My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Collector’ by Anne Mette Hancock. It was originally published in Denmark in 2018 and has been translated from the Danish by Tara Chace.

This is Book 2 in this series featuring journalist Heloise Kaldan and police detective Erik Schäfer.

Like its predecessor, ‘The Corpse Flower’, this is a slow burn character-led crime novel. I feel that Hancock’s combination of journalistic fiction and police procedural works well and reminds me favourably of the Millennium Trilogy.

The plot involves the disappearance of 10-year-old Lukas Bjerre from his Copenhagen school. When Lukas’ blood-flecked jacket is found in the moat at Copenhagen’s Citadel there is DNA evidence that points the police towards a suspect. Yet the case quickly becomes more complicated. Erik Schäfer of the Danish Violent Crimes Unit is all too aware of how important it is to find the boy quickly.

Part of the case involves the discovery that Lucas is obsessed with pareidolia, a phenomenon where people see faces in random things. A photo is discovered on his phone that was posted online shortly before his disappearance showing an old barn door that resembles a face.

Investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan is convinced that she recognizes the barn but is uncertain from where. Could it hold a clue to Lukas’ whereabouts. Without regard to her personal safety, she seeks it out.

It’s great to see a journalist as a friend to a police detective rather than an adversary seeking to undermine their investigation in order to get a scoop.

With ‘The Collector’ Anne Mette Hancock again demonstrates a keen eye for detail, characterisation, and plotting and delivers an engaging work of Nordic Noir.

Book 3 has recently been published in Denmark and I look forward to its English translation in due course.

Journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a medical appointment with Dr Jens Bjerre when he receives a phone call to tell him his ten year old son Lukas is missing from school. Dr Bjerre had dropped him at his Copenhagen school in the morning, but no one is quite sure when he was last seen after that, so he could have been missing for up to eight hours. Erik Schäfer and Lisa Augustin from the Violent Crimes Unit are called in and immediately organise a widespread search of the area around the school. However, no sign of him is found and no one recalls seeing a boy fitting his description. Alarm bells really start ringing the following day when his bloodstained jacket is found in a nearby moat.

Originally published in 2018 in Danish, The Collector has now been translated into English but retains a very Danish flavour and atmosphere. The novel follows on from the first book in the series, The Corpse Flower, where we first met Heloise Kaldan and her good friend Erik Schäfer, but would also read well as a stand alone mystery.

This slow burning mystery ramps up as the hunt for Lukas continues and Schäfer tries to work out if he’s been abducted or has run away. Secrets are uncovered and it soon becomes clear that not everyone is who they seem to be and not everything is as people have seen it. Lukas has an unusual neurological condition called pareidolia where he sees faces in inanimate objects and collects images of them. Kaldan believes that the last image he posted of a barn door may be a clue to where he is and she is sure she has seen that door before herself.

The plot unfolds from the points of view of both Kaldan and Schäfer. Kaldan wants the story for her newspaper and can be quite forthright in pushing Schäfer for information and following her instincts without regard for her personal safety, such that he often has to hold her at bay. Other threads are woven into the novel, including Kaldan’s difficulties in her personal life and the article she is writing on returned soldiers with PTSD. It’s an intriguing read with an unexpected ending and should appeal to fans who enjoy Nordic noir that isn’t too dark.

📖My Thoughts📖

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? This was the second book in the series but can absolutely be read as a stand alone. While I typically read cozy mysteries, this was a nice slight veer in a similar direction which I enjoyed. It was a little more in depth and I felt myself really invested in trying to figure it out (which I did not). There were a couple subplots going on simultaneously and they seemed to give it that small little boost and made it that much more intriguing. There are some themes that could be cause for triggers to some, including abortion, pregnancy loss, alcoholism, suicide, abuse as well as others. This was an easy read with a decent pace. If you’re in the mood for a good mystery, this would be a good one to pick up!
Thank you Netgalley, Anne Mette Hancock and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Collector is a Scandi Noir thriller about young Lukas reported missing from his Copenhagen school, with two protagonists: investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan and her friend and police detective Erik Shafer. Their investigations follow various leads including the boy's obsession with pareidolia (a phenomenon that makes him see faces in random things) and connections to an ex-soldier suffering from severe PTSD. Can they crack the case and bring the boy home safely? Though this is the second instalment in the Kaldan and Schafer series, it works very well as a standalone. The Collector is my first read of this author (translated) and I'd be keen for more in this series. Recommended for fellow lovers of books that combine the crime subgenres of detective fiction, police procedural and psychological thriller. My rating is 4.0-4.5 stars.

Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of an appointment with her Doctor, Jens Bjerre, when he receives a call from his son's school to say that Lukas hasn't turned up for his after school club. When it becomes clear that actually Lukas didn't attend school at all that day, Erik Schäfer and his partner Lisa Augustin from the Violent Crimes Unit are called in to investigate. According to all of his family, friends and teachers, Lukas is a quiet, intelligent and well-behaved boy so it is Lukas’s obsession with pareidolia (seeing faces and objects in everyday objects) which interests the police. Could some of the images Lukas has recently posted on his social media accounts hold clues to his disappearance, or provide information about any of the people who have been flagged in connected with the case?

The Corpse Flower was one of my 'Top 5' books last year and now, after reading The Collector, the Kaldan and Scháfer Mystery series has cemented itself as one of the best new Scandi Crime series I have read in recent years. In The Corpse Flower, I especially enjoyed the relationship between journalist Heloise Kaldan and Detective Erik Schäfer, and the contrast of their different investigative styles. There was quite a different approach in The Collector. This story focused less on Heloise as a journalist, and gave the perfect opportunity to learn more about her personal life and the effect that the events in the previous book had on her life and relationships.

The Collector is another fantastic example of a Scandi Police Procedural from Anne Mette Hancock, and this investigation actually had some pretty chilling moments. I really enjoyed the seeing the development of the two main characters and am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

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

In the second Kaldan and Scháfer Mystery, ten-year-old Lukas Bjerre vanishes from his Copenhagen school's aftercare programme, and old friends Detective Erik Schäfer and investigative journalist Heloise Kalden reunite to figure out who is responsible.

Detective Erik Schäfer and his Violent Crimes Unit team are dispatched to the school shortly after Lukas's disappearance is discovered. Also at the scene is the journalist Heloise Kaldan who came to support her best friend Gerda. Gerda, one of the parents, was the last person to see Lukas alive when he arrived at school that morning.

Link to full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2022/11/17/the-collector-anne-mette-hancock/

Heloise Kaldan and Erik Schafer return in The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock.

The second entry in this Danish crime series sees 10-year-old Lukas disappears from his Copenhagen school after his dad dropped him off. Police investigators discover Lukas has an obsession with pareidolia—a phenomenon where humans see faces in random, everyday objects. A photo posted to Instagram hours before his disappearance shows an old barn door that can be seen as a face but, moreover, maybe one of the last places the boy was. Journalist Heloise Kaldan knows she has seen the barn but she can't quite remember. Can she trust her memory? And can people always trust what they see?

There is a lot going on with this book. The best aspect is that it is OK that this second in the series, and I haven't read the first. The author gives you what you need to know and doesn't drag it down for old readers. This isn't something that makes the story so complex and overdone.

First of all, the twist wasn't really a twist. The book had meandered off too many trails for it not to be obvious who the killer was. Red herrings are fine for one or two but this book is mainly just red herrings. The title makes no sense to me. And the way of seeing faces in objects, this is just a sideline story that could have been left out and the story could have remained the same.

The worst thing about the book is the constant violence of anyone with PTSD. Sure, it can cause it in certain people, but this book paints them all as killers; anyone in the war effort is dangerous and mean and violent. This is just unacceptable.

This book was a meandering mess and I would not recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the second in this series of Danish crime books by Anne Mette Hancock and wonderfully narrated by Laura Jennings - 4.5 stars rounded up! If you didn't read The Corpse Flower, this works well as a stand-alone, but much better together to see the character progression!

Ten-year-old Lukas disappeared from school and, unknown to his parents, he appears to have an interest in pareidolia, or seeing faces in inanimate objects. Journalist Heloise Kalan's friend was the last to see Lukas at school. Another of Heloise's friends, Detective Eric Schafer, is back from vacation and on the case to find Lukas. When is jacket is discovered in the river, DNA is traced back to a soldier suffering from PTSD. But things aren't what they appear to be.

I thought this book was even better than the first. It's a really intriguing look into what we see and how we process it. Just like Lukas' fascination with seeing faces in objects, how trustworthy are our eyewitness recollections? How easy is it to overlook something important in the mundane? This is a wonderful police procedural made better because it's a journalist and a detective, friends but with sometimes contrasting goals. I can't wait to read more books in this series!

"Schäfer looked over at the child-sized jacket on the light table and speculated on what kind of a monster would hurt a child. In his thirty years on the force, he had investigated almost 600 homicides, and an ordinary person had been hiding behind every single beast. In most of the cases he had been able to see the situation through the killers’ eyes, and it wasn’t hard to understand motives like revenge, jealousy, money, and sex. But— no matter what glasses Schäfer put on—there was no part of him that would ever understand how a person could make himself hurt a child."

I'm pretty sure this marks the first series I started and continued through netgalley. I really love the darkness in Nordic noir like this. This is a great - and quite dark sequel to the Corpse flower.

A 10 year old boy Lukas goes missing. The case becomes linked to his weird interest in pareidolia - seeing faces or other significance in random objects and things.

This is a really good procedural that feels smart as the author takes us through the likely suspects and the evidence. I don't know much about Denmark or their police so I can't speak to the accuracy.

Thank you netgalley and Crooked Lane books for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series but it can definitely be read as a stand alone which I did and I am going to back to read the first one as well.

The story starts with the disappearance of a child, he is seen going into school but nothing is seen after that. Someone knows something but there are secrets and lies all around.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC!

The Collector A Kaldan and Schafer Mystery by Anne Mette Hancock

344 Pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Release Date: November 8, 2022

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Child Abduction, Danish

Journalist Heloise Kaldan is back and pregnant. She does not have any maternal feeling and cannot see herself with Martin for the rest of her life. She hears about the missing ten year old boy Lukas and wants to help. She contacts Detective Erik Schafer for information and sneaks a peek into the missing child’s case file. Lukas sees faces in ordinary things. In the file, she finds photos he has taken and thinks she recognizes a barn. Now her hunt begins.

This is the second book in the series. It is fast paced, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I love Heloise! She has no fear and lives for the truth. She almost lost her journalism job and her life because of lies. Now, she doesn’t tolerate people that lie or bend the truth. If you like police dramas, journalism dramas, or fast paced mysteries, you will enjoy this book.

I LOVED The Corpse Flower so I was excited to read The Collector. And it did not disappoint.

This was a solid mystery and perfect for #nordicnoirnovember I enjoyed getting back to the characters and there were lots of twists that I didn’t see coming. I will happily return to my favorite Danish characters in the future.

The Collector is the second book in the Kalden and Schafer series but can be read as a standalone.

I like reading Scandinavian Noir mysteries and thrillers though I have read just a few of them so far. The Collector is set in Copenhagen and the premise revolves around a missing child.

Police officer Schafer and investigative journalist Heloise Kalden working in seperate fields, come together to solve the case of the missing child while also struggling to come to terms with their personal demons.

Lukas is only 10 when he disappears from the school gate and there are no witnesses. Soon the boy's jacket is found with blood on it and the race is on to find the boy alive.

The chapters were short and engaging and the author does a great job of beginning the book with the kidnapping and throwing in some additional subplots related to the protagonists. Face Pareidolia, psychological profiling and methodical police procedural propel the story forward and pull the reader in. I for one, was more intrigued with the phenomenon of face pareidolia which is actually a thing and so popular on Instagram.

The ending was tense but felt a bit rushed with some things left unanswered. Even then it was definitely worth a read. Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlane books for my digital advance reader copy to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Collector is the second book in the Kalden and Schafer Mystery series. I didn’t read the first book in the series, The Corpse Flower, but you don’t need to as book 2 can be read as a stand-alone.
This was my first Nordic thriller and I really enjoyed it! The plot and characters were great, it was fast-paced and very hard for me to put down! And the ending…a total surprise!! Now I’m ready for book 3!

I highly suggest reading The Collector if you enjoy:
• Nordic thrillers
• Police procedurals
• A messy investigation
• Intriguing mystery involving a missing boy

I'm not a big fan of Scandinavian Noir but the blurb for this book interested me enough to take a chance on it. I'm glad I did. Heloise Kaldan and Erik Schafer are great characters and the setting of Copenhagen is so well drawn that I could see the sights and feel the cold.
Kaldan is a journalist and Schafer is a cop. Both become involved in the disappearance of 10 year old Lukas but from different perspectives. After arriving at school he vanishes without a trace. Does the fact that he has pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon that makes hime see faces in inanimate objects have any baring in the case? With very few clues to follow and various personal items of Lukas's found near a frozen lake this becomes a very complex puzzle with an ending that had me saying I didn't expect that ending. I hope they translate the third book soon.
The mystery was excellent but the translation could have been better. It wasn't as smooth as it could have been. Even with that, I'm going to go back and read the first of the series The Corpse Flower.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Anne Mette Hancock's first book in Kaldan and Schaefer series, "The Corpse Flower," so I was super excited to read her second book, "The Collector," and let me assure you, she doesn't disappoint at all.
Detective Erik Schafer and his team from Violent Crimes Unit are assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of 10 year-old Lukas Bjerre who has a peculiar obsession with pareidolia. Heloise Kaldan, a journalist from Demokratisk Dagblad may be able to help them when she recognizes the last photo Lukas posted on his social media (in fact, a post on Instagram - a photo of an old barn door) before he went missing.
This second book of the Kaldan and Schaefer series was intense and gripping with amazing character follow up and twisty plot building. I personally enjoyed it much more than the first book! The plot appears to have more depth and I loved to know more about the psychological phenomenon - pareidolia. The psychological profiling in the plot was just superb to hook me till end. Actually to say the truth, it was a perfect Scandinavian Noir novel for an avid fan of police procedurals like me. I eagerly look forward to read the next book in this series!

It was an arc from Crooked Lane Books and I heartily thank both Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this amazing read.

Pub Date: 08 Nov 2022

Another great book from this talented author. She did an amazing job in capturing the sense of panic involved when a child goes missing. I loved the writing style - very eloquent without seeming to try.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock (out TODAY!)

The Collector is the second book in the Kaldan and Schafer series, and I really liked it!!

Y’all know how much I love Nordic noir, and this series is becoming one of my favorites in the genre! I love the connection between Kaldan and Schafer, which I find interesting because there’s normally conflict between journalists and detectives in other series.

I think this book is my favorite in the series! I honestly had no idea how everything would tie together, and was surprised by the main twist! And that ending!!!! Really liked it 👏🏻

If you’re looking for a somewhat “less gruesome” Nordic noir book to read, I suggest this book!!

Thank you @letstalkbookspromo, @crookedlanebooks, and @netgalley for my #gifted copies!

A missing boy, pareidolia (seeing faces in inanimate object), and a twisty police procedural. I am a huge fan of the Nordic noir genre and found this book interesting, but also rather slow at times. I found the relationship between the 2 main characters to be awesome: a detective and a journalist that are longtime friends. The dynamic between them keeps you engaged!

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books, Anne Mette Hancock and Netgalley for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Anne Mette Hancock, Crooked Lane Books, and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I first requested this book I was unaware that it was actually the second novel of a series. However, I do believe that this can be enjoyed as a standalone book, as the backstory and pre-established characters pretty much lay out all you need to know, and I was able to use context clues to fill in any blanks.

The Collector follows a group of investigators (both on the police force and off) as they search for a missing boy. The plot is relatively straightforward. This was quite an interesting read, as I have only read crime/mystery novels based primarily in England or the United States (I am an American reader). It was interesting to get a bit more insight into how investigations might occur elsewhere, along with the societal norms.

I enjoyed learning about the different characters as well as their own self-contained personal stories that did not relate to the main disappearance of the boy. Without revealing too much, there is a bit of a recurring plot point that is not subtle, and extremely heavy on foreshadowing at some points. Because of this, for me, the final reveal did not come as a surprise for me. Regardless, seeing how everything was uncovered by the characters was still enjoyable. There was definitely a lot of thought and effort that went into this novel, and by the time I finished it, I was quite satisfied knowing that I learned something new. The bit about pareidolia was particularly interesting to me.