comes to him and warns him about the doll. He continues to have haunting dreams, all of which show his is daughter dying in front of him and him standing motionless unable to do anything. In a few dreams a demon like creature says these Latin words to him, ““Vestri filia mos intereo!” he has no idea what these words mean, but he soon finds out.
I will not give anymore away because this book is a very short story and is only about 14 pages. What I will say is that this book was awesome. It’s really hard to tell a horror story well, and even more impressive when you can frighten and scare your readers with a book that is only 14 pages long. It was well written and very captivating. If you like short horror stories, I recommend you read this one. Very chilling.
February 8, 2017
Very good but a bad ending
Very good book but it doesn't finish. The twist is amazing but its a fast read and it wants you to read more. If you like horror books this is a book for you. It took me 10 minutes to finish the book (I am a fast reader). Its very scary I had nightmares from it. Very happy family becomes a tragedy. I highly recommend this book!!!!!
Very good book but it doesn't finish. The twist is amazing but its a fast read and it wants you to read more. If you like horror books this is a book for you. It took me 10 minutes to finish the book (I am a fast reader). Its very scary I had nightmares from it. Very happy family becomes a tragedy. I highly recommend this book!!!!!
July 23, 2016
I think this story was intended to be a lot scarier than it was. There just want enough of it to build the proper tension and fear. The end was absolutely terrible.
December 16, 2015
Later may be....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews