Broken Doll

by Burl Barer

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.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Feather Rahier]

I think if the author of the book is going to write about true crimes should get all his facts right before writing a book and maybe ask if its ok to put MY name in a book cause if you read the front of the book he says he changed names to protected people he lies I did not like the book whatsoever. Thanks Feather Rahier

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooooo a few books back (I use the word few rather loosely) I was attacked because I have no medical background since I taught elementary school science for 10 years not college or above biology or anatomy and I had questions about what I read. And no my autopsy book with visuals has still not been purchased for my personal use since it’s over $100. Anyway. THIS BOOK actually did discuss the carotid arteries as well as the jugulars. I read this book over a year ago and did not remember that at all. I guess I was too hyperfocused on the fact that those injuries killed a seven year old girl who had just learned how to ride her brand new bike. So again I thank you Ms you-know-who-you-are for being so insulting because this book was so much more pleasant and educational.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book a 3.5 but I couldn't. For me I prefer the insight of the people involved rather than the court case.

[Koren · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the beginning, I thought this book was going to be really good. It had a focus, which was fetal alcohol syndrome. But the book doesn't go into much detail about the characters and quickly starts to sound like it is mostly taken from transcripts. Halfway through I was totally bored and didnt finish. I did not think it was necessary to include a picture of the dead body of the little girl that was murdered.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

So boring. Felt like it was just transcripts rehashed, and a majority of the book feels like it’s the trial.

[GD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool true crime book, but weirdly built. I don't know why there was so much said about the first victim, the one that was rescued, at the beginning of the book, and I'm not sure who did and didn't have alcohol fetal syndrome. Also the trial section was VERY tedious. But the whole story is pretty good and terrifying to imagine these kinds of people walking among us.

Also, had no idea so much white trash existed in Washington state. Everyone is drinking and on drugs all the fucking time, poaching animals, family member swapping, etc.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gruesome and terribly sad story of a brutal death of a seven year old little girl. All through this book I kept thinking about how it must have been for her the last half hour of her life.

In 1988 Richard M. Clark stole four year old Feather Rahier while she played outside her house in Everette, Wa. He lived in the garage of his aunts house. He had taken Feather then bound and gagged her and began to undress her.

He mother heard Feather's frantic cries and saved her from Richard Clark.

On March 31, 1995 Roxanne Doll was kidnapped fro her bed in her home in Everrett, Wa. Her abductor was Richard M. Clark, a friend of the family.

Roxanne was rapped and stabbed in the neck seven times.

Clark was a jailbird, alcohol and drug abuser who couldn't control his pedaphelic and homicidal urges.

Clark was sentenced to death by a jury of his peers, and began the appeal process. He was granted a new sentencing trial by the Supreme Court, but in the end he was allowed to plea for Life in prison without possibility of parole in exchange for admitting to the family his guilt for the murder.

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really bored with the start of this book. It took it al long time to get interesting. I really only enjoyed the end where they got into the trial. Any scum bag that wants to go around and murder and abuse small children instead of getting the mental health therapy they need deserve no mercy and should all be put to death.

[Greg Garland · Rating 5 out of 5]

i remember this case like it was yesterday. i lived only about five minutes from where Roxanne doll and her family lived.
i will always remember the search teams out looking for her,the news coverage etc.
the book is a very hard book to read emotionally but well worth it.
may poor Roxanne rest in peace.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing on my true crime kick, I recall this story about a "friend" abducting and murdering a 7 year old named Roxane Doll north of where I grew up in the mid 1990's. Have finally figured out why the author writes about so many WA state murders--he lives there.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

was an interesting but very sad read. that poor baby and the one named feather i felt bad for also. it was interesting to read the accounts of this story and im sad for the kids and families involved.

[♥Bree♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved rthis book one of my favorite fiction murder books.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was ok but not great i heard the author didn't get permission from feather to use her name it

[Fishface · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard to even finish this one, but the story was worth it. Lousy excuse for a human being kills the daughter of his friends, then covers his tracks in the most brazen manner imaginable.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind boggling

It boggles one's mind that a crime so heinous against a child; where all the evidence proves beyond a shadow of doubt, who the guilty person is & that he should get a fair trial? Was it fair that a beautiful child was abducted from the comfort of her home in the middle of the night? Broken, damaged & horribly abused & disposed of?
Pedophiles, once captured, should never be released; time & time again have proven there is no cure. So why release them back into society?
Judicial systems need to improve, to protect the people.
4 stars for this intensely dark read; bummed @ the ending.

[Haylie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seemed needlessly exploitative of the Doll family. I felt like the author was attacking the family and their lifestyle throughout the whole book, as if they should feel somewhat responsible for Roxanne Doll’s murder. I’m also not a fan of the overwhelming amount of details concerning the testing or not testing of certain pieces of evidence. I was almost immediately bored and if you can start a book about murder on a boring note, there’s not much hope for the rest of it.

Recommended for people who like mega-detailed true crime and strange, lengthy narratives about families.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought this book was going to be too wordy and dry - but I ended up really liking the details, the minutiae of the court proceedings.
I couldn’t find much about this case on the internet so I could dive deeper so I don’t know if Clark is still alive.
I will say that the wrap up by the DEFENSE in the sentencing phase (where they were trying to convince the jury of mitigating circumstances to sentence Clark to Life rather than execution) pissed me off so badly that I whole heartedly would have voted for the death penalty for this disgusting, brutal crime.

[Deborah Castellanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

TThis was a great book for all crime story readers. Throughout the book it explained in lay mans terms how evidence as recovered how it was used . Also the process of the court hearings. I have always wondered why it took so long possibly years before a criminal was brought to justice. This author answered these questions and more. What a sad case as always, Graf work of the detectives to take the time and the patience to get it right.

[Athena Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad, tragic heartbreaking story that was hard to read at some points because of the disgusting horrors this sweet young girl had to endure. It’s disturbing to read about the monsters that flit through our lives unnoticed until something like this happens. My heart goes out to this poor girls family!

[patrick libretti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drawn out

Very well researched for sure. But the book overextended itself with mundane details and backstory, that I as the reader did not need to know. I understand it's part of the style of writing true crime, as it gives you extra pages to read. But the author takes this writer's privilege to the max and loses the reader.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book!

This book gives details of the tragic rape and murder of seven year old, Roxanne Doll in Everett, Washington in 1995 as well as the trial and conviction of her killer, Richard M. Clark. It is a cautionary tale about choosing your friends well as Richard Clark was considered a friend of Roxanne's family. I highly recommend it to other true crime readers.

[Julia Dawn Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a tragic story

The kidnapping of a child and then that child is murdered by serial preadator and the aftermath of the trial.

[Shirley Leavitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book but very sad reading.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The man was a monster and I feel so bad for the little girl family

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrible crime.
Some humans are monster.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's editing staff could have done a better job. I wanted to read this story because I recalled bits of the case from the "America's Most Wanted" T.V. series, and was interested to find out what had ever come of the case. I haven't finished yet, and am currently reading about the trial itself, but I am far from impressed. Granted, trial transcripts and verbal face-to-face interviews (direct quotes) won't always allow for perfect grammar, but the fact is there are so many spelling errors that I find it hard to believe that there were editors on staff at the publishing company at all! I think, anyone choosing to try to understand the case, or understand the mind of the freak who could do this to a child, should look elsewhere when trying to learn the facts of the case. But, that is just my opinion, I guess.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

True murder

This book started out okay. There was way too much legal talk. I am interested in the story but not in becoming a lawyer. I think the author was trying to drag the book out. This is one book I am sorry I read and if I didn't force myself to finish every book I start I probably wouldn't have finished it

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book could have been shorter. For true crime, I felt more like I was in law school than reading a book. He is very thorough, but hard to follow all the technical aspects of a trial when your not a lawyer.

[Roxie Gallinger · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was good at the beginning, got confusing in the middle, then downright boring to the end. Having a picture of the dead child on the slab really upset me, because what kind of parents are you to allow that to happen to your little girl..very disgusted..would not recommend this book

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: the story of Richard Matthew Clark, a petty criminal, who raped and murdered a seven-year-old and taunted her parents.