An Eye for an Eye: The Doll

Blackstone Chronicles #1

by John Saul

The editor of the Blackstone Chronicle, Oliver Metcalf, nervously presides over the ceremony to begin demolition of the old Asylum. But the building's fate hangs in the balance as financing problems halt the project. Contractor Bill McGuire, all set to proceed, can't hide his dismay: with a family and another baby on the way, he can't afford delays. Then a package arrives at the McGuires'--a beautiful antique doll with long blonde hair. His daughter, Megan, wraps her arms around it; his wife, Elizabeth, remains suspicious. Who sent the doll? Who is it for? What neither Elizabeth nor Bill can know is that this innocent-looking gift brings with it a murderous menace...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Paranormal, Own

127 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 28, 1996

About the author

John Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.

Reviews

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Saul's simple but effective writing style made this short book a breeze to read through.
The story isn't particularly original, but it still works. I have a thing for evil little dolls and the town/asylums' history intrigues me. Characters are realistic enough, told through a slightly detached third person point of view. It's weird that this had an intro chapter, but then another prequel chapter, then finally the first chapter. Think this must be a thing with the serial series and setting it all up. I liked the mother and father, but the little girl, before and after her weird corruption, bugged me. What an annoying brat.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series, absolute page turners, every single volume!

[Armand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a promising start to the series. It has a lot of intriguing concepts whipped together in a potent brew. Slim and taut, it morphs from a leisurely albeit uneasy piece on a father's financial difficulties to an insane postpartum nightmare that spun quickly out of control. It's such an intense read that when I finished it I was left breathless, wondering what the hell hit me. The ending was especially heartbreaking. I can't wait to read the next book.

Rating this 8.5/10 or 4 demented stars out of 5.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: gender phobia, miscarriage, postpartum depression, toxic parent relationship,

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:The editor of the Blackstone Chronicle, Oliver Metcalf, nervously presides over the ceremony to begin demolition of the old Asylum. But the building's fate hangs in the balance as financing problems halt the project. Contractor Bill McGuire, all set to proceed, can't hide his dismay: with a family and another baby on the way, he can't afford delays. Then a package arrives at the McGuires'--a beautiful antique doll with long blonde hair. His daughter, Megan, wraps her arms around it; his wife, Elizabeth, remains suspicious. Who sent the doll? Who is it for? What neither Elizabeth nor Bill can know is that this innocent-looking gift brings with it a murderous menace...
Release Date: 12/28/1996
Genre: Horror
Pages: 82
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• The plot is so interesting
• Writing sped up 20 pages in

What I Didn't Like:
• The writing style was slow

Overall Thoughts: I found the writing style kind of hard to get into, but once I got into the story it really picked up for me. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I love that the story is connected by all these characters and each book is broken up.

Final Thoughts: loved it and continuing to book two.

IG | Blog

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this creepy tale! Bill McGuire, his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Megan are a normal happy family. To add to the happiness Elizabeth is expecting another child, something that she thought she would not be able to achieve. All is going well until Bill runs into problems with the demolition of the old disused asylum. Then a mysterious package arrives at the house with no note. The package contains an antique doll which Megan immediately falls in love with. Then the troubles start.....

I love books about sinister dolls and haunted things (I find toy clowns a bit disturbing too) and this story is no disappointment! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This starts off with a weird double prelude sort of thing that I found a bit odd. And they left me with an unanswered (although perhaps unimportant to the plot of the story) question. Was the child in that beginning a trans by their choose and mom went along with it or trans by force by mom? Either way my heart broke for that child!
Megan is such a brat! Ugh nasty disobedient selfish child she was. I am not sure if she was before the package arrived or was it all just a corruption but still. My heart broke for the parents.
Overall I really enjoyed this. It is a very fast serial read and grips you at the beginning and still hasn't let go as I am eager to continue. It wraps up nicely with just enough room to continue the story and theme. What else has been hidden away?

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say.....THIS is why I love John Saul and why he is my FAVORITE Horror author of all time!!!

With this being the first of 6 books, and it only being 84 pages....get ready for a fast, and scary and very suspenseful read!!! I read it when it first came out in the early 90's and to relive these again is absolutely incredible!!! The creep factors in this 'Serial Terror Novel' is over the top! I read it in only an hour and 7 mins! Get ready to meet the crazies and horrors of the New England township of Blackstone in The Blackstone Chronicles 'An Eye For An Eye; The Doll'

5 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.

Suspenseful enough to keep you flipping the pages, with enough heartache to make you feel the pain the family goes through.

Intriguing ✅

Engaging ✅

Fast read ✅

Little to no fluff ✅

Creepy tones ✅

[❀ Tina ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 *

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ meh

[Virago · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me. I read the original serial novels as they were published and felt the need to revisit them.

Creepy. Creepy. Creepy. Ugh I love John Saul's writing so much!

Strange things are afoot in the town of Blackstone. The Blackstone Asylum, which has stood at the top of the tallest hill, overlooking the town of Blackstone for over a century is scheduled for renovation. It will soon become a shopping center with the hope of rejuvenating the slowly dying town. The Asylum is deeply ingrained in the town's history and many are glad to see it go. But after the first ceremonial strike of the wrecking ball, everything starts going to crap. The bank finds itself in trouble and has to halt the project, which means a lot of people are going to be out of work, not to mention all of the loan payments from townspeople that will come due with no possibility for extensions. And all just in time for Christmas.

A dark figure scours through the asylum and finds a hidden treasure trove. A "gift" is sent to the McGuire family. It's an antique porcelain doll. And let me just say, this is one of many reasons why I don't mess with antique dolls *shudder* so creepy! It's an old creepy doll, of course its evil! After the doll is introduced into the household, tragedy hovers of the family like a black cloud. Bad, things happen, things that seem like accidents. Sadly, it's just the beginning of the bad times for this town.

[Laurena · Rating 5 out of 5]

i first read these books when i was in jr. high. and ill never forget them. they creeped me out soooo bad! and i loved it. John saul is one of my favorite writers. his books are scary and therse always this amazing back story. this series is no exception.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ interesting start to this “serial terror” as the book dubs itself. Damn creepy dolls and creepy kids!

[Leigh F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found the whole series of these at the bookstore and dove right in. An enjoyable start to the series. Looking forward to the next one

[Kathrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das war eine gute Story.Es war zwar etwas vorhersehbar aber eine unheimliche Stimmung kann John Saul erzeugen.Bin gespannt wie es weitergeht mit Blackstone....

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found this serial cheep at a thrift store. Not what I was expecting. Unfortunately the story was too short and your left going... What? Why? Huh?

There is one chapter of background on the cursed doll... But not enough information is given to make you care. Kid gets taken from the mother and tossed in an asylum by the father... Because the mom is nuts and dresses the kid like a girl? Err what? And that somehow makes the kid's doll cursed? Huh?

Could have been a good story if more history and development had been done on the doll and why it was cursed and how it got that way,


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in 'The Blackstone Chronicles,' serial terror in 6 parts. The old Blackstone Asylum demolition project has been delayed due to financing problems. Evil lurks in the Asylum, where a dark figure with a gloved hand picks out perfect gifts from his secret trove of treasures for the community. Bill McGuire, the contractor for the demolition project, and his family are the unlucky first recipients of a perfect gift, a doll with a murderous menace that Bill's daughter Megan has named Sam. Sam makes Megan do terrible things and Bill's wife Elizabeth, who is expecting their second child, is in danger. Is the spirit of a boy who believes he is a girl trapped within the doll? Dolls have always freaked me out, something about the eyes, creepy! I look forward to reading the second book in this series. Who will receive the next gift and what will happen to them?

[Jackie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all of John Saul's books. They are all amazing

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do so many horror books think I care about bank loans?

[CasualDebris · Rating 2 out of 5]

From Casual Debris.

This first novella in the series opens with introductory italicized text sharing the backstory of a boy being brought to an asylum, separated from his mother, but not from his doll. We are then gathered along with the townsfolk to witness the demolition of that asylum which for nearly a century loomed over the small New Hampshire community of Blackstone, and that will now make way for the construction of a modern commercial complex. That night a figure enters the asylum via a hole made by the ceremonial first demolition strike, and takes from its storage a doll that once belonged to an inmate.

This doll is delivered mysteriously to the house of the McGuires, Bill and the very pregnant Elizabeth, and daughter Megan immediately takes a liking to it. An unusual struggle for the doll develops between mother and daughter, which the doll seems to somehow be perpetuating. This struggle is the most interesting aspect of the book, as it keeps the story hovering between the psychological and the supernatural, but it is unfortunately under-developed and seems even incidental. This idea is a little reminiscent of Ramsay Campbell's little known but good Night of the Claw (St. Martin's Press, 1983), where the supernatural generates the psychological, and while Campbell establishes the supernatural element, Saul in his book skirts it. There is enough evidence that the doll has some kind of supernatural link, though there is no overt supernatural occurrence in the book; everything can be explained rationally. The evidence in the supernatural is the sudden change in the two characters, Elizabeth and Megan, with the appearance of the doll, highlighted by the lack of change in Bill. Perhaps Elizabeth, in her near delivery state, can accommodate such a shift in personality, but for Megan to believe that a doll is communicating telepathically with her is a stretch. There is no indication whatsoever that Megan has experienced any kind of psychological phenomena that would include hearing voices, but instead the entire family is presented as a solid, upstanding family. Elizabeth has been struggling with stresses around her pregnancy, such as the fact that this is her final chance at giving birth to another child, but these details are included for plot purposes only, since it is this pressure that leads to the community's later accepting the eventual events that I will not divulge, but that honestly are fairly predicable.

The story is not terribly original but interesting enough for its briefness. The piece is potentially creepy but the straightforward and light telling leaves it with little impact. The story reads like a young adult novel or televised horror story, with slight creepiness and no real horror. I have previously read only one work by John Saul, the novel Sleepwalk, which at the time I did not care for. Similarly that novel is equal in quality of both writing and plotting as "The Doll," in that it read like young adult fiction, and though it too contained little moments of interest, they appeared spottily throughout the book.

With "The Doll" I was more interested in the side story of the audit being conducted at the Blackstone bank, wherein the lending practices of the bank were being externally scrutinized, a practice that can have dire consequences not only on the bank itself, but on those relying on these loans for employment. This kind of reality is a far greater horror than a life-like doll, and I do hope this storyline is pursued in later segments of the series.

[Thomas Wüstemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when it came out, shortly after the success of King's The Green Mile, in 1997. I was at that time reading a lot of King and a few of John Saul's works and really liked the format and the author. The rise of the format was short-lived, though. Saul was clearly banking on the recognition that The Green Mile got, but could not build on it. It's not his fault, as he uses the format much more naturally than King, in it being a semi-episodic form. It was just an odd format for most readers, and that, combined with the added costs of paying for 6 individual issues, led to the downfall of the genre. 
Saul himself is also an odd writer. In the horror sphere, he was always more of a rip-off writer, but got massive success from it. And other than his counterparts, he is a very old-school, bourgeois writer, that feels a bit out of time.
Still, I loved him as a teen and so decided to reread The Blackstone Chronicles. 
The read for me is filled with nostalgia, but it also didn't age very well. I can appreciate Saul for the pulpy feelings, but at the same time feel a bit uncomfortable with his view on family, women, and, honestly, bourgeois people in general. I just can't take him very seriously anymore.
That said, this first issue of The Blackstone Chronicles, is very effective. The sloppy writing style set aside, it is genuinely creepy (I mean, dolls, right?) and the pace in which things happen is really disturbing. 
You can never quite grasp in which year (or even century) this is set. It could as well play in the 50s. But that adds to the charm. And the tropes fit as well. The friendly banker, the slightly mentally challenged love interest. You couldn't write this today; I'm not even sure you could write it in 1997, but, alas, Saul did, and currently I'm still enjoying it.

[Black_cat595 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story:

Die Geschichte beginnt mit einem historischen Ereignis. Das alte Irrenhaus soll abgerissen werden. Die Entscheidung ist getroffen und in einem großen Event mit Reden wird diese an die Bewohner bekannt gegeben. Doch schnell nehmen die Ereignisse eine unangenehme Richtung. Es gibt Schwierigkeiten bei der Finanzierung und es taucht ein Geschenk ohne Absender auf. Eine Puppe. Diese hat eine unheimliche Wirkung auf die betroffene Familie und sorgt für dramatische Ereignisse.

Eine spannende Geschichte, die gut durchdacht und ziemlich schaurig ist. Als Leser wird man wunderbar abgeholt und fiebert die ganze Geschichte über mit.

Charaktere:

Die Charaktere wurden gut vorstellbar dargestellt. Sie sind facettenreich und können überzeugen. Sie handeln stets ihres Charakters entsprechend und haben eine interessante Hintergrundgeschichte.

Die Gefühle und Gedanken der Charaktere sind stimmig und gut nachvollziehbar.

Erzähler:

Die Personen werden von einer sehr talentierten Erzählerin gesprochen. Sie vermag ihre Stimme beeindruckend an die verschiedenen Personen anzupassen und vermittelt die Geschichte eindrucksvoll. Eine sehr gelungene Wahl für die Geschichte.



Eine spannende und absolut fesselnde Geschichte.

[Yani Daniele · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Saul, es un autor que descubrí por casualidad, gracias al thriller Cacería en Manhattan, en su momento ese libro me fascinó y fue una de mis mejores lecturas de ese año. El autor logra hacerte parte de la trama y de que los sentimientos y las sensaciones que viven los personajes pueda experimentarla el lector, con La muñeca, sucede lo mismo.

La muñeca, es una historia de terror, que transcurre en un pequeño pueblo, y forma parte de una serie de 6 libros, en los cuales, alguien va dejando pequeños "regalos" a los habitantes de ese lugar, regalos que traen consigo muerte y terror. Y en conjunto estos libros forman una historia más grande, una que vas descubriendo en cada nueva entrega.

Si bien es un libro de #terror en este caso a mí, me produjo más tristeza que miedo, debido a todo lo que ocurría, y si, a la dichosa muñeca la odié y en lo personal, no me agradan ese tipo de objetos.

Sin lugar a dudas, es un libro que deben darle una oportunidad.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Part 1 of the Chronicles. I am thoroughly excited to continue on. I know some individuals indicated he's no Stephen King, but to be honest, I like his style. I compared him to no one, but I will say I REALLY enjoyed his note to the readers about why he wrote this small series, and also the set up for the town, the characters, and his overall vision. I am surprised this has not been adapted to a Netflix series yet!

The book is a fast and easy read. It kind of reminds me of an adult version of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, however much more grim. It did not freak me out per se, but I liked his character development in an extremely short book. Again, I'm looking forward to venturing forward! Worth the short amount of time it will take to read.

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book in a six-part series centered around an asylum that takes its first hit from a wrecking ball at the beginning of this book.

Since this is a short story, only 82 pages, there's isn't much I can say so I won't spoil it for others, but the title tells the basic plot. What I can say is that for me it was too short of a story for me to find any common ground with the characters, including those who it seems will have parts somewhere in the other 5 books.

Sadly, there wasn't anything in this story that grabbed me, making me want to read the other books.

2 stars

[Mary Bronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a recommendation from a friend when I saw the series at my local used bookstore. This is a very small novella type series all focusing around this asylum in a small town which was a massive place back in the day and when someone wanted to bring it down to use the land that is when spooky things start to happen. I thought the first book was decent and I hear the story gets better as the series continues. So now I can not wait to read the next book.

[Hanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich mochte die Geschichte eigentlich ganz gerne, auch wenn sie nicht übermässig spannend war. Ich las sie und hörte gleichzeitig das Hörbuch dazu, welches ich aber gar nicht empfehlen kann. Die Sprecherin (Birgit Arnold) spricht grundsätzlich ganz gut, aber in dieser Geschichte hat sie beiden Protagonistinnen (Mutter und Kind) furchtbar hohe, pipsige Stimmen verleiht. Mich hat das mit der Zeit dermassen genervt und von der eigentlichen Geschichte abgelenkt.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a couple years ago, along with a couple others of the Blackstone Chronicles. I love horror novels! But I love writers like King, books that get psychological. I like John Saul, and I enjoy reading his works, but it reminds me almost of a slightly creepier, slightly older version of Goosebumps.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by John Saul. I read all the books in this chronicle. No, read is not the right word. I devoured the chapters. Each story could be a stand alone as each one can keep you turning pages and holding your breath trying to find out what will happen next. Loved this book. Will read it again, and I'll be reading more Saul thrillers. Highly recommend.

[Amy Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this set in a used bookstore. I’m a lifelong fan of John Saul and don’t know how I missed these!?! I was a big fan of The Green Mile serial when it came out.

Book I finished and on to Book II. The heart of the story is a good one so far. High hopes.