The Collector is Anne-Mette Hancock’s second crime novel. This time a pregnant Heloise Kaldan has to investigate over Lukas Bjerre, a 10-year-old boy missing from Nyholm School with an obsession with pareidolia, a psychological phenomenon in which random patterns are interpreted as faces.

Agent Erik Schafer, after a sweet honeymoon with his wife, is back at work and has to recompose all of the pieces of this intriguing puzzle involving a man with a pathological fixation on young children, a former soldier suffering severe PTSD and found dead in his house, a mysterious and rancorous father and an alcohol addicted mother.

Was Lukas abducted by someone? Was Lukas’s disappearance a voluntary one? Was Lukas still alive? These are the questions that immediately arise after reading the first pages, but we are left completely astonished when we reach the last few pages and discover that our first assumptions were completely wrong. This is what makes this novel a very page-turner. I highly recommend it to lovers of well-written crime stories. 5 out of 5 stars

A boy goes missing and the police are trying to find out what happend. He seems like a happy child from a happy family but the detectives are not convinced.. Then, his school backpack is found, but not the boy. Nice, I did not expect at the ending.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first in the series and found its handling of domestic violence and portrayal of Middle Eastern people to be highly problematic.

Spoilers ahead, tw: for racism and domestic violence.

I was disappointed in the difference between Martin's characterisation in book 1 vs. book 2. It seemed like Hancock was just looking for an excuse to get rid of him and his violence towards Kaldan didn't add anything for the storyline or her character development. They could have had that exact fight without it escalating to violence for the same level of impact on the plot. It was also disappointing to see Schafer do a complete 180 from trying to help Kaldan recover from Martin's attack to being incredibly aggressive towards Kalden for interfering with his story, all within the same scene. Up until that point Schafer had been a heroic character, one Kalden could trust to seek the truth, yet he didn't bother to find out the full truth of why Kalden went through his files before condemning her. Kalden also didn't appear to be impacted by the physical or verbal violence from the two most important men in her life, which seemed to be an unrealistic reaction from her given her reaction to her father's crimes.

Even more troublesome was that the only Brown people in the books so far, the only representatives of Middle Eastern immigrants, were portrayed as violent terrorists seeking revenge on Danish soldiers. Hancock brings a level of humanity to other side characters, like the old woman Kalden encounters while searching for the missing boy and the man with a learning disability who works at the local grocery, but there was no humanity in any of the 4 Afghani characters. They were just copies of a Charlie Hebdo caricature in written form. To me it revealed more about the author's own attitude towards Muslims and Middle Eastern people than it added to the story itself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I was not sure about this book, although I enjoyed it it didn't enthrall me. I thought the whole pareidolia thing could have centered more in the story rather than just being an off the side clue.

I also found that things were mentioned and just glossed over such as alcohol issues and domestic violence/abuse. These could have been explored more deeply.

This is possibly a book best read in the original language. I do feel that the translation possibly let it down. Maybe it's because it was done by an American that the language and grammar seemed so off. The characters were all unlikeable. Heloise with an H spent the whole time whinging. Some seriously awful stereotypes. Issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, addiction are not dealt with very well. Preconceived negative views are pandered to. The detective seemed to be particularly stupid not seeing what was right in front of him that the rest of us could see telegraphed for miles. Ending was OK. A lot of things were left unexplained
If I see anymore of this author's books I will check the translator before reading

This was fast-paced story I had a hard time putting down. I did not read the first book in the series but I plan to do so. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My thoughts: This book grabbed me from the first chapter but then really slowed down for me and I’m the type of reader who needs a “go go go” situation happening. The ending was really good and holy crap the way the book ends is insane. It will imply something but doesn’t actually say it and I absolutely loved that part! I think part of the reason I didn’t find it to be one of my absolute favourite books was because it was written with Danish names and streets and I am not from Denmark so that caused a fair amount of confusion.

This book was very fast paced and I love that ! I finished it in two days . I will say it just wasn’t for me , the storyline was ok , characters decent, ending was very good I was a little shocked. But overall it was ok . I would recommend as it’s not bad but just not my favorite

This book is very faced paced and keeps you interested. I saw the twist coming (which I hate but sometimes it is hard to avoid)
I have heard mixed reviews on this and I am afraid that I have to side with the would not recommend crowd. I found the characters a little annoying and while it was easy to read, it might have been too faced paced and left out information.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eARC copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a quick read that is enjoyable. Hancock sets out just the right amount of information that kept me guessing, but not frustrated (or feeling like "there's no way that could have happened").

I rated it 4 stars until the last few pages, and then it got bumped up to 5 stars. My gosh, is that going to come up in the next book of the series?!

I've added Hancock to my list of authors I want to read more of. I cannot wait until the 3rd in this series comes out in English!

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed reading about Copenhagen. It was also educational! The science of seeing faces in everyday items.
Lots of action happened in the first half of the book with two mysteries going on. I didn’t know this was book 2 of a series. It seemed to be a good stand alone story.
I did get a bit confused with characters but the characters were described. It was a good mystery that kept. me up. It seemed to have a good conclusion
I rated it 4 out of 5 stars I will look for more from the series now that Ive been introduced to the characters. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read the ARC and give my honest opinion

Rounded up from 3.5 stars
I liked this second book in the series but not as much as The Corpse Flower.
Shafer is still the gruff detective but I found Heloise more irritating this time around. The resolution was decent but the ending killed me! I kept scrolling, hoping there was an epilogue or another chapter! Overall, this is definitely a series I will keep reading!

When 10-year-old Lukas disappears from his Copenhagen school, police investigators discover that the boy had a peculiar obsession with pareidolia—a phenomenon that makes him see faces in random things. A photo on his phone posted just hours before his disappearance shows an old barn door that resembles a face. Journalist Heloise Kaldan thinks she recognizes the barn—but from where?

When Luke’s blood-flecked jacket is found in the moat at Copenhagen’s Citadel, DNA evidence points to Thomas Strand, an ex-soldier suffering from severe PTSD. But then Strand turns up dead in his apartment, shot in the head execution style.

What did the last person to see Lukas really witness that morning in the school yard? Was it really Lukas, or an optical illusion? Can you ever truly trust your eyes?

I loved the first book with these characters, The Corpse Flower, and gave it 5 stars. I enjoyed this book too, but maybe not quite as much.
Lukas, a 10 year old boy, disappears from his Copenhagen school. Outwardly Lukas has a good family life, his only quirk being pareidolia, a condition that makes him see faces in random things. Hours before he disappeared he posted a picture of a barn door and journalist Heloise Kaldan thinks she recognises it, believing that Lukas might be held there.
There were several threads running through this book, which kept it interesting. Another good book by this author and I look forward to more.

Thoroughly decent, although some of the relationships read as a little strange. A reasonably satisfying conclusion as well.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Collector. I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I felt throughout that I have seen this on tv - deja vu. Who knows. But a great thriller. Love the characters of Kaden and Schaffer- they never give up!!

2 stars, granted on the fact that it is a fast paced and easy read.

There are several things that made me downgrade my rating:

* The characters were absolutely not likeable. I don't mind some nasty villains, and even my favorite policewoman, Vera, is also rather irascible and stubborn, but here the characters don't have any traits to redeem themselves. Schaffer the policeman in charge is macho and has very preconceived notions: a male teacher with some makeup: SUSPECT ! A male aid crying in public: SUSPECT ! A gazelle like woman looking like a supermodel: TO BE INTERVIEWED ! Really? It's 2022 guys ! His counterpart in the form of a journalist (who didn't write a word during the whole book) is Heloise who is just whining about her private life all the way through.

* The whole story revolves around a handful of characters who all know each other in some way: the detective and the journalist are besties, so are the journalist and the main witness. The journalist is with the father when he receives the call that his boy is missing. There are more links that I will pass in order to avoid spoilers.

* There are issues that gave me pause and even wanted me to stop reading: up to three times patient - doctor confidentiality is broken, with devastating consequences. Schaffer is not the only one who shows signs of prejudice and preconceived notions, there is a multitude of references to race, gender or social status that are off putting. The themes of domestic abuse, alcoholism, abortion, refugees or poverty are all handled in a detached and very stereotypical way.

* And then there is also some strange structure in sentences and vocabulary, which I think is a result of the translation. Also, I have no clue as to what the title is referring to.

I would certainly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a fast paced thriller with twists and turns, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a second psychological thriller by Danish writer Anne Mette Hancock. I reviewed the first one, The corpse flower here.

When 10-years old Lukas disappears from his school, it just seems that he has vanished into a thin air. He is described as an obedient and kind child, and his parents are prominent citizens. The only clues where he could be are his Instagram account and his bloodied jacket. Journalist Heloise Kaldan helps with the investigation and soon becomes obvious that many people are involved in this complicated case.

What hides behind fake smiles and who can a person trust?

This is a complex and believable thriller about children, family relationships, dark pasts, violence, hopes, and grief. The characters are very relatable with their inner turmoils and neverending analysis.

All in all, a good read.

3,5 stars

Complex and believably constructed case;
I read a book from the Heloise Kaldan and Erik Schäfer series a long time ago, so I'm not directly familiar with the series. This book is easy to read without knowing the previous volumes. The events start rapidly with the missing child and then the investigations stagnate a bit. At this point, the tension could have been a little more for my taste. The case is very well constructed and has a surprising but believable ending. The characters are also well drawn and complex. Overall I liked it very much and I will now get the previous volumes of the Kaldan/Schäfer series.

Talk about a surprise ending! This thriller truly kept me on my toes from beginning to end. It surely was not predictable and even when you thought the story was over there was one more jaw dropper. This was my first Anne Mette Hancock read but it surely won't be the last. Keep an eye out for this one coming in November 2022!