Advanced proof copy via Pan Macmillan
Publication date: Feb 2018
I’d firstly like to say thank you to Fiona Cummins for approaching me via twitter with the offer of a proof copy of this book. I had read, loved and reviewed Rattle here and so was thrilled and excited to be getting my grubby mitts on this, Fiona’s second book.
I must admit I was a little nervous about reading this sequel/follow-up book as there’s always the fear that you won’t love it *quite* as much as the original. However in this case my fears were misplaced because I loved it every bit as much as Rattle if not more so.
I’ll start by saying that I would definitely recommend reading Rattle before reading The Collector. It just gives you a more satisfying reading experience to know what events have happened previously, plus you get to know the characters, the majority of which appear in The Collector.
The story picks up a little while after the last one left off, which makes sense! We follow The Collector (Ol Bloody Bones, The Night Man, The Bone Collector, all derivatives of his name) now ‘Mr Silver’ and his various plans and schemes to expand his macabre museum. The Frith family appear again as do the Foyle’s and police officer Etta Fitzroy, but we are introduced in this story to new characters Saul and his mother, and the role that Mr Silver has planned for Saul.
This book is every bit as fast paced as Rattle, gripping, thrilling, edge of seat stuff. The phrase ‘I couldn’t put it down’ often gets bandied about but it couldn’t be more appropriate in this case as I literally WAS NOT going to sleep until I’d finished it!
At times this story is hard hitting and grim. There is blood and gore and talk of death and decay so you need somewhat of a strong constitution! but it’s not gratuitous gore for shock value, it adds such depth, detail and atmosphere to the story.
At times my heart was pounding in my chest, real moments where you want to shout at the characters and warn them of imminent danger….but of course I couldn’t do this whilst on the bus to work…..it’s frowned upon.
One of the elements I really enjoyed in The Collector was that we got to briefly travel back in time to see more of how The Collector started out, events in his childhood and his relationship with his parents. I love a story that flits back and forth along a timeline and I really did enjoy the chapters devoted to his mothers story and his childhood.
This story is told in short snappy chapters which mean you rattle through the book (see what I did there?…) at such a pace. Perfect for a thriller like this. As I said, my heart was pounding, especially as we approached the climax which was nothing short of amazing.
Wonderful story, marvelous characters. Superb.
Look out for it next year, it’s going to get people talking!
Mand xx
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