Kaldan and Schäfer #2

Journalist Heloise Kaldan attends an appointment with Doctor Bjerre when he receives an urgent call concerning his 10-year-old son Lukas who has been missing for the last eight hours. Lukas seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Erik Schäfer and his partner Lisa Augustin of the Violent Crimes Unit are sent to Nyholm school where Dr Bjerre has dropped Lukas that morning. The story unfolds via the alternating perspectives of Kaldan and Schäfer.

This is another fascinating cleverly connected and predictable plot with an ending I definitely don’t see coming! One of the most intriguing aspects which does focus the police investigation is Lukas’s obsession with pareidolia which is seeing faces and objects such as in a barn door, one of the last pictures he posted. This is very much a theme, what exactly have people seen? Does Kaldan really recognise the door as she believes? Are the things people have seen real or are they illusions? It mirrors what Schäfer is trying to do in the investigation too when he tries to extract patterns in an ever deepening mystery. There are possible connections to soldiers suffering PTSD and to Afghanistan but how is this connected to Lukas?

The characterisation of the two lead protagonists is excellent. Schäfer is methodical yet intuitive, Heloise struggles with a number of issues but Schäfer really gets her and I like the relationship between them.

The atmosphere the author creates is also very good, Copenhagen is utilised well and you feel as if you are there. You feel the chill too of a very cold winter which highlights the chill of the plot.

However, we do get a lot of superfluous detail which detracts from the excellent plot and it’s not the best translation in the world either with a number of clunky phrasings. I’m not entirely sure why it’s called The Collector either, does it refer to Lukas collection of pareidolia??

Overall though, it is a real page turner despite the above reservations and the short short chapters keep the focus as does the brisk pace. If you like Scandi Noir then this is definitely one for you.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Swift Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is the second book in a series featuring both Copenhagen police and newspaper reporters and the interaction between them in a challenging case. A young child has disappeared from his school and there are various worrying traces of him for police detective Erik Shafer to follow - and a few blind alleys too. Hot on his heels is his friend and reporter, Eloise Haldan and there is quite a competition as to who will find the child first. The book is a little variable in pacing but the story is engrossing and well told and the ending should be satisfying but left a few too many unanswered questions for this reviewer. This means of course that the next book in series will be eagerly anticipated, so I suppose it’s a clever move!

*Many thanks to Anne Mette Hancock, Swift Press, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Partly a thriller, partly a police procedural, the book deals with a disappearance of a child and provides some twist and turns. In addition, there are several subplots which the author tries to connect to the main plot. I was not convinced by some characters' actions or at least I did not find them engaging. It was not a riveting read for me but I would definitely encourage other readers, fans of the genre, to pick it up.

This is my first book by this author and the second in this series, but that did not hamper my enjoyment at all; rather I now want to read the first book. Heloise Kaldan is an investigative journalist and her friend, Detective Erik Schäfer is a police investigator in the Violent Crimes Unit. The book is set in Copenhagen where a young boy named Lukas has gone missing. The boy has a unique interest in pareidolia, which means that he sees faces in inanimate objects.

A reported sighting of a body in a frozen moat leads to the recovery of Lukas’ bloodstained jacket, allowing forensics to come into play and the finger of suspicion is pointed at someone, only for that route to be abruptly cut off.

But one clue stands out. Among Lukas’ possessions, is a photo of a barn door. Heloise is sure she has seen that door before, but can’t quite remember where. Perhaps that’s because she has troubles of her own. As Schäfer and Kaldan work out different and parallel investigative angles, they need also to deal with their own personal issues whilst pursuing the case.

I enjoyed this book and especially liked the relationship between Kaldan and Schäfer who are friends but who have to tread a wary path between being supportive and sharing some information, but nevertheless maintaining their own investigative paths. Kaldan can be there for Schafer while she deals with her own personal issues but that doesn’t mean that he’ll deal her in on the police investigation. Kalden however is willing to use her friends to help her get to know and understand Lukas a bit better. Kaldan has a hard edge to her when she is pursuing a story and that means she takes risks and has a tendency to rush in where fools fear to tread.

Hancock also builds in some additional characters of interest, not least of whom is the local supermarket worker Finn, whose penchant for handing out fruit to local children makes him the focus of suspicion for quite some time.

Hancock builds an intriguing and suspenseful police procedural with strong characters and some interesting misdirection which keeps the reader guessing.

Verdict: The Collector is a chilling police procedural that is both tense and sometimes frightening. It is also an engaging, enjoyable read.

This was an enjoyable read but I had issues with the content of the book. IT started off with good pacing and engaged me really well, then in the middle it kind of seem to get slower and fell flat and then picked up towards the end. I would have preferred it to be the same all the way throught, although I did enjoy the story.

This is a hard book to review, started off really well, good scandi noir. Missing child, a hard read then it sort of felt like a different author had put in a section from another story. It’s the second in the series (I haven’t read the first) I did finish it as wanted to find out the conclusion. It started off as 4 stars but I’ve had to downgrade to a 3.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Swift Press for an advance copy of The Collector, the second novel to feature Detective Erik Schäfer of the Copenhagen Police and reporter Heloise Kaldan.

A ten year old boy, Lukas Bjarre, has disappeared. His dad dropped him off at school but he never made it to class. Lukas is quiet and smart, but his phone shows he has a strong interest in pareidolia, seeing faces in everyday objects. Is this related to his disappearance? Schäfer doesn’t know, but is determined to find out, while Kaldan is determined to help.

I enjoyed The Collector, which is a quirky read with some interesting twists. At the same time it can be frustrating with a few events that aren’t resolved satisfactorily and one or two that seem pointless. Overall, however, I found it to be a page turner.

In the first half of the novel Schäfer and his team assemble an odd assortment of clues that offer more questions than answers. This aroused my curiosity and got me turning the pages. The second half is where he starts to put it together and I must admit that I was surprised by what happens and how it turns out as it was so unexpected.

Schäfer and Kaldan are friends so the narrative is mostly split between them with other characters contributing as required. He is an effective investigator and it is he who solves the case. I’m not actually sure what she contributes to the investigation as she’s going through a few things and is a bit flaky. It’s fair to say that she has an eventful personal life.

The Collector is a good read that I can recommend.

TW: abortion, suicide, murder, domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism, PTSD

This thriller had some interesting themes and I really did enjoy the dynamic between Heloise and Schafer.

However, some themes were explored in a stereotypical way which I didn't enjoy it. It included casual racism which I hope was a reflection of the fictional characters and not the authors true thoughts.

The ending was ok. I didn't see the plot twist coming but it was not mind blowing or the best thriller I've read. Am I compelled to read more of Anne Mette Hancock's work? Yes and no. I enjoyed the relationship between the police and the journalist and it did keep me guessing but it wasn't super gripping or thrilling.

Thank you netgalley for this gifted copy. I really appreciate it.

"The Collector" by Anne Hancock follows investigator Erik and journalist Heloise as they investigate the disappearance of a young boy.

I would give "The Collector" by Anne Hancock a one-star review because, 1; I really disliked the majority of this book.

The initial opening of this story did give me pause and had me struggling as to whether I'd even be able to finish it with such an odd narrative style..... however, strangely enough once past that 1st chapter the book was written in a much more normal prose and kept a good pace. There are plenty twists and turns and a whole host of interesting and unique characters. There's not always a lot of action but there is a fair emount of detail into the difficulties of each person's life, aside for them main mystery so that adds a lot of depth and understanding ti the characters. I really enjoyed it and would recommend

I'm suffering regret at not having read the first in series.
It would have made the who knows who and how's far less distracting.
This book didn't hit the right note for me quite a few times, but at others it was spot on.
A very mixed bag.
Side plots that left me wondering if we were ever getting back to the main plot of the book.
I enjoyed the story, but just had too many niggles to be too enthusiastic about it.