keerthana_n's review
3.0
Firstly I want to thank Netgalley ,John Maher and Inkcubator books for giving me an opportunity to review this book .
The description of the book was so good that i wanted to read it right away.I Finished reading this book in one sitting.
The story has multiple Point of views which is a little confusing,But apart from that the story plot is good.
the story pace was good at starting but slowed down in middle but it did finish strong.
definitely looking forward to reading more books under this series.
The description of the book was so good that i wanted to read it right away.I Finished reading this book in one sitting.
The story has multiple Point of views which is a little confusing,But apart from that the story plot is good.
the story pace was good at starting but slowed down in middle but it did finish strong.
definitely looking forward to reading more books under this series.
yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: June 23rd 2020
"But that was the problem with asking yourself awkward questions. You never seemed to get a straight answer."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Inkubator Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Spoiler
I always love a good detective thriller and I knew I just HAD to try The Collector as soon as I saw that the new main character is a forensic linguist. Some might already know that I'm a philologist and I'm always interested in anything involving linguistics... I just couldn't wait to see how this element was developed in the story and the actual criminal case in this first book of a new series sounded like a cracker too. Instincts told me that I was going to enjoy this one, so I jumped on the chance to join the blog tour and help spread the word. My bookish radar definitely didn't fail here! The Collector is without doubt an excellent start of a new detective series with an international touch.
There is a lot to love in The Collector. The first thing that stands out for me is the international feel of both the plot and the characters. While the story mainly takes place in Ireland (both Dublin and other places), the plot also takes us abroad. We get a glimpse of both Hamburg (Germany)
The same international feel is represented in more than one character as well. First up is of course our new detective lead Lucy O'Hara, who has an interesting personal background with her French mother and Irish dad as well as growing up living in a bunch of different countries due to her father's job. Lucy speaks multiple languages as a consequence, and I loved the forensic linguist details she helped bringing into the plot (although I kind of wish there would have been even more focus on this element). Lucy is not the only character with an international vibe though. The most obvious ones are the Lithuanian thug Lukas Petraskas as well as his Polish helper, but we also have more than one German character in play for example. On top of the setting and characters, The Collector also offers us little phrases in multiple languages throughout the story to help reinforce this same international vibe.
The plot has a multiple POV structure; the three main POVs are probably the detective and forensic linguist Lucy O'Hara, the Lithuanian Lukas Petraskas and the collector (der Sammler), but the POV of most of the characters in play will make their appearance at least once before you reach that final page. Having so many different POVs and characters to juggle might seem a lot, but their introduction felt natural and I personally didn't have any issues keeping them apart. The writing is engaging and managed to draw me right in; the use of short phrases in multiple foreign languages added a little something extra and helpt giving the international feel of the story credibility. I liked the development of the plot, the building up of suspense was solid and the plot twists were mostly effective. I did guess part of the truth earlier than expected, but overall I had an excellent time with The Collector.
If you are looking for a new detective series with an original touch, you should definitely consider meeting up with detective Lucy O'Hara. I will definitely be looking forward to read more about her in the future myself!
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
rubie_reads's review
4.0
This is a book of obsessive love--the story of a lonely clerk who collects butterflies and of the beautiful young art student who is his ultimate quarry--remains unparalleled in its power to startle and mesmerize.
John Fowles delivers the most powerful, dark, suspenseful, psychological thrill of a read!
This is a very clever book that portrays a sociopaths' mind of a man, and with next to none compassion for others.
I would read again totally, and tell others about it!
Thank You NetGalley And John Maher for this gifted ARC!
I really enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author!
Much Love
Rubie Clark
John Fowles delivers the most powerful, dark, suspenseful, psychological thrill of a read!
This is a very clever book that portrays a sociopaths' mind of a man, and with next to none compassion for others.
I would read again totally, and tell others about it!
Thank You NetGalley And John Maher for this gifted ARC!
I really enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author!
Much Love
Rubie Clark
delightfullyswt's review
2.0
I love a good forensics book, but this one just didn’t grab my attention. The plot was good but it was a slow read with multiple points of view which can be a little confusing at times. I also didn’t feel much of a connection with the detective. Usually for me I need to feel some sort of attachment to the character and I feel engaged to want to solve the mystery with them. Unfortunately, due to this missed "connection" it took me a bit longer to complete the book.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.
masha_reads's review
4.0
The Collector was really thrilling. I requested for the book because of the cover. It drew me in instantly. The MC Lucy is a strong cop, devoted mother who is trying to catch a killer but it's much harder than she expected. There were lots of mysteries and investigations throughout the book. I love how some French words were incorporated, and also Lucy's relationship with her daughter. There were also many new terms I discovered.
The killer was a bit obvious, but I still wasn't expecting THAT ending.
Can't wait for book two.
The killer was a bit obvious, but I still wasn't expecting THAT ending.
Can't wait for book two.
etienne02's review
2.0
Unfortunately I can't say I like this one. It was way too slow pace and it felt overwritten in some place, not always, but quite often. Too many adjectives, over descriptive in some part, a story not that much original and too many stereotypes. It's readable, but there is also so many better mystery or thriller that I just can see why I would recommend this one...
rudo_tsaritsar's review
3.0
The Collector is about a man who goes around having others killed for secrets he wants to keep hidden. His primary motivator is priceless artifacts, some of which he has gotten through ill means. Lucy O’Hara is a disgraced cop, a mother, and a daughter, who is assigned to catch him after the death of Philip Carlton brings her into the case. Lucy finds herself traveling the world of the rich, where you tread carefully, lest you find yourself out of a job. But the closer she comes to finding out who the killer is, the more people die, and the more in danger her and her daughter are.
I truly liked the plot of this book but I found it to be slow at times. I couldn’t connect well with Lucy which was sad because I liked her backstory from what I was told. I wish the author had expanded on that as well Lucy’s relationship with her daughter.
The ending of the book wasn’t quite what I expected. Although we find out who the killer is, their motives weren’t quite clearly/fully explained. This was an interesting read but it didn’t quite have enough for me to love it.
Thank you to John Maher, Inkubator Books, and NetGalley for this arc!
I truly liked the plot of this book but I found it to be slow at times. I couldn’t connect well with Lucy which was sad because I liked her backstory from what I was told. I wish the author had expanded on that as well Lucy’s relationship with her daughter.
The ending of the book wasn’t quite what I expected. Although we find out who the killer is, their motives weren’t quite clearly/fully explained. This was an interesting read but it didn’t quite have enough for me to love it.
Thank you to John Maher, Inkubator Books, and NetGalley for this arc!
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