The Collector is the second book in a Danish noir series following Detective Eric Shafer and journalist Heloise Kaldan.

I love this genre of Scandi/Nordic noir, police procedural and crime/ physcological thriller and this book really grabbed my attention with the title and the tagline: "Can you ever really trust your eyes?"

I probably went in with too-high expectations.

The main story focuses on the investigation into a missing young boy called Lukas, who suffers with Pareidolia which is defined as follows -

the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern 

The scientific explanation for some people is pareidolia, or the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness*

In Lukas' case, he sees faces in various places and photographs them.

Unfortunately, this is just something that is mentioned and is not really a major part of the novel, although one of the photos in Lukas' collection does play into the plot.

There are lots of other sub-plots/arcs that include the themes of PTSD, domestic abuse/violence, alcohol addiction, child abuse, abortion and more.

Because of this, and the sheer amount of characters that are threaded throughout, there are lots of connections to follow and keep in order, and for me, it made this quite a difficult read. I also feel that some things may have been lost in translation.

All in all though, the writing is fabulous, and the intrigue in this tale kept me turning pages. I wasn't a fan of the characters, the overall plot was good and there was a very interesting ending which left me wondering if it would be explored at a later time - perhaps the next book in the series. The pacing was slow, and I read over a few days because of that.

I can really see the potential of this author, and as I said the writing here is not my issue, it just didn't grab me enough to make me really enjoy it - it was just okay.

The Collector publishes on 8th November 2022


Star Rating: 3.5

CAWPILE Rating: 7.71/10

Characters: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Writing: 9/10
Plot: 7/10
Intrigue: 9/10
Logic: 8/10
Enjoyment: 7/10

Many thanks to the author, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a powerful story.

A child Lukas Bjerre is missing. Time is of the essence to find him. Erik Shafer is heading up the investigation into the childs disappearance. Heloise is a very close friend of Erik Schafer as well as the investigative reporter assigned to the story.

Heloise has a past that is disturbing to the point Heloise feels she is broken, Her boyfriend Martin Duvall, does not realize the extent of the deep pain Heloise has inside her.

The parents of Lukas, Jen and Anne Bjerre also have hidden pasts.

This story has it all, mystery, love among friends, PTSD due to soldiers in battle.

What I liked best about this book is the description of the characters and the location which draws you in. I would recommend this book for those that want a different flair. The mystery of what happened to Lukas takes you on a journey which makes this book hard to put down.

4.5/5 stars
I loved this book. It’s a bit of a slow burn in that it takes a bit for all the pieces to connect and some don’t fully connect until the end of the book. However, I didn’t want to put the book down and I read it in one day. There are multiple surprises at the end that I didn’t see coming and those endings always bring me joy!
The Kaldan and Schäfer series have quickly become one of my favorite police procedural crime books and I’m hoping to see more in the future!

I knocked the book down from 5 stars due to the following: It reads a little politically incorrect or out of touch at times.
Sometimes I feel like it’s a character flaw in someone like Schäfer who is from an older generation and used to “the old ways”. Or maybe it’s a translation issue where the sentiments don’t fully translate from Danish to English or like a cultural difference where sayings or things don’t always translate well.
I’m also not sure why the book is called the Collector. That’s not revealed in the book that I noticed.

This is another book where you should read trigger warnings before reading. There’s some heavy material in the book that could be hard for some readers to encounter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC.

Wow, what an excellent read! I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Lukas' disappearance and the investigation itself. The verbal jousting between Kaldan and Schafer was fun to read. I liked that I was able to easily understand the story without having read book 1. One twist which took me completely by surprise. I can't recommend this book enough.

I really enjoyed the first book. But i struggled with this one. It was more of a slow burn and i felt like it was partly intriguing but partly just too slow to want to turn the pages. Some problematic things as well. But i just wasn’t into this story like i had hoped. I felt like the missing child was kind of lost… no pun intended.. just felt like he was barely the focus.

The Collector is a nice twisted tale of events that have you guessing what happened to Lukas and who is to blame. What was unique about this book is that it doesn't give the normal hints that let you think or know you're on the right path, but plays out almost like a modern day crime show. Keeps you interested and turning the page until you discover the full story. Very well done. I didn't realize this is the second in a series but definitely stands alone. Looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

The characters in this were very unlikable to me unfortunately. I just couldn't relate or connect to any of them. Overall I felt this was a bit slow and predictable. 3 stars because I finished.

I did not realize this was the 2nd book in a series, however it can be read as a stand alone book.

The writing was very slow at many points, but at the same time kept my attention because of the part that were mich faster. I wish the was slightly more focus on the investigation into the disappearance and secrets instead of side plot and odd relationships among characters.
I didn't like a lot of the characters and I had some issue with law breaking.

That being said I enjoyed reading this and the end was nothing that I expected in the best way!

I liked the short chapters and drama.

There may have been some "lost in translation" involved which could have been fully explained and understandable in its original dialect and diction.

The disappearance of a ten-year-old boy from his primary school once again brings together a seasoned Danish Violent Crimes Unit detective and an investigative journalist turned sleuth to find the child before it’s too late. Along the way, things get complicated.

In winter in the Denmark capital of Copenhagen, it’s Detective Erik Schäfer’s (The Corpse Flower, 2017) least favorite kind of crime, a missing child. Ten-year-old Lukas Bjerre disappeared from the rec center that provides his school’s aftercare program and no one has a clue about what happened to him. Detective Erik Schäfer and his partner Lisa Augustin rush to the school to investigate. They find a witness who recalls seeing the boy’s father dropping Lukas off at school that morning, but no one seems to have seen him since. Then, once Schäfer and his partner interview school staff members, they discover something chilling. It seems Lukas was absent from all his classes. Instead of only a few hours, he has been missing the entire day, but a staff member had failed to note his absence until the end of the school day. This discovery provokes an all-hands-on deck situation for the Copenhagen police and officers descend on the school to search every nook and cranny for the missing boy. Schäfer and his team, with no real leads, launch an almost around the clock investigation, knowing the likelihood of a grim outcome increases with each passing hour Lukas remains missing. The foreshadowing event that Hancock gives us in the first chapter adds to the sense of dread we feel when we learn about the missing boy and we fear the worst.

It isn’t until the fourth chapter that the author reintroduces us to the co-protagonist, investigative journalist turned amateur sleuth Heloise Kaldan. Those of us who read The Corpse Flower first met her in Hancock’s celebrated and riveting debut novel, the first novel in this series. The role Hancock assigns Kaldan in this book intrigued me. Instead of Heloise becoming immediately involved in the missing child case, she remains mostly on the periphery of the investigation until late in the story. In this book, we largely read about Heloise’s chaotic personal life and learn about a dreaded personal event she is in the middle of that leaves her ambivalent about some hard decisions she must make. Past painful events in her life have left Kaldan cynical about expecting too much from life in general and especially from other people. As examples, she views the world as such an awful place that she can’t imagine someone wanting to bring children into it, and at least for herself, rejects the institutions of marriage and family. While Heloise’s hard outer shell remains intact, she seems far more softer and vulnerable on the inside than I recall her seeming in the first book. This novel also reveals more of her flaws–demanding far more honesty from her friends than she offers in return, rationalizing her own shortcomings, and violating the trust of a friend because getting the details for a story her boss assigned is more of a priority for her than loyalty to a close friend. Heloise Kaldan is a flawed character we almost want to despise, but can’t help liking because she evokes our empathy and, to a degree, sympathy. I love her role in this book because the exposure of the intimate details makes the progress of her character arc clear and obvious.

In my review of The Corpse Flower, I mildly criticized Hancock’s character, Erik Schäfer, feeling in spots in the dialogue, his use of certain colloquialisms sometimes made him seem more like an American police detective than what I’d expect a Scandinavian police detective to be like. That’s all gone in this second novel. I came away from this one feeling strongly that Erik Schäfer much reminded me of Jo Nesbø’s dogged and methodical Harry Hole character without all of Hole’s eccentricities. I loved that since it seems Nesbø is done with Harry Hole and for me Hole ranks right up there with Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch as a tough, believable detective character. So, I’m definitely on board for a similar character to root for. I liked Erik Schäfer in the first book, but loved him even more in this one.

When the publisher offered me an advanced copy of The Collector, I felt slight trepidation about accepting because Hancock’s debut novel was so brilliant. Often when an author hits it out of the park with a first book, the second book, even when it turns out good, just never quite measures up and leaves you feeling disappointed. But I shouldn’t have worried since with this one, Anne Mette Hancock vaults the high bar she set with The Corpse Flower with astonishing ease.

Hancock is a gifted storyteller who has mastered tight plotting and near perfect pacing. She grabs the reader’s attention with the first page and then keeps you engaged until the very end. Her writing style is, at times, almost lyrical. As wonderful as she is at giving us fully fleshed out, realistic and believable main characters, Hancock doesn’t skimp on sketching the supporting cast of characters for us either. Besides Heloise Kaldan and Erik Schäfer, she offers the reader a host of other interesting, realistic characters in The Collector the reader enjoys getting to know and either loves or hates. I found Heloise’s bestie Gerda Bendix, Bendix’s precocious eight-year-old daughter Lulu, and former police psychologist Michala Friis, who assists the police on the missing child case, particularly compelling.

Readers who enjoy suspenseful psychological thrillers and especially fans of Jo Nesbø, Lilja Sigurðardóttir, and Henning Mankell are sure to love reading The Collector. Anne Mette Hancock has certainly earned a spot in my pantheon of favorite Scandinavian crime fiction writers.

I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher used for this review, which represents my honest opinions.

Okay, this was different. A cast of characters all connected in some way to the case of a missing boy and the people in that boys life. Numerous perspectives. Numerous flawed individuals with their own baggage. All fitting together almost like an episode of law & order.

I enjoyed it. Parts were cringey. Parts were downright triggering. All interesting. I'm glad I stick with it cuz the 2nd half of the book really hooked me. Will definitely read more by this author.

Triggers: drugs, alcoholism, PTSD, military trauma, child abuse, blood, miscarriage, child loss, abuse against women and more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Young Lucas goes missing, setting in motion the search for him and several leads and more questions than answers. The local journalist finds herself getting close and involved in this search for little Lucas, bringing readers into the investigation from the perspective of both the detectives and the journalist. This book is a fast read, and very twisty to the end. Very reminiscent of Jo Nesbo! This is my first book by Anne Mette Hancock, and the second in a series. Now I want to go back and read the first one!

LOVED the twist to this mystery thriller!

This is actually the 2nd in a series starring Danish detectives Kaldan and Schafer, but was able to enjoy this book without having read #1

In The Collector, a 10 year old disappears from his private school in Copenhagen. As the detectives investigate, they learn that Lukas was interested in PAREIDOLIA - a tendency to see shapes or things (in this case faces) in every day photos or random pictures. How this plays into his kidnapping, they are not sure.

I enjoyed the characters but the plot was so unique, I give it five stars for originality. Even the best Danish Detective will not solve this crime until the end. If you like mystery thrillers, unique crimes and actions or just are interested in reading a new police procedural, The Collector is for you!

This was a like, but not a love for me. It keep me interested, but it seemed hard to follow. The characters were well developed, and I really liked them.

Second in the Kaldan and Scháfer Mystery, this is another gritty Danish crime/police procedural set in Copenhagen. The suspense will keep you up past bedtime!
Young Lukas is missing from his school. Did he wander off, run away purposely, kidnapped? Is he still alive?
Detective Erik Schäfer is in the Violent Crimes Unit with his partner, Lisa Augustin. Just back from vacationing with his wife, Connie, he's dispatched to the scene to investigate. The parents, Jens and Anne Sofie, are predictably distraught but, must be interviewed.
Heloise Kaldan is a journalist with the local paper. She and Schäfer are acquainted from a previous case, not necessarily friends. Her personal life is a mess. Longtime romantic partner, Martin, wants marriage, kids, etc. Everything she's not ready for. She's researching a story about PTSD in veterans when she learns of the missing boy. She can't resist getting involved, following clues and putting herself in danger. Gerda is her best friend, but soon they too are on the outs and not speaking.
There are clues discovered which lends hope that Lukas may still be alive, time is of utmost importance. The parents seem to be hiding something, perhaps outright lying. Schäfer has to dig deep to uncover what happened to Lukas.
There are many suspects, from the grocery stocker the kids nicknamed the Apple Man, the school staff, teachers and his classmates.
Lucas has a strange disorder called pareidolia, you can look that up as I had to. He enjoys costumes and role-play games.
It's a dark and twisted plot with an ending that left me gasping. The characters are people you get invested in and want to know more about. There are also many repeat supporting characters, but you can easily read as a standalone. Having read the first in the series, I can hardly wait for the next.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "The Collector" by Anne Mette Hancock, and to Crooked Lane Books. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions, given voluntarily.

Danish crime series? Sign me up 🙌🏻. The Collector is the second book in this series and after reading The Corpse Flower, and loving it, there’s no way I would have missed this one.

A missing 10 year old boy. A strange obsession with pareidolia. Ex soldiers suffering from PTSD. How is any of this connected?

I’ll be the first to admit that I am kind of over the missing kids trope but, give me a Nordic/Scandi noir with a missing kid and I’m all over it! I really liked this book and how the story played out. The pacing was good, and I found the plot interesting with just enough scattered through out to keep you guessing. I read the first book a year ago and I was a bit annoyed that there were certain details about Schäfer and Kaldan I had forgotten, which would have been helpful here. But that’s again a personal issue and you don’t necessarily have to read the first book. Did I like this one better than the first book? No. The Corpse Flower was darker which is always a plus for me and it just grabbed me more. The Collector is definitely worth a read though, but it wasn’t as twisty and thrilling and I fell like some things were left unexplained. Again, that could be just me or maybe the translation? Will I continue on with this series? Absolutely! 3.5⭐️
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A story of a 10 yr old who suddenly disappears without a trace. Two murders that they have to solve , the boy and an ex-soldier, are the two murders related?

The plot is not hard to follow in terms of solving the mystery, though there were part of the chapters that I think not necessary to elaborate in the investigation but just add a little twist in the overall storyline.

An average read for me.

Thank you for Netgalley for the ARC.


3.5/5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: November 8, 2022
Anne Mette Hancock brings her Danish detective series, Kaldan and Schafer (first seen in the first novel, “The Corpse Flower), back for a second time with the second novel, “The Collector”.
A ten year old boy disappears from his school in the middle of the day, vanishing without a trace. No one saw the boy being taken, and everyone who knows him swears he is compliant, sweet and loving. When detective Eric Schafer is called to the scene, the boys’ jean jacket is found submerged in a frozen lake, covered in the blood of a war veteran; a war veteran whose dead body was also just discovered. As Schafer scrambles to uncover the connection, investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan is desperate to break the case open, regardless of the consequences.
Hancock’s series is different from other police procedural novels in that the lead protagonists are friends, working in two entirely separate fields, and are not detective partners. Schafer is a detective, sure, but Kaldan is a journalist, and the two are connected by a long-time friendship. Schafer is in a long-term, committed marriage, and Kaldan is involved as well, so there are no obvious romantic intentions between the two, which is refreshing in this genre.
The chapters are short and tantalizing, making the novel a quick page-turner. There is no shortage of drama either; with dysfunctional relationships, addiction and pareidolia (a phenomenon where sufferers see faces in inanimate things) at its centre. Hancock’s characters are well developed, and there are enough background players to make the final whodunit completely unexpected.
Set against the freezing backdrop of a Danish winter, “The Collector” is sure to give you chills.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

The second in a series starring Danish detectives Kaldan and Schafer, the novel begins with the disappearance of a young school child and one thing is for sure, many people are keeping secrets.

I felt that this remained a very slow burn of a novel even though I read the majority of the novel in one sitting. There was a little too much purple prose in some chapters and I really felt the novel worked best when it was just focused on the investigation. There was a lot of sub stories that ran alongside the mystery and I felt some ran perpendicular to a child's disappearance. I felt some of the relationships between characters was a bit strange. Yet I ask myself if it is a translation issue or the fact that I didn't read book one?

All in all, an okay book but not my favorite.






Goodreads review published 03/08/22
Expected Publication Date 08/11/22


#TheCollector #NetGalley

I think the author had the right idea with the plot but the characters were problematic. I’m not sure if it was the translation aspect or cultural differences that were lost in translation. It seems out of date to have middle eastern terrorist characters and frankly offensive and racist. I had to give a lower rating because of this. Thank you NetGalley!

One of last year’s surprise finds for me was The Corpse Flower which was the opening story by Anne Mette Hancock featuring Journalist Heloise Kaldan and Detective Erik Schäfer. The story demonstrated a very confident author and great promise for her future career. Containing some very dark elements, I felt the novel took the reader explore a few areas that other novels have been reluctant to venture too, particularly for the female protagonists.

Following shortly after the events of the previous novel, The Collector is also translated by Tara Chase who also translates Hancock’s fellow Danish author Katrine Engberg, Heloise Kaldan has personal business to attend to at the surgery when the doctor consulting her suddenly receives a very worrying family call. It soon transpires that a 10 year old boy Lukas has disappeared from the school that Kaldan’s closest friend’s young daughter attends. Getting there very early she discovers that Erik Schäfer who has recently returned from St Lucia in the Caribbean is on the case for the Copenhagen police department. While his disappearance was established at pick up time, it soon becomes clear that Lukas has been missing from the moment that he was dropped off at school that morning and nobody needs reminding that the longer a child is missing, the greater the likelihood that they have come to serious harm.

While willing to support Kaldan as a friend, particularly as she encounters problems with her boyfriend Martin, Schäfer is reluctant to share too much police information with a member of the press. However as the police encounter several dead ends Kalden probes her friend Greta on Lukas’ background. Like the earlier story, The Collector explores some people with interesting characteristics who could perhaps be seen as on the fringes of society. Lukas has a fascination with pareidolia – seeing faces in random objects. Another character who becomes a suspect is suffering from severe PTSD. Most peculiar of all is Finn who I assume is the collector mentioned in the title who likes to give fruit to some of the children from the local school. Could this seemingly innocent activity be hiding something more sinister? While the lack of social norms is portrayed by some, these also apply to some extent Kaldan who is single minded and often doesn’t consider the consequences of her actions while, and Schäfer also has trauma of his own that his has to manage. While as some clues are eventually discovered, the investigation is lead is unexpected ways.

The Collector is a very solid police procedural which allows Kaldan and Schäfer to become fuller characters. While perhaps not breaking as much ground as The Corpse Flower, this story will certainly further establish Hancock ass an exciting crime fiction writer. I am very keen to see how her series progresses in future novels.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books for access to The Collector which will be published in the USA on 10 November 2022.