More like 3.5, the storyline, premesis and characters is nicely crafted and interesting. I just found the Dublin referrals and detectives procedures confusing for me as I'm more used to British and American style thrillers. Looking forward to the next in series to get more into it.

Det Lucy O’Hare is a forensic linguist. She has been relegated to the boon docks, only
called in for special cases. When archeologist Dr. Carlton is found dead of a supposed suicide Lucy isn’t so sure. Something is off about the suicide note. This book had a good plot and kept me interested, but it dragged in spots. It wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

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) (which brought back great memories of our Eurotrip in 2018), Alicante (Spain) and flashbacks to Cairo (Egypt) for example... As someone who loves travelling, the different international settings were definitely a bonus.

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!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
I loved this book and the protagonist Detective Lucy O'Hara, a Forensic Linguist, and found it difficult to put down. It's an intelligent mystery full of interesting information regarding language and antiquities and has The Collector, a vicious psychopath who has the money and smarts to kill at one removed, having hired a deadly sniper with a military background.
Renowned archeologist Dr. Philip Carlton is found dead by possible suicide, but Lucy thinks it was murder. While delving into the case, she meets the upperclass Carlton family, slowly uncovering their murky history, which ends in her unmasking The Collector.
It's supposed to be the first in a series; hopefully that's true, because I truly enjoyed this read and would love to visit Dublin again (especially Wicklow, where I have family) with Lucy and her family.
Highly recommended!

This was the first thriller in the new series.
Philip Carlton, an archaeologist, is found dead, assumed to be suicide. Detective Lucy O'Hara is sent to investigate on the down low. She does not agree that Philip's death was suicide and begins to search for the truth. Her investigation leads her on a trail of a sociopath, The Collector, who is slowly eliminating anyone who can identify him.
Plot was great, felt that the story was slow reading at times. Was glad I finished it though. Look forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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